800 Bell St. (Former Exxon Building) Conversion to Residential

[Montrose1100]

That's a new one. Isn't it just because that's where the elevator banks transfer? (Just as with the sky lobbies in Wells Fargo and Transco/Wiliams Tower, and Heritage Plaza are located where the elevator banks meet and have nothing to do with late additions to the height of the buildings.)

I'm going off of an email from the architects. Now this information can be taken with a grain of salt, because the book about I.M. Pei states that the original design was suppose to be 80 floors. And that's an interview in a book. So I can believe that perhaps at one point it was suppose to be 60, it's the only elevator bank lobby they have besides the first floor. It's odd to make people ride up to the 60th, and then back down to the 50's.

Edit: I have recently e-mailed them again, but have yet to hear back.

Edited July 22, 2013 by Montrose1100

[Houston19514]

I'm going off of an email from the architects. Now this information can be taken with a grain of salt, because the book about I.M. Pei states that the original design was suppose to be 80 floors. And that's an interview in a book. So I can believe that perhaps at one point it was suppose to be 60, it's the only elevator bank lobby they have besides the first floor. It's odd to make people ride up to the 60th, and then back down to the 50's.

Edit: I have recently e-mailed them again, but have yet to hear back.

 

What would be really odd is planning a 60-story building with elevators going to 60 and then riding back down to 50 (which is the logical result of the story about the 60th floor sky lobby being the result of a relatively last-minute expansion of the building from 60 to 75 floors.)

 

FYI, that arrangement is not at all unusual.  For example, to get to the 41st floor of Williams Tower, one takes the elevator to the sky lobby on 51 and then down to 41.  I think the same sort of arrangement exists at Heritage and Wells Fargo too.

[Montrose1100]

What would be really odd is planning a 60-story building with elevators going to 60 and then riding back down to 50 (which is the logical result of the story about the 60th floor sky lobby being the result of a relatively last-minute expansion of the building from 60 to 75 floors.)

FYI, that arrangement is not at all unusual. For example, to get to the 41st floor of Williams Tower, one takes the elevator to the sky lobby on 51 and then down to 41. I think the same sort of arrangement exists at Heritage and Wells Fargo too.

Well there I go bitching about ignorance and I'm spewing it out of every pore. Time to go back to Lurking...

[Howard Huge]

What you described sounded like this:

http://www.gensleron.com/cities/2013/6/24/town-square-initiative-houston.html

For some reason that reminds me of penrose stairs. :confused:

[Urbannizer]

Ziegler Cooper is the architect for reno of the interior (and possibly exterior) of the building. Tellepsen Builders signed on as the GC. Work begins in 2015.

[Urbannizer]

More of the once-proposed design by Kirksey.

 

 

Edited October 22, 2013 by Urbannizer

[Subdude]

I realize this wasn't a finalized proposal, but I have misgivings about a redesign of this scope (ie putting up a glass curtain wall).  While the current building isn't exactly the pinnacle of mid-century modernism, it is at least true to the period.  Putting a new facade on the Exxon building might help to attract tenants in the short run, but eventually I think most extensive redesigns backfire because the charm of the original is lost.  There are plenty of examples:  806 Main (now reverting to the original design), the demolished Lamar Hotel and the West Building come to mind.

 

 

[arche_757]

I agree with Subdude.  While the Exxon building isn't a "gem" of an architectural piece, it is unique and maintains a very distinct look that defined an era in Houston.  It is certainly capable of being modernized without losing the mid-century/modernist edge that it has and made into a signature building on the southern edge of Downtown.

 

Perhaps if it is changed and "modernized," it will some day be mentioned in some future/distant thread - perhaps of this site or some other - when some future developer reworks it to its orginial 1963 glory.  One can only imagine the pride this building evoked, and the spirit of "Anything Is Possible" that helped define Houston during the 1960s and 1970s.

[ArchFan]

I hear what you guys (Subdude and arch_757) are saying.  I remember when this building was new and had a Humble gas station next door, that had a kind of Spanish Colonial design, IFIRC.  Before long, the stack-of-razor-blades look of the tower started to annoy me and it also seemed to be more of an eyesore because it stood away, to the south, from the cluster of buildings downtown.

 

Despite that, I wanna be careful not to advocate discarding it, like we have done to so many other buildings here ... only to have later Houstonians regret it.  So, I'm kinda conflicted about what I'd like done with it.  Right now, I'd like a bit of an update, but not with the Kirksey design.  

[LTAWACS]

Perhaps all it needs is a "bath" - window cleaning, etc, etc?

[Ross]

Perhaps all it needs is a "bath" - window cleaning, etc, etc?

 

The facade was completely redone in the recent past, including cleaning the windows.

[cloud713]

They could always convert it to residential and turn the shades into balconys

[Subdude]

I hear what you guys (Subdude and arch_757) are saying.  I remember when this building was new and had a Humble gas station next door, that had a kind of Spanish Colonial design, IFIRC.  Before long, the stack-of-razor-blades look of the tower started to annoy me and it also seemed to be more of an eyesore because it stood away, to the south, from the cluster of buildings downtown.

 

Despite that, I wanna be careful not to advocate discarding it, like we have done to so many other buildings here ... only to have later Houstonians regret it.  So, I'm kinda conflicted about what I'd like done with it.  Right now, I'd like a bit of an update, but not with the Kirksey design.  

 

One thing I like about the stack of razor blades is that part of the rationale for the balconied design was to provide some degree of shade to the building, which is a reasonable consideration in Houston's climate.  A number of contemporaneous towers took the same approach (First City Main, Wortham, Fannin Bank all come to mind).  I kind of prefer something that reflects tailoring to the local climate than a glass box that could be anywhere.

