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City of Houston has applied for federal funding to reduce driving lanes to one on each direction as well as protected bike lanes on West Gray. From Shepherd to Waugh

They finally filled in the green marble wall.

Okay. I've been sitting on this until the statute of limitations expired (I hope!)... I was brought in as a temporary worker to keep the plant producing for another 6 weeks beyond the publicized shutdown date (the permanent employees had found permanent jobs elsewhere and were not inclined to leave them). I was not supposed to take pictures. But, on my last day at the plant, I was being paid just to be there for eight hours, and I had my cell phone. I got to thinking that it was quite possible that no kind of photo survey had ever been taken of this facility, and I knew it was historically important to Houston and the East End. So I went to town. This photography was not planned, I just went through as much of the facility as I could snapping everything which seemed interesting. And they are cell phone quality pictures at best, taken with a BlackBerry PRIV. But if you want to view them, for this the balance of Thanksgiving week 2022, you may. The link follows, the password is 'LastDrop'. Expires 2022-11-28: https://voyager.ehbowen.net:5001/mo/sharing/9TewHd5ln I made annotations to most of the photos with what I knew about the area or equipment. You are welcome to view, but downloading is disabled. I know some folks will save screen shots, but...well, remember the copyright laws. If you have some real use for some of the photos, message me and let's talk.

"Dallas-based real estate developer High Street Residential is hoping its hospitality-inspired approach, plus the tower’s location near the popular Discovery Green Park, will help it fill the 43-story, 309-unit apartment tower it recently opened downtown. Designed by Houston-based architecture firm Ziegler Cooper Architects with interiors by Dallas-based Waldrop + Nichols, the tower’s luxury finishes and amenities aim to attract renters by choice – people who rent not out of necessity, but out of the convenience and lifestyle found in urban high rises." https://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/real-estate/article/43-story-apartment-tower-opens-downtown-houston-17596342.php#photo-23201778

This week I went to TMC3 while it was raining. One Discovery Way: Dynamic Street: Collaborative Building: Helix Park: TECO connection located on the unknown street: Mixed-Use Garage:

The newest desktop Google Maps shows the new building.

From UHD From White Oak Bayou Trail

Stormy and Rainy:

So it appears we have our first tenant announcement, but no mention on square footage of the lease... hoping its sizeable. Sino Biological out of Beijing, will be opening its 'Center for Bioprocessing' at Levit Green. Great to finally have a little momentum on this campus. https://www.einnews.com/pr_news/602480783/sino-biological-announces-construction-of-its-new-us-based-center-for-bioprocessing

This is a great little video that just got published, with new animation of the finished product, more context regarding the nature and uses of the building, and great touchstones from other Ismaili Centers already in place.

Levit Green Boulevard: Sidewalks:

A crew is setting up what looks like a big tent, curious what it might be for, a special event at the Menil, ground breaking ceremony for the Hotel Saint Augustine or perhaps lunch area for the workers? A security guy didn't know.

View from Embassy Suites (photos from Google Reviews):

This is for Menil's 35th anniversary Gala Cirque Surrealiste.

Good to hear! This is something the city generally lacks. Side street businesses are the best.

Northwest corner. The ever present broken windows, I wonder if the estimators account for several replacements when estimating the cost of the project? W. Dallas side. Now Leasing.

Zoo Lights https://flic.kr/p/2o1XAaq

100% this. I was there in the meetings in the very beginning (because I live close to I-45) and no one was raising any idea about mass transit until too far into the project when they are trying to finalize the design. When TXDOT first proposed doing this project, the city should have been working with them hand in hand. Would be curious how that section south of the Westpark Tollway got there. Did the city and the toll road authority work together to keep that land available? It's clearly meant for mass transit with even the highway pillars being set so that light rail or BRT can travel between them. That sort of engagement should have been here on this project but it never was. I didn't see BRT diagrams until the final months of decision making for the I-45 project. The most my neighborhood and surrounding neighborhoods were trying to do were working on connections that TXDOT was removing, such as the North St Bridge (which is gone unfortunately in the design) and ramps on the northside of N Main which I still don't understand. There was also the talk of sound barriers. That was literally it.

Stormy & Rainy this weekend:

Papercity reports Ciel, the ground floor restaurant and lounge at 4411 San Felipe, opens in December. Here are several nuggets from yesterday's article: "Co-owner Adel Sadek tapped his own architectural and design firm, Studio Five, to conjure a glamorous St. Tropez vibe for the 8,000-square-foot space." "There’s a decidedly celestial aesthetic...High above diners’ heads is a faux sky adrift with fluffy clouds, with orb-shaped lights reflected against a mirrored ceiling to represent the planets in the night sky. French contemporary artist Philippe Shangti...was commissioned to create a trio of 12-foot paintings of bare women for the dining room, while a six-foot sculpture of Zeus — God of the sky, naturally — is splashed with hand-painted tattoos care of Mexican artist Karla de Lara." https://www.papercitymag.com/restaurants/ciel-restaurant-houston-opening-4411-san-felipe-building-adel-sadek/ Renders included in the article

I wonder if this permit is for the garden landscaping?

Classic cutting off one's nose to spite one's face as I am sure no one has a full appreciation of the real (i.e., feasible) alternatives. Not to mention where were all of these people, what, 10 years ago, when the planning process started? At the very least they should have the burden of presenting an actual, preferred alternative to advance start a meaningful dialogue. However, Turner is by all appearances for it, the GHP is for it, I am confident Turner will be able to "herd the cats" when it comes to a City Council vote, if any. Hidalgo is the wild card. It remains amazing to me that Mealer didn't make this a centerpiece campaign issue instead of going on and on about crime--it would've diluted some of the crazy for the moderate voting block.

Looks like the original street signage of the McNair Campus is being replaced? wow! They even have a proper exit sign. The new way finding signs around both campuses are looking great!

"The company, headquartered in Beijing, signed a 10,000 square foot commercial lab and office lease within the first phase of Levit Green, under development by the Houston firm Hines and partners 2ML Real Estate Interests and Harrison Street." https://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/real-estate/article/levit-green-sino-biological-tenant-17601254.php

What's interesting is, when I first starting going back to Houston (as often as I possibly could) after (unwillingly) moving to Alamo Town, it struck me how much denser and "tighter" Houston feels than SA. Not just downtown, but all over the Inner Loop. It first really struck me on Waugh, driving from Memorial to my friends' place in Montrose. ETA:Let me add that Downtown San Antonio is a totally different story.

I hope so. Makes so much more sense to have GFR frontage on the pedestrian-friendly side than the highway-lite sides. Montrose Collective definitely got that part right.

Based on the render the 42 story building should be here.

Looks like the south side will be for the GFR.

The tower crane operator who works for TAS just messaged me on IG saying his bosses just told him they are moving him to a Hanover high rise project to build a 42 story high rise here in Houston. He is currently operating the tower crane at the Marquette Companies White Oak apartments. He was told he would transfer over to his new job around Jan-March. He was also the operator at the Allen project on the taller crane and the tower crane operator at the Hanover River Oaks. Only building that qualifies in that height range is the one at Hanover Autry Park.

Campus view: