Jump to content

Latitude Med Center: Residential Tower And InterContinental Hotel


Jax

Recommended Posts

  

The pointy thingy (that's a technical term) on the top of the Astoria is pretty nicely visible from my office now and is easily distinguishable from the buildings around it. Boring projects tend to show their age after awhile. The Houstonian Hotel, the Spires, the Parklane, the Huntington, and the Bristol high rise in Uptown all scream generic late 70's/early 80's to me.

Randall Davis' style has grown on me. His buildings have a unique signature that that makes them harder to place in any given development era.

They may seem generic, but they have stood the test of time. They don't call for attention other than their height. When one of RD's hug rises scream for attention, it's not a good one IMO. The Cosmopolitan , Marlowe, and Arabella are decent projects. His others, not so much. I know the Astoria has a little ways to go on the facade before we can really judge it.

Besides that, the TMC is not the place for his style of projects. The Astoria can sink into the beauty of 1200 Post Oak, Monte-whatever, and the Dominion. I would much prefer another Bristol than a Ticky tacky early 2000's Florida panhandle condo tower. Or worse, a Ticky tacky Art Deco inspired one.

Sorry I know some may like his designs but I don't get it.

And FWIW the Houstonian Hotel is quite ugly. Luckily it is over shadowed by the condo tower & pine trees.

Edit: while this hotel building is boring, at least it doesn't stick out in a negative way. Instead it blends into the environment and provides substance to pieces in the TMC that should stand out.

Edited by Montrose1100
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

looks clunky, dated, uninspired.

 

Completely agree. It looks so dated already and it isn't even built. I guess all glass towers can get boring quickly but most of the glass towers they are building right now like the BHP Billiton tower look grand and modern. As for Randall, his newer projects look a lot better than his older projects. He's matured. The Astoria looks amazing in person but I must admit.... the Marlowe looks dated already as well. I don't know why but it feels very late 70s/80s to me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Completely agree. It looks so dated already and it isn't even built. I guess all glass towers can get boring quickly but most of the glass towers they are building right now like the BHP Billiton tower look grand and modern. As for Randall, his newer projects look a lot better than his older projects. He's matured. The Astoria looks amazing in person but I must admit.... the Marlowe looks dated already as well. I don't know why but it feels very late 70s/80s to me.

 

It's all the black and white. Very 80s. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I guess a mix of all of that?  I can't really pick out one thing, I just don't like it at all.  

 

It's an all glass facade with curves and shapes as opposed to a box but I still hate it.

 

I would liken it to Donna from That 70s Show.  Not a fan.  Some people say it is just the obvious flaw, her James Earl Jones deep manly voice (podium).  I agree her voice is terrible and one of the worst parts but I just dislike the whole package.  She has aspects that should make her hot; red hair (glass facade), boobs (curves), good body (I don't know, balconies?).  Together they just suck on her though.  Some pictures of her may look alright, and maybe she looks OK at night in the dark, but she just doesn't do it for me.  

 

 

  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I guess a mix of all of that? I can't really pick out one thing, I just don't like it at all.

It's an all glass facade with curves and shapes as opposed to a box but I still hate it.

I would liken it to Donna from That 70s Show. Not a fan. Some people say it is just the obvious flaw, her James Earl Jones deep manly voice (podium). I agree her voice is terrible and one of the worst parts but I just dislike the whole package. She has aspects that should make her hot; red hair (glass facade), boobs (curves), good body (I don't know, balconies?). Together they just suck on her though. Some pictures of her may look alright, and maybe she looks OK at night in the dark, but she just doesn't do it for me.

Wow...this is at least top 3 most sexist comments I've seen here. Good one, bud.
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Do you ever think a skyscraper is masculine or feminine? Only once on here they had a pink stone accented building with goofy little pyramids that I thought would look for Mary Kay HQ.

 

There was a fictitious skyscraper designed by fictitious architect "Ted Mosby" (portrayed by actor Josh Radnor) in a episode of the TV show How I Met Your Mother that was definitely masculine, or at least sexually unconvinced. :)

 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I guess a mix of all of that?  I can't really pick out one thing, I just don't like it at all.  

 

It's an all glass facade with curves and shapes as opposed to a box but I still hate it.

 

I would liken it to Donna from That 70s Show.  Not a fan.  Some people say it is just the obvious flaw, her James Earl Jones deep manly voice (podium).  I agree her voice is terrible and one of the worst parts but I just dislike the whole package.  She has aspects that should make her hot; red hair (glass facade), boobs (curves), good body (I don't know, balconies?).  Together they just suck on her though.  Some pictures of her may look alright, and maybe she looks OK at night in the dark, but she just doesn't do it for me.  

 

Wow, I never knew it was possible to not be attracted to Laura Prepon.  You can do waaaaay worse than her.  She was incendiary on That 70s Show, if you ask me...

