C2H

I like the fact that they took the approach to preserve history and restore a historical building. I'm just not too crazy about the new orange-ish tan-ish color of the brick on the building. Even though the previous green color they used may have looked a little dated, they could have pulled it off if it was done right.

maybe they'll paint it and add some color later.

Are you proposing a Houston center number 2?

Absolutely. Please do. And no worries. No need to apologize. Hopefully if we get enough letters in and they see enough people passionate about the situation, maybe they will listen.

My email to Midway. To Whom It May Concern, I want to start off by applauding the work of the Midway corporation and everything it has done towards improving the Houston area. Especially with City Centre and the current Greenstreet project downtown Houston. However, I am extremely disappointed in the new re-design for the Hotel Alessandra. Houston has been bombarded with poo0r, tacky architecture and underwhelming architecture in its buildings for years. It has been falling behind the curve of many of its peer cities like Dallas, NYC, Philadelphia, Atlanta, and even Austin TX. With the presentation of the original design from March 2014, I had high hopes for this project and thought it was going to be the start of establishing a new precedent for architecture in Houston. Although I am grateful of the initiative and ambition of the hotel, I have to say that the original design was much more striking and appealing. I hope to hear some sort of reply regarding this. I am interested in hearing all plans for Midway Sincerely, C2H

LargeTEXAS, I've begun a new approach to life which has helped me keep unnecessary worry and stress down. So I'm sorry by my applying that to this situation has left you with the impression that I'm all for mediocrity In this city. Now you are a poster that I happen to go way back with ever since I first joined on here more than 10 years ago before the old HAIF was hacked. I have always had a high respect for you as a poster, so the last thing I want to do is become your enemy BUT.... you got me all wrong. I remember one of my first posts ever on HAIF was a complaint about the downtown night skyline. It used to depress me to no end to drive from Dallas or Austin which actually seemed like vibrant cities at night with their well lit skylines to come to what was supposed to be Texas's largest city and see its dark, crummy lit skyline with Christmas light bulbs on its rooftops. You may not remember, but it was you who actually teamed up with me on the idea and made up an electronic petition to start in which I even printed out and got some additional signatures. I also wrote letters to the mayor, downtown management, and several others. Shortly after, several building owners decide to do some stupid "lights out" program and now here we are more than a decade later with an even worse lit skyline than before ( although glad to see less Christmas lights) Then we were all worked up with the University light rail lines plans. We had all been waiting patiently for at least a decade. Just when we thought we had gotten rid of that roadblock Tom Delay, here comes somebody else making sure he follows in every print of his footsteps. Again, here we are, the most important line in Houston indefinitely put on hold because of a few residents and some @$$hole who only cares about winning votes for another term. And I'm not even going to get into the Houston Pavilions scrapping the original residential plans and then the Embassy Suites design literally being decapitated. So LargeTEXAS, maybe you're right, I do feel a tad powerless. After a while of disappointments,corrupt politics, I've found that it's easiest to not get so worked up and stressed out about things is best for my OWN sanity. I'm not saying I'm one who gives up, but I have practiced on the positive side of things rather than the negative. Although midway failed us on Alessndra, we still have some other new skyscrapers coming up which offer some pretty interesting designs. Back to not giving up, I still attend city hall meetings, show up at every election time, voice my concerns, etc. Some people will change the world. Maybe you're one of those people and perhaps I am not. I just now am more focused on controlling what I'm able to: my health, my finances, my career, etc. Because at the end of the day, everything we bicker about on these boards comes down to those with $$$$$ in which I have none.

Call me an optimist or whatever. But I don't see what continuing to whine and complain about what we can't change is supposed to do other than make our lives further miserable. Promises or not, in reality, Midway owes us nothing. None of us ponied up any $$$ for this so why should any of us expect anything? I'm more inclined to believe Stonian's story because at least it somewhat softens the blow, because happy or not, this is what we're getting. Misery loves company. Am I happy with the new design? He'll no. But what I'm gonna do is kick back with my six pack beer and watch some of you all cry about whats not changing while I rejoice that we're getting a unique hotel to Houston above a mixed used development that Houston has never seen before amist much other construction and development, in a new time that also Houston hasn't seen before.

I read this to mean that maybe there's hope that the developer might change back to the original design due to the outcry of the swamplot comments. Wish it was enough. I too am extremely disappointed. Such a missed opportunity and is a painful relived moment of the ES hotel. Still glad it's getting built nonetheless.

Totally disagree with this. If those are your expectations, perhaps you'd be happier in a city like Amarillo or Lubbock, not the state's largest city and among the top 4 in the nation.

The building is really not all that to me, just average. Although it is good to see the development and infill.

That article is a little old. I wonder if they're still having that problem up there?

You take bad news pretty well, i must say. I'm sorry to be a debbie downer, but this doesn't pose as any good coming out for downtown. Just think how Main Street square (or what used to be) has completely gone black at night. Pretty much void of any nightlife whatsoever. Driving through downtown at night looking for the blocks of activity it once literally brings a tear to my eye. I really had high hopes for downtown when i moved here just under ten years ago. I thought after all the additions downtown has added over the last few years, it would add to what was already there. With all these closings, it takes something away and it almost seems like downtown is having to start all over again from scratch. The nightlife has almost gone non-existant and is more scattered around which takes away from the vibrancy of it. Main Street Square 2004/2005ish and even through part of 2006 seemed to be a little glimmer of hope that downtown was on the rise as an entertainment area. Oh well, i'm going to end my rant by saying that maybe i'm ignorant to all the things that may be moving forward. I don't frequent downtown as much as I used to, but the few nights that I've gone was dissapointing to say the least.

I'm all for affordable healthcare, but here? How incredibly boring!

Denver Pavilions, although much smaller has more energy as a result of the spillover affect from pedestrian activity off the 16th street mall. The developers really screwed the design phase of the Houston Pavilions project up big time. It all started with them eliminating the condo component. At first, i didn't think it was a big deal because i knew how successful Denver's was without them, plus i knew One Park Place was opening up right down the way and thought it serve to fill that void. Also, the loading docks are very unattractive and quite a turn off. There's been countless number of times i've been hovering around the House of blues while they're loading/unloading merchandise and the pedestrians have to go around it. Who wants to see all of that? The design also being enclosed inward didn't really help create a vibrancy. I'm somewhat glad to see that other developers will take over. Hopefully, they can fix some design flaws as an earlier poster pointed out.