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arche_757

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Everything posted by arche_757

  1. The potential security concerns come up when you consider the fact that the people (most of whom are going to be housed in the Dome) arent to worried about seeing the new Rembrandt in the MFA - they are worried about getting back home, where there money is (since most of their banks are shut down - including the networks that allow debit withdrawls -- like I heard one man say "its like not having an identity"). What gets me is the 10% off on clothes - how about 50% off! These people have NOTHING, let that sink in, ...NOTHING... So keeping people in the "camp" will be important - since few have money - and fewer still will know what to do or where to go (atleast for the first few days) - it is after all just a staging point from where they will be moved either to refugee camps closer to New Orleans or elsewhere in Houston. To be quite honest Im pretty sure if I was in this situation (a "refugee") - and being moved to New York - Im pretty sure the last thing on my mind would be the MOMA, or free tickets to the New York Philharmonic!
  2. Perhaps we could get a spell check added to the response page?
  3. No theres a large park that will keep that from happening. Not to mention two freeways and several other "districts" - Midtown and Museum District.
  4. No its not completely empty - but a token hand full of people walking their dog and scoping up its crap @ 8 o'clock in the evening isnt what Id call a pedestrian wonderland. Perhaps you should come down from your lofty perch and see Midtown for yourself. At the street level. It looks a lot worse than I imagine it does from high above.
  5. Midtown is a retail destination? The only thing good about Camden's design is the fact it will add retail to midtown (hopefully not anymore CVS or dry cleaners!), and bring people to an otherwise desolate local.
  6. Its a steak house and the statue designer is the same guy who did the statue of Sam Houston for Huntsville - dont think its quite finished yet. Yeah the location isnt the best --- but the man behind the restaurant is the same guy who made Goodson's in Tomball a sucess (before he sold it - food has gone down since). I know because I work with the architect who designed it. Hopefully that are will continue to grow - but the statue was designed to be an eyecatcher - so atleast its working.
  7. Im glad to see (toe see) the building is possibly getting a new chance at life but.... what good is another restaurant and nightclub/live music venue going to do for downtown!
  8. My favorite big church - Koln Cathedral in Germany. Favorite little one is the chapel on the walk up from Burg Eltz also in Germany (I have a pic - need to post it). Havent been to Florence or Istanbul but Hagia Sophia and the Duomo are tops on my list as well. Actually Ulm's cathedral in Germany is pretty damn impressive. 520 ft tall!!! Quite a view!!!
  9. couldnt have said it better myself MidtownCoog. I dont care - didnt care about Beltran - I was disapointed when I heard of us getting rid of Kent though, his bat sure couldnt hurt now, but hey the Stros's are doing well - so I wont knock a good thing.
  10. From what I heard - it was - when I heard it - the home of a plastic surgeon. He is/was a bachelor and the house was fairly open in its design - there were not to many rooms. Apparently the master bed and master bath shared a revolving tv - guess he wanted to watch the tube while on the pot? This info came from my brothers ex-wife who was a med-student at Baylor about 6 years ago and her roomate apparently had something to do with the home owner? Very sketchy - but if the description is correct I assume either another dark, brodding person who loves solitude bought the house or the adams family2K5 bought it...?
  11. Im not saying I like the design - but you guys really think its overpowering on Allen Parkway when you have the likes of 3333 (whatever its called now), and American General Center - both are much taller and are easily visable from a distance, while the new Fed Reserve Building is shorter and can blend into the surroundings even from the Studemont Bridge. This is a Graves Building we are talking about - THEY ALL LOOK LIKE LEGO's, also if the city was polled on buildings design.......... Houston wouldnt have about 30 or so Walgreens and CVS, the Mercer, the new Harris County Civil Courts building, and a few others.
  12. Just go to the Buffalo Bayou Site www.buffalobayou.org --- I think its under the lighting plan, a subcatagory under something else?
  13. I am a fan of the Buffalo Bayou Masterplan which includes lighting the buildings of downtown like the phases of the moon, the renderings look pretty nice and it would be interesting to see the buildings change with the moon (since its hard to see through the smog).
