[UrbaNerd]

I was bowsing around, and I ran into this:



What is that tower with the "bowl" on top? Ive never seen this before!

[ssullivan]

I haven't seen this before either, but given its location could it possibly be an early proposal for the Chase Tower?

[UrbaNerd]

I was thinking it could have been one of the BOTSW proposals, or something....

[Subdude]

Yeah, it was one of the runners-up in the Bank of the Southwest competition by Skidmore, Owings, & Merrill. There are a lot of photos in a book that was written about the competition. The dome thing on top would have held an observation deck.

[Subdude]

Other runner-up by Kohn-Pederson-Fox


Competition winner by Murphy/Jahn


What could have been..

[Heights2Bastrop]

Actually, that looks like it could have been an alternative plan for the Tenneco Building.

OK, so I know it’s not called that anymore. But I can’t keep up with all the changes, so I always call buildings by their original names. The second tallest building in that picture is and will always be the Allied Bank Plaza to me.

[UrbaNerd]

I like the Jahn one the best. Too bad we never got anything!

[dbigtex56]

Heights2Bastrop, on Tuesday, November 30th, 2004 @ 2:42pm, said:

Actually, that looks like it could have been an alternative plan for the Tenneco Building.

OK, so I know it’s not called that anymore. But I can’t keep up with all the changes, so I always call buildings by their original names. The second tallest building in that picture is and will always be the Allied Bank Plaza to me.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Oh good - it's not just me.

Tenneco will always be Tenneco, and Transco (I think that's what you meant) will always be Transco. Same with Allied Bank, Republic Bank, Texas Commerace Tower, and the Enron Buildings. I even kind of gag at Minute Maid Park.

Does Chrysler still own the Chrysler Building? I'm guessing they don't...but the name remains the same.

[new major on the block]

Clase tower was originally going to be 85 floors, but with Hobby airport and the FAA, they decided it would be better to just stop at 75. Just imagine though if it were 10 floors higher. It would register out to about 1,102 feet or so. That would have passed some of those buildings like the one in Atl. and L.A. in front of it. That would make it taller than the chrysler building in NYC.

[Montrose1100]

new major on the block, on Wednesday, December 1st, 2004 @ 12:01pm, said:

Clase tower was originally going to be 85 floors, but with Hobby airport and the FAA, they decided it would be better to just stop at 75.  Just imagine though if it were 10 floors higher. It would register out to about 1,102 feet or so. That would have passed some of those buildings like the one in Atl. and L.A. in front of it.  That would make it taller than the chrysler building in NYC.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

No, thats a false Urban Lengend that is thought to be fact. The Texas Commerce Tower (Chase Tower, JP Morgan Chase Tower) was originally suppose to be 60 floors. Hence the Observation deck on the 60th floor. The inital design really went up, and down... Skyscrapers come in 1,000 ft packages, and they had planned for the Chase tower to be below it. But since the office demand was so high, they added a few floors for the final rendering... It could have been 80 floors, even a 100, the FAA has nothing to do with it. They were worried about the communications equipment coming out of Hobby, which slowly rises at a certain angle. But infact, the "beam" is really somewhat west of Downtown. The FAA thing was a rumor, it was never intential to be 80 floors, or as you say, 85... It was originally planned to be 60, but turned out to be 75.

As for the Location of the BoTSWT, it was to be built on the surface parking lot behind 1 Shell Plaza.

Here
Actually, thats not such an exact picture, but its the surface parking lot behind 1-Shell Plaza, Its surounded by Rusk, Milam, Louisiana, and Walker Street.

[Houston19514]

Montrose1100, on Thursday, December 2nd, 2004 @ 4:19pm, said:

As for the Location of the BoTSWT, it was to be built on the surface parking lot behind 1 Shell Plaza.

Here
Actually, thats not such an exact picture, but its the surface parking lot behind 1-Shell Plaza, Its surounded by Rusk, Milam, Louisiana, and Walker Street.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You are one block off . . . The location of the BoTSWT was to have been the block bounded by Walker, McKinney, Louisiana and Milam. The block you referred to (Rusk, Walker, Louisiana, Milam) is the location of Two Shell Plaza.

[new major on the block]

Thanks for clearing that up Montrose1100, I did not know that.

[Heights2Bastrop]

In passing downtown today I noticed a building with a similar dome on top. It was around 20 floors, although I didn’t pay that much attention to its height. I was preoccupied with the unusual design of the dome, but I believe there will be more to it when completed and the exposed ribs will be covered.

The building is NE part of downtown north of Minute Maid.

[UrbaNerd]

Heights2Bastrop, on Thursday, December 2nd, 2004 @ 9:12pm, said:

In passing downtown today I noticed a building with a similar dome on top. It was around 20 floors, although I didn’t pay that much attention to its height. I was preoccupied with the unusual design of the dome, but I believe there will be more to it when completed and the exposed ribs will be covered.

