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Five Allen Center: Office Tower At 400 Dallas St.


roadrunner

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wonder where they're going to put it (5AC)? There are two new towers planned, one in the near future at Smith/Pease, and one a couple of years from now at Louisiana/Bell. Neither of them look like the 5AC rendering floating around.

 

http://www.downtownhouston.org/site_media/uploads/attachments/2012-12-19/dt_current_projects_121219.pdf

 

It's number 22, the lot right up against the highway. The places you listed aren't shown to be near development on the map and are a few blocks away from the Tellepsen Family YMCA. They also look like they could be just a block or two away from each other. You should share with us some renderings of these towers you're talking about! Do you know if they're going to cause other possible office developments to be put on hold until the market absorbs the new space?

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http://www.downtownhouston.org/site_media/uploads/attachments/2012-12-19/dt_current_projects_121219.pdf

 

It's number 22, the lot right up against the highway. The places you listed aren't shown to be near development on the map and are a few blocks away from the Tellepsen Family YMCA. They also look like they could be just a block or two away from each other. You should share with us some renderings of these towers you're talking about! Do you know if they're going to cause other possible office developments to be put on hold until the market absorbs the new space?

 

Ahh, interesting. They're near development. If I had to guess, I'd guess one will break ground this year, and the other by 2016. Wish I could. As soon as the announcement(s) are made, I'd be happy to. Until then, consider this mere speculation... 

 

I haven't heard that other developments may be in jeopardy, but that doesn't mean much. One of the two referenced previously will be absorbed almost entirely by a single tenant.

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Brookfield has been slowly improving the Allen Center bldgs over the past couple years by modernizing all the elevator mechanics and controls. I can only assume that they want a 5 Allen Center catty corner to 3 Allen (based on the monitor screen shot) but realize it would require a renovation of the common areas of the Allen Center first for it to be useful and connected to the rest of the complex. I believe the most recent complex renovation was done in the early 90's (ca. 1992) by Morris Architects which featured the glass atrium box at Dallas & Smith.

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a "40 story" 5AC... :( will still be a decent height though. i hope they change the design. its right on the edge of the highway.. we need some decent freeway architecture on that plot if its going to be developed. it will be one of the most noticeable buildings off of 45.

“I think you will see us develop our plans a little further for what we are calling, for now, 5 Allen Center,” he said. “It’s on two and a half acres on the western perimeter of downtown. We are contemplating there a 40-story tower with maybe as much as a million square feet.”

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wonder where they're going to put it (5AC)? There are two new towers planned, one in the near future at Smith/Pease, and one a couple of years from now at Louisiana/Bell. Neither of them look like the 5AC rendering floating around.

Aww dangit, you did it again.

Smith/Pease is the new Chevron, but WHAT IS COMING TO LOUISIANA/BELL????

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Aww dangit, you did it again.

Smith/Pease is the new Chevron, but WHAT IS COMING TO LOUISIANA/BELL????

 

Chevrons even newer tower housing their yet to be announce headquarters relocation? heh, i wish. i wonder what is being planned there though. Chevron currently owns the land i thought? dont they have a day care on that site?

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Chevrons even newer tower housing their yet to be announce headquarters relocation? heh, i wish. i wonder what is being planned there though. Chevron currently owns the land i thought? dont they have a day care on that site?

Since your last two questions are correct I wouldn't be surprised if your first statement is true. Makes sense with what's been happening with their parking garage acquisitions. I hope it brings some more pull to downtown when it comes to corporate relocations/consolidations!

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Since your last two questions are correct I wouldn't be surprised if your first statement is true. Makes sense with what's been happening with their parking garage acquisitions. I hope it brings some more pull to downtown when it comes to corporate relocations/consolidations!

 

you shouldn't be surprised at all.

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so we can bet on Chevron ditching their 1985 San Ramon campus and relocating to Houston? i heard these rumors after the new tower was announced but havent heard anything since. it seems like it would be hard to find someone to buy their huge old campus from them, but maybe it could be split up into a business park or something. if they were to relocate the rest of their employees they would need a pretty large tower one would think. maybe Houstons next supertall?

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so we can bet on Chevron ditching their 1985 San Ramon campus and relocating to Houston? i heard these rumors after the new tower was announced but havent heard anything since. it seems like it would be hard to find someone to buy their huge old campus from them, but maybe it could be split up into a business park or something. if they were to relocate the rest of their employees they would need a pretty large tower one would think. maybe Houstons next supertall?

Four matching towers. I never imagined this when it was just old Enron tower by itself.

