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fire up the grill! things are looking mighty fine here in the lone star state. Texas' Growth Continues By Connie Gore Last updated: March 21, 2005 DALLAS-Retail developers and the shops that support them are circling wagons all across Texas, where economic growth and population projections have created a dense and intense marketplace. "We are seeing activity the strongest that we've ever seen," Herbert D. Weitzman, president and CEO of the locally based Weitzman Group and Cencor Realty Services, confirms to GSR. "The Texas economy and the growth is so exciting that many companies are coming in. The guys coming to Texas are looking at the growth. Many other states are stagnant." Texas' Big Four--Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston, Austin and San Antonio--are seeing new names and familiar ones unroll formats to cash in on a fashion-conscious consumer market that helped lead the way for making shopping a national pastime. Several restaurant chains, both fast food and high end, have staked claims in Dallas/Fort Worth and Houston. Cabela's Inc., building its first store in Dallas/Fort Worth, also has staked out a spot in Austin in a no-fear move to take a corner at an Interstate 35 intersection that will pit it against a Wal-Mart Supercenter. Meanwhile, Sears Grand, a freestanding format ready to due battle with Kohl's and J.C. Penney, has roped off an I-35 spot in another part of the state capital while Ikea, with one store in Houston and one rising in Dallas/Fort Worth, is shopping sites in Austin. And San Antonio, long considered the red-haired stepchild of Texas metros, has gotten its blessing as a high-end destination with the planned arrivals of Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom and Bass Pro Shops. "Texas is cruising," Weitzman says. "Consumers are spending...It's a young market because so many people come here for the corporate growth. And, it's fashion oriented." For the first time in years, DFW's occupancy has crossed the 90% threshold, hitting 90.5% in a 153.1-million-sf inventory, of which 4.4 million delivered last year. There isn't a week that goes by without another retail groundbreaking, mostly unanchored specialty venues instead of the grocery-anchored mainstays that once dominated the news. Meanwhile, mall and lifestyle center proposals are cropping up all across North Texas, with three alone seeking municipal abatements for the Interstate 35W and US Highway 287 intersection in Tarrant County. But, Weitzman says, don't put too much stock in all the mall planning because Texas history shows they all aren't likely to make it out of the ground. And if they do, it's not likely that deliveries will come anytime soon or the plan will stay the same. The one-million-sf Firewheel Town Center in Garland, was conceived 12 years ago as an enclosed mall and is delivering in the fall as an open-air product of the Indianapolis-based Simon Property Group. Weitzman says the only sure bet on Tarrant County's dance card is the Shops at Circle T, a 1.6-million-sf lifestyle resort planned by the locally based Hillwood and the Chicago-headquartered General Growth Properties Inc. The groundbreaking has been pushed a couple times, but planners say it will happen this year. Houston's 130-million-sf inventory might be second in size, but it's dead last in occupancy, according to Weitzman's research group. The 86.9% occupancy, though, certainly isn't a deterrent for construction. Last year, 3.4 million sf delivered, including the first phase of the 493,000-sf Market Street in the Woodlands, with the balance coming this spring. The city and its suburban spokes are building grounds for a plethora of projects like the 350,000-sf first phase for the 625,000-sf Crossing at 518; 1.3-million-sf Katy Town Center, a mix of office, retail and entertainment space; and a number of power center projects pushing the size of yesteryear's malls. The state's third largest market, San Antonio, has a 89.9% occupancy. The 32-million-sf inventory picked up 900,000 sf last year and will get far more than that just with the opening of the Shops at La Cantera, a 1.2-million-sf Simon project that took a decade to bring to fruition, according to Weitzman. The project, with its high-end retail concept and names, is San Antonio's mark of maturity as a retail marketplace. The San Antonio project docket has several large developments on the horizon: the 400,000-sf Legacy, set to open by year's end; 500,000-sf North Rim Market, now in the design stages; 327,000-sf Dellview Marketplace, a big-box play; and scores of others, including freestanding stores from a trio of furniture stars. Ashley Furniture Store, opening its first store in the city last year, has bought two more tracts while Haverty's has grabbed a location for a second store at the Forum at Olympia Parkway, and Basset Furniture Direct has marked its first spot at the Village at Forum Parkway. In Austin, its 95.5% occupancy and 28.5-million-sf inventory are magnets for development. The 750,000-sf Wolf Ranch, another Simon project, delivers this year as will the 500,000-sf Shops at the Galleria and the Triangle, a mixed-use, "New Urbanism: project with 700 apartments and 125,000 sf of specialty retail in the city's central core. The pipeline holds the 780,000-sf Domain, which has local firm, Endeavor Real Estate Group, teaming with Simon for a late 2005 groundbreaking, and the 1.5-million-sf Hill Country Galleria in the preleasing stage. "The envelope is always being pushed in Texas," Weitzman says. "I've never seen it that it's not being pushed." But the amount of development isn't cause for alarm because the bulk of the rising space is preleased. And, he adds, the occupancies of each metro are clear signals that there's no reason for a red flag to rise. Whether it's Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston, Austin or San Antonio, Weitzman says "the new blood of the market" is keeping all markets dynamic. "When you see really good restaurants from New York come here, you've got to take notice," he stresses. "They are nice touches. It says you're arriving."

