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Got in my car after lunch, turned on the radio, and caught this snippet of news . . . " . . . will replace the Greyhound station at Main and Grey." What's up!? I'm going crazy with the anticipation of hearing that this bus station will finally move out of Midtown. Anybody have the scoop on this? crossing my fingers!

Either I haven't noticed it before, or a new sign popped up at Louisiana and Elgin, next to the big parking garage. They are advertising commercial leases available in 2006. Hopefully it will be something comparable to the new High Fashion Home, which I've been impressed with.

The NHP Foundation received a $1.5M annual allocation of 9% credits from the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs to construct 149 units of permanent affordable housing in Houston’s Midtown neighborhood. Additionally, the city of Houston Department of Housing and Community Development has allocated $15M through its Harvey Multifamily Program. The project is also being considered for funding by the Harris County Community Services Department. Magnificat Houses Inc. is providing the land and is NHPF's partner in the development. The property, located at 3300 Caroline St., will contain 149 rental units, recreational amenities and space for the supportive services. In addition, 20% of 3300 Caroline's units will be set aside for formerly homeless people who have gone through transitional housing programs such as Magnificat's and are willing to become the equivalent of college resident advisers.

I can't find the thread that had renderings and site plan, but the developers are seeking setback and visibility triangle variances. It will go before the Planning Commission on Thursday, 5/28. The location is the Southwest corner of Austin/Webster intersection where Midtown Bail Bonds used to operate.

Beautify the `superblock' and watch the Midtown area's tax base grow By DAVID CROSSLEY Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle News Services Often we hear in Houston that it's "too late" to do something that would have great positive impact on quality of life. We are approaching one of those moments. Two years ago, I proposed that a new urban park be created on the Midtown "superblock" on Main Street abutting the McGowen rail stop. This four-block long property with no streets crossing it has been the subject of a hunt for the right development project. I felt that no urban development really needed that kind of configuration, and indeed that much space with no pedestrian ways across it so close to a rail station would be terribly counterproductive. The only thing that really makes sense there is a great public park. Many creative people put a lot of energy into the idea, which we tentatively called McGowen Green. The proposal, which was accompanied by exciting drawings from Kevin Shanley and SWA Group, McGowen Green would be urban amenity, tax revenue source seemed to catch fire for a while. But a Chronicle article last week (``Ideas filling vacant block / Some see park, others see urban oasis in Midtown, Aug. 31'') indicated that the board of the Midtown Redevelopment Authority (MRA) is acting to convey its interest in the property to Camden Property Trust, which already owns about half of it. Camden apparently intends a large apartment project there, probably with some retail or artist space on the ground floor. This is a real shame for a lot of reasons, not the least of which is loss of significant future tax revenue for the city. Parks are the greatest of urban amenities, and properties adjacent to them tend to rise in value faster than other properties. With a lush river garden ambience surrounding a formal boat pond and promenade, McGowen Green would produce the highest value center in the Midtown district, and in time one of the most important in our city. To my knowledge, the MRA board hasn't expended any energy exploring the benefits of a park or the creative means to finance it. A lot of the important work to determine how parks affect real estate has been done by Dr. John L. Crompton, a Texas A&M professor knowledgeable in the economics of park development. Crompton's studies reveal that people will pay more for property close to parks than for property that does not offer this amenity. This means they pay higher property taxes. In effect, Crompton says, this represents a capitalization of park land into increased property values of proximate land owners. Crompton calls this the ``proximate principle.'' If the incremental amount of taxes paid by each property attributable to the presence of a nearby park is aggregated, he argues, it will be sufficient to pay the annual debt charges required to retire the bonds used to acquire and develop the park. As it happens, the board of the MRA is the same board as the Midtown Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone, or TIRZ. One of the purposes of a TIRZ is to increase property values during its lifetime (in this case 30 years) so that the city receives greater revenues from the district once it begins to pay full taxes. Most people who do projections on land values would say that the increase in taxes coming from the four-block Camden project would be dwarfed by the taxes of developing - at a much higher value - the 14 blocks surrounding a park on that property, not to mention the second tier of properties in the next ring of 22 properties. The public interest clearly will not be reasonably served by encouraging the Camden project, which should be developed on several of the blocks surrounding the park. And why does an apartment project in an urban place need to have continuous land without cross streets? A four-block long apartment project would create a horrible pedestrian environment, and one of the goals for Midtown has been walkability. In his ground-breaking book Cities in Full, Steve Belmont says that neighborhoods deprived of natural features are severely handicapped in the competition for middle-class households. He cites examples showing that a well designed and maintained park can substitute for natural features as the heart of a thriving neighborhood. He also claims that for a neighborhood on the path to revitalization, [a park] represents a prudent investment with the power to attract affluence, and he notes that it takes relatively few affluent newcomers to reverse the negative image of a derelict neighborhood. Last spring, my organization, the Gulf Coast Institute, distributed hundreds of postcards urging Mayor Bill White to pursue the development of McGowen Green. These were signed by nearly 500 people and mailed. Surely, before it is too late, the mayor and City Council (the property is in Councilmember Carol Alvarado's district) should have a look and determine whether the long-term interests of the city are best served by a great urban park or by another apartment project. Midtown needs an important park that people will actually use and that will draw tourists to the area. The park would be a gift to future generations that cannot be given later. Link

