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ArchFan

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  1. ArchFan
    A quick google (albeit not definitive) suggests that this brand may be one from the JR Hotel Group, which is affiliated with Japan Railways. Isn't that the Japanese company involved with the proposed HSR between Dallas and Houston?
  2. ArchFan
    I rather like it. While I understand the yearning that people might have for something more eye-popping, I think designs like this one often age better. Over time, I think it would be appreciated as a competent and attractive addition to the Dallas skyline.
  3. ArchFan
    If I were to travel to Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens or any of those places, I think renting a car would be more trouble than it was worth. Actually, come to think of it, I traveled to Portland, OR a couple of weeks ago and gave up my rental car when I arrived. By doing that, I not only saved money but also had a very nice time. That probably would not have been possible if Portland didn't have a really well-designed light-rail system. For visitors, at least, it takes one close to everywhere one would want to go, without the fuss involved in finding a place to park a car.
  4. ArchFan
    I like Phoenix and I definitely don't want to come across as a basher of that city. But ... I have to say, Phoenix is the only place in the US where I have boarded a plane to Houston in the summer and felt relief when stepping out into the Houston climate. Feeling the air here gave me thing feeling of plunging into a warm tub of water. Kinda pleasant, actually. And definitely not as hot. On a side note -- I once went to a conference in Palm Springs in August ... a lot of people were late arriving because the airport had to close because of the temps (~118 F) . Plane wings get less lift at those temps and need longer runways, longer than their airport had.
  5. ArchFan
    Yeah, the smaller tower of the 4 at Four Oaks Place does look quite similar to the building Solvay occupies. I have also enjoyed looking at the latter, I wonder it was also designed by Pelli & Associates. The one by BHP is not pink, however, you are thinking about the 2 condo towers just west of there, also designed by Pelli. I remember reading, about when they were going up, that the pink/ruddy color was chosen to reflect the colors of the great southwest -- as if Houston was in Arizona :-)
  6. ArchFan
    US 90 / I-10 was certainly a focus for shopping places of the 50s-60s-70s era. Bilao's Department Store was certainly prominent, I remember getting paper book jackets with their advertising on them. I can also remember the Western Skies Motel, but that is really way back. On Bunker Hill just south of the highway, there was a small center with (I think) a Lewis & Coker grocery store, a so-called dime store, and a mexican restaurant. Also a drugstore owned by a Mr Yee, as well as a U-Tote-Em convenience store. For a while, there was also a place called Cumming's Cupboard, which offered very good chocolate milk shakes for the astounding price of 35 cents.
  7. ArchFan
    Looking back on this thread reminds me, El Meson seemed to have started emphasizing Spanish and Cuban dishes more once the son took over. He seemed like a cool guy, as well as much of the staff. My only complaint would be that some of the tapas have either been dropped from the menu or else aren't as good as they once were. That seems to happen with family-owned restaurants that survive a long time, but the owners' attention goes elsewhere.
  8. ArchFan
    I don't know how long the Sherwyn Williams store has been there, but that company is certainly a staple of my childhood -- especially their logo. Although, it is interesting to consider how bad it would be for life on this planet if their paint covered everything :-)
  9. ArchFan
    I tend to agree with jmitch94's comment, although I would love things to be otherwise. i have been told -- by someone in a position to know a bit -- that this Target is their most profitable store (I assume just in Houston). So, my guess would be that they would not close it, although if their management were clever, they might be open to the idea of redeveloping all or part of the property.
  10. ArchFan
    oh, my friend Monarch, u r over the top today :-) I too would be quite happy to have the the Jurassic Park Dillard's done away with, along with the oh-so-charming roast-beef-sandwich-franchise-turned-erotica shop next door. OTOH, I think Neiman's could still be cool if they cleaned up the exterior. It was quite impressive when it was new back in 69 or so, before the mall was even built.
  11. ArchFan
    Also ... I don't really trust Culberson (and I'm in his district). I've tried to withhold judgement, but after I saw him at a presentation Andy Icken (CoH Chief Development Officer) made a few months ago at the Post Oak Hilton, I was rather disgusted. He brought along a small band of sycophants who seemed to have been prepped for the presentation by having their fears whipped up. They were rather rude to Andy, who actually seemed to handle the onslaught of taunts rather well. After that event, it struck me as being odd that -- while virtually everyone sees it as beneficial to have Houston grow fast and their property values increase a lot -- so many people don't see that infrastructure improvements protect their assets.
  12. ArchFan
    So many good comments. Although I like living in the area, I agree it's ridiculous to compare Post Oak to Rodeo Drive or call it a "masterpiece". My impression is that the folks saying that haven't traveled much. That said, I'm prepared to be somewhat sympathetic if people own businesses that they think will take a hit during the construction phase. OK -- I said sympathetic -- but there are also reasons to consider the long-term overall good of this community in the future, which go beyond that. I'm not terribly fond of the BRT option; I would prefer rail, preferably underground. I walk in the area a lot and I often wonder when I'm gonna get hit and sent flying or else run over.
  13. ArchFan
    It's strange to think about a building in downtown Houston that appears to be almost completely made out of trees. OTOH, I guess trees were the most conspicuous part of the landscape there 200 years ago ...
  14. ArchFan
    Nice pics. Especially to see the former Sakowitz store. I have no idea of the likelihood, but i would love to see it reincarnated as some form of high-end retail.
