C2H

I like the fact that they took the approach to preserve history and restore a historical building. I'm just not too crazy about the new orange-ish tan-ish color of the brick on the building. Even though the previous green color they used may have looked a little dated, they could have pulled it off if it was done right.

maybe they'll paint it and add some color later.

Are you proposing a Houston center number 2?

Absolutely. Please do. And no worries. No need to apologize. Hopefully if we get enough letters in and they see enough people passionate about the situation, maybe they will listen.

My email to Midway. To Whom It May Concern, I want to start off by applauding the work of the Midway corporation and everything it has done towards improving the Houston area. Especially with City Centre and the current Greenstreet project downtown Houston. However, I am extremely disappointed in the new re-design for the Hotel Alessandra. Houston has been bombarded with poo0r, tacky architecture and underwhelming architecture in its buildings for years. It has been falling behind the curve of many of its peer cities like Dallas, NYC, Philadelphia, Atlanta, and even Austin TX. With the presentation of the original design from March 2014, I had high hopes for this project and thought it was going to be the start of establishing a new precedent for architecture in Houston. Although I am grateful of the initiative and ambition of the hotel, I have to say that the original design was much more striking and appealing. I hope to hear some sort of reply regarding this. I am interested in hearing all plans for Midway Sincerely, C2H

LargeTEXAS, I've begun a new approach to life which has helped me keep unnecessary worry and stress down. So I'm sorry by my applying that to this situation has left you with the impression that I'm all for mediocrity In this city. Now you are a poster that I happen to go way back with ever since I first joined on here more than 10 years ago before the old HAIF was hacked. I have always had a high respect for you as a poster, so the last thing I want to do is become your enemy BUT.... you got me all wrong. I remember one of my first posts ever on HAIF was a complaint about the downtown night skyline. It used to depress me to no end to drive from Dallas or Austin which actually seemed like vibrant cities at night with their well lit skylines to come to what was supposed to be Texas's largest city and see its dark, crummy lit skyline with Christmas light bulbs on its rooftops. You may not remember, but it was you who actually teamed up with me on the idea and made up an electronic petition to start in which I even printed out and got some additional signatures. I also wrote letters to the mayor, downtown management, and several others. Shortly after, several building owners decide to do some stupid "lights out" program and now here we are more than a decade later with an even worse lit skyline than before ( although glad to see less Christmas lights) Then we were all worked up with the University light rail lines plans. We had all been waiting patiently for at least a decade. Just when we thought we had gotten rid of that roadblock Tom Delay, here comes somebody else making sure he follows in every print of his footsteps. Again, here we are, the most important line in Houston indefinitely put on hold because of a few residents and some @$$hole who only cares about winning votes for another term. And I'm not even going to get into the Houston Pavilions scrapping the original residential plans and then the Embassy Suites design literally being decapitated. So LargeTEXAS, maybe you're right, I do feel a tad powerless. After a while of disappointments,corrupt politics, I've found that it's easiest to not get so worked up and stressed out about things is best for my OWN sanity. I'm not saying I'm one who gives up, but I have practiced on the positive side of things rather than the negative. Although midway failed us on Alessndra, we still have some other new skyscrapers coming up which offer some pretty interesting designs. Back to not giving up, I still attend city hall meetings, show up at every election time, voice my concerns, etc. Some people will change the world. Maybe you're one of those people and perhaps I am not. I just now am more focused on controlling what I'm able to: my health, my finances, my career, etc. Because at the end of the day, everything we bicker about on these boards comes down to those with $$$$$ in which I have none.

Call me an optimist or whatever. But I don't see what continuing to whine and complain about what we can't change is supposed to do other than make our lives further miserable. Promises or not, in reality, Midway owes us nothing. None of us ponied up any $$$ for this so why should any of us expect anything? I'm more inclined to believe Stonian's story because at least it somewhat softens the blow, because happy or not, this is what we're getting. Misery loves company. Am I happy with the new design? He'll no. But what I'm gonna do is kick back with my six pack beer and watch some of you all cry about whats not changing while I rejoice that we're getting a unique hotel to Houston above a mixed used development that Houston has never seen before amist much other construction and development, in a new time that also Houston hasn't seen before.

I read this to mean that maybe there's hope that the developer might change back to the original design due to the outcry of the swamplot comments. Wish it was enough. I too am extremely disappointed. Such a missed opportunity and is a painful relived moment of the ES hotel. Still glad it's getting built nonetheless.

Totally disagree with this. If those are your expectations, perhaps you'd be happier in a city like Amarillo or Lubbock, not the state's largest city and among the top 4 in the nation.

The building is really not all that to me, just average. Although it is good to see the development and infill.

That article is a little old. I wonder if they're still having that problem up there?

You take bad news pretty well, i must say. I'm sorry to be a debbie downer, but this doesn't pose as any good coming out for downtown. Just think how Main Street square (or what used to be) has completely gone black at night. Pretty much void of any nightlife whatsoever. Driving through downtown at night looking for the blocks of activity it once literally brings a tear to my eye. I really had high hopes for downtown when i moved here just under ten years ago. I thought after all the additions downtown has added over the last few years, it would add to what was already there. With all these closings, it takes something away and it almost seems like downtown is having to start all over again from scratch. The nightlife has almost gone non-existant and is more scattered around which takes away from the vibrancy of it. Main Street Square 2004/2005ish and even through part of 2006 seemed to be a little glimmer of hope that downtown was on the rise as an entertainment area. Oh well, i'm going to end my rant by saying that maybe i'm ignorant to all the things that may be moving forward. I don't frequent downtown as much as I used to, but the few nights that I've gone was dissapointing to say the least.

