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Sorry if this is a dupe. Lasco Ventures has bought some land for a new office tower.

There's a Class-B motel right off the South Loop at South Main called Home Place Inn Medical Center that has an address of 10000 South Main Street. One of the last few remaining "South Main Red Light District" motels. I searched and couldn't find a thread for this. I wonder when the motel will be demolished for something taller and modern that that fits more people? South Main is always changing. Mattress Firm located directly across the freeway is selling their 21-acre campus. I wonder if this particular block would ever change to be more upscale. Instead of an off-brand 2-story hotel we can build a name-brand 5-story hotel. Website: http://www.homeplaceinnmedicalcenter.com/

This 4-story hotel that's a long South Main is up for sale. Lot size is 1.41-acres, built in 2008. The hotel is too new and small to redevelop into anything worth while. I'd say the new buyer would be just a change of ownership and rebranding. Loopnet listing: https://www.loopnet.com/Listing/10025-S-Main-St-Houston-TX/27471110/

See the Forbes ratings (which are more meaningful than the Google ratings). Then what is the source of the star ratings posted on Google?

Looking for information about the old King Motor Lodge at 9051 South Main Street in Houston, TX. This motel was on the outskirts of the Texas Medical Center, TMC. Does anyone have any pictures of this building? Any postcards around, or even memories to share?

wow!! The 1950 Sanborn map was a gold mine! Welch Motel Motor Court - 30 Units at 1300 Old Spanish Trail. I was searching around HAIF for information about this motor motel court and couldn't find anything.

I just discovered this obscure motel on South Main! It was the Century Motel Motor Court located at 8803 South Main Street. Found this in the 1950 Sanborn map of the area.

Found this on Ebay. Can we date it? Does anyone know the architect? Quality Courts Motel 4701 Kirby Drive at S.W. Freeway (U.S. 59) Houston, Texas 77006 Telephone 713/528-2811 In a classic Roman setting 178 spacious emperor size guest rooms and suites, coffee shop, Rib Room, club lounge, completely equipped meeting rooms. Close to downtown and minutes from Astrodome and Rice Stadium.

✈ concord⁹⁷⁷ has added a photo to the pool: © Curt Littlejohn / ✈ concord⁹⁷⁷ / aviationcolors Click here to view this photo at the HAIF Photo Pool on Flickr

http://www.29-95.com/bars-clubs/story/scott-gertner-0

Very cool find! Looks like there was a La Quinta Inn (later Motel 6?) located in the Central Houston Nissan campus off of the South Loop and Buffalo Speedway/Fannin area. I believe the La Quinta Inn Astrodome was renamed to La Quinta Inn Houston Medical/Reliant Center? I know the (present-day) Motel 6 is located near the Central Houston Nissan campus. Maybe Nissan purchased the old motel to expand their campus and it was demolished so they moved down the block? Current address for the Motel 6 is 3223 South Loop West. If you look on satellite, you can see what looks like a previous, white, foundation on the surface lot. This must be the demolished building leftovers? La Quinta Astrodome (E2), 9911 Buffalo Speedway; 713-668-8082. Edit: This was from a 2005 City of Houston guide.

And the link.. Webcams: http://oxblue.com/open/HoustonFirst/GeorgeRBrownConventionCenter http://www.welbro.com/project/marriott-marquis-hotel/ Renderings: http://ww1.hdnux.com/photos/27/36/71/6155860/5/1024x1024.jpg http://www.welbro.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Houston-Marriott-Ground-View-Sports-Bar_1.jpg Model: http://strategicadvisorygroup.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/MarriottMarquis-Model.jpg

Any updates on the Bass Pro construction? Will be moving to Pearland in August and anxious to visit this magnificent store!

The Link! I think if it could be better integrated into the Houston Center Mall, that entire area could be a "Point of interest" to business travelers.

I was searching Ebay for TMC memorabilia and came across this matchbook for Royal Motel located at 1300 Old Spanish Trail "Walking distance of Astrodome". Did anyone happen to stay here? Any memories or stories here about the place? Looks like the City Plaza Condominiums was built at this location once the old motel was demolished.

