The Allen: Allen Parkway/Gillette Mixed-Use 6-Acres

[West Timer 416]

Can you believe that someone would build something like this with consulting HAIF first? What are they thinking? Everyone knows there is no better place to get advice than from guys who hang out all day on internet discussion boards. 

[hindesky 49015]

Shoring up the sides of the build and digging deeper.

[hindesky 49015]

[wxman 892]

They’re seriously getting busy with this site. Lots of piling holes being drilled. Won’t be long before something starts rising on this lot.

[hindesky 49015]

[Urbannizer 44484]

https://www.chron.com/business/real-estate/article/Allen-Parkway-hotel-and-condo-tower-breaks-ground-14567963.php

 

Construction has started on the first phase of The Allen, a six-acre development next to the Federal Reserve building along Allen Parkway.

 

Contractor G.T. Leach is under way on a 34-story hotel/condominium tower and adjacent retail pavilion that will be part of the overall project planned to include an office tower, upscale apartments and greenspace.

 

Since opening a sales center on the property earlier this year, nine of the 99 condo units have been sold.

[H-Town Man 5082]

Surely they aren't starting on the condo tower when only 9% of units have sold. Could the Chronicle have gotten this wrong?

 

[bobruss 5028]

They do have a hotel that will be part of this particular building and I'm sure the hotel is ready to get under way. 

Maybe that helps in the financing. 

[htownbro 604]

They must be really confident they will get 50% sold by the end of next year.

[Highrise Tower 34727]

 

[hindesky 49015]

[phillip_white 1947]

Bumping the webcam link to the current page:

http://webcampub.multivista.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=aPublicWebcam.embed&WebcamPublicEmbedUID=FC19B512-8A6E-4D1F-AD93-1FCCACCEDA69&HLS=1

 

[hindesky 49015]

[CasualObserver 46]

No picture, but the crane tower was up yesterday afternoon when I drove by.

[hindesky 49015]

On 12/13/2019 at 11:40 AM, CasualObserver said:

No picture, but the crane tower was up yesterday afternoon when I drove by.

Tower crane base is up, to me it looks like it's in-between the high rise hotel/condos and the mid rise amenities building and will be able to handle construction of both buildings.

[jmitch94 2056]

Tower crane is currently going up. 

 

[CasualObserver 46]

Looks like they are building the smaller tower first.

[hindesky 49015]

6 hours ago, CasualObserver said:

Looks like they are building the smaller tower first.

Yeah, I don't see a climber on this tower crane.

[MarathonMan 1176]

On 12/18/2019 at 2:55 PM, CasualObserver said:

Looks like they are building the smaller tower first.

I think the building going up first is the 4-ish story mini-building on the NW corner of the plot, yes?  At the same time, it looks like their Excavating in the location of the residential tower on the NE corner.  Maybe they’ll start foundation work on that one soon.  I can’t imagine they’d excavate the area and then just leave an open pit for later development.

[Urbannizer 44484]

The pavilion and condo/hotel tower are both underway as phase I.

[H-Town Man 5082]

16 hours ago, Urbannizer said:

The pavilion and condo/hotel tower are both underway as phase I.

 

Which ones are those in the renderings? The two fronting Allen Parkway?

[MarathonMan 1176]

45 minutes ago, H-Town Man said:

 

Which ones are those in the renderings? The two fronting Allen Parkway?

Yes.

[hindesky 49015]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

https://residencesattheallen.com/construction-cam/

[hindesky 49015]

[hindesky 49015]

Unloading the crawler tracks.

[hindesky 49015]

Looks like the crawler crane is going to drilling pilings for the high-rise 

[Urbannizer 44484]

https://www.costar.com/article/2022122266/houston-developer-inches-closer-to-changing-galleria-section-of-city-skyline

 

Also since then, DC Partners has been busy with several projects, including completing construction at Arabella and pre-development for The Allen, a $500 million mixed-use, six-acre project by Buffalo Bayou, which recently broke ground.

 

Initial plans for the Allen include a condominium-hotel high-rise, but the developer expects to add one or possibly two additional office structures in future phases of the project along Allen Parkway.

[slcowart416 80]

How is this project considered close to the Galleria?

[cspwal 3927]

From the perspective of a developer living in the Woodlands, anything inside 610 is close to the Galleria

[LBC2HTX 557]

1 hour ago, slcowart416 said:

How is this project considered close to the Galleria?

It's not. The article is a piece on the office project on San Felipe between Arabella and Target. Only the bolded tidbit is in reference to The Allen. 

 

In any case, a pet-peeve of mine is when people to refer to Uptown as "The Galleria" (not that you did). The Galleria is a mall, not a district, much less one that extends to the other side of 610. 

Edited January 9, 2020 by LBC2HTX

[bobruss 5028]

I agree that the whole area is now called Uptown, however I don't think that became a popular moniker until they started building the Uptown development, on the north end of Post Oak.

The Galleria is technically a lot more than a mall. There are several office towers, and hotels, and much of the area around the Galleria doesn't mind telling people how close they are to the Galleria. People will call it the Galleria forever. I'm sure a lot more people know the area as the Galleria just because it was the magnet that drew everything to the area, and that's pretty hard to change. I usually call it Galleria-Uptown. That way I know people know where I'm talking about.

[iah77 299]

29 minutes ago, bobruss said:

I agree that the whole area is now called Uptown, however I don't think that became a popular moniker until they started building the Uptown development, on the north end of Post Oak.