I actually did not know the original 1925 Hermann Hospital is still standing. The building is covered up, or hidden, by the Heart & Vascular Institute. Last week, I tried to take a photo of the building but I couldn't see it at the time. Original, from the 1920s: 2024, satellite view:

houstonmacbro has added a photo to the pool: http://farm1.staticflickr.com/780/21170033671_6cbdcab46b_m.jpg Click here to view this photo at the HAIF Photo Pool on Flickr

EYP designed the Susan and Fayez Sarofim Pavilion for Memorial Hermann. Stopped by the hospital and snapped a picture today.

The website said "Physicians who practice at Memorial Hermann Heart & Vascular Institute." Yes, there's already a institute there in the area, but the land just got cleared is for the new Memorial Hermann Southwest Hospital.

While returning from lunch I stopped at the Memorial Hermann Medical Group located at 3203 East Broadway Street in Pearland. I wonder why the business name Memorial Hermann Medical Group? I'd assume there is a joint venture, that includes MH. Photos I took today:

Have been searching thru Google images & several forums w/in HAIF w/out much success. In the past the good folkes of the Historic Houston Forum have always come through w/some really good photos of old historical Houston prior to tear down or total abandonment. So as time permits would someone be able to provide some photos or perhaps a link to go & view?

County wants to buy Memorial Hermann SW Hospital district purchase could run to $185 million By PEGGY O'HARE HOUSTON CHRONICLE Aug. 6, 2009, 9:36PM The Harris County Hospital District has tentatively agreed to buy Memorial Hermann Southwest Hospital this fall with hopes of expanding medical care access to the uninsured and underprivileged, hospital officials announced Thursday. The sale, if approved by Harris County Commissioners Court, would allow the county's hospital district to add 600 beds to its system to keep up with public demand. Officials with both hospital networks declined to release the cost of the move Thursday, saying a confidentiality agreement prohibits them from discussing that, but County Commissioner Steve Radack said he had heard a potential price tag ranging from $165 million to $185 million. The district entered into a non-binding letter of intent to buy the hospital. The acquisition, scheduled to close by late November, will not result in a tax increase, hospital district officials said. The hospital district said it plans to operate the facility as a full-service hospital serving privately insured patients, as well as those on Medicare, Medicaid and those without medical insurance, they said. Dan Wolterman, chief executive officer for the Memorial Hermann Healthcare System, said his nonprofit network initially had no plans to sell the hospital at 7600 Beechnut, but noted the county hospital district's proposal to purchase the building “just made good sense” when further studied. Though Memorial Hermann Southwest Hospital has remained profitable, its earnings have declined in recent years as the demographics of its patients have changed and other nearby hospitals have closed, Wolterman said. “Ideally, we would not have ventured out to do this, but this is the right thing to do,” Wolterman said Thursday night. “The southwest (Houston) market is a difficult market. Just going back seven or eight years ago, there were multiple hospitals serving that market — today the (Memorial Hermann) Southwest Hospital is the only one there. “The neighborhood surrounding (Memorial Hermann) Southwest Hospital has experienced significant demographic decline over the last 10-plus years. That has caused some difficulties in running this hospital efficiently as you are inundated with uninsured and underinsured patients and government patients from Medicare and Medicaid ... We have seen a slight deterioration in its profitability and in the volume of patients we treat on any given day. But it's not been significant — just a slow, steady erosion.” Wolterman said the Memorial Hermann Healthcare System's network is not overleveraged or overextended. He also said the proposed hospital sale was not driven by a need to “dump” some of its property. The entire Memorial Hermann system just experienced one of its most successful years ever, he said, with the nonprofit network's earnings exceeding its budgeted income by 62 percent. Actual earnings across the Memorial Hermann Healthcare System as a whole have exceeded budgeted income for nine consecutive years, he said. “This (proposed sale) was not done out of a position of weakness or problems,” Wolterman said