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...

A permit came through.  It's just for "sitework" but glad to see this is still moving

roject Details   Project No: 15083597 Date : 2015/08/31 00:00:00 USE : SITEWORK-UTILITIES-PAVING FOR FUTURE APT Owner/Occupant : *GREYSTAR-TMC Job Address : 1850 1/2 OLD MAIN ST 77030 Valuation : $ 0 Permit Type : PX FCC Group : Structures Other than Buildings Buyer : *PERMITS PLUS * Address : 5380 W 34TH ST 240 77092 Phone : (713) 686-1728

 

  • Like 7
Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

A permit came through.  It's just for "sitework" but glad to see this is still moving

roject Details   Project No: 15083597 Date : 2015/08/31 00:00:00 USE : SITEWORK-UTILITIES-PAVING FOR FUTURE APT Owner/Occupant : *GREYSTAR-TMC Job Address : 1850 1/2 OLD MAIN ST 77030 Valuation : $ 0 Permit Type : PX FCC Group : Structures Other than Buildings Buyer : *PERMITS PLUS * Address : 5380 W 34TH ST 240 77092 Phone : (713) 686-1728

 

 

Whoa? Wait....you telling me we had a someone working in the permit office in our gang here at HAIF this whole time?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Whoa? Wait....you telling me we had a someone working in the permit office in our gang here at HAIF this whole time?

 

Nope, just a dork that does Houston online permit searches in his zip code every few days.  I just like knowing what's being torn down and built around me for some reason

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...
Link to comment
Share on other sites

38' for 16 stories difference? The heights listed on page 3 are 413 and 243.

Some changes have occurred since the renderings?

 

Yeah, that's kinda weird.  There are several entries on the FAA site, with all either 385' or 423' which are all labelled "Point M1" through "Point M4".  Looking at the rendering and these heights it looks like these may correspond to just the four corners at the top of the apartment tower (only part of it reaches the 423).  I haven't used that site much but from my short experience with it typically there is a building height and a crane height - can't say I've seen corners of a building referenced but it looks like that's what this is

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Checked to see if there was any new detail and there are new entries for Points H1 through H5 showing 196' and 244' - must be for the hotel component

 

https://oeaaa.faa.gov/oeaaa/external/searchAction.jsp?action=displayOECase&oeCaseID=267260219&row=54

https://oeaaa.faa.gov/oeaaa/external/searchAction.jsp?action=displayOECase&oeCaseID=267260225&row=46

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Another permit for "plan review fee", but this time it lists the buyer as Greystar along with a Greystar-associated address.  Hopefully getting closer to making this one official

Project No: 15091823 Date : 2015/10/08 00:00:00 USE : FOUNDATION ONLY W/UNDERGROUND UTILITY 20 Owner/Occupant : *GREYSTAR-TMC Job Address : 1850 OLD MAIN ST 77030 Valuation : $ 0 Permit Type : PX FCC Group : Structures Other than Buildings Buyer : *GREYSTAR Address : 750 BERING 200 77057 Phone : (713) 479-8962

 

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

Nothing for a couple of days, but the road is closed off now (though somehow there were still cars parked on it).  I saw a dump truck and a backhoe out there this morning on the street but there wasn't any activity yet

 

I will try to get a better look later today to try to figure out what is going on.  No permitting activity, so while it sure seems this has to be related to the hotel/apartments I'm not 100% sure.  I just recall during the discussion with the planning commission there was a mention of working with CenterPoint to bury utilities

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Drum roll........

 

They're digging a hole in the street at the corner of Travis and Old Main under the existing power lines, so I assume this is utilities-related.  That said, Medistar, TRC Capital Partners, and Greystar are all apparently involved in this development and none of them list this as an active project on their website at present.  I would like to think that they wouldn't bother with this step unless it was moving forward but who knows

 

 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Similar infrastructure work was done on the lot across from 2016 Main, leading to anticipation and speculation... but then they covered up the hole and haven't don't anything since.  Hopefully this will be different.

 

Drum roll........

 

They're digging a hole in the street at the corner of Travis and Old Main under the existing power lines, so I assume this is utilities-related.  That said, Medistar, TRC Capital Partners, and Greystar are all apparently involved in this development and none of them list this as an active project on their website at present.  I would like to think that they wouldn't bother with this step unless it was moving forward but who knows

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

Not much to report on this, but took some pics today.  They've been up to this few a few weeks now - I really haven't seen any activity during the day but they were working into the night the other night

 

A "shoring-earth retention" permit was issued recently that listed "GS TMC JV, LLC" as the buyer with an address associated with Greystar.  So at least they do appear to be behind this

 

eRupcxwh.jpg

 

jtUPZa8h.jpg

  • Like 9
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...