EXCLUSIVE REPORTS From the January 28, 2005 print edition First effort calls for mixed-use project over transit center Jennifer Dawson Houston Business Journal The Metropolitan Transit Authority's first venture into stimulating real estate development along light rail is geared toward putting a mixed-use project on an existing transit center. Todd Mason's initial mission as a recently appointed Metro vice president is to identify private developers who might be interested in constructing a high-rise project for possible retail, restaurant, condo or medical office tenants over the TMC Transit Center at Fannin and Pressler. The Texas Medical Center site doubles as a combination light rail stop and terminal where buses pick up and drop off passengers. Mason plans on sending a request for qualifications to hundreds of developers within the next two months. His goal is to find a list of prospects with the capability and experience to handle such a significant project on the 4.5-acre site. Metro gained full-time access to Mason's services by signing a five-year, $2 million contract with McDade Smith Gould Johnston Mason + Co. The real estate firm's name principal and chief financial officer occupies an office in Metro's new downtown headquarters, where his duties include promoting commercial development on or near Metro properties and handling all of Metro's real estate holdings. Mason's description of his job would apply more to a for-hire contractor than a full-time employee. "Metro has outsourced their real estate department to me," Mason says. "The primary goal is to take their transit centers and park-and-ride lots that have real estate value beyond a parking lot, and get them into the private sector for joint venture-type deals." Open for ideas The inaugural effort to put a mixed-use project on a Medical Center transit hub could determine the feasibility and direction of future Metro real estate development. While hundreds will receive requests for qualifications, Mason expects to be dealing with a select few. "What I hope is we can narrow it down to six or less truly qualified developers," he says. Metro would then conduct one-on-one negotiations to see what sort of deals could be structured with various developers. Mason hopes to make a final selection for the project by June. The TMC Transit Center project is wide open for development ideas at this point. Metro may do a ground lease or sell air rights to a developer, Mason says. Or the transit agency could enter into a joint venture with a developer on the project. One likely prospect is the Morgan Group Inc., a Houston-based apartment builder with experience in developing transit-related projects in California. Company CEO Michael Morgan says the Metro project sounds interesting, but unless incentives are offered it might be difficult to turn a profit. "The Med Center is a good market, but everything is rent-sensitive," Morgan explains. "Land prices have gotten so high that it's very hard to make apartment numbers work any more." Mason points out that Metro may be able to help make the numbers work because the transit authority has other revenue potential from the deal. In addition to receiving lease payments, the development would funnel money to Metro through increased ridership and an expanded tax base, Mason says. "I don't have to get nearly as high of a return on real estate as a traditional land owner," Mason says. "In many ways, it could save on what the cost of land is." Rising demand in one of the city's hottest sub-markets also could affect financial arrangements. Paul Layne of Trizec Properties says he is not familiar with Metro's plan, but suggests a high-rise project makes sense because the Med Center area has nowhere to go but up. "I think the idea of going vertical in the Texas Medical Center has proven to be a logical element of life because of the incredible density they have there," Layne says. "That's smart business." Fee sharing Commercial developer David Wolff came up with the idea of retaining private real estate professionals following his appointment as Metro board chairman in 2004. Wolff and Metro President Frank Wilson interviewed several firms before hiring McDade Smith, Mason says. "We'll make Metro a very business-friendly, forward-thinking entity," says Mason. "I think I can create value for them." For $400,000 a year, Metro gets Mason on a full-time basis, as well as McDade Smith broker Jeff Lindenberger and an administrative person. "We had to have the base fee if I was going to devote all of my time to the account," Mason says. "We worked out a compensation package that incentified me." As Metro properties are bought and sold, McDade Smith will attach regular brokerage fees to the transactions. Metro will receive 75 percent of the commission revenue until the agency's $400,000 investment is recovered in any given year. If brisk real estate activity pushes the amount past the $400,000 mark, the brokerage fee revenue will be split 50-50 between Metro and the real estate firm, Mason says. The transit authority also gains access to the experienced McDade Smith team as part of the contract. "Two heads are better than one. Fifteen heads are better than two," Mason says. Estimating income from development deals along rail lines may be difficult at this point, but Mason's status as Metro's real estate czar provides access to other revenue streams. A big share of the brokerage team's earnings could come in divesting Metro properties, an activity that has received little attention in the past. Metro owns some 1,500 sites around Houston, and it's Mason's job to help determine the worth of each one. Looking ahead Market demand and Metro's ownership of the property made the TMC Transit Center a logical place to test the real estate development waters. But existing design factors also attracted Mason. The center consists of a series of bus platforms and stairs that climb to a skybridge and link to the light rail stop on Fannin. The skybridge one day will connect to a University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center building scheduled for construction. Instead of building upon an existing base structure, a developer would have to design a project that could be constructed above the platforms and moored to the ground. "It's already designed to be able to build a high-rise on that site with the transit center below it," explains Mason. "They put the footings into the ground to be able to build a high-rise above the transit center." Mason envisions more than one tower being constructed, possibly a high-rise and a midrise. With the wheels set in motion, Mason already is looking at a second possible development site -- the 6.7-acre Wheeler-Blodgett station. Mason says he won't move forward until the Federal Transportation Administration makes a recommendation as to whether another rail line could eventually intersect and increase the site's value. Somewhere down the road, other development possibilities may include strip retail centers at various park-and-ride lots or multifamily developments on or near them, he says. Switching to his sales agent hat, Mason says one site that may soon be declared surplus Metro property could attract quite a bit of attention from buyers. The 12-acre tract occupied by an underutilized park-and-ride is located next to a Wal-Mart north of Interstate 10 and west of the Beltway. Mason's goals over the next five years are to maximize Metro's real estate holdings and capitalize on transit center land values. "It's an opportunity to do something really neat for the city of Houston," Mason says. "If we're successful, I think we can put some things on the map."

