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6 minutes ago, H-Town Man said:

 

It is a headscratcher for me that buildings of Philip Johnson like 700 Louisiana or the AT&T headquarters are considered "postmodern," when I think a better term would be "historical eclectic" or something similar. Postmodernism is supposed to involve a sense of uncertainty, a fragmenting of the confidence of modernism. I guess it makes sense if you see Johnson's historicism as a loss of confidence in the present and therefore a turning to the past. But Johnson espoused a heroic ideal that is very far from postmodernism. His historicism is meant to awaken a sense of grandeur and nobility, regally bestowed upon the corporations that filled them.

 

 

I think witnessed in isolation I would agree that its a headscratcher in terms of category....yet that is also a point in postmodernism which is the idea that categorization is utterly arbitrary and therefore is ripe for blending, deconstruction, or obliteration. The interesting thing about Phillip Johnson was the fact that he really only embraced Postmodernism in its ideals for aesthetic play, but not its nihilism. Its what makes his works interesting yet utterly confusing in relation or pairing with others.

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1 hour ago, Luminare said:

Yeah, but my peeve with "Post Modern" is that the oxymoron is actually the point. Its a movement that thrives on contradictions, and so calling out the contradiction is actually what plays to its hand. I mean the name in of itself is absurd since "modern" literally means "just now", so in affect "Post Modern" is "after just now" or "after now" which is ridiculous, but that is also the point.

 

I get it - but I make my living writing stuff that my clients and I hope is not ridiculous, hence my barely restrained obsession regarding grammar that affects my daily life.  I even have a "grammar" folder in my browser toolbars, an effective collection of links that includes Common Errors in English Usage. :ph34r:

 

Meanwhile, back on topic:

 

Photos from before the 1960s remuddling appear to have a second (and perhaps even a third) feature similar to the one at the southwest corner.  Does anyone know if they're going to be recreated to match what we see in all the renderings of the Main / Wheeler corner?  (I may not have dug back far enough in this thread)

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3 hours ago, H-Town Man said:

 

I think he means "modern" in the broad sense, as opposed to "traditional."

 

 

Definitely small-m modern.

 

The Lindy effect basically says that the life expectancy of a (non-living) thing is proportional to its current age. A restaurant that's been operating for 50 years is more likely to still be operating 50 years from now than a restaurant that opened a couple years ago. Ditto an architectural style that has been in use for a couple centuries is more likely to still be in use a couple centuries from now.

 

Specifically, sometime around the middle of the 20th century, architects started designing to a different scale. Instead of designing features to be appreciated by someone walking past on a sidewalk, they started designing features for someone riding past in a car (or flying over in a helicopter). The motto of this kind of architecture seems to be "Look at me! (but only from a distance)."  As the period where cities are designed around cars rather than people comes to a close, that style of architecture might also fade out.

 

After all, it didn't take us all that long to realize that building in raw concrete was a bad idea.

 

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1 hour ago, texas911 said:

The Rice concert hall looks like David Weekly designed and built it. Rice has plenty of architecture that respected its past yet still managed to embrace the current/modern/contemporary design language.

 

that is quite the compliment to David Weekly... and I know that's not what you meant.

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1 hour ago, rechlin said:

Now the ragged edges make more sense.  They were just roughing-in the holes, and now they've cut much more accurately to the full final size on the 2nd floor.  They are still hacking away at the roof of the 3rd floor, though:

 

So there was a plan all along, and they didn't need our concerned comments. Hmmm.

 

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VS7b44k.jpg

https://www.facebook.com/events/925114941204222/

 

"To demand that the developers sign a Community Benefits Agreement, we are establishing the Houston Coalition for Equitable Development without Displacement (HCEDD). All individuals, community groups, advocacy organizations, and supporting businesses/organizations who are interested in supporting this initiative are invited to attend."

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9 hours ago, BeerNut said:

VS7b44k.jpg

https://www.facebook.com/events/925114941204222/

 

"To demand that the developers sign a Community Benefits Agreement, we are establishing the Houston Coalition for Equitable Development without Displacement (HCEDD). All individuals, community groups, advocacy organizations, and supporting businesses/organizations who are interested in supporting this initiative are invited to attend."

That great...one problem..another of people in that area are not homeless they are drug dealers ...

 

This is well attention ignoring the reality 

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9 hours ago, BeerNut said:

VS7b44k.jpg

https://www.facebook.com/events/925114941204222/

 

"To demand that the developers sign a Community Benefits Agreement, we are establishing the Houston Coalition for Equitable Development without Displacement (HCEDD). All individuals, community groups, advocacy organizations, and supporting businesses/organizations who are interested in supporting this initiative are invited to attend."

 

Growing up my parents always told me the world would go mad one day. I always took it as an old wives tale, perhaps not. 

