cloud713 Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 So that's what the town homes will look like? They don't stick out too much m. Are those 2 story buildings some of the existing historic ones, or new builds? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luminare Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 darn pay wall. I feel like they could have done a lot more with this site. Sure it's good to blend in with the area, but they could have done something a lot more interesting than this.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Urbannizer Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 Construction planned to begin in September. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Montrose1100 Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 Will they be changing the lettering to the Petroleum Building instead of the GSW? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H-Town Man Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 Looks good, like traditional storefront retail only with townhomes inside. I wonder how easy it will be to change it into actual retail as the market matures.Btw, one of the real historic buildings on the other side of the block (which look to all be spared) would be a good location for the downtown dry cleaner's everybody wants. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DNAguy Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 darn pay wall. I feel like they could have done a lot more with this site. Sure it's good to blend in with the area, but they could have done something a lot more interesting than this.... Here's the article: More downtown residential projects are in the works around Minute Maid Park."I think one of the exciting things is that we are building a neighborhood," said Bob Eury, the Houston Downtown Management District's executive director.The district recently approved two projects near the eastside ballpark as part of the Downtown Living Initiative, which provides an incentive valued at up to $15,000 for each unit built in a multifamily pro-ject. The newest projects include redevelopment of the former Petroleum Club, a 21-story art deco building now known as the Great Southwest Building, and a proposed 24-story building.Dallas-based Todd Interests received the incentive for its proposed redevelopment of the historic building on Texas Avenue. The 1927 building will have 162 units, and the builder is adding 11 townhomes and a parking garage.Chicago-based Marquette Cos. proposed a 304-unit, 24-story residential tower northeast of Minute Maid Park bordered by Commerce, Jackson and Franklin streets. The company broke ground in November on a 28-story, 361-unit apartment project on Texas, also near the ballpark. That project is slated to be completed by 2016.Hotels, offices and a new High School for the Performing and Visual Arts campus are in the works for this eastern section of downtown as well.Also under construction nearby is a 400-unit complex by Houston-based Finger Cos. going up just west of the stadium. And Trammell Crow Residential and Trammell Crow Co. have separate projects slated for the area."You don't want just one of these projects by themselves," Eury said. "The more residents, the stronger the possibility of street-level retail. It means more activity."The Downtown Living Initiative, meant to lure residential builders downtown, has approved 16 projects with 4,955 units, only 45 units away from the cap of 5,000.About 1,700 apartment units are under construction or were recently completed, and another 2,500 are planned, according to the Downtown District, which administers the program.The City Council approved the initiative in 2012, with a cap of 2,500 units. Last year, the council approved an expansion of the program to 5,000 units.SkyHouse Houston is the first completed project awarded one of the incentives. Developer Novare recently started construction on its second project. Those are in the south end of downtown. Other projects are near Market Square."We are excited about the number of units developed," Eury said. "Downtown needs more residents to make retail work well." 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adr Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 Rendering in the Chronicle today. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swtsig Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 the exact opposite of suck... awesome project. kudos to Todd Interests. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luminare Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 I would like those smaller buildings to be a couple stories taller so that they are 4 stories and not 2, but that's just because I think there is an awkward transition from the tall building to the shorter ones. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H-Town Man Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 I guess they are pushing out the existing office tenants? I assume there are still some in there, or at least there were last time I checked. Downtown must be getting scarce for Class B/C office space with Houston Club disappearing and now this. Should help out the State National Building though I guess. Was it actually the Petroleum Club building before it was Great Southwestern Life? I googled and found a Great Southwestern Life Insurance Co. in a court case in Oklahoma in 1937. I hope they do nothing at all to the existing letters. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UtterlyUrban Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 Rendering in the Chronicle today. Are these shorter buildings the "town homes" that they mentioned? If so, this is an effin homerun! 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mollusk Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 I guess they are pushing out the existing office tenants? I assume there are still some in there, or at least there were last time I checked. Downtown must be getting scarce for Class B/C office space with Houston Club disappearing and now this. Should help out the State National Building though I guess. Was it actually the Petroleum Club building before it was Great Southwestern Life? I googled and found a Great Southwestern Life Insurance Co. in a court case in Oklahoma in 1937. I hope they do nothing at all to the existing letters. Downtown B/C space has been getting pretty tight for a while, although the Houston Club building was all but vacant for quite a while. We looked at it on the previous go round six or seven years ago, and even then it was pretty much just the Houston Club, street and tunnel retail, and parking. By the time the market started doin' the tighten up in earnest it was already in Skanska's hands and being emptied. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purdueenginerd Posted February 19, 2015 Share Posted February 19, 2015 I doubt those roof tops are rated for an outdoor gathering area. Rooftops that carry people have pretty high requirements, as purdue will tell you. You COULD get away with it, with some strengthening. If its a simply balcony the requirements arent that much, but if its a gathering space for large groups of people, then yes. The requirements are high. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate99 Posted February 19, 2015 Share Posted February 19, 2015 I guess they are pushing out the existing office tenants? I assume there are still some in there, or at least there were last time I checked. Downtown must be getting scarce for Class B/C office space with Houston Club disappearing and now this. Should help out the State National Building though I guess.Was it actually the Petroleum Club building before it was Great Southwestern Life? I googled and found a Great Southwestern Life Insurance Co. in a court case in Oklahoma in 1937. I hope they do nothing at all to the existing letters.Maybe 1114 Texas will get a chance too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mab Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 http://houston.culturemap.com/news/real-estate/02-18-15-iconic-houston-building-that-dates-back-to-the-1920s-could-become-another-luxury-apartment-tower/ 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post RedScare Posted February 21, 2015 Popular Post Share Posted February 21, 2015 im not talking about altering the exterior.. just making it to where residents are able to get out on those set backs. i assume that decorative cornice(?) things around the edges of those provide some sort of "railing" needed for code?I leased office space on the 19th floor of the Great Southwest Building for 5 years back in the early 2000s. My offices ran along the north side of the 19th floor, along the setback. There was an 8 foot wide balcony that was inaccessible due to windows that did not open. I had my cabinet maker remove a window and knock out some brick to install a door to the balcony. I am sure that it is still there. It would be the first window in the northwest corner of the balcony. At one time there was an apartment on the east side of the 19th floor. It also had a door that opened to the east side balcony. My law partner leased this space. We used to throw huge parties when the Grand Prix was run on the streets of downtown. The balconies held dozens of people without a problem. We also threw parties at various other times. GSW was a wonderful building. I watched the baseball stadium being built from that balcony, and of course, threw a party there on Opening Night. I am glad to see it being renovated, though I feel bad for my many friends being evicted to make room for the apartments. 14 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
largeTEXAS Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 RedScare!!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KinkaidAlum Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 Redscare! You've been missed. Now, bring out Crunchtastic! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plumber2 Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 Redscare! You've been missed. Now, bring out Crunchtastic! Leave him alone. He's like a pet cat that's been away for awhile. Don't scare him off! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lockmat Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 http://houston.culturemap.com/news/real-estate/02-18-15-iconic-houston-building-that-dates-back-to-the-1920s-could-become-another-luxury-apartment-tower/From the article"We're still working through a lot of details and are in a flux of what we exactly want to do with this project," Robert McFarlane, president of Todd Interests tells CultureMap. "The rendering was just a part of the application process. It's just a form of an idea of what we might be doing. We're still considering multiple options." 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Howard Huge Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 From the article"We're still working through a lot of details and are in a flux of what we exactly want to do with this project," Robert McFarlane, president of Todd Interests tells CultureMap. "The rendering was just a part of the application process. It's just a form of an idea of what we might be doing. We're still considering multiple options."Well I'll be damned.That explains all the projects in Houston that come out with an initial rendering that could qualify as the 9th wonder of the world, only to later scale back the project and build something entirely different and unimpressive altogether.Step 1: Release overly ambitious rendering to get approval from the permit office. Step 2: Once approval is gained, release said rendering to local press to create a frenzied buzz. (Hotel Allessandra)Step 3: Drastically scale back the project to something much more cost efficient and far less impressive.Step 4: Release UPDATED renderings and some lame excuse about "continuity" as to why the design SUCKS now.Step 5: ???????Step 6: Profit 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
On to the Next One Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 This is a cool building and a cool plan. I hope it comes to fruition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chi-Char-Hou-Dal Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 What up redscare!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monarch Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 right on huge! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luminare Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 Well I'll be damned.That explains all the projects in Houston that come out with an initial rendering that could qualify as the 9th wonder of the world, only to later scale back the project and build something entirely different and unimpressive altogether.Step 1: Release overly ambitious rendering to get approval from the permit office.Step 2: Once approval is gained, release said rendering to local press to create a frenzied buzz. (Hotel Allessandra)Step 3: Drastically scale back the project to something much more cost efficient and far less impressive.Step 4: Release UPDATED renderings and some lame excuse about "continuity" as to why the design SUCKS now.Step 5: ???????Step 6: Profit So do owners and designers have to get your expressed permission to change their own designs? I'll make sure to let everyone in my office know... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Howard Huge Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 So do owners and designers have to get your expressed permission to change their own designs? I'll make sure to let everyone in my office know...Yes they do.And tell 'em Howard Huge doesn't make requests, he gives orders. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arbpro Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 Yes they do.And tell 'em Howard Huge doesn't make requests, he gives orders. Whereupon, they say, "Who?." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Urbannizer Posted August 5, 2015 Share Posted August 5, 2015 Renavations to begin soon after the developer closes on the building later this August.http://m.bizjournals.com/houston/news/2015/08/05/dallas-developer-to-close-on-iconic-downtown.html 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate99 Posted August 5, 2015 Share Posted August 5, 2015 Renavations to begin soon after the developer closes on the building later this August.http://m.bizjournals.com/houston/news/2015/08/05/dallas-developer-to-close-on-iconic-downtown.html With 500 Cawford, Catalyst, Alexan (hopefully) and this within spitting distance of each other, there will be a lot of residents in a tight area. Just a small step out to grab the Texaco building folks too. Very cool. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cspwal Posted August 6, 2015 Share Posted August 6, 2015 More details on the project. Interesting part about "smaller units" at 775 sq ft. (Larger than my place) http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/news/2015/08/06/more-details-revealed-for-historic-renovation.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+bizj_houston+%28Houston+Business+Journal%29 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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