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Half Lot Behind AT&T


urbanize713

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Slightly Off-Topic, but what is that AT&T building. It's hideous to me coming north on I45 (from the south)

 

I hear you.  It looks very fortified, not transparent, unwelcoming, but so is their headquarters in downtown Dallas.  I suppose it's because it's a telecommunications company, and data mining on everyone's communications is going on too.

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Slightly Off-Topic, but what is that AT&T building. It's hideous to me coming north on I45 (from the south)

 

 

I hear you.  It looks very fortified, not transparent, unwelcoming, but so is their headquarters in downtown Dallas.  I suppose it's because it's a telecommunications company, and data mining on everyone's communications is going on too.

 

That building has been there at least since the early '60s, long before anyone was thinking of data mining telecommunications.  I believe it is/was a switching facility.  Electronics need thermal stability much more than they need a nice view.  

 

It's fortunate that the size of those electronics has shrunk at the same time the population has increased - otherwise, we'd have a lot more massive AT&T lumps on the landscape.  At least the microwave towers on top are less conspicuous than they used to be.

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The building was formally owned by Southwestern Bell and has been around much earlier than 1960's. The architecture itself is that of Art Deco placing it at around 1920's or at the least early 1930's. I don't actually have an official date, but the architecture speaks of those times. The antenna though is probably 60's or 70's.

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Maybe the construction fence is because they are going to blow this ugly monolith up and build something attractive on the site?

Nah, probs not. The bums will have no place to sleep against on the weekends if this building is gone.

My guess: staging yard for something a few blocks away.

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good call on the orig building being 8 stories. Anyone have pic?

 

Love some history like that - my vision for the building...

 

I think bottom two levels ground floor retail with condos above and upon your move in you are given a small ball point hammer to "create your own view". The antenna on top could be a converted to a launching catapult for anyone who complains about power lines or demands ground floor retail on every project in Htown.

 

Exciting times..

 

For rEal.

 

 

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good call on the orig building being 8 stories. Anyone have pic?

Love some history like that - my vision for the building...

I think bottom two levels ground floor retail with condos above and upon your move in you are given a small ball point hammer to "create your own view". The antenna on top could be a converted to a launching catapult for anyone who complains about power lines or demands ground floor retail on every project in Htown.

Exciting times..

For rEal.

It would be quite a feat to make the bottom two levels both ground floor retail.

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Was the AT&T building expanded from an older smaller building?  The ghost outline and window pattern on the side would seem to indicate so.

ATT-003.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

ATTBuilding-Jan08-006a.jpg

 

I don't mind this building at all. It has quite the interesting history.

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I found a couple of old pictures of the building in the "Houston Freeways" book.  In a 1963 shot it occupies a quarter block and has the shape you can see in the ghost outline.  Steel framing is in place in the back to fill out the half block, so it looks like it might have been expanded in two phases.  Then, in a 1972 picture the building has the form we see today.  The top front and rear facades must have been considered retro in the 1960s, but they made a point of matching the design of the original small structure.  It's really interesting to see buildings transmogrify this way.

 

 

 

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  • 2 months later...

Feel free to merge:

The block with the tall ATT building in it has a construction fence and there has been digging. Looked like heavy equipment is on site. Did we find out what this was?

 

They've been there for a short while. Wasn't sure either. Thought it was just some plumbing project or something....

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  • 2 months later...
  • 3 months later...

Does anyone know what is being built between Jefferson, Caroline, Pease and Austin? For the longest time, it was just a parking lot. It was a cheap parking lot. It was only 5 bucks for most games, unless it was the playoffs, or we were playing the Lakers or Miami/Cleveland. I used to park on the street around that block for Rockets game for the last seven years. Now I have to park further down towards the hospital, or by the church. I've seen a bulldozer in that parking lot, and they dug some deep holes in there. I'll try and take some pics of it Tuesday evening.

And are there any plans for something to be built where the BUS used to be at? They currently use it as a parking lot. And I don't know why people park there. It is so damn hard to get out of.

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Does anyone know what is being built between Jefferson, Caroline, Pease and Austin? For the longest time, it was just a parking lot. It was a cheap parking lot. It was only 5 bucks for most games, unless it was the playoffs, or we were playing the Lakers or Miami/Cleveland. I used to park on the street around that block for Rockets game for the last seven years. Now I have to park further down towards the hospital, or by the church. I've seen a bulldozer in that parking lot, and they dug some deep holes in there. I'll try and take some pics of it Tuesday evening.

And are there any plans for something to be built where the BUS used to be at? They currently use it as a parking lot. And I don't know why people park there. It is so damn hard to get out of.

 

 

 

Searching around this forum says it will be a 5 story, residential joint.

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