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http://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/real-estate/article/Big-changes-could-be-coming-to-downtown-5190503.php#/1 Webcam: http://oxblue.com/open/HoustonFirst/GeorgeRBrownConventionCenter

And the link.. Webcams: http://oxblue.com/open/HoustonFirst/GeorgeRBrownConventionCenter http://www.welbro.com/project/marriott-marquis-hotel/ Renderings: Model:

Here's a little panorama I shot from room 8079 at the Hilton Americas.

does anyone know when the GRB expansion is supposed to be implemented? im sure its a ways off, but with the Marriott Marquis coming they will finally get that big hotel boost theyve been waiting for to bring in the bigger events, so one would think the expansion wouldnt be too far behind the new hotel? is it possible ground floor retail is being considered along the front of GRB in the master plan? i know there is supposed to be some in the new Marriott Marquis and in the new GRB garage but other than that and One Park Place there really isnt any GFR around Discovery Green that i know of. also, my initial motive for starting this thread... i brought it up in another thread when someone mentioned DG not being completely surrounded by tall buildings not giving it a "square" feeling.. does anyone think GRB is structurally strong enough to support any highrises built on top of it? i know they want even more hotels in the long term, besides just the Marriott Marquis, so what better place for another hotel than directly on top of the convention center? it doesnt get any more convenient then that. the convention center is already 5 blocks long. the expansion will add another 5 blocks to the site. imagine a large scale mixed use campus built on top of the GRB. it could have multiple highrises ranging from residential tower to hotel to office buildings and entertainment venues. think about it, if you count the roof space of GRB, there isnt as much potential neighboring real estate anywhere else in the downtown area. it will be over 10 city blocks after the expansion. i wish the planners of the GRB master plan had that kind of vision. maybe an urban oasis? i know the park is right next door, but like some kind of botanical gardens or something to compliment the park. at the very least it would be cool if they utilized some of the roof for a TopGolf. all these new downtown residents are going to need things to do besides nightlife and shopping. plus, how cool would it be to hit some golf balls in downtown?

Is this more of a CoH vs Harris County/Rodeo/Texans convention battle? Has anyone compared these two different venues in terms of how many conventions/year etc? Reliant does seem to fit any criteria the CoH has said it needs for bigger conventions (hotel rooms). It seems like this astrodome proposal will hurt the GRBs business. Is there enough room for two competing convention centers?

Monday there will be a ceremony where the mayor accepts an $850,000 grant from Houston Endowment to install solar panels on the George R. Brown Convention Center.

I don't need to post a picture (actually, I'm not sure how to do it, ha ha), but I'm of the opinion that the George R. Brown Convention Center is an ugly, ugly building and I would like very much if it disappeared. Just the goofy, childish colors are enough to bother me. Bright white, blue and red? It reminds me of a giant toy tugboat. Even if they just redid the external color scheme, I would feel a lot better. Yeah, the new park will be great, and people can go there and enjoy Discovery Green and gaze in horror at the great white thingie, the gigantic styrofoam ice chest.

It isn't much info, but: Downtown park gets green light 05:37 PM CST on Wednesday, December 1, 2004 From 11 News Staff Reports Houston's city council has given a green light to more green space downtown. The city government will spend $8 million dollars to buy the so-called superblock in front of the George R. Brown Convention Center. And a new, quasi-government corporation will receive $750,000 taxpayer dollars a year for developing and maintaining that new downtown park. But some councilmembers criticized the plan questioning its cost and arguing the city first needs to open parks in other neighborhoods. Hopefully they can maintain the park properly without putting tax payers money to waste.

elnina999 has added a photo to the pool: View the full article