  15. ArchFan
    Yes, the trees really add a lot. Also, from a practical point of view, I think the developer will reap significant benefit from having/preserving them. (hint, hint!)
  16. ArchFan
    This conversation brings up interesting memories. Although, I cannot be sure that I remember all things better than folks have already related here. I remember the MiniMax grocery store that was kinda close to the Sakowitz store. It seemed strange that Sakowitz would have a store there, but the marketing angle I remember for T&C Village was that it would be super-convenenient because people could park right in front of the store they wanted to shop at, rather than having to walk a bit. Apparently, that concept didn't work out so well. The site where City Centre is now was developed (in my time at least) as "The Mall of Fountains", which as I recall consisted mostly of shoe and clothing stores. It was never busy. The 3-story T&C Mall came later, which opened just in time to have the roof blown off -- by what, Tropical Storm Allison, I forget -- and had to endure the ensuing oil-related recession in Houston. As I recall, the ill-fated "farmers market" next door had already failed, to be followed by the ice rink in the same place.
  17. ArchFan
    I really miss the Las Alamedas on Voss. I remember it as being one of several nice, relatively authentic, Mexican restaurants opened (or invested in) in Houston during the oil boom of the early 80s by wealthy folks from Mexico City. It wasn't actually on the bayou (Buffalo), but was on a tributary of it, which was rather deep and picturesque. Before it was built, there was a "Putt-putt" miniature golf course in about the same spot, which was a lot of fun. It was situated on a steep gradient, very unusual for Houston. Unfortunately, like many other such rare places, it got filled in to make it more suitable for building on.
  18. ArchFan
    Interesting thread. I attended Spring Branch Junior High, back in the day. What was the gas station next door, a Conoco? I think that later become a "food place" and even later a "plant house". The first JITB i remember was in the Heights in the 60s, I think it lasted a long time. I bought a lot of jeans at Bilao's on US90/I10. Thanks for sparking some good memories! It's amazing how things change.
  19. ArchFan
    yow! this is disappointing to hear about. earlier on, the publicity was about how good these guys were at putting up a building fast, basically because the followed the same formula, again and again. However, building is one thing, managing a rental property is another. I hope they will get their act together or else turn the project over to someone who is good at it.
  20. ArchFan
    It's interesting how the north end of Post Oak Blvd has been such a hotspot for (planned and actual) development the last few years. If redevelopment in the area resumes at a similar pace, I don't see how the dedicated bus lanes will be enough to serve people traveling into and/or around the area. My feeling is that further development will be inhibited by both the lack of (1) improvements in wheeled methods of travel into and through and (2) more friendly pedestrian-ways. OK now I will vent one of my pet peeves as a lowly pedestrian in this area. In the quite nice pic above, consider a pedestrian wanting to enter Wulfe's nice BLVD Place development from the intersection of Post Oak and San Felipe. After risking life and limb crossing the intersection on foot, one must clamber through the cheap ligustrum hedge etc, then between the parked cars parked on the pad in front. Apparently no thought was given to making access pedestrian-friendly: a walker has no choice than to walk where the cars go. It would be such a relatively inexpensive and easy thing to lay things out so as to be more welcoming to pedestrians, at least those who arrive w/o needing a medic.
  21. ArchFan
    I'm also of the "tear it down" persuasion. I love the NYC High Line, but for me that one works partly because is a narrow elevated ribbon. The Pierce Elevated is too wide and I can't see how the nether regions below could be made attractive. This isn't the first time people have talked about trying to make the part underneath attractive, but I just can't envision how that could be done. To me, the best choice would be to replace it with a linear string of parks. Finally, it occurs to me that I may be one of the few people here who remember what it was like driving from west Houston to Gulfgate or Galveston before the Pierce Elevated was built. We really appreciated it once it was finished. But now ... it think its time has passed and Houston can implement something else that serves mobility needs, while also creating a more human-friendly local environment.
  22. ArchFan
    I am not a big fan of renaming streets that have had the same name for many decades. I kinda like retaining the original names, in order to maintain a memory of the past. I admit, if we ever built anything noteworthy on Dallas Street, it would not surprise me if an out-of-town media person reported on it and mistakenly identified it as being in the city of Dallas. However, I think it's kinda silly to fret over such things. I'm reminded of the time a rather nice photo of downtown Houston was shown on a national news show and the voice-over identified it as being downtown Dallas. Naturally, some guys needlessly got in a twist over that. Anyone remember when the Houston branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas opened their new facility here? The signage said "Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas" until they changed it because people complained. My point is, I think we should focus on being the best Houston we can, and not in being insecure about how we compare to some other city.
  23. ArchFan
    Personally, I like it. It will be interesting to watch the sales competition between this one and The Wilshire nearby, which while nice also, will have a much more conventional facade. Quite a few wealthy folks from Mexico buy high-rise condos in this area and I wonder if they would have a preference for this less conventional (for Houston) kind of design. Ultimately, if I were to purchase in any such place, I'd be more concerned about the interior layouts, quality of construction, and access ... rather than how cool it looked on the outside.
  24. ArchFan
    ... but I must also admit that I am also appreciating the Tillmeister, albeit in a perhaps more platonic way ...
  25. ArchFan
    good catch! :-)
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