Mab Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 http://blog.chron.com/primeproperty/2014/07/houston-chronicle-to-move-into-state-of-the-art-facility/ Executives anticipate an 18-month timeline for the move, which will include a significant renovation of the future space, the former Houston Post building at the 610 Loop/Southwest Freeway interchange. “We are excited about creating a state-of-the-art media facility as part of the Houston cityscape,” Paul Barbetta, executive vice president and chief operating officer of the Houston Chronicle Media Group, said in a statement. “As we have changed with the industry, we feel a facility housing all employees across our diverse capabilities, including print, digital media and agency consulting services will allow us to better serve our readers and advertisers.” Plans call for transforming the 21-acre site, which contains more than 440,000 square feet of building space. The property housed the Houston Post until April 1995, when that newspaper closed and its assets were sold to the Hearst Corp., parent company of the Houston Chronicle. The Chronicle’s 10-story downtown building at 801 Texas houses 473 employees. A little more than 500 employees work in the southwest facility. “Our goal is not only to have the finest technology in place for our clients and employees, but to have a workplace that is recognized as a destination for the country’s top talent,” said Barbetta, who added that a portion of the newsroom will remain in downtown Houston to support local coverage of business and government. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 Wow. Given the state of the business I suppose it makes sense to consolidate. Certainly big printing operations oughtn't be necessary. I suppose the downtown building will be a bit of a white elephant, but now is probably the best opportunity to unload it. Why do they refer to it as a "campus"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luminare Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 well it looks like they are going to keep the old building and renovate it. That's good news. It is a nice brutalist building. Set into a campus of some sort would really revive that plus give it more life within the context of other development. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cloud713 Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 Keep which old building and renovate it? Is the "campus" being built off 59/610 where the other Chronicle stuff is? If you weren't talking about the downtown building, is there any word what will happen to that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexasGeneral Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 I would imagine their "exploring alternatives for its downtown facility" would involve a sale to an office or MF developer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobruss Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 I'm sure that piece of property downtown will interest many developers. I think the move to consolidate with the old post building will be a smart business move. I can't wait to see what they come up with, for both spaces. I'd like to see what the old chronicle bldg. Looks like underneath its current facade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avossos Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 I'm sure that piece of property downtown will interest many developers. I think the move to consolidate with the old post building will be a smart business move. I can't wait to see what they come up with, for both spaces. I'd like to see what the old chronicle bldg. Looks like underneath its current facade. oooo - is it something historic? If they dont hold on to something downtown, I think they would regret it later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HTOWN LIVE Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 The Houston Chronicle is vacating its 801 Texas Avenue building and moving to the 59/610 old Houston Post building that they will renovate into the new Houston Chronicle headquarters. They will make a pretty penny selling 801 Texas Avenue...that's a prized piece of downtown real estate, ideal for super tall, maybe a Ritz-Carlton or W Hotel and Residences. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
august948 Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 Wow. Given the state of the business I suppose it makes sense to consolidate. Certainly big printing operations oughtn't be necessary. I suppose the downtown building will be a bit of a white elephant, but now is probably the best opportunity to unload it. Why do they refer to it as a "campus"? Campus is the favored corporate-speak for company facilities and offices. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H-Town Man Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 I think it's a shame the city's major paper won't be headquartered downtown, even if they are leaving a small office there. It adds to the mix and feel of everything there, and as downtown continues to revive, I would think it would be a bigger draw for recruiting journalism talent than the southeast corner of 59 and 610. Guess they're going the Exxon route. It will be interesting indeed to see what happens to 801 Texas, although it has the unfortunate shadow of the monolithic 600 Travis to deal with. Then again, if the redevelopment of the block directly north of it doesn't get pulled off in this boom cycle, it may be awhile for this one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 I'd like to see what the old chronicle bldg. Looks like underneath its current facade. There are actually three buildings beneath the facade, one of which was originally the Majestic Theater. Next to that was the Milam building, which was at some point expanded over the top of the theater. The facade over all three buildings dates from the 1960s. (image from Cinema Treasures) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
