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Uptown Skyline Vs. Texas Medical Center Skyline


  

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  1. 1. Which one is the larger skyline (Houston's 2nd skyline)

    • Uptown/Galleria
    • Texas Medical Center


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I saw a topic started on City-Data regarding this and it raised my question and thought I would bring it here?  I'm also so fascinated by our city when driving on the freeway on how many unique areas with different urban clusters are scattered in this area. Since downtown is in no risk of giving up its crown title of the largest skyline in Houston, I thought I'd take it to the smaller but still largest areas of the city outside of Downtown.

 

As we all know, the Texas Medical Center has been adding new towers left and right for over the last decade and has really managed to build a very dense skyline. Uptown/Galleria skyline has been recently getting denser as well. Some examples of great views of the skylines are from the Houston ship channel.  You see the Medical Center's dense skyline and also Uptown's taller, yet many scattered skyscrapers, almost giving the allusion of a skyline that belongs in NYC. But the best view to me of TMC is taking West Loop heading north over 59(right before you're literally sucked in to the Galleria skyline), looking to the east at the TMC.

 

I decided to ask this question because the Texas Medical Center doesn't really have that "entering into the city" feel that Downtown or Uptown/Galleria both have, and that's could be due to no freeways passing directly through the area. But I have seen some really good shots of all the skylines. Texas Medical Center definitely has grown tremendously, but my mind is still programmed to think that Uptown/Galleria is still Houston's 2nd city skyline.

 

Do you all agree? Is Uptown still Houston's 2nd city skyline or has the Texas Medical Center overtaken it.

 

(I'll try and gets some pics posted later in the thread)

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I would have to say that the medical center does seem to be a larger skyline - not because it has taller towers, but because it is horizontally wider.  A good view of this is going north on 288 south of 610 - from that perspective the medical center looks larger than downtown in width.  It also helps that NRG and the Astrodome seem to add to the medical center's skyline.

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Galleria area has the better skyline but I much prefer the feeling around the TMC. Better streets. Adjacent to Hermann Park and Rice. Much more density and you actually see people out and about and not just at bus stops. 

 

Also, with the continued expansion of the Med Center south of Braes Bayou and the continued development of the Museum District area, I wouldn't be surprised if that area has the "better" skyline in a decade or two. 

 

Coming soon... The Carter, The Southmore, Methodist expansion, Memorial Hermann expansion, Texas Children's expansion, Baylor/St Luke's expansion, new apartment tower next to The Spires, InterContinental Hotel, new apartment tower on Main, H.C.C. med center campus, DeBakey High, Forensic Science bldg. and several midrise apartment wraps.

 

 

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TMC is larger (square footage), but Uptown has height and a broader skyline (and really is a larger area, considering that map that shows it go all the way to Voss).

Both are totally different areas and will densify even more over time.

But until the TMC gets a dramatic 700-900ft tower, The Galleria area will always win the crown.

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I think that last sentence by 'Trose1100 is probably what makes still makes Uptown the 2nd boss skyline in the city. (At least to me). But as I stated earlier, Uptown and Downtown have this "entering the city" vibe that you don't get in the Medical Center. This is primarily due to the  fact that UT and DT both have freeways passing directly through where skyscrapers hover over the freeway where TMC does not. UT has the shopping and Upscale Vibe while TMC has the more urban vibe (at street level).

 

But would you guys say that the UT Skyline is beginning to merge with Greenway Plaza? It seems that since they started building the skyhouse and the few developments directly east of 610 it seems to be leaning in that direction.

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TMC is larger (square footage), but Uptown has height and a broader skyline (and really is a larger area, considering that map that shows it go all the way to Voss).

Both are totally different areas and will densify even more over time.

But until the TMC gets a dramatic 700-900ft tower, The Galleria area will always win the crown.

 

Do we really know that the TMC is larger in square footage than Uptown?  I think that is unlikely.

 

The square footage numbers we see for TMC (48 Million?) are for everything.  The square footage numbers we see for Uptown (more than 28 Million) are for office space only, thus leaving out the massive retail (more than 6 Million sq ft), hotels (34 hotels with more than 7,800 rooms, not counting at least three currently under construction), residential (at least 43 complexes, not counting at least five under construction) and other square footage. I think when all uses are added in, Uptown is probably larger.

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Do we really know that the TMC is larger in square footage than Uptown? I think that is unlikely.

The square footage numbers we see for TMC (48 Million?) are for everything. The square footage numbers we see for Uptown (more than 28 Million) are for office space only, thus leaving out the massive retail (more than 6 Million sq ft), hotels (34 hotels with more than 7,800 rooms, not counting at least three currently under construction), residential (at least 43 complexes, not counting at least five under construction) and other square footage. I think when all uses are added in, Uptown is probably larger.

Splitting hairs, but yes, also including all the homes, fast food/restaurant space, strip clubs and strip centers, Uptown is larger.
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