I'm all for affordable healthcare, but here? How incredibly boring!

Denver Pavilions, although much smaller has more energy as a result of the spillover affect from pedestrian activity off the 16th street mall. The developers really screwed the design phase of the Houston Pavilions project up big time. It all started with them eliminating the condo component. At first, i didn't think it was a big deal because i knew how successful Denver's was without them, plus i knew One Park Place was opening up right down the way and thought it serve to fill that void. Also, the loading docks are very unattractive and quite a turn off. There's been countless number of times i've been hovering around the House of blues while they're loading/unloading merchandise and the pedestrians have to go around it. Who wants to see all of that? The design also being enclosed inward didn't really help create a vibrancy. I'm somewhat glad to see that other developers will take over. Hopefully, they can fix some design flaws as an earlier poster pointed out.

so it being typical to other shopping centers means its nothing to get excited about. I don't get why its so difficult for Houston to land urban style shopping developments especially in this part of town? Not trying to throw Dallas in this, but they seem to have no problem getting them.

well, i guess you're right in terms of the unsuccess rate its had in Dallas, but i still would like to see a little more flash in Houston

I'm with infinite jim. This is like a Discovery Green part II. We need something a little more interesting and swanky this time around like in Uptown Dallas and maybe a Victory style development.

I agree with Nick G and largeTEXAS on many issues. I don't think people should come down so harsh on him just because they don't understand his POV. Face it, The homelessness is unattractive and does tend to shoo people away from downtown. I'm not saying that is the only problem, but it is a problem. It's just the way it is. I'm not degrading them as human beings, but the problem really is in the location of the homeless shelters such as sheltering arms, star of hope, and others being directly under the pierce elevated. If those homeless are denied entrance to those facilities, where are they going to go? Under a bridge downtown. I also agree with largeTEXAS that more lighting needs to be put downtown, and yes that includes a few neon signs. He and i have been in agreement on this issue for years since i first joined HAIF. I always felt Downtown's subdued lighting looks boring and doesn't really stand out enough to attract people. There's plenty of venues downtown, but you don't know it because of its not visible. I moved to Houston in 2004. While i was impressed with the "then" newly redeveloped Main Street/light rail segment, I quickly learned that the rest of downtown was pretty drowsy. I honestly expected more when i visited the downtown of the 4th largest city in the U.S. Even Denver, Colorado (which is 1/2 the size of Houston) has a pretty hopping downtown that almost feels like a mini-mini Manhattan. People said that downtown had come a long way then since 1999. That must have meant that downtown Houston in the 90s was in reeall bad shape! Now, to end my btch rant, I applaud what has been going on in downtown's eastside in the recent years. It seems like they're really making efforts to create a sense of place. The new Embassy Suites Hotel (abeit the ugly design) sitting right on the park and the new Phoenicia grocery store have breathed new life to that side of downtown. Although I am a little disappointed that Houston Pavilions hasn't really taken off yet, I am appreciative of it as a development and the few new things it's added to downtown such as: HOB, Lucky Strike, and Books a Million, and the other 2 or 3 pieces of retail stores it added. The Buffalo Bayou walk in Buffalo Bayou park, and the new symphony building are all nice. I also appreciate the developments of the 90s such as: Bayou Place, and the Cotswold Project, MMP, and the new millineum Toyota Center. We have to get more people living downtown and that means filling the voids by making the venues more visible. Phoenicia Grocery store was an awesome addition. More pronounced lighting on the buildings and some signage would be a great start. Then we will be able to see these developments begin to thrive. C2H (ComingtoHoustion)/stoneclaw

Everyone here talking about they're hopeful of another chain restaurant! Applebees and Landrys? How do we get more people downtown when they can find these things right off their doorstep in the suburbs.

As a former Colorado resident who lived only roughly an hour from Denver, I can confirm that Denver Pavilions is enclosed.

I'm glad someone finally agrees with me besides the O/P. LOL

I don't mind the white but i hope they continue to alterate the colors and even let the crazy color changing lights go on there from time to time.

How do you know and why did he get sacked?

Maybe its some of the other buildings that need to follow suit of Wells Fargo and light up there structures, not necessarily to the same degree as Wells Fargo, but there's a way they can still be interesting and tasteful too. The Reliant Energy plaza (1000 Main) used to do the color-changing band on top of their building. Hasn't been lit up in a few months. The former Continential building was cool with the blue and even the white Crown. It makes since that Wells Fago is being dominant at night, which it should since it is a dominant structure in the downtown skyline. I think the rest of downtown could stand to not necessarily follow suit of WF, but back it up a little and light up a little. But Please, and I repeat Please, no year-round beige Christmas lights on the building's rooftops like they were doing in the middle part of last decade. That made the 4th largest city look cheap. It remined me of a neighbor who left his Christmas lights on during the 4th of Juky. I would rather a dark skyline than to go back to that.