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What was this place originally? I tend to believe it was a skating rink, was it?

I was checking out har.com and found several condos in the $40-70k range at THE SUSSEX highrise on 7520 Hornwood Dr near Sharpstown mall off of 59. Does anyone know if this is a nice condo complex to live in? What about the area of town? Along the same lines, anyone have any thoughts of 2016 Main in Downtown? I'm looking for a purchase a condo but I would like to keep the price under 80k if possible. Does anyone know where I could get info on maintience fees for condos in Houston? Har does not list them. Thanks Josh

EXCLUSIVE REPORTS From the October 15, 2004 print edition Upscale retail centers charge into Harwin shopping arena Allison Wollam Houston Business Journal The long stretch of clustered strip malls along Harwin Drive is going uptown with the addition of some new high-end retail developments. The street known for its knock-off designer purses, jewelry and clothing is experiencing a flurry of activity as developers look to improve the image of the "bargain mile." Central Harwin Group Ltd. is leading the wave with plans to open the $10 million, 100,000-square-foot Harwin Central Mart by Nov. 1. And Charming Charlie's, a retailer of fine jewelry and accessories, will unveil the 80,000-square-foot Haute Harwin Fashion Center just in time for the Christmas shopping season. Both developments will cater to more discriminating shoppers, offering high-end goods at bargain prices. Haute Harwin will be anchored by Charming Charlie's, which owns the center at 6959 Harwin. Houston-based Charming Charlie's will occupy about 12,500 square feet of the development. Charlie Chanaratsopon, executive vice president of Charming Charlie's, says the company will lease the remaining space to 11 retailers and three restaurants. Murphy's Deli has already signed on to open on the site, as well as a fashion clothing and bridal store. "We're hoping to give Harwin Street a face-lift with bringing a Highland Village-type shopping center to this area," says Chanaratsopon. The retailers in Haute Harwin will offer the discount prices that have long-defined the area, but will also offer a higher standard of customer service and a more pleasant shopping experience, according to Chanaratsopon. Charming Charlie's plans to open five other locations across the city but chose Harwin as the first location because of the popularity of the area with discount shoppers. "People drive here from far away to get good deals, and we're going to give them the good deals they expect plus an upscale shopping environment," Chanaratsopon says. Although the swanky center is designed to cater to more upscale shoppers, Chanaratsopon says rental rates will be about $1.50 per square foot per month, which he says is competitive with other retail centers built in the area over the last two years. The average rental rate for the area, according to O'Connor & Associates, is about 89 cents per square foot per month. Meanwhile, Andrew Chung, CEO of Central Harwin Group, says Harwin Central Mart is approximately 50 percent leased and will include about 50 retailers when completely full. Chung says he expects occupancy to be split evenly between retailers and wholesalers, some of which have leased space to display their products in a showroom. Included in the retail offerings will be perfume, jewelry, clothing, wedding dresses and upscale restaurants. Harwin Central Mart will address safety and parking issues along the strip by offering 400 parking spaces, a 24-hour security guard and high-tech surveillance cameras. The center will also offer tenants high-speed Internet access for their business needs, says Chung. Retail broker Jason Baker, a principal with Wulfe & Co., says the Harwin area is ripe for more retail competitors. "There has been so little new development along Harwin recently that these new centers do add an upscale touch to the area," he says.

Does anyone know who the architect is for this home? http://www.har.com/6602448 Thanks! md

Chronicle article here. Interesting to contrast this suburban-style development with the move towards denser, more pedestrian oriented retail developments inside the Loop.

story A high-rise building is burning on Bellerive near Bonhomme. Firefighters have evacuated a number of people from the building. The fire broke out just before 10am. The building belongs to the Houston Housing Authority. It was built in 1975 and currently has 210 units housing low-income seniors. There are sprinklers in the hallways. Flames and thick black smoke can be seen pouring out of at least one window. Preliminary information suggests that the fire began in a woman's apartment on the fifth floor. There was a mayday call from a firefighter on the fifth floor, but that has been cleared. So far no injuries have been reported. There are still reports of people trapped.

Does anyone remember the skateboard park off of Richmond and Fondren? I think it was built during the late 70's and eventually closed down. What a park! We had a blast using the old fashioned skateboards there (unlike the long ones they make now). That was the first time I ever used pads and helmet.