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10 hours ago, BeerNut said:

VS7b44k.jpg

https://www.facebook.com/events/925114941204222/

 

"To demand that the developers sign a Community Benefits Agreement, we are establishing the Houston Coalition for Equitable Development without Displacement (HCEDD). All individuals, community groups, advocacy organizations, and supporting businesses/organizations who are interested in supporting this initiative are invited to attend."

 

Just the arrogance alone. "To Demand".

 

Thats right developers. You must bend the knee to the new faith don't you know! Its we (the students) that have the power and authority over you...you know 18-21 year old college students! People who have never experienced homelessness, or true hardship, but trust us because we are part of the true faith that knows all. We totally don't have a guilt complex or white savior complex as a group that has recently showed from data that we have an outrageous out-group bias which doesn't conform to actual reality, but trust us we know better!

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8 minutes ago, Luminare said:

 

Just the arrogance alone. "To Demand".

 

Thats right developers. You must bend the knee to the new faith don't you know! Its we (the students) that have the power and authority over you...you know 18-21 year old college students! People who have never experienced homelessness, or true hardship, but trust us because we are part of the true faith that knows all. We totally don't have a guilt complex or white savior complex as a group that has recently showed from data that we have an outrageous out-group bias which doesn't conform to actual reality, but trust us we know better!

 

Well it's not just students as they've aligned themselves with a few Third Ward community groups. 

 

Here is their stated mission..with my comments as related to The Ion.

The purpose of the meeting is to discuss the purpose, process, and proposed contents of the Community Benefits Agreement, which addresses the following issues:
- Affordable housing
   Why do they think Ion should include affordable housing when MRA is largest land holder in Third Ward and that is their purpose.  

- Loans and commercial space for Black and minority owned business
  I could see some leeway with this for onsite beverage/food options and other business that compliment the development(massage and workout/yoga studio maybe?)

- First source hiring for permanent jobs paying a living-wage with benefits
  What kind of jobs would people in the community qualify for?  I would think most of permanent positions would require a college degree.

- Access to quality, affordable groceries

   As was discussed earlier in this thread Rice already begged for Fiesta to stay on as long as they can.  I'm sure Fiesta corporate was wanting to close that store because the store manager spoke at a council meeting about having to constantly call the police and high levels of shrink(this was before they put fencing under 59). 

 

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2 hours ago, Moore713 said:

That great...one problem..another of people in that area are not homeless they are drug dealers ...

 

This is well attention ignoring the reality 

 

This. Being from the southside, when I roll through the area I always see two or three OGs with the backpacks walking in between the groups. I always check to see the homeless peeps' wrists for the hospital tag to see if the corner is packed that day because the local hospital released them after treatment. I used to work with homeless people, so you begin to notice the...patterns after a while. My boy runs outreach out there, its not the guys at the light by 59 that gives them trouble (they are pretty nice to the police actually), its the peeps by the Fiesta that they get tired of. So, in short, theres a host of problems.

 

And yeah, dunno about affordable groceries with the way those groups treat that Fiesta by always milling around the outer part of the parking lot.  I shop there sometimes, and outside of the occasional douche, its very neighborhood-y. Alot of older folks recognizing each other, asking about how they families are, have they been going to church lately, etc. Gonna be sad when it goes, its kind of a relic. 

 

 I say all that to say: I don't think those kids have spent enough time in that area to really get to know it. Otherwise, their...requests would be more nuances.

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51 minutes ago, BeerNut said:

 

Well it's not just students as they've aligned themselves with a few Third Ward community groups. 

 

Here is their stated mission..with my comments as related to The Ion.

The purpose of the meeting is to discuss the purpose, process, and proposed contents of the Community Benefits Agreement, which addresses the following issues:
- Affordable housing
   Why do they think Ion should include affordable housing when MRA is largest land holder in Third Ward and that is their purpose.  

- Loans and commercial space for Black and minority owned business
  I could see some leeway with this for onsite beverage/food options and other business that compliment the development(massage and workout/yoga studio maybe?)

- First source hiring for permanent jobs paying a living-wage with benefits
  What kind of jobs would people in the community qualify for?  I would think most of permanent positions would require a college degree.

- Access to quality, affordable groceries

   As was discussed earlier in this thread Rice already begged for Fiesta to stay on as long as they can.  I'm sure Fiesta corporate was wanting to close that store because the store manager spoke at a council meeting about having to constantly call the police and high levels of shrink(this was before they put fencing under 59). 

 

 Being from third ward I think the groups in that area need to be real careful who they they into bed with.

 No one is saying dont help those in need. However  you can not ignore that where this group has gone. Crime as jumped.. assualt. Vehicle break in, murder ( they had two killing just last year). The sanitation issues they created alone were staggering.

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