Thursday night. “This was done out of a position of strength. We are very strong financially and have been.” County hospital district officials stressed they have no plans to close any of its other hospitals, such as LBJ Hospital. Besides adding more beds, the proposed purchase also will allow the county hospital district to pick up more Medicare and Medicaid patients, as well as privately insured patients, which will ultimately help subsidize the costs of its charity and indigent care, said David Lopez, chief executive officer of the Harris County Hospital District. “The demand for acute care is going to continue to grow,” Lopez said Thursday night. “This gives us an opportunity to take responsibility for the individuals that are considered gold-card members in our community. So there's a lot of reasons why this makes sense for us.” If the hospital sale is approved, Lopez said, he hopes to staff the facility with a mix of doctors already working there and physicians affiliated with the county hospital district. Memorial Hermann officials said they do not anticipate any layoffs will occur as a result of the proposed sale. If any jobs are eliminated, employees would be moved to other Memorial Hermann hospital campuses, Wolterman said. The county's proposed purchase encompasses the hospital building and four medical office buildings, a Heart and Vascular Institute, an accredited cancer center, a surgery center and an outpatient imaging center. The wellness center and the University Place Retirement Community on the hospital campus would not be included. Harris County Judge Ed Emmett said more health care facilities are needed on Houston's southwest side and the deal could benefit both institutions by shifting patients who rely on Medicare or Medicaid to a public facility. Members of Commissioners Court were told recently that a deal was in the works, Emmett said, but hadn't been provided with details before Thursday's announcement. County Commissioner Sylvia Garcia said she is open to the proposal if the price is reasonable and no tax increase is required. “Anything the hospital district can do to enhance its delivery of services and increase the access to care is a positive thing,” Garcia said. But Radack was more skeptical. “Obviously, this is a huge potential expenditure,” he said Thursday. Radack said he is particularly concerned the hospital's location, near Fort Bend County, will make it a magnet for residents of other counties seeking free health care. “I've been very concerned, now more than ever, with all the free care we've been giving to people from other counties, which needs to stop,” Radack said. The Chronicle's Mike Snyder contributed to this report.

In 1952, the Memorial Hospital System built their Professional Building. The building is striking with a colorful facade and a new "modern" design style. My favorite building by the old business! The physical building model with the architect/owners. The building under construction in 1953. Building completed. In this photo you can see the colorful parking garage and yellow/green facade.

The (now demolished) Hermann Hospital The Mirtha G. Dunn Interfaith Chapel was located at 6411 Fannin Street in the Texas Medical Center. The Mirtha G. Dunn Interfaith Chapel. Photograph/Rendering. Mirtha G. Dunn March 1, 1927 - December 14, 1967

This week I learned about the ever-evolving Baptist Sanitarium in downtown Houston. It appears (as I'm newly educated about this) as the hospital system owned a whole city block on Lamar Street and built 5 or 6 buildings on the block. Oddly enough, it appears the only address for all the buildings was 602 Lamar Street. I wonder if they platted the entire block as a singular address? If that's legal of course. The 2nd building (Expansion No. 1) of the hospital system was designed by Rezin D. Steele in 1911 with a total amount (campus) beds at 50 beds. The original sanitarium that Dennis Pevoto bought from Ida Rudisill had a 15-person bed capacity, so the expansion to 50 beds was quite significant. Kind of off topic, but this building always looks like it's leaning. I wonder by foundation or design.

It looks like most hospital systems in Houston had separate nurses building. The Memorial Health System was no different. Their nurses building was designed by "star architect" Kenneth Franzheim and was named after Roy And Lillie Cullen. Ironically, Hermann Hospital also has a Cullen Nurses Building. I'm glad the Cullen family donated to both healthcare systems. Here's a rendering from Kenneth Franzheim. I can't find any actual photographs at the moment. I'll keep looking!