august948 Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 I think it's a shame the city's major paper won't be headquartered downtown, even if they are leaving a small office there. It adds to the mix and feel of everything there, and as downtown continues to revive, I would think it would be a bigger draw for recruiting journalism talent than the southeast corner of 59 and 610. Guess they're going the Exxon route. I have to think that it's a bigger draw to be a little closer to the more affordable suburbs, considering the peanuts that reporters are usually paid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
houstontexasjack Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 Well, the Downtown property should command quite a bit of interest from developers. One Market Square has not, to the best of my knowledge, been able to secure any financing. I tend to think the existing parking lot at the south end of Market Square would be better suited to residential development. The Chronicle building would be a nice plot for another office tower. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mollusk Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 I was wondering when this was going to happen. Between the general shrinkage of print journalism and the Chron's pulling their presses out of downtown a few years ago, getting the bulk of the rest of the staff out to the former Post facility seemed like an inevitability. Or we may end up with a newly vacant building downtown until the next cycle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houston19514 Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 Wow. Given the state of the business I suppose it makes sense to consolidate. Certainly big printing operations oughtn't be necessary. I suppose the downtown building will be a bit of a white elephant, but now is probably the best opportunity to unload it. Why do they refer to it as a "campus"? Because the story was written by a Chronicle "reporter". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H-Town Man Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 I have to think that it's a bigger draw to be a little closer to the more affordable suburbs, considering the peanuts that reporters are usually paid. Top journalism talent doesn't usually have "close proximity to an affordable suburb" at the top of their list of desirable workplace criteria. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
houstontexasjack Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 Top journalism talent doesn't usually have "close proximity to an affordable suburb" at the top of their list of desirable workplace criteria. I am not sure top journalism talent would really target any Houston newspaper. At this point, the New York Times, Washington Post, and (for market coverage) Wall Street Journal appear to have the lion's share of the newspaper market. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H-Town Man Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 I am not sure top journalism talent would really target any Houston newspaper. At this point, the New York Times, Washington Post, and (for market coverage) Wall Street Journal appear to have the lion's share of the newspaper market. Only so many reporters can work at those three papers. The Chronicle is in the top 10 nationally in circulation. We are a top 5 metro population wise, and occupy an increasingly important position near the junction between the Anglo world of North America and the Latin world of Central and South America. Opportunities galore for investigative journalism. Also, top journalism talent, unless it's the very top, doesn't generally "target" newspapers, they take the best job they can get. If someone is choosing between the Chronicle and, say, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, or if the Chronicle is trying to lure a good reporter from San Antonio or New Orleans, being in an exciting downtown vs. on a freeway interchange can make a difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
august948 Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 Top journalism talent doesn't usually have "close proximity to an affordable suburb" at the top of their list of desirable workplace criteria. Does the Chron have any "top journalism talent" and are they even really interested when they can get newbie reporters for around $40k (or maybe less)? http://www.poynter.org/latest-news/mediawire/202047/starting-salary-for-j-school-grads-rises-to-41k-on-average/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H-Town Man Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 Does the Chron have any "top journalism talent" and are they even really interested when they can get newbie reporters for around $40k (or maybe less)? http://www.poynter.org/latest-news/mediawire/202047/starting-salary-for-j-school-grads-rises-to-41k-on-average/ When they lured Rick Casey from San Antonio, he wrote about his excitement to live in an urbanizing city. Nick Anderson is considered top talent in the cartoonist field, although I personally don't care for his work. Some of the sports guys are/have been pretty high in their field. A major newspaper, like a major university, is constantly trying to hire away talent from competing newspapers and retain the talent that they have. And to your article, I'm not sure average starting salary matters very much when you consider most j-school grads, even from places like Columbia, have to start out "in the sticks." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IronTiger Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 I hope "significant renovations" isn't a code word for "demolition". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plumber2 Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 I have one of those inside stories about the Houston Post building told by my dad. The building was new, with the staff not having moved from the Polk St. yet. There was a large vessel of acid located inside that was there to be used to clean the ink from the presses. There was a malfunction overnight in the acid vessel controls that caused the acid to spill into the basement. The maintenance staff called the contractors in to respond. No one wanted to enter the basement because it appeared that the acid was a foot or two deep. My father assured them otherwise, stating that there wasn't enough acid in the tank to fill the basement. They told him to come look for himself. Once he arrived he was confronted with a surreal vision. The acid had dissolved the legs off of the metal chairs and desks making it appear that the acid was several feet deep. This incident caused a slight delay in the grand opening of the new Post building. Now when you pass by this building with a friend you can impress them with useless trivia that you learned on HAIF. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plumber2 Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 I have one of those inside stories about the Houston Post building told by my dad. The building was new, with the staff not having moved from the Polk St. yet. There was a large vessel of acid located inside that was there to be used to clean the ink from the presses. There was a malfunction overnight in the acid vessel controls that caused the acid to spill into the basement. The maintenance staff called the contractors in to respond. No one wanted to enter the basement because it appeared that the acid was a foot or two deep. My father assured them otherwise, stating that there wasn't enough acid in the tank to fill the basement. They told him to come look for himself. Once he arrived he was confronted with a surreal vision. The acid had dissolved the legs off of the metal chairs and desks making it appear that the acid was several feet deep. This incident caused a slight delay in the grand opening of the new Post building. Now when you pass by this building with a friend you can impress them with useless trivia that you learned on HAIF. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houston19514 Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 I am not sure top journalism talent would really target any Houston newspaper. At this point, the New York Times, Washington Post, and (for market coverage) Wall Street Journal appear to have the lion's share of the newspaper market.and there is pretty much no evidence of the Chronicle ever targeting top journalism talent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
august948 Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 Sounds like the Chron is both trying to cut costs and expand coverage of the suburbs.... From culturemap http://houston.culturemap.com/news/city-life/01-10-14-winners-losers-at-nancyworld-a-big-shakeup-is-underway-at-the-houston-chronicle/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arche_757 Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 I thought the *old* buildings were razed and a new 1960s style building built in their place? I swore that was something that happened? I mean, imagine the crazy floor plans of the current Chronicle building if it indeed includes 3 buildings, 1 of which was a former theatre. Subdude, is that right? Is the Chronicle Building hiding three old buildings, or were they demolished to make way for the larger building currently occupying that site? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
august948 Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 I thought the *old* buildings were razed and a new 1960s style building built in their place? I swore that was something that happened? I mean, imagine the crazy floor plans of the current Chronicle building if it indeed includes 3 buildings, 1 of which was a former theatre. Subdude, is that right? Is the Chronicle Building hiding three old buildings, or were they demolished to make way for the larger building currently occupying that site? It was 4 buildings with a combined facade. Iconic Houston businessman Jesse H. Jones financed construction of the 10-story building at 801 Texas Avenue in 1909 and in 1926 acquired the newspaper. In the 1960s, the building was revamped with a more modern-looking stone-and-glass exterior. Yet it has a strange configuration, cobbled together from four buildings on the block, and isn't easy to navigate.http://houston.culturemap.com/news/real-estate/07-21-14-end-of-an-era-houston-chronicle-plans-to-leave-downtown-headquarters-for-former-rivals-space/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houston19514 Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 I thought the *old* buildings were razed and a new 1960s style building built in their place? I swore that was something that happened? I mean, imagine the crazy floor plans of the current Chronicle building if it indeed includes 3 buildings, 1 of which was a former theatre. Subdude, is that right? Is the Chronicle Building hiding three old buildings, or were they demolished to make way for the larger building currently occupying that site? It is my understanding that the three old buildings are indeed still standing. I read somewhere that there are some funny/awkward transitions between buildings where the floors of adjoining buildings did not match up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arche_757 Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 Got it. Thanks for clarifying. I had always assumed it was a single building that replaced any number of older buildings. If some developer can clean it up properly - could make for an interesting project. The old printing spaces on the north side of the building could presumably be replaced by a parking structure? Will have to see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 No, the old buildings are all tucked inside. I think there was a fourth structure as well, behind the original Chronicle building. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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