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Going fast! Appeared overnight. Soil testing the opposite parcel.

Next phase started! The Cullen building is being gutted. Prepping for demolition?

Very nice exercise room! https://www.instagram.com/crimson_living/

https://www.bizjournals.com/houston/news/2021/03/23/hines-tops-out-texas-tower.html?ana=TRUEANTHEMTWT_HO&csrc=6398&taid=60601b6ae25ade0001608dd8&utm_campaign=trueAnthem%3A+Trending+Content&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=twitter Look inside Hines' 47-story Texas Tower in downtown Houston Houston-based Hines celebrated the topping out of the 47-story Texas Tower in downtown Houston on March 22, marking a significant milestone for one of the largest office projects in recent years. When it is completed later this year, Texas Tower will encompass more than 1.14 million square feet of office space at 845 Texas Ave. Hines is developing the project as a joint venture with Montreal-based Ivanhoé Cambridge, and Providence, Rhode Island-based Gilbane Building Co. is the general contractor. “We wanted a building that really spoke to our history of innovation that provides a five-star hospitality environment where our occupants can find a diversity of experiences,” Hines Senior Managing Director John Mooz told the Houston Business Journal during a March 22 hardhat tour of Texas Tower. Designed by New Haven, Connecticut-based Pelli Clarke Pelli, the tower will include a number of features that aim to “bring the vibrancy of downtown Houston into the building,” Mooz said. For one thing, Texas Tower is positioned at a 45-degree angle on the block bounded by Texas Avenue and Milam, Prairie and Travis streets, which allows the building to have views of the city’s skyline that would not be possible if it were sitting square on the parcel. That positioning also gives Texas Tower impressive views of Hines’ other major development projects in the northwest quadrant of downtown, including the 609 Main at Texas office tower and the company’s multifamily towers, the existing Aris Market Square at 409 Travis St. and future Brava at 414 Milam St. “The idea was to allow Texas Tower to have a conversation with the other buildings in the area, which also expands the sightlines tenants have from inside the building,” Mooz said. To take advantage of those sightlines, Texas Tower’s design also includes “pop-out” areas on each floor, which provide not only additional flexible work areas but also additional corners with 180-degree views of the city. “That’s something we’ve learned from the past several cycles,” Mooz said. “These days, it’s not just the boss sitting in the corner office with the best views. There’s been a democratization of space, where more and more tenants are using corner areas for collaboration spots, and some are even putting their lunch areas there. We wanted to find a way to put as many corners as possible to give occupants the ability to maximize those opportunities.” Those pop-out areas come standard on nearly all of Texas Tower’s 30,000-square-foot floor plates and help to promote wellness and positive morale, Mooz said. In many ways, Mooz said, the Covid-19 pandemic has illustrated the importance of some of the decisions Hines made during the design process. Not only do tenants want a variety of different flex spaces where their workers can set up shop, they want access to green spaces, Mooz said. Even before the pandemic, Hines was seeing the growing demand for green spaces within an office environment. “When we built 609 Main, we included a garden terrace, which was a highly desirable amenity,” Mooz said. “But that terrace was only able to be accessed by a single tenant. In Texas Tower, we included two garden terraces on the 12th and 13th floors that can be accessed by all of the building’s occupants.” Adding to the hospitality-inspired design of the building are a number of features that aim to bring as much natural light into the building as possible. On the first floor, Texas Tower will have an oval-shaped “City Room” where workers can grab a cup of coffee or a glass of wine while watching city life as it goes on about its business downtown. Like other first-floor retail spaces in the tower, the City Room will feature 10-foot, floor-to-ceiling windows. Mooz said Hines recently entered into a deal with a first-in-Houston food and beverage company that has agreed to move into Texas Tower, though he declined to name the company. Office tenants that have already inked leases in the tower include Vinson & Elkins, DLA Piper and Hines itself. The building is already 40% leased. To maximize the amount of retail space in the building, Mooz said Hines decided to move the building’s central HVAC plant and transformers to the 11th floor, rather than having it on the first floor as in most office towers. “If you put the central plant on the first floor, you lose about 30% of the available space,” Mooz said. “For us, it made much more sense to move it to the 11th floor because that allowed us to design the first floor in a way that really embraced the surrounding area.” On the HVAC front, Hines is again going with an under-floor system, which Mooz said moves air through the building much more efficiently and less expensively than traditional systems. The system in Texas Tower is similar to the one Hines installed at 609 Main at Texas. “This system adds about $10 per square foot to the project, but we have found that our occupants really like it because it is less expensive over time and allows for more flexibility in configuring each office space,” Mooz said. That flexibility is important in attracting tenants, Mooz said and pointed to Hines’ own office space in the building as an example. Hines will occupy six floors, which will be connected via internal staircases. “Again, it’s all about creating spaces that can adapt to each occupant’s needs,” Mooz said. Other amenities in the building will include a 9,500-square-foot fitness center, a 13,000-square-foot conference center, touchless entry systems that rely on Bluetooth technology to access elevators, concierge service and an 11-story garage with 1,500 parking spaces. Mooz said he’s pleased with the lease-up rate at Texas Tower, which is ahead of schedule, even amid an office market that was already struggling prior to the outbreak of Covid-19. As Los Angeles-based CBRE recently reported, the office vacancy rate in Houston’s central business district stood at 23.2% during the fourth quarter of 2020. “We think we will be offering a best-in-class building that truly meets the needs of modern employers, especially in the post-Covid world,” Mooz said. “We have learned a lot during the pandemic from our experience building properties all over the world, and we have factored those lessons into what we’re doing here at Texas Tower.”

