Jump to content

Astro

Full Member
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    179

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Everything posted by Astro

  1. Astro
    I remember when it was a 24/7 diner in the 90's, called Charlie's I believe? It's a great old landmark building in a very prominent location across from the Tower Theater, on the curve of Westheimer. Anyone know what the original use of the building was?
  2. Astro
    Awesome photos Subdude!! Great job of putting thee threads together!! I love the old look of the Holiday Inn building as well but I don't remember it looking too different now? I need to take a closer look next time i go by there... I've always liked that Weldon's Cafteria building as well. And personally I kind of like the current facade on the Sears building... I'd just like to see it cleaned up and the windows put back in place on street level... (like that will ever happen. )
  3. Astro
    Thanks for posting that great pic Subdude! I remember I had posted it in the old forum but had since forgotten what website it came from. I believe the Tidelands and Tides II were torn down during the late 90's to be replaced with surface parking lots for the Med Center I always liked those old buildings.
  4. Astro
    I remember seeing that sign at the corner of McGowen and Helena a LONG time ago. Is it still up??? There was a huge old decrepit vacant house standing there for many years that was torn down around 1998 or so, just when the building boom was taking place around Oak Circle. I believe that sign was placed there shortly after that. So that sign has been around for at least 6 years! I seriously doubt if that building is ever going to happen. I always liked the rendering though. With that tall skinny tower on the front corner it reminds me of something out of a Dr. Seuss book.
  5. Astro
    Welcome to Houston, gallerialiving! In Houston, EVERYTHING gets torn down eventually. But, to answer your question, you should never expect for developers here to be concerned with building something which "fits in" with the rest of the neighborhood... Sometimes they do, which is always a nice surprise, but very often they don't. That's Houston!
  6. Astro
    Wow... thanks for the cool pics!
  7. Astro
    When I lived in Montrose between '94 and '01 I grew to hate that stretch of Elgin between Main & Westheimer. The street was horribly bumpy, none of the lights were ever timed and it seemed they were always tearing up the street and there were orange barrels and metal plates all over the place, and it stayed that way for years... I don't know if it's any better today, since i still avoid it.
  8. Astro
    You're right, I see the art deco influence, a little bit of the Empire State and Chrysler buildings... so I guess it could be classified as postmodern in that sense? But the fact it's entirely glass makes it more international? I forgot to mention Penzoil Place... that's another big favorite of mine. Th eonly one thing about it that bugs me is that when driving toward downtown from 45-N the two buildings actually look joined into one huge too short and fat squatty looking building. It looks great from other angles though, especially close up. That UH College of Architecture Building pictured above does nothing for me at all.
  9. Astro
    The Chronicle had a pretty good set of articles about Johnson yeserday including a very nice front page photo. I never realized though that he designed the AT&T headquarters in NYC... I really don't like that building at all... So that got me to thinking that while I really appreciate and love his early modern/international work, IMHO he took a turn for the worse in his postmodern period... just based on the AT&T tower and the BofA tower which is another one I don't care for too much. (I know that opinion is probably pretty unpopular here on this forum though based on what I've seen on th thread devoted to that tower ) St. Basil isn't too bad but not a favorite of mine. I do love the Transco Tower though and I would probably agree that it's his "finest skyscraper"... I don't think that one would be classified as postmodern, correct?
  10. Astro
    Wow, he was definitely one of the greats. He'll be missed but his legacy will carry on...
  11. Astro
    Is it going to replace the Bali Hai? I'm amazed that complex has survived this long. Too bad the owners didn't take better care of it... go a few blocks north on McKee Street and look at the magnificent Marquee and Marquee West apartments (they're googie, but not tiki) and how well they have held up. I think there are still a few tiki structures left in town... somewhere.
  12. Astro
    I hope this isn't too off-topic! I see a lot being done to address traffic problems in that area right now... namely the improved ramps onto 610 at Westheimer, the opening of the Westpark Toll Road, connecting the 610 feeders through underneath 59, and widening other thoroughfares in the area. I think also they are supposed to make Westheimer a "super street" with underpasses at 610 and Chimney Rock... and I've long heard about a plan to connect McCue north to San Felipe at Post Oak Lane... Plus there's already a planned light rail extension to that area, with preliminary routes showing lines along Post Oak Blvd and Westpark... My ultimate fantasy is a futuristic elavated monorail running down the center of Westheimer all the way from 610 to at least Westchase... I don't see that ever happening though.
  13. Astro
    It's also expensive... that's good reason enough to me...
  14. Astro
    It is nice though, that they are planting a lot of trees in the parking lot, and there even appear to be some grassy areas in it! I wonder if those grassy areas will actually materialize when it's built though... It's hard to tell from the renderings, but I wonder how they will use the lake frontage area at the back of that shopping center? That area could have some potential as a good public space...
  15. Astro
    Citykid, you're right, the Galleria area is all about high class! I'd like to see some new development like that in both Uptown and Midtown... although for Uptown something maybe more contemporary, but definitely upscale and classy! The corner of Post Oak and San Felipe would be a good place for something like a few of the above pics.
  16. Astro
    This project looks pretty unimaginative to me... Too bad, considering what a prime intersection that is.
  17. Astro
  18. Astro
    Thanks for posting that article... that site on 610 is close to my house and I've been wondering what was going on with that property. That's a great location... it sounds like this will really improve the area. That whole industrial district there south of Westpark between S. Rice & 610 could use a good shot in the arm. (As well as another good east-west connector street south of Westpark!)
  19. Astro
    WGG, yeah, the FQ was a nice old building but I guess it would be impossible to disinfect it completely to ever use it for anything else. Same with the Aloha which appeared to have once been a nice little house at one time. Thanks for the name - Mafreless...that's the place I was thinking of... It just shows that these kinds of places appear even in the best of neighborhoods.
  20. Astro
    Actually the former location of the French Quarter theater was the SE corner of Louisiana and Elgin which was torn down a few years ago but hasn't been used for anything... today it's still a vacant lot. And what about all the "modeling studios" in Midtown such as the "Aloha" on Brazos and Tuam? Those have been there for years too. I sure wouldn't want to live next door to one... BTW, I've heard there's actually a sex club in River Oaks shopping center over the River Oaks Theater?
  21. Astro
    From what I remember, the SL and Woodlands town square projects began about the same time... I don't think one copied off the other. I think it's a great idea for both places. I believe I once read that Friendswood has something similar in the planningstages.
  22. Astro
    Cool pics, thanks for posting them!
  23. Astro
    That sucks... why couldn't it be the other way around? I like Hollywood much better than Blockbuster.
  24. Astro
    Thanks for the link... you're a good googler So it looks like there are a few more projects on the board. So does "Capital Improvement" refer to the street reconstruction projects that have been going on there or is that something that Metro was doing anyway? Same with Uptown... was the recent widening of Sage Road & San Felipe done with TIRZ money? And why do you say the TIRZ expires in 2008? According to the website it's a 30 year TIRZ.
  25. Astro
    Well hopefully there is some accountability involved... There must be a record of how much money was taken in and how the money was spent? I'm sure the City of Houston is interested in such a record, considering this is money that could have been used in another part of the city.
×
×
  • Create New...