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I haven't seen the top rendering before. http://www.famehall.biz/houston/2017/20170408101020.shtml Anyone have acesss to this? https://omshouston.wordpress.com/

Was this concept drawing from ZC posted? Looked back a few pages and didn't see it. Awesome!

...Unless you don't consider GFR an to be an 'improvement'. Some outsiders are more impressed with looking at big skylines than they are with being able to walk to Starbucks. I guess it depends on if you are trying to please the 1% who will live and visit the area or the 99% that will just drive by it on their way to go to somewhere else. My dream of one day seeing the Downtown skyline connected to the TMC skyline, through Midtown will take decades to achieve (if ever). Anything that helps that happen is an exciting idea to me. Another little structure in Midtown doesn't do anything to expand the skyline. Maybe if I lived in Midtown right now and were someone who might benefit from walking to retail (a dying concept, internet deliveries are the future) or Midtown already had a decent skyline, I might see it your way. I don't know if this rendering is accurate, but it looks like most of us are going to get what we want on that spot. It looks like a high rise with some kind of GFR.

since this building is supposed to look like a skirt, is this an upskirt photo?

Nearly every rainbow is a double rainbow. Only rare when they break off from the same base.

via Reddit

Almost the definition of redundant. ;-)

The two are are not mutually exclusive. We've got great skylines. What we don't have much of are walkable streetscapes. Midtown is one of the best opportunities for this and thus should be encouraged, over skyline, IMO. I too have been stumped when visitors have asked me to take them to "where there are people". They usually look at me like I'm stupid when I say, "I can drop you off at the theGalleria.

Since this thread is moving in the direction of self-sharing, I will say that my idea of a walkable neighborhood is something like I had living in Budapest. If we were cooking dinner and my wife said, "We should have wine," I could run downstairs, go a block down the street, grab a bottle of wine at the little grocery, and be back in 5 minutes. Or if we woke up Saturday morning and there was nothing for breakfast, we could cross the street in our sweatpants, get some stuff at the little bakery, and be back inside before the water for the coffee had boiled. I guess you can somewhat approximate this downtown, in Rice Village, maybe a few other places to some degree. It is definitely brewing in Midtown. Cue the "This is Houston, not Budapest" responses....

from cougar pride

Excuse me, but you have been giving "profound critiques" on this property since BEFORE construction started. You have been profoundly effusive in this thread DURING construction. I have a sneaky suspicion that if I had said: "my gawd, this is the most delicious and stunning pool that I Have ever seen! This hotel is munificent in its appearance and, dare I say, elegance. Look at how luxuriously simple the lines of the pool are! Where others have kitsch, this is a clean and calming oasis suitable for the world-class hotel that it is!" that you would have liked the post, quoted me, and told me how correct I was. The fact that it's still under construction would never have entered the dialog. So, how about this: I think the pool deck looks like a Hampton Inn. You think that they will trot out something magnificent in the next couple of weeks. Maybe even something that will look like all those resort pictures you have posted. Ok, I'll wait.

I guess we inhabit different social circles. Many of my visitors were from cities that have walkable neighborhoods, so this was something that made an impression on them. I've also always hated it when I've been in conversations elsewhere when Houston was brought up, and someone said, "You can't get by without a car there," and I wanted to tell them they were wrong, but couldn't.

New Law School building http://law.uh.edu/building/

In my experience introducing out-of-towners to Houston, they are most frequently impressed by our skylines, but wonder at our lack of walkable neighborhoods. So my personal wishes for Midtown are to have a walkable urban neighborhood first, skyline second. That means GFR, especially on Main St. If Main St. becomes walkable, it will attract much more development to Midtown long term, including highrises. The hope is to create a unique environment, a "there" there, otherwise there is nothing to attract highrise dwellers there rather than Montrose Blvd. or West Gray or Post Oak... But neither of our opinions is right or wrong, nor do they likely matter.

Park Plaza, site of the world's first drive-through bank, Hillcrest State Bank (1938) Mixed-Use Office Retail 347,000 SF

Park District

They do. But I think self interest is a big reason as to why they're making this so nice, since so many of their properties surround it.

Dammit, Hines does stuff right, including parking lots. I bet there's even an electric car charging station. Couple of them.

I'll take it. Hey its a skyscraper in Midtown. It will be the first skyscraper in Midtown, and it tightens the Downtown -TMC link. I have no doubt its going to happen, just faster than I thought. If we gat the Caydon and the project being considered for the Museum district at the San Jacinto and Southmore intersection, then Katy, bar the door.

Some brick and stucco is going up on the west side.

I want to see this tower happen. Maybe we help create the news on the parking garage for Essex lol

Looks like just 3 to go.

Seems like work has slowed on this one, from last weekend: Untitled by Darius Fontenette, on Flickr Untitled by Darius Fontenette, on Flickr

The ceiling of the valet parking area! Roka exterior

Construction from left to right: Texas Children's, Methodist, Memorial Hermann.

^ It was on the agenda for the May 9 meeting of the Downtown Redevelopment Authority, so the idea is still alive.

If uptown doesn't want the light rails (since they've rejected it multiple times), I say place the light rail down Montrose and Washington. They will have the density to justify it. Possibly look to do something up Allen Parkway/Kirby and segment the inner city that way. let uptown remain the continuous parking lot that it desperately wants to remain.

Is it just me or does this building look like a 40 story vagina when lit? I wish downtown would incorporate more creative lighting.

You shouldn't, cause this is really a great shot.