The building is NE part of downtown north of Minute Maid.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Not even close! That domed building is the new civil justice center!

[Heights2Bastrop]

I was merely noting the similarities in the two domes.

[danes75]

I'm actually glad that the competition winner by Murphy/Jahn didn't win. It looks too much like Taipei 101

[bruce_oneal]

almost looks like the top of the current RELIANT tower, with the open air top.

UrbaNerd, on Monday, November 29th, 2004 @ 4:08pm, said:

I was bowsing around, and I ran into this:



What is that tower with the "bowl" on top?  Ive never seen this before!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[Montrose1100]

I wish all 3 would have been built, along with Block 365 Tower!

[LTAWACS]

That dome would have been a restaurant also. There would have been an open-air observation deck under it.

[tw2ntyse7en]

...

[bruce_oneal]

LTAWACS, on Tuesday, March 22nd, 2005 @ 9:20am, said:

That dome would have been a restaurant also. There would have been an open-air observation deck under it.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

i hear that the winds up there (top of the reliant building) can be pretty ferocious. would that have been open-air seating?

[Montrose1100]

Take a look at the BoTSWT + Block 265 from the newspaper...

http://tinypic.com/v...html?pic=2d3lp0

[UrbaNerd]

Yeah..I can say that i liked the KPF proposal the best..(shown in the pic above).

[HoustoniaNYC]

None of the designs for the Bank of the SW ever did anything for me. The winning design looks like the 2 tallest buildings they buily in Philly around the same time. Besides a few examples, mostly in Houston, I'm just not down with post-modernism. Houston's downtown skyline is almost perfect in several ways. I've always had a hard time imagining an addition that is taller than the current tallest 2 buildings, whatever they may be called nowadays.

It'll happen, and for the cities' sake, I hope it does, but I don't like the proposals that have been submitted so far, regardless of whether they'll be built or not.

[Montrose1100]

I think if they would have been built, everyone would have been use to them. And I think the Liberty Place would have been differnt, because it was basically designed after it.

[GovernorAggie]

Montrose1100, on Saturday, March 26th, 2005 @ 10:30pm, said:

Take a look at the BoTSWT + Block 265 from the newspaper...

http://tinypic.com/v...html?pic=2d3lp0

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The Block 265 tower seems to fit Houston more to me than the BoTSWT.

[bruce_oneal]

HoustoniaNYC, on Sunday, March 27th, 2005 @ 5:46am, said:

None of the designs for the Bank of the SW ever did anything for me.  The winning design looks like the 2 tallest buildings they buily in Philly around the same time.  Besides a few examples, mostly in Houston, I'm just not down with post-modernism.  Houston's downtown skyline is almost perfect in several ways.  I've always had a hard time imagining an addition that is taller than the current tallest 2 buildings, whatever they may be called nowadays.

It'll happen, and for the cities' sake, I hope it does, but I don't like the proposals that have been submitted so far, regardless of whether they'll be built or not.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

you are so right. there are 2 buildings in philly with that distinctive crown. although the bank of the southwest would have been much taller.

[LTAWACS]

bruce_oneal, on Tuesday, March 22nd, 2005 @ 10:18am, said:

i hear that the winds up there (top of the reliant building) can be pretty ferocious.  would that have been open-air seating?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Xeelee scanned that pic and posted it over at SSP back in the day. I've been up to the top of Continental Plaza before. The winds are not TOO bad... i mean it can get windy.

[shasta]

Houston's downtown skyline in "Post Modern". Philip Johnson had a huge say in the look of our skyline.

[shasta]

HoustoniaNYC, on Sunday, March 27th, 2005 @ 4:46am, said:

None of the designs for the Bank of the SW ever did anything for me.  The winning design looks like the 2 tallest buildings they buily in Philly around the same time.  Besides a few examples, mostly in Houston, I'm just not down with post-modernism.   Houston's downtown skyline is almost perfect in several ways.  I've always had a hard time imagining an addition that is taller than the current tallest 2 buildings, whatever they may be called nowadays.

It'll happen, and for the cities' sake, I hope it does, but I don't like the proposals that have been submitted so far, regardless of whether they'll be built or not.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Sorry, here's the statement.

Houston's downtown skyline in "Post Modern". Philip Johnson had a huge say in the look of our skyline.

[UrbaNerd]

IMO, The Block256 looks like a mix between 1100 Louisiana, and, the Wells Fargo Tower.

[arche_757]

You know it would be "cool" if Houston had a supertall 'sky-rise' but to be honest Id rather have about 3-4 30-40 floor buildings that look nice than an overgrown monolith poking out of the urban core. In theory they look nice but when built they look bad!!!!