I've been meaning to ask this for awhile...but does anyone know whatever became of the statue of a woman that used to hang/stand on Richmond @ Main? I remember a news report about it several years ago, but they never mentioend what exactly was going to happen to it. Ricco

Speaking of the Greensheet building: Read more at: https://www.bisnow.com/houston/news/office/greensheet-building-in-midtown-across-from-superblock-sold-61730?rt=20122?utm_source=CopyShare&utm_medium=Browser

Does any of the HAIF Historians have a photo of the old Henry MacGregor house located in 3530 Fannin Street? The home was built in the 1920s. All I could find on Google Earth from 1944. I'd love to see an actual picture if anyone comes across it.

There was some activity at the long abandoned commercial structure at 2020 Travis. Workers just said that they were "cleaning it out", but they were taking down all the ceiling light fixture and pretty much everything inside. Anyone know what might be going on here?

Proposed commercial plat by Mohsin Momin which appears to be the owner of Izzi Market chain of convenience stores.

They have moved out all the used vehicles across the street. I believe Central owns at least 3 lots in Midtown. McGowan building, the used car lot between Travis and Milam and another lot on Milam and W. Gray.

j/k about the homeless being in Midtown... We had a bad problem with them near Sears years ago. They had a little camp with fires, etc. at Peggy Park. I see 100s every day under 59 near the bayou. We need a bum camp down 288. It could be like Woodstock, but without the music. We could just round-em-up like cattle, throw food at them from trucks, and wash them with water cannons. Maybe we could even teach them to farm the land.

Looks like Midtown is getting some more retail, and even better in an existing building. Even if it is furniture, retail is retail and it sounds like it will be nicely renovated and large when done. Chron Article

Hey guys. I went and tried out the new Coffee Groundz cafe last night. It's located in the strip mall opposite Specs in Midtown (next to Comcast) on McGowan where Pilgrim Cleaners were once. They just opened this week. The coffee was great and they serve local gelato (freshly made), made to order paninnis and wine and other alcohol. The place is decked out with wireless internet with power outlets everwhere. It's a large space with outdoor patio seating (facing el patio/the tipsy clover) and private indoor booths. The manager came and chatted with the customers last night which was kind of nice and solicited any feedback to make the place better. Soon they will have the drive-through window up and running. I guess everytime I read a post on HAIF, every one is keen to have more local original businesses in midtown. I see this as being one of them but it will only remain if we support it. I guess try it out and make up your own mind!

NW corner of Crawford @ Holman. Was struck with how large it was and assume it was more than one unit, but it evidently is one big one. Thought it would be worth posting since I dug out the details.

