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Le Meridien Hotel At 1121 Walker St.


dbigtex56

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Hate to use the cliche' phrases but this is an eyesore and a blight. Its only useful function seems to be as an impromptu urinal for those who have no where else to go (wordplay intentional.)

Surprising how one dreary block can contaminate the surrounding area. The Melrose Building is on a high traffic street; this is not a good setting for such a creepy and nasty artifact. Shouldn't downtown be held to a higher standard?

post-2-1273788693722_thumb.jpg

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This was downtown's first modern skyscraper. When it was first built in 1952 it must have looked like a vision of the future. Originally the spandrels were turquoise, which would have helped it stand out more. They were replaced with brown panels in the 1970s.

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This was downtown's first modern skyscraper. When it was first built in 1952 it must have looked like a vision of the future. Originally the spandrels were turquoise, which would have helped it stand out more. They were replaced with brown panels in the 1970s.

How strange - both the Melrose and the Prudential buildings were built in 1952, and are nearly the same height (93.88m, 21 stories vs. 95.1, 21 stories, respectively.)

Prudential (Houston Main) Building

Melrose Building

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Oh the dear old Melrose. What a crappy hand it has been dealt..

Yes....gotta know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em :D

If only the Melrose would serve as a cautionary tale for those who would recklessly update a building, and thereby seal its fate. Whatever charm this building possessed has been 'improved' out of it, and neglect has finished the job.

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Yes....gotta know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em :D

If only the Melrose would serve as a cautionary tale for those who would recklessly update a building, and thereby seal its fate. Whatever charm this building possessed has been 'improved' out of it, and neglect has finished the job.

Witness 806 Main.

I would love to get inside the Melrose, although you just know it is going to have some sort of strange mid-century funk.

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Does anyone know if the 806 Main hotel conversion is underway?

I never realized that the Melrose was vacant. How long has it been empty?

Judging by the condition of the street level exterior, I would guess since the 1980's.

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 5 months later...

Witness 806 Main.

I would love to get inside the Melrose, although you just know it is going to have some sort of strange mid-century funk.

Me too, thats what intrigues me about that building. No telling what relics from the past are inside.

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  • 3 years later...

In theory, but I could see this being one of those buildings doomed because ceiling heights are too low.  I think the renovation of Texaco and construction of 6 Houston Center might turn up the heat to do something with it.  Poor sad Melrose Building.

 

 

As a side note, I really like mid-century buildings like this (and First City and Exxon) that utilize balcony-like extensions to provide shade and reduce cooling costs.  It seems like such a logical solution for a hot climate.

 

 

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besides the pictures attatched or googled - does anyone know what the interior is like? Is it solid sealed? Or where urban pioneers and explorers able to get in and squat like days inn, savoy ect

 

I will try to ride my bike to and take some pics this weekened - seriously never knew about this building until someone bumped a 6AC thread elsewhere.

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Since the demise of the Sheraton and the re-development of the Texaco building, this has become the urine-iest building downtown.  Maybe the owner is saving the development of the area for his grandkids. What are the ceiling heights in 806 Main? 

 

They just spent a substantial amount of money on the adjacent garage to reconfigure the entrances to accommodate the new light rail line down Rusk, but with the Skanska temporary ramp thing on an active demolition project, I'm not going to assume that is indicative of anything in the medium term. 

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besides the pictures attatched or googled - does anyone know what the interior is like? Is it solid sealed? Or where urban pioneers and explorers able to get in and squat like days inn, savoy ect

 

I will try to ride my bike to and take some pics this weekened - seriously never knew about this building until someone bumped a 6AC thread elsewhere.

 

I was able to make it into the Texas State Hotel and Sheraton buildings, but this one seemed to be sealed pretty tight.  

 

If I'm not mistaken, there was a dry cleaners or something similar on the ground floor in the early 1990s, but the rest of the building was closed off even then.

 

I would bet that if they replaced the brown spandrels with the original turquoise that there would be more preservationist interest in the Melrose.   

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IIRC, the turquoise tile is still behind the brown spandrels.  I haven't walked by it lately, but I also think I remember seeing at least one of the spandrel panels missing, and there was not a gooey mess of mastic left behind.  Bronze aluminum, as described by a poster above, would have been pretty simple to apply without causing a whole lot of collateral damage.

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IIRC, the turquoise tile is still behind the brown spandrels.  I haven't walked by it lately, but I also think I remember seeing at least one of the spandrel panels missing, and there was not a gooey mess of mastic left behind.  Bronze aluminum, as described by a poster above, would have been pretty simple to apply without causing a whole lot of collateral damage.

 

There is one visible, and it does appear to be covered in goo...

 

2uff5n9.jpg

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  • 9 months later...

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