Just look at the Sears Tower - a monster in a sea of beautiful buildings - its so bad It makes the skyline sick!


Just my opinion - hope there arent any Chicagoins offended by my post, but if there are - they need only to look at our new courthouse and they will rejoice nothing in there town looks that bad.

[dbigtex56]

arche_757, on Saturday, April 30th, 2005 @ 1:40am, said:

You know it would be "cool" if Houston had a supertall 'sky-rise' but to be honest Id rather have about 3-4 30-40 floor buildings that look nice than an overgrown monolith poking out of the urban core.  In theory they look nice but when built they look bad!!!!

Just look at the Sears Tower - a monster in a sea of beautiful buildings - its so bad It makes the skyline sick!
Just my opinion - hope there arent any Chicagoins offended by my post, but if there are - they need only to look at our new courthouse and they will rejoice nothing in there town looks that bad.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

WHEW! So it's not just me. I think the Sears Tower is about as attractive as a leg brace (and I hope no leg-brace wearers are offended). To take it a step further, it's pig ugly. The only redeeming things about Sears Tower is that it's an engineering feat, and it's tall; what a circus freak of a building.

That being said, I still think Chicago has the best skyscrapers in America, but not necessarily the best skyline.

[dbigtex56]

Subdude, on Monday, November 29th, 2004 @ 4:48pm, said:

Yeah, it was one of the runners-up in the Bank of the Southwest competition by Skidmore, Owings, & Merrill.  There are a lot of photos in a book that was written about the competition.  The dome thing on top would have held an observation deck.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Subdude is correct. Older residents of Houston might recall that there was a 20-something story building which used to occupy that lot which was demolished (circa 1983), built circa 1962. I was shocked when I first moved to Houston to see such a modern building demolished. Unfortunately, the mid-80's bust doomed the site; it still is a surface parking lot. Such is the pattern of Houston development.

There was a particularly offensive piece of statuary which used to 'grace' the site; a semi-nude female bronze, straight out of a Frankie Avalon movie. It's been relocated downtown, somewhere; mercifully, I forget where.

[arche_757]

The only decent Supertalls of late are the Petronas Towers.

Cesar Pelli really did well on those, but nothing can compare to the grace and style of New Yorks: Chrysler, 40 Wall Street, and (crapy old) Empire State. The late 1920's were and still are the glory days of the highrise. I only hope that modern designs can age well....

which brings up another topic

[Subdude]

Arche 757 and dbigtex! It's like HAIF old home week!

That skyscraper that was demolished for the unbuilt Bank of the SW tower was on the southeast corner of the block. That's why the sidewalks along that corner are brick, while along the rest of the block they are regular concrete.

[arche_757]

I was flipping through a KPF book @ Half-Price Books, and it had one building proposed and designed by KPF but never built in the mid 1980's. Being KPF the design was quite nice (if my memory serves me right) had a resemblance to 311 South Wracker in Chicago.

Cant remember the name though... since we were on the topic.

[UrbaNerd]

I think that's the Block 256.

BTW, I think I have that book!
KPF Projects 1976-1986.

[arche_757]

If Block 256 is a supertall (whatever...) then thats not the one Im refering to.
There is another one, unless its the P. Johnson and Burgee book? could have been

but the 1976-1986 sounds convincing!

[Ashikaga]

Subdude, on Monday, November 29th, 2004 @ 5:06pm, said:

Other runner-up by Kohn-Pederson-Fox


Competition winner by Murphy/Jahn


What could have been..

I'd be too afraid to take a job as the window washer for this building.

[plumber2]

Montrose1100, on Thursday, December 2nd, 2004 @ 5:19pm, said:

No, thats a false Urban Lengend that is thought to be fact. The Texas Commerce Tower (Chase Tower, JP Morgan Chase Tower) was originally suppose to be 60 floors. Hence the Observation deck on the 60th floor. The inital design really went up, and down... Skyscrapers come in 1,000 ft packages, and they had planned for the Chase tower to be below it. But since the office demand was so high, they added a few floors for the final rendering... It could have been 80 floors, even a 100, the FAA has nothing to do with it. They were worried about the communications equipment coming out of Hobby, which slowly rises at a certain angle. But infact, the "beam" is really somewhat west of Downtown. The FAA thing was a rumor, it was never intential to be 80 floors, or as you say, 85... It was originally planned to be 60, but turned out to be 75.

As for the Location of the BoTSWT, it was to be built on the surface parking lot behind 1 Shell Plaza.

Here
Actually, thats not such an exact picture, but its the surface parking lot behind 1-Shell Plaza, Its surounded by Rusk, Milam, Louisiana, and Walker Street.

Heah Montrose1100, you forgot to include that Texas Comerce Tower was originally concieved and named El Paso Tower up until groundbreaking when El Paso backed out as the prime tenant.