There's a sign at the corner of Grey and Smith, advertising the new building they're putting in. Right under that, it says "Coming soon", and has the logos of Starbucks and Quiznos. I dismissed it right away, assuming that the Starbucks would be one of those fake, mini-set ups like they have in Randalls. Nope. Sources have confirmed that it'll be a full-fledged Starbucks. An entire store. Is this cool or what? Personally, I can't stand Starbucks (I prefer independent coffee shops), but I can't deny what a Starbucks means for a neighborhood. They don't build stores unless they see a future in a place. And, other major companies will see that Starbucks and Bw3 are there, and jump in eventually, too. So, this is pretty amazing. I'd just about given up on Midtown. But it looks like it's slowly going someplace.

This thread was originally created November 2017. I'm reposting this because this post and other content from me are no longer available in the forum. Archive link to original thread here. 3208 Austin Street in Midtown, at the corner of Elgin and Austin. Google Maps screenshot from December 2016

I was invited to view the Frank Bering Mansion 3400 Fannin Recently purchased by Triinity Episcopal Church. The interior is fairly remarkable, considering it has been retail since at least 1979.

For years I have been wondering if Sears will ever do something with this eyesore located in midtown. It has so much potential, I guess at one point it was actually considered a beautiful building. Sears really needs to think about bringing it back to its original form. Something needs to be done. I would prefer to preserve the building, instead of razing it . What do you all think? Article found in the Chronicle today. http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/life/main/5924010.html ''It's hideous!" fumes my friend V., warming up to one of his favorite rants: the unbearable ugliness of the Sears on Main Street. "It's right there on the light-rail line! At the entrance to the Museum District! At one of the few places where Houston can look good to visitors!" V., I have to admit, has a point. Sears' tan metal siding, blotched with graffiti cover-up, gives the building's upper floors the beaten-down air of an aging ministorage unit. But even that beats the urban battle fortifications at ground level. Someone, it appears, worked hard to make the department store defensible, able to repel invading hordes of shoppers intoxicated by Vanessa Hudgens' back-to-school ads. At the Wheeler side of the building, two sets of glass double doors, blacked out and locked during business hours, present an ominous face to the street. Opaque gray film makes the official entrance's glass doors, facing Main, only a little less scary. Bricks fill almost all the former display windows; burglar bars and more of that gray film cover the plate glass that survived. Only the most intrepid seekers of Kenmore appliances would dare breach such a bulwark. What's the deal, V. wonders. Does Sears think that the urban shoppers that store serves deserve less than, say, the suburbanites at the Memorial City Mall? And for that matter, hasn't someone at Sears noticed that Midtown has gentrified around the store? Isn't there a retail audience yearning to be better served? "Don't just return," exhorts the Hudgens back-to-school ad for Sears. "Arrive." V. would like that Sears to do just that. ...

The Station Museum is closed and the lot/building is for sale. I've seen some really cool exhibits here. https://www.loopnet.com/Listing/1502-Alabama-St-Houston-TX/30057053/

In the mid 1940s, MD Anderson was granted to setup in the old Baker Estate donated by Rice Institute. A little confused. I thought I read an article that mentioned MD Anderson's first clinics were located in an abandoned military barrack/house. Maybe a Naval house of sorts? I know James Baker was a Captain so it would make sense. Then known as The University of Texas Post-Graduate School of Medicine M.D. Anderson Hospital. You would need to enlarge the image to see the building signage. The James Baker mansion is to the right and the clinic on the left. The Baker stables were turned into a laboratory. The clinics.

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/m...politan/2915259 Nov. 23, 2004, 1:23AM Uprooted tree severs MetroRail power line By MIKE GLENN Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle Heavy rainstorms uprooted a tree at Hermann Park tonight, severing a MetroRail power line when the tree fell across the southbound tracks.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/busine...ff/3956173.html "A lot of the transformation so far has taken place in Midtown, where a prime block of land just sold at the corner of Main and Elgin. A CVS Pharmacy will be built on the southeast corner, according to Marshall Davidson of Cushman & Wakefield, who was involved in the land sale." This can go two ways. They can either make a pedestrian friendly design, or plop another suburban CVS there. Now, tell me which one is more likely. *beats head into table repeatedly*

Anyone know what's going in on McGowen and Travis where the noodle shop used to be? The sign says The Roof.... is that whole corner going to be one huge club? That's a prime location if the Camden SuperBlock gets developed.