[bobruss]

I know this is off topic but since there is a discussion about facades being altered, I'd like to mention a building that is old and has a very brutal exterior that was added in the early sixties. I have seen pictures and vaguely remember it from my childhood the old Sears building in Midtown. I wish they would remove the siding and allow that building to live in its old glory.

If anyone can post an image of it from its heyday I think everyone would agree that it needs back its original facade and a new life,

Other than a Sears which doesn't seem to be doing that well. It could be repurposed for many different activities.

[rsb320]

I know this is off topic but since there is a discussion about facades being altered, I'd like to mention a building that is old and has a very brutal exterior that was added in the early sixties. I have seen pictures and vaguely remember it from my childhood the old Sears building in Midtown. I wish they would remove the siding and allow that building to live in its old glory.

If anyone can post an image of it from its heyday I think everyone would agree that it needs back its original facade and a new life,

Other than a Sears which doesn't seem to be doing that well. It could be repurposed for many different activities.

 

There are threads and pictures on here somewhere.

[infinite_jim]

^paging SevFiv to the ExxonMobil tower thread..

Btw I hope the Bell St. Cafe stays after Exxon leaves.

[BaderJF]

Just saw the official rendering and it completely changes the tower, when I get home I will upload the picture

[cloud713]

The rendering is out there? Can't wait

[BaderJF]

Well apparently it's very blurry but after some adjusting it it's much better, at least you might see some detail:

It's going to be constructed by tellepsen, which are the people who did this presentation.

 

It looks similar to another building that I have seen:

 

Edited October 26, 2013 by BaderJF

[King Owl]

really hard to make anything out there.  What's different about it?  Glass + some kind of vertical column on the left hand side?

 

can you retake the picture?

[cloud713]

bummer it came out blurry. thanks for the pic though! so they are replacing the fins with curtain walls (with a couple bands of different colored glass?), or will their still be some fins incorporated into the design? it looks like they carry the curtain wall up past the roof like the Kirskey design. this tower (in its current form) has grown on me and i like the mid century mod design. it will be a shame if the old design is completely wiped away. i wish they could "modernize" the modern if you will, maybe by making the fins thicker and white (or are they white? i always thought they were silver), with the glass (behind the fins like it is now) being blue or something. almost like a chic condo tower, but still keeping the original design. i guess that idea kind of goes back to my residential conversion with the fins becoming balconies. wish they would do that instead of completely get rid of the original design.

just imagine the balconies not having that gap in the middle, and being connected all the way across and bam, you have a residential 800 Bell.

Edited October 26, 2013 by cloud713

[BaderJF]

really hard to make anything out there.  What's different about it?  Glass + some kind of vertical column on the left hand side?

 

can you retake the picture?

 

 

bummer it came out blurry. thanks for the pic though! so they are replacing the fins with curtain walls (with a couple bands of different colored glass?), or will their still be some fins incorporated into the design? it looks like they carry the curtain wall up past the roof like the Kirskey design. this tower (in its current form) has grown on me and i like the mid century mod design. it will be a shame if the old design is completely wiped away. i wish they could "modernize" the modern if you will, maybe by making the fins thicker and white (or are they white? i always thought they were silver), with the glass (behind the fins like it is now) being blue or something. almost like a chic condo tower, but still keeping the original design. i guess that idea kind of goes back to my residential conversion with the fins becoming balconies. wish they would do that instead of completely get rid of the original design.

just imagine the balconies not having that gap in the middle, and being connected all the way across and bam, you have a residential 800 Bell.

 

 

I wish I can retake it but it was in a presentation and didn't want to disturb others, but yes it's glass and vertical columns on the corners, kinda of triangular columns I guess and the top.

and yes the fins are gone.

 

I will try to get the presentation if it's possible.

[cloud713]

ugh, thats a shame. ill miss those fins. hopefully in the future someone restores the tower to its original mid century mod glory.

whats with the 2 rows? are the just different colored glass? and does the top at least light up? lol

[BaderJF]

I will be able to get the presentation on Monday

[fatesdisastr]

Well apparently it's very blurry but after some adjusting it it's much better, at least you might see some detail:

It's going to be constructed by tellepsen, which are the people who did this presentation.

 

It looks similar to another building that I have seen:

 

 

 

I see some similarities

 

 

 

[Montrose1100]

I don't know which fate would be worse... To sit empty until further notice (ala Elm Place), or to be completely remodeled?

[arche_757]

Hard to tell anything through that rendering, but it appears there is a massing on either the northwester or southeastern side, and then some sort of division of the tower horizontally through three different skylobby looking elements.  Not too pleased if that is what is going to be done, but as I've said before I will reserve judgement until I see something more clear.

[infinite_jim]

Hard to tell anything through that rendering, but it appears there is a massing on either the northwester or southeastern side, and then some sort of division of the tower horizontally through three different skylobby looking elements.  Not too pleased if that is what is going to be done, but as I've said before I will reserve judgement until I see something more clear.

Those three skylobby-elements your referring to are presently the mechanical floors.

[lockmat]

Just saw the official rendering and it completely changes the tower, when I get home I will upload the picture

 

Just to confirm, the rendering you saw was not the same as the one by Kirksey Urbanizer posted here? http://www.houstonarchitecture.com/haif/topic/28336-exxonmobil-building-800-bell-redevelopment/page-3#entry437515

 

They don't look the same, but just wanted to make sure since the picture is blurry.

[BaderJF]

Just to confirm, the rendering you saw was not the same as the one by Kirksey Urbanizer posted here? http://www.houstonarchitecture.com/haif/topic/28336-exxonmobil-building-800-bell-redevelopment/page-3#entry437515

They don't look the same, but just wanted to make sure since the picture is blurry.

Yep it's not the same. I was supposed to receive the presentation today but nothing came