Topped out.

Work at the future Oui Eats food Hall site appears to continue, although at a pretty slow pace. This is how it was looking a couple of days ago: Separately, has anybody heard anything new about Black Page Brewing? Triton showed the site being almost ready back in June. I would have thought that it would be open (or about to open) by now, particularly with restrictions being lifted.

They finally started demolishing the Buffalo Speedway bridge this past week:

I would like to know what you think the city/TXDOT could do to adequately connect it then? I picked out that Fry's because its generally indicative of the types of businesses we are talking about here; the types of businesses you can find in any strip mall in Houston. I mean, I guess I could have picked the nearby Panda Express...or the Chipotle...or the Starbucks...or the Chili's...or the numerous car dealerships...or the Gamestop. These are the types the businesses that nobody on HAIF would give a crap about in any other situation, but because they are being torn down for a freeway, suddenly we're supposed to care. And, the fact is, after the freeway is finished, they will be replaced by similar fare within a year. Look, the freeway's already there and its isn't going anywhere. Any damage that could be done to those communities has already been done decades ago. This is the case for literally any major infrastructure project that requires ROW or imminent domain. Its not necessary a unique argument for not pushing forward with this project or ignoring its merits.

Tower upgrades this week. The UT system wants to relocate the tower to another part of the 307-acres. Can't wait for the water tower to be removed. Would love to see JLL marketing signs as well.

Building signage went up this week. wow! https://www.instagram.com/novelriveroaks/

Just a little heads up from the District C office: The Montrose Redevelopment Authority will hold a public meeting on March 31regarding the Waugh/Yoakum/Commonwealth Project, which is about to begin construction. This meeting is meant to offer information regarding the project as well as receive any questions and comments the community may have. The project will start at West Dallas Street and focus on walkability/biking, pedestrian safety, and overall street quality. Council Member Kamin is proud to partner on this project by contributing funds for sidewalks. To register, visit: https://montrosehtx.org/calevents/pre-construction-meeting-waugh-commonwealth-project/

Common Desk buildout permit.

Notice of Virtual Public Hearing sign has been posted. For a Mixed-Use Development.

The white wall will soon be covered up.

That looks to be the right project, I noticed Freund St. on the renders as well. Good find. From what I recall, Padua is the developer that owns a lot of land in the area and has been very vocally against HHA’s proposed EaDo 800 project nearby. A few of the townhomes represented in the last two photos have already been built, and there are more slated to be constructed along N. Live Oak, by the silos.

Going quick!

Rising!

Seems like all progress has stopped.