I was browsing Ebay for TMC stuff and noticed an motor inn called RoadRunner Motor Inn located at 8500 South Main St. I searched HAIF and could not find a thread about this so I thought I would post it. Can we date this?

The Braeswood Tourist Court and Hotel was located at 2116 Bellaire Boulevard – later Holcombe Boulevard – at South Main Street. The court and hotel were in close proximity to the Texas Medical Center and across the street from the Shamrock Hotel after 1949. It offered 30 ultra-modern cottages with garages, tile showers, telephones, and electric refrigerators. Also once occupied by the multi-story Towers Motor Hotel, the site is now home to the 12-story Life Science Plaza.

Hate to use the cliche' phrases but this is an eyesore and a blight. Its only useful function seems to be as an impromptu urinal for those who have no where else to go (wordplay intentional.) Surprising how one dreary block can contaminate the surrounding area. The Melrose Building is on a high traffic street; this is not a good setting for such a creepy and nasty artifact. Shouldn't downtown be held to a higher standard?

French Quarter Plans $100M for Resort Redo By Amy Wolff Sorter 600 Del Lago Blvd.LAKE CONROE, TX-A 174-acre vacant resort will have a second life with help from its new owner, Atlanta-based French Quarter Group. The buyer plans to invest more than $100 million into the Del Lago Resort & Conference Center, its first property in Texas. http://www.globest.com/news/938_938/houston/161872-1.html

DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Houston Hobby Airport At 8181 Airport Blvd. https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/houhodt-doubletree-houston-hobby-airport/

Always wondered about this small hotel on South Main. Their website lists this hotel as a "Boutique Hotel In Houston Downtown". According to their website, Ylem means the initial substance of the universe from which the universe was formed. In other words, it’s the beginning. https://www.hotelylem.com/

Todd Interests, which is nearing completion of the redevelopment of One Dallas Center in downtown Dallas into apartments and office space, is in "hot in pursuit of another development deal – this one in Houston." They are looking to do more creative redevelopments and one of the deals on the table is the Petroleum Building (more recently known as the Great Southwest Building) in downtown Houston. They are looking to redevelop it into residential or hospitality. Yes, this interesting news about downtown Houston real estate redevelopment can only be found in the Dallas Morning News.

http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/stories...ry3.html?page=1 Sounds good to me. I went to NW Mall for the first time a couple weeks ago and while it is nearly full, it could use some new juice.

I thought so. The reason for my confusion is that Google Maps indicates 6900 Main is where the Wyndham Hotel is located.