I just found this thread about Sharpstown and thought I'd post a link to a post I made in the Historic Houston board: Sharpstown Park Golf Course at 6600 Harbor Town Drive. http://www.houstonarchitecture.info/haif/i...indpost&p=71649 I used to know this area intimately (lived at Bellaire & Waldo, I believe the address was 8200 Bellaire). I saw someone's comment that they'd have to drive around the area to help remember where everything was. Man, I feel the same way! I do remember that just west of Sharpstown Country Club there was a grocery store (can't remember which one). That grocery store was at the back of the parking lot and at the front there was a gas station and a Dairy Queen (yum). In between the grocery store and the Country Club (or perhaps in front of it) there was just a field that ran along Bellaire right up to the edge of my apartments. Used to cut across that field all the time to go to the Dairy Queen and the grocery store. There was a litle trail that ran right across that field. Found a box turtle out there one time... (yes, I took it home). Behind Sharpstown Mall, on the perimeter of the parking lot there was a Firestone and a Monterey House. Man, I used to think that Monterey House had the best food (but all I ever ate were the cheese enchiladas)!! On Clairewood, behind the mall there was a small ice skating rink. Also on Clairewood & Fondred was (and still is I believe) the Walter Branch public library. The block of Fondren between Bellaire and 59 had duplexes on one side and a fast food joints on the other. I believe the list included McDonalds, Burger King, Pizza Hut, and Wendy's. Do I have that right? There was also a tiny strip shopping center that had a record store and a Fish and Chips (Alfie's??). And tucked somewhere in there was a small bar that me and my little brother spent many a quarter on at the coin operated pool table. Yep, that's right, two small kids in a bar... wow those were the days. Ooops, of course I meant this to go in the Sharpstown History thread! Perhaps the moderater can move it...

EXCLUSIVE REPORTS From the December 10, 2004 print edition Group pays $24.5 million for Arena complex with rowdy past Jennifer Dawson Houston Business Journal A local partnership has purchased the Arena Towers and Arena Theatre with plans to increase the occupancy rates by making significant capital improvements in the properties with a checkered history. Fred Schiller is general partner in the Arena Group, which bought the two office towers and circular theater from Miami-based Lennar Partners for roughly $24.5 million. The acquisition includes two 19-story buildings, each with approximately 390,000 square feet of space; a 2,850-seat live performance theater; and two nine-story parking garages with a total of 2,200 spaces. The properties are located on the Southwest Freeway at Fondren. The performance venue had been leased and operated for many years by H'Town Arena, which stopped leasing the facility days before the sale closed. Officials with the former theater operator could not be reached for comment. "We're currently in negotiations with several major national venue operators who are very interested in leasing it," Schiller says. The Class B office space in the two towers is approximately 70 percent occupied, with several large call centers as tenants. PM Realty Group has been replaced by Transwestern Commercial Services in leasing and management of the property. Leasing will be handled by Michele Ellis-Felder and Clint Bawcom. Coincidentally, Ellis-Felder used to lease the property roughly 12 years ago. She says finding tenants will be much easier now because construction on the Southwest Freeway has been completed and the buildings were renovated six years ago. "There's just a whole new feel and look to the property," she says. Towers of Powers The office buildings were developed in the early 1980s by Mel Powers. They were constructed next to the theater, which was originally built in 1965. Powers grabbed a lot of attention at the time by building a personal penthouse on top of one of the office towers. Later, when the project went into foreclosure, he tried to homestead the whole tower as a residence. "It was a pretty celebrated case," recalls Robert Williamson of Holliday Fenoglio Fowler, who with Jeff Hollinden represented Lennar Partners on the sale. "This is a very storied project. He (Powers) was a very flamboyant developer," Williamson says. New owner Schiller plans to spend an undisclosed but "significant" amount on further upgrading the appearance and functionality of the buildings. "I'm very bullish on this area of town," Schiller says. "It's undergoing some major revitalization right now. I think it's an unbeatable location." Lennar Partners had spent the last couple of years making improvements to the property as well, says Williamson of Holliday Fenoglio Fowler. "We had incredible interest for the buildings," says Williamson, of the recent marketing push. "There was tremendous upside available to the buyer." Tucker Knight of Holliday Fenoglio Fowler, who arranged financing for the buyer, says lenders also saw an upside even though the buildings did not have superior cash flow. Citigroup Global Markets Inc. arranged a loan for 80 percent of the cost, and the buyer got a very low interest rate, he says. "This building could be a home run for the current ownership," says Knight. jdawson@bizjournals.com • 713-960-5935