The "star architect" Kenneth Franzheim designed the new Memorial Hospital addition. I don't have an exact date and time frame, but it was probably in the 1930s or 1940s. Rendering: Photograph: Entrance detail rendering: Entrance detail photograph:

By Christmas Eve 1937, the old business name of Houston Baptist Sanitarium was changed to Memorial Hospital. This might have been the first "official" Memorial Hospital? Note that in the background, you can see the old tower(s) with even a sky bridge connecting them.

Built in the early 1920s, the skyscraper- or superstructure, was the first modern building that the Houston Baptist Sanitarium built. The building/school had a few different names. - Women and Children's Addition to Baptist Hospital - Baptist Sanitarium and Hospital Training School - Baptist Hospital and School of Nursing A photograph from the early 1920s showed a group of nurses. This would go with the building named after a nursing school.

The 3rd building of the Houston Baptist Sanitarium extended the bed capacity to 150 beds and was built in 1914. This is the last expansion before the "skyscrapers" were built. The 7/8 story tower on the right: The tower in the background:

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Another Memorial Hermann hospital that isn't well known (in the architecture world) is the Jones Pavilion named after Jesse H. Jones. Kind of a brutalist design, not much to it. It does feel imposing, it's a large building. Here is a photo I took yesterday. It's the tower.

By Olivia Pulsinelli – Assistant managing editor, Houston Business Journal After Randalls announced the closure of its prominent Montrose storefront more than a year ago, a new tenant has been lined up. Minneapolis-based Target Corp. (NYSE: TGT) confirmed to the Houston Chronicle that it leased approximately 63,000 square feet at 2075 Westheimer, the site of the former grocery store. More details, including the opening date, were not available. The Montrose Randalls, located in the Shepherd Square Shopping Center at the corner of Westheimer and Shepherd Drive, was one of three that the grocery store chain announced it would close in late 2018. Houston-based Wulfe & Co. built the Shepherd Square Shopping Center, one of its first inner-Loop projects, in 1989. Randalls signed a lease in the property, a 128,000-square-foot shopping center at 2075 Westheimer Road, and opened its fourth flagship store there. But the company's late founder, Ed Wulfe, told the Houston Business Journal in 2018 that the Randalls closure didn't come as a surprise. "They have been struggling as a supermarket for some time now and not producing sufficient sales," Wulfe said at the time. "This used to be one of their best stores in the city." Wulfe noted that the storefront would be a desirable piece of real estate for any number of uses — a liquor and wine store, a high-end furniture store, a fitness operation — and could be divided up to occupy several retailers. "You can’t find a 61,000-square-foot big box space that’s in the heart of the city," Wulfe said. In January, Randalls announced five other Houston-area closures, adding to the several closed in recent years. Some other former Randalls stores also have been given new life, including a Cypress store becoming a location of Star Furniture & Mattresses.

http://www.mhcenturyproject.org/ Check out this great website for all of the new construction that Memorial Hermann has on books.

I was reading the history of TIRR and looked closer into their buildings. Here is the TIRR Memorial Hermann Research Center located at 1333 Moursund Street Took this photo a few weeks back and just now posting the picture.

A small building in the Memorial Hermann campus is called Mischer Neuroscience Institute located at 6411 Fannin Street. A photo of the building I took today:

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The UT Physicians Tower, Hermann Professional Building is my favorite (well ... the crown at least). Also, on the waterfall ... was it designed by the same folks that did the design of the Hines Tower waterfall? Wyatt C. Hedrick (often misspelled as Wyatt C. Hendrick)

I was searching for a rendering on Kirksey's website for the new project over the rail station and came across this. I searched HAIF to see if this article from Texas Construction had been brought up before and didn't find anything. It's a laundry list of Memorial Hermann projects in the works for the greater Houston area, many that we are already aware of. It is construction focused though and has interesting details on some of the projects. The Making of a Med-Tropolis Memorial Hermann Building More Than $1 Billion in New Projects Memorial Hermann is utilizing a variety of financing mechanisms to build dozens of new structures --including the largest commercial project currently under way in Houston--at the same time. By Rob Patterson Houston's Memorial Hermann Healthcare System, the largest not-for-profit health-care provider in the state, is actively building to meet the coming needs of its community. Link