  14. I sense hostility? None was intended from me, so just calm down. NO Im not an engineer - and would have to get detailed structural drawings to even assume that something like this is possible, The inside is still probably not large enough for a heavy rail (AMTRAK) train with all the cars. Reality is that the dome will more than likely be torn down than used for anything worthwhile - which is a shame, and even if it meant not having a Transit Center in Downtown they should put one hear before they raize it.
  15. Then Houston is the place for you BrentO since you can and more than likely will be able to do "drive-up" shopping for the rest of your life. I prefer more pedestrian friendly areas - but dont consider West U. or Rice Village as one of those. The "Village" is to conjested with single use one story buildings - there really isnt enough parking. By that I mean - there are to many reserved for "store X" ect... and not enough general parking. Thats what is great about parking meters. I still would prefer to have this development be more "Long-Term", as 10 years from now that property is going to be to expensive for surface parking.
  16. I couldnt disagree more about corporate logos. There all over tv, radio, everywhere along roads ect.... The last place I want to see an ugly sign (corporate logo) is on top of a building. Afterall most dont own the buildings they just lease space. Think of it as leaving the Fred Haas Toyoto logo on your car - its not there place to advertise, since its yours. In a way these buildings are our cathedrals and town halls (of the old world), they represent Houston and all who live there. Look at Los Angeles as an example of what not to do with high-rise and corporate logos. Afterall those logos dont do anything to revitilize an area, or draw nightlife!
  17. By changing the "structure" I meant - THE STRUCTURAL SUPPORTS ect... the things that make the building stand up! The facades of many buildings have little to do with the way the building stands. Have you ever seen a Heavy rail Train Station - in Europe, NYC, Washington DC, other east coast cities? They require massive amounts of space that would make it hard for the astrodome to be re-utilized in this manner. Downtown is a far better choice - but your intitiled to your opinion as I am intitiled to mine. Best use of the Dome - sell it to the Texas Medical Center - call it the BioDome or whatever. If there is one intity in Houston that can expand on a property like that its TMC - theyd have to build parking garages but thats better than a surface lot.
  18. Actually I dont like the "village" --- there are certain eateries, and a few decent bars.... The village would work on a smaller scale, its just gotten to large. Answer this (anybody) is Target developing the site? Or is a private developer developing the site - and fished around for a "main" tenant and found Target. They may not usually go into shopping centers like Market Street in the Woodlands or Sugar Land Towne Square but they go wherever there is enough parking and land to construct there store. The parking could be horizontal or vertical. Which brings me to another point - you prefer not to walk from shop to shop - yet you dont mind walking from shop to car, car to shop? Can you explain????
  19. Your talking about the Wedge Tower - near the Enrons. I really think Houston needs to have marques downtown, (I have one in particular - Ill render it this summer for all) and display NASDAQ, Stocks - news - sports! Could have them in and around Main Street. I will draw up some ideas and post them - if I think about it later on.
  20. Agree with this, last week it appeared they didnt even have a commercial/residnetial real estate section! Is Sarnof gone, did they re-formate the business section again? If they make anymore "glitzy" changes to the paper then I will forgo the Chron. all together and get my news from the HBJ.
  21. This is what we will all read in about 2 months. Projects like these never get off the ground in Houston.
  22. Your right! I looked it up to, and I must have been thinking either about the Hoover Dam, or Golden Gate. Sorry for the incorrect figures. But 5 people by todays standards is alot! I still think the Chrysler was completed without any loss of life. I checked with my Mannhatten Skyscrapers and Worlds 100 tallest books but couldnt find numbers in either one.
  23. Overall Im dissapointed that this wasnt more of a urban design statement for Target - which I think of as a more progressive company than WAL-MART, but its clear that Target takes little time or money to really examine the issue of urban planning and true pedestrian "walk-able" shopping areas. But then they arent totally to blame are they? Its the developer who should be stopped or cautioned about doing this - as planned. Clearly their idea of a pedestrian shopping center is one that allows people to walk from car to shop, then to car again, then move car, then go from car to another shop. No point in walking when you can park 400 feet from the door. Then walk 400 feet back to your car, then drive 200 feet to a shady/"closer" place - by the next shop - and then walk 200 feet to the shop...... then get back in your car...... then park...... then.... park.... then.....
  24. If Block 256 is a supertall (whatever...) then thats not the one Im refering to. There is another one, unless its the P. Johnson and Burgee book? could have been but the 1976-1986 sounds convincing!
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