https://www.bizjournals.com/houston/news/2021/03/27/zadok-jewelers-debuts-mixed-use-development.html?ana=TRUEANTHEMTWT_HO&csrc=6398&taid=605f72a4bd33910001906639&utm_campaign=trueAnthem%3A+Trending+Content&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=twitter Zadok Jewelers debuts its glitzy mixed-use development on Post Oak Boulevard Amid cases of glittering diamonds and luxury watches, construction crews are scrambling to put the finishing touches on Houston-based Zadok Jewelers’ new mixed-use development, even as the family-owned store opens its doors to customers. The Zadok family opened Post Oak Place at 1801 Post Oak Blvd. near the Galleria on March 25 after about 18 months of construction. The mixed-use project houses Zadok’s new 28,000-square-foot showroom — double the size of its previous location at 1749 Post Oak in the neighboring Post Oak Plaza shopping center — as well as space for two restaurants and office tenants, all of which were designed by the Michael Hsu Office of Architecture. “My wife, Helene, and I have always dreamed of leaving a legacy to our family, and we could not be more thrilled to see our new mixed-use project finally come to life,” said family patriarch Dror Zadok. He added, “Just like the day we first opened in 1976, we want our new store to be an extension of our home by creating a warm and welcoming environment where we can provide professional and personalized assistance to our customers at a fair price.” Jonathan Zadok, son of store founders Helene and Dror Zadok, said the family’s goal was to create a luxury destination on par with any of the finest establishments on Fifth Avenue in New York. “We really tried to embrace the city’s push to promote a pedestrian-friendly environment here,” Jonathan Zadok said. “We’re as close to Post Oak Boulevard that we can be, legally.” From the store’s two-story showroom, customers can browse among dozens of cases of diamond rings, emerald tennis bracelets, pearl necklaces and hundreds of other fine pieces of jewelry. On the first floor, Zadok Jewelers installed boutiques dedicated to luxury watch brands Vacheron Constantin, Jaeger-LeCoultre, A. Lange & Söhne, IWC and Cartier. “Our Lange boutique is one of only 13 points of sale in North America. You’d have to go to Chicago to find the nearest alternative. We’re also proud to have the largest Cartier 'espace' in North America,” Jonathan Zadok said, using the French term for “space” to describe a location larger than a boutique that isn’t a standalone store. “This is one of the most important retail projects undertaken by any independent jeweler in the U.S. in the last 20 years,” Rudy Chavez, president of A. Lange & Söhne North America, said in a statement. Jonathan Zadok said the new store will carry a number of brands that weren’t available at the previous location. In fact, bringing all of the luxury brands the store carries together presented some unforeseen challenges, especially given that the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic made travel nearly impossible for most of 2020.“We’ve been doing everything by Zoom, which has been really difficult because the companies we partner with want to see the space and see where their products will be located in the store,” he said. “There’s some politics there because some brands want to be next to one another and some do not want to be by others.” Covid-19 also affected the project’s construction schedule. A few construction workers caught the virus, so the project had to shut down for a period, and getting supplies from Europe was far more difficult, Jonathan Zadok said. For example, the store has yet to install a Panerai-branded bar on the first floor because it was shipped from Italy, but travel restrictions have slowed its arrival. While much of the first floor is completed, construction crews are still finishing up work on the second floor, which will feature a champagne lounge area and a design room equipped with computer-aided design capabilities and a 3-D wax printer for making prototypes of jewelry for customers. “It’s a really cool technology because it allows customers to physically touch and handle their piece of jewelry and decide whether they want to make changes,” Jonathan Zadok said. “They’ll be able to make any changes they like before it goes into production.” The second floor will also include a pop-up store area, where luxury brands from outside the jewelry and watch industries will be able to showcase their wares, and The Nina Magon Lounge, where customers can book catered events or gatherings Heading into the back-office portion of the building, Jonathan Zadok showed the Houston Business Journal the store’s separate on-site watchmaker, repair, polishing and jewelry-making studios where experts were handling the precision work that comes with making and maintaining family heirlooms. “We really are a family business,” Jonathan Zadok said, noting many of the store’s craftsmen come from multiple generations of experience with their craft. Walking into the vault, Jonathan Zadok noted another construction challenge that comes with building a jewelry store from scratch. “We installed the vault immediately after we poured the slab,” he said. “It was the first thing we built on-site.” There’s a reason for making the vault a priority. At 45,000 pounds, the vault had to be positioned to the millimeter before the rest of the building’s construction could proceed. Meanwhile, the other side of the development houses the project’s retail and office component, where Northern Trust Corp. is already working on building out its new offices. The five-story office portion features 24,000-square-foot floor plates, adding up to total of 70,000 square feet of office space. Each floor has a minimum ceiling height of 11 feet, while the fifth floor has ceilings as high as 15 feet. “We found that the higher ceilings bring more light into the building and give a better chance to look out over Post Oak Boulevard,” Jonathan Zadok said. So far, he added, leasing has been pretty good. The building already has tenants committed to lease 70% of the available office space. The building has also landed an Uchiko location for one of its restaurant spaces. Uchiko is the sister restaurant of Uchi out of Austin. Jonathan Zadok said the family is in discussions with a second restaurant company but that deal has not been finalized yet. “We’re so happy to be opening our new building to the public,” he said. “It’s been a labor of love, and our family couldn’t be more pleased to have the chance for people to see it.”

Notice of Variance Request sign has been posted. To reduce the multifamily parking required. The current building houses a lot of human service businesses. Hate to see it go.

From the tower crane operator.

Plan review permit.

From http://www.andersoncanyon.net/portfolio.html

not to change the subject, but it's amazing that the RR just redid all of the crossings in this area (including the McKinney crossing) when the goal is to make the area a quiet zone, and as part of the quiet zone, they are going to completely redo all of these crossings, either by grade separation, or complete removal. they certainly needed the love, but I figured they were just pushing maintenance considering the long term plans.

I wouldn't say they're ugly but the western view does sort of have a dated 80's look, where you only see an array of sleek 70's-80's buildings, whereas the northern/bayou view shows different phases of downtown's history and is more like a traditional city skyline with lots of little buildings in addition to the big ones. I personally prefer the view from due north, coming down I-45, which is kind of the best of both. The western view is still the favorite of Greater Houston Partnership-type promo stuff, since they're trying to attract businesses who want a "clean" city.