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agreed. it would be great if it were a supertall. i kind of think it would almost have to if they want it to stand out/be a signature building. it will be standing next to the new 830' Chevron tower, and surrounded by a many other 6-700' tall buildings.
how sure can we be about corporate relocation? when they originally relocated from downtown SF to San Ramon, they stated it was because they wanted the workers to be consolidated after moving a bunch of workers out there when they first bought the campus. maybe now that more and more of their workers are being moved to Houston they will want to "consolidate" everyone again and shift the headquarters over here with the rest of the employees. 

as for the Allen Center. does anyone know if they own the triangular plot of land on the other side of the 10ish story parking garage? its kind of small but looks big enough to build a tower on it.. 6AC anyone?

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agreed. it would be great if it were a supertall. i kind of think it would almost have to if they want it to stand out/be a signature building. it will be standing next to the new 830' Chevron tower, and surrounded by a many other 6-700' tall buildings.

how sure can we be about corporate relocation? when they originally relocated from downtown SF to San Ramon, they stated it was because they wanted the workers to be consolidated after moving a bunch of workers out there when they first bought the campus. maybe now that more and more of their workers are being moved to Houston they will want to "consolidate" everyone again and shift the headquarters over here with the rest of the employees.

as for the Allen Center. does anyone know if they own the triangular plot of land on the other side of the 10ish story parking garage? its kind of small but looks big enough to build a tower on it.

Swstig or hoothrewthepoo would know
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so we can bet on Chevron ditching their 1985 San Ramon campus and relocating to Houston? i heard these rumors after the new tower was announced but havent heard anything since. it seems like it would be hard to find someone to buy their huge old campus from them, but maybe it could be split up into a business park or something. if they were to relocate the rest of their employees they would need a pretty large tower one would think. maybe Houstons next supertall?

 

I don't know that they've made that decision yet. What I do know - they have the Bell plot of land earmarked for another tower in the (near) future.

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as for the Allen Center. does anyone know if they own the triangular plot of land on the other side of the 10ish story parking garage? its kind of small but looks big enough to build a tower on it.. 6AC anyone?

That's a park and a historic black church (and the last element of Freedmen's Town in downtown, aside from the street grid shift).
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An important thing to note from the article for this tower is 

 

Brookfield (NYSE: BPO) does not plan to build on a speculative basis and it would need a 40 percent to 50 percent prelease commitment before moving forward with development.

 

With so much other office construction downtown, it should be a challenge to get this off the ground with prelease commitments. I really hate the location of this tower though. There are many other spots of downtown that need development. I actually wish this one was shorter, even half it's size just because of the location it's in, but I'm all for anything that adds to our skyline.

 

 

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An important thing to note from the article for this tower is 

 

 

With so much other office construction downtown, it should be a challenge to get this off the ground with prelease commitments. I really hate the location of this tower though. There are many other spots of downtown that need development. I actually wish this one was shorter, even half it's size just because of the location it's in, but I'm all for anything that adds to our skyline.

I think the western-most site is actually pretty good for residential. Right by the parks, right by downtown, right by the nightlife in midtown, and convenient freeway/parkway access. The only obvious problem is it's proximity to the highway but for the most part it's submerged under W. Dallas St. This leads me to think that it could be a good site for a mixed use tower with office on the first 40 storeys and a hotel/residential portion above for about 10 to 20 storeys. Pipe dreams...

I am curious exactly why they are planning on development this site versus the tower atop the parking garage/metro racketball complex. I guess it's just a matter of structural costs and project complexity.

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That's a park and a historic black church (and the last element of Freedmen's Town in downtown, aside from the street grid shift).

 

oh that explains why there are old houses in the middle of downtown Houston. i always wondered when they were going to tear them down. i guess never.

i was referring to the small paved over concrete parking lot just west of the parking garage on the triangular plot of land between Dallas and Clay, not the park to the north of Allen Center.

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oh that explains why there are old houses in the middle of downtown Houston. i always wondered when they were going to tear them down. i guess never.

i was referring to the small paved over concrete parking lot just west of the parking garage on the triangular plot of land between Dallas and Clay, not the park to the north of Allen Center.

That was the former visitors parking lot for the Sam Houston Heritage park and the other half of that triangular block was developed about 5-6 years ago into a 6-8 storey parking garage for the DoubleTree. It's currently being redeveloped now for another historical house according to the park renovation plans. I have some pics of the construction from my office over the course of this past spring.
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That was the former visitors parking lot for the Sam Houston Heritage park and the other half of that triangular block was developed about 5-6 years ago into a 6-8 storey parking garage for the DoubleTree. It's currently being redeveloped now for another historical house according to the park renovation plans. I have some pics of the construction from my office over the course of this past spring.

 

Don't blame the Doubletree for that parking garage.  It was built for the Heritage Plaza office building.

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