The Galleria is technically a lot more than a mall. There are several office towers, and hotels, and much of the area around the Galleria doesn't mind telling people how close they are to the Galleria. People will call it the Galleria forever. I'm sure a lot more people know the area as the Galleria just because it was the magnet that drew everything to the area, and that's pretty hard to change. I usually call it Galleria-Uptown. That way I know people know where I'm talking about.

I think a lot of people from Houston call it the galleria area, when it first was built there was literally nothing around there. Uptown is a much more recent invention I feel. When Sakowitz was there it was just the post oak area. 

[LBC2HTX 557]

I get it, it's like referring to the entire area in Santa Ana / Costa Mesa around South Cost Plaza as "South Coast".  My specific peeve is when people say something like "I'm in the galleria" or "I live in the galleria" when they mean the area not the mall. But i'm just weird like that. 

[iah77 299]

15 minutes ago, LBC2HTX said:

I get it, it's like referring to the entire area in Santa Ana / Costa Mesa around South Cost Plaza as "South Coast".  My specific peeve is when people say something like "I'm in the galleria" or "I live in the galleria" when they mean the area not the mall. But i'm just weird like that. 

It's not just the galleria though, its common here. Lots of people who live by 1960 just say "willow" as in willowbrook and then until recent citycenter area was all just  Town and Country meaning they were referring to a mall that hasn't even existed for a decade.

[bobruss 5028]

Look at how many developments that aren't even in River oaks call themselves River Oaks. 

River Oaks district, the RO, River Oaks Chrysler which is on Kirby  south of 59. 

[pm91 202]

My family living here for 4 generations has always called it (aka Uptown) the Galleria. Uptown is a new term. Much like Greenway is more familiar with the older residents than Upper Kirby is. My Granny used to work in what is now Midtown but she had no idea what area I was talking about when I referred to it as Midtown instead of what she knew it as being the 4th ward.

[LBC2HTX 557]

33 minutes ago, bobruss said:

Look at how many developments that aren't even in River oaks call themselves River Oaks. 

River Oaks district, the RO, River Oaks Chrysler which is on Kirby  south of 59. 

Right, but that's a slightly different topic. I won't further derail this one. 

[mattyt36 436]

5 hours ago, iah77 said:

It's not just the galleria though, its common here. Lots of people who live by 1960 just say "willow" as in willowbrook and then until recent citycenter area was all just  Town and Country meaning they were referring to a mall that hasn't even existed for a decade.

Calling the 1960 area “Willow” ... now there’s a new one for me ... 🤣

[Montrose1100 3783]

1 hour ago, mattyt36 said:

Calling the 1960 area “Willow” ... now there’s a new one for me ... 🤣

Grew up in Klein and never ever heard it addressed as willow without the brook.

[mattyt36 436]

14 minutes ago, Montrose1100 said:

Grew up in Klein and never ever heard it addressed as willow without the brook.

I suppose it’s efficient ... I might start calling Humble “Deer” to save a syllable.

[por favor gracias 631]

7 hours ago, LBC2HTX said:

I get it, it's like referring to the entire area in Santa Ana / Costa Mesa around South Cost Plaza as "South Coast".  My specific peeve is when people say something like "I'm in the galleria" or "I live in the galleria" when they mean the area not the mall. But i'm just weird like that. 

Carlin fan?

Edited January 10, 2020 by por favor gracias

[swtsig 2942]

13 hours ago, Montrose1100 said:

Grew up in Klein and never ever heard it addressed as willow without the brook.

same. spent many a summer near willowbrook mall, specifically shannon's skate shop... never heard it referred to as the willow haha

[H-Town Man 5082]

15 hours ago, Montrose1100 said:

Grew up in Klein and never ever heard it addressed as willow without the brook.

 

Last time I checked it was Champions. First thing out there was Champions Golf Course. I guess before the golf course the only thing around there was Bammel, but Bammel got depopulated by a giant oilfield blowout.

 

[Highrise Tower 34727]

Thank you for inviting me up.

 

[citykid09 223]

On 1/9/2020 at 1:24 PM, bobruss said:

I agree that the whole area is now called Uptown, however I don't think that became a popular moniker until they started building the Uptown development, on the north end of Post Oak.

The Galleria is technically a lot more than a mall. There are several office towers, and hotels, and much of the area around the Galleria doesn't mind telling people how close they are to the Galleria. People will call it the Galleria forever. I'm sure a lot more people know the area as the Galleria just because it was the magnet that drew everything to the area, and that's pretty hard to change. I usually call it Galleria-Uptown. That way I know people know where I'm talking about.

Coming into the city from the Bryan-College Station area (29 to the west loop), it never fails, someone in my family or a friend that I'm riding with will always say  "Wow look at downtown (referring to Uptown). It never fails. I would prefer them call it the Galleria instead of Downtown. I always point over to the East (direction of downtown) while its still visible from the freeway and tell them "That is downtown."

[por favor gracias 631]

1 hour ago, citykid09 said:

Coming into the city from the Bryan-College Station area (29 to the west loop), it never fails, someone in my family or a friend that I'm riding with will always say  "Wow look at downtown (referring to Uptown). It never fails. I would prefer them call it the Galleria instead of Downtown. I always point over to the East (direction of downtown) while its still visible from the freeway and tell them "That is downtown."

 

About eight or nine years ago, my mom came here from VA with her friend, who to my understanding had never left the Richmond, VA area his whole life (I think he's around 75 years old). My mom used to live here, so she knew about our multiple skylines, but I