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Sunset Coffee Building Allens Landing


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I like the old green building and the new rendering and that spot is a special one. I think the plans for a canoe rental and cafe there will work.

I think a causal bar on level 1 with lots of outdoor seating would work great. You wouldn't even need that much seating, as people could just mingle in the surrounding area. There was a bar in York, England on the river that I always think of when I think of the sunset building. I guess a big problem is the flooding (if you had the bar on the lowest floor, which is what I think would be nice so that you could have people accumulate around the area).

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I can guarantee you that ____ that emerged from an anus of someone bearing your last name is no more potent or infectious than that from some other random person's anus.

Wow! I literally laughed out loud when I read this! Niche you crack me up! (I can't believe we are talking about swimming in ____ on these forums, lol)

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  • 11 months later...
Well, not every building. But that was the LC Cafeteria. B)

My Mother was a cashier at the LC Cafeteria in July, 1953. A local reporter for the Houston Post came for lunch several days a week and during one visit he took her picture and wrote an article about her. He said she was like a 10,000 watt beacon to most males. I will post that article and share with everyone.

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More information yesterday about the renovation of the building:

http://blogs.houstonpress.com/hairballs/2009/07/love_street_lives_sorta_maybe.php

From the article:

The Buffalo Bayou Partnership is planning to refurbish the three-story old warehouse and open it as the International Coffee Building, in honor of its initial tenants.

BBP's office will be on the second floor, a place to rent bikes and kayaks will be on the first. And on the third, the home of the psychedelic club?

Meeting space for rent.

I'm excited about the canoe and kayak rentals! We need something like that if we're going to get people to see/use Buffalo Bayou as more than a runoff ditch.

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I'd be surprised if they were pressed for cash. They somehow afford to shut down the Sabine Street bridge and hold a rich people gala right in the middle of it! Not good if you live in Sabine St Lofts, haha

I tried to visit my mother on foot and they wouldn't even let me cross the bridge on foot for fear that the rich people would see a person dressed normal on their rented bridge. They made me walk all the way around to the footbridge by Wortham. Horrible, just horrible.

Edited by kylejack
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Exactly, this sounds like really old news.

I guess it would be really old news if the PR Director for the Buffalo Bayou Partnership (Trudi Smith) hadn't just said this yesterday. A rehash of stuff they'd said before? Perhaps. But if they're actively pursuing it, then I don't see how that's old news. :)

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I guess it would be really old news if the PR Director for the Buffalo Bayou Partnership (Trudi Smith) hadn't just said this yesterday. A rehash of stuff they'd said before? Perhaps. But if they're actively pursuing it, then I don't see how that's old news. smile.gif

Recycled news I guess. It's more like they Dynamo telling us they'll get a deal done in two weeks, 50 times. Hopefully the partnership does not make the same mistake.

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Would it even be safe to kayak or canoe in Buffalo Bayou? I remember they tested the waters last year, and it wasn't very good. Infact it is one of the worse polluted bayous in Texas.

That reminds me. I was running along the bayou a few weeks ago and saw a man fishing. I did a double take to make sure I wasn't seeing things.

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I guess it would be really old news if the PR Director for the Buffalo Bayou Partnership (Trudi Smith) hadn't just said this yesterday. A rehash of stuff they'd said before? Perhaps. But if they're actively pursuing it, then I don't see how that's old news. smile.gif

In April, I talke to the canoe guys that are supposed to have the concession. He said they'd be in next summer.

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That looks nice. After having lived in San Antonio for a long time, a Lake Flato building is really obvious, but it's still nice. The BB partnership has done cool things with trying to buy up bayou-fronting parcels, the trails out on the east side of the bayou, and etc. Good for them.

The software photo selections never cease to amaze, though. That one boy looks like he's wearing a straightjaket and combat boots. On the other hand, at least they visually acknowledged the middle-aged hippies who help fund much of this stuff. :D

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Lake Flato, eh? They're quite a distinct firm indeed, and they do have some pretty neat projects under their belts. The UT School of Nursing and Student Community Center in the TMC is one of theirs, in fact.

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The software photo selections never cease to amaze, though. That one boy looks like he's wearing a straightjaket and combat boots. On the other hand, at least they visually acknowledged the middle-aged hippies who help fund much of this stuff. :D

I hate to bring this up, as it may scare away potential tourists and other users, but those people are holograms! That place is HAUNTED! :o

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The Joanne King Herring Building. Naming matter resolved.smile.gif

Coffeebuilding.jpg

I suppose it is somewhat appropriate to name a waterfront building after a fish. But, have you EVER seen someone plug their own landmark naming? Note that Adrian Garcia did not propose the renaming. Ms. Herring STATED that Garcia thought it would be a good idea, and Ms. Herring and her partner suggested that Adrian's idea should be implemented. :huh:

Of course, ya gotta admit, a fashion museum with Ms. Herring's leopard print cowboy hat on display would be hard to pass up.

Edited by RedScare
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Would it even be safe to kayak or canoe in Buffalo Bayou? I remember they tested the waters last year, and it wasn't very good. Infact it is one of the worse polluted bayous in Texas.

That reminds me. I was running along the bayou a few weeks ago and saw a man fishing. I did a double take to make sure I wasn't seeing things.

I do it every year. It's aweseome. It's more polluted downstream, then up. The section through memorial park and river oaks would surprise you. Look in the photo section wehre I posted some photos a year ago. It's a cool trip.

I think this will link you...

http://www.houstonarchitecture.com/haif/index.php?showtopic=15519

Edited by capnmcbarnacle
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I do it every year. It's aweseome. It's more polluted downstream, then up. The section through memorial park and river oaks would surprise you. Look in the photo section wehre I posted some photos a year ago. It's a cool trip.

I think this will link you...

http://www.houstonarchitecture.com/haif/index.php?showtopic=15519

Nice pics! I bike and run along the bayou all the time and have never seen an alligator (or is that a croc?), very cool!

(I was actually surprised to see a family of rabbits living near the bayou close to downtown)

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I do it every year. It's aweseome. It's more polluted downstream, then up. The section through memorial park and river oaks would surprise you. Look in the photo section wehre I posted some photos a year ago. It's a cool trip.

I think this will link you...

http://www.houstonar...showtopic=15519

I was going to reference your photo essay, I have a friend that does the same thing, and I've been wanting to do it at least once, I can only imagine the unique perspective that is only hinted at by your photos!

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Nice pics! I bike and run along the bayou all the time and have never seen an alligator (or is that a croc?), very cool!

(I was actually surprised to see a family of rabbits living near the bayou close to downtown)

It's a gator. I've seen a few down there, but that guy was the largest. Probably 6-7 feet, but they always look bigger when you are in the water with them. We just cruised right past him and he slid into the water as we went by. Kind of spooky. I haven't seen as many snakes as I'd expect down there, but lots of turtles and saw a coyote once. And before everyone says it was a dog, there was an article awhile back about TPWD trying to trap coyotes in the loop that were snagging poodles in River Oaks.

The architecture of the old viaducts downtown is cool -- lots of interesting structures that are visible from the water under the underpasses. Brick walls, arches, etc. There are some great beaches to stop and hang out at in the park too. They're off the trail and nobody is around. And, best as I can tell, it's legal to drink beer on the water as it's a navigable waterway. If more people knew what a few of us know, you'd see people using it like crazy. To be honest, I kind of like it as it is.

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In my ten-plus years of living in Houston, I've seen about a two dozen gators, and roughly half of them have been in or along the banks of Buffalo Bayou. I have a co-worker who saw one crawling into White Oak Bayou just as you're past the I-10 heading into Woodland Heights. Doesn't seem like the concrete basin would be appealing to them but that's their story.

But back on topic: part of me agrees with Subdude in that I would like to see more of the original construction and design incorporated into the renovation but the new design isn't unattractive to me either. My bigger issue is with the pace of the bayou's restoration going east towards the Ship Channel. The bayou would be more of a draw if the city would make longer stretches of it approachable.

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There are definitely coyotes that live along Buffalo Bayou near River Oaks/Memorial Park. I've seen them running across Memorial Drive late at night/early in the morning. Additionally, I am convinced that my mom's cat was eaten by one when she lived on the bayou. Lots of her neighbors had small pets disappear too.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Another Rendering

Web_RenderFromBayou.jpg

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From the comment beneath the article...

We are in the process of raising the funds to begin construction. So far, we have raised 73% of the monies needed, we are so close. If you are reading this, please consider giving any amount to help create and renovate this exceptional historic structure into a highly used meeting place and Green Building along our beloved Buffalo Bayou.

Give early and often.

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I once tried to walk across the Sabine Bridge from downtown to visit my mom. The Buffalo Bayou Partnership was holding a gala on the bridge and wouldn't let me walk past on it. I had to walk all the way around to the footbridge by Wortham. I hope they raised a lot of money at the gala, because now I'm never giving them a dime!

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The century-old Sunset Coffee Building, looming in disrepair over Allen's Landing at the north end of downtown, will become Houston's "front door" with an $8 million public-private renovation set to begin in April.

The three-story brick structure is boarded up, marked with graffiti, and has shrubs growing out of some second-floor windows.

Come mid-2014, however, the facility will house kayak, canoe and bike rentals on the first floor, office space on the second floor, private event space on the third floor, a rooftop terrace, and will be flanked by outdoor plazas and walkways connecting to Commerce Street.

385x218.jpg

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http://www.bisnow.com/commercial-real-estate/houston/houstons-oldest-buildings/

 

Here's Allen's Landing in 1929—the Sunset Coffee building is on the right. The first floor will have kayak and bike rentals and refreshments for users, the second floor will be offices (including BBP's office), and the third will have an event facility operated by Houston First. Sharon tells us outdoor spaces will be phenomenal, including a ground-level plaza connecting the building to the street and a rooftop deck with panoramic views. When the project breaks ground in April, it'll be the culmination of almost a decade of planning by BBP. Lake Flato is handling design, and BNIM and Fretz Construction are on the team.

Edited by DrLan34
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  • 5 months later...

Funny, we were just talking about this one this weekend when we went canoeing along the bayou to check out the progress from a water prospective.

 

We launched at Sabine St. and paddled out to Memorial Park and back. The new areas look great and people were already utilizing them. That said, the wild/overgrown parts were wonderful too. Totally felt like you were 100 miles from the nearest city. Saw tons of wildlife too. Can't wait to paddle again this weekend.

 

Also, I spotted the Double Decker tour bus making its way down Memorial Drive. 

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Funny, we were just talking about this one this weekend when we went canoeing along the bayou to check out the progress from a water prospective.

We launched at Sabine St. and paddled out to Memorial Park and back. The new areas look great and people were already utilizing them. That said, the wild/overgrown parts were wonderful too. Totally felt like you were 100 miles from the nearest city. Saw tons of wildlife too. Can't wait to paddle again this weekend.

Also, I spotted the Double Decker tour bus making its way down Memorial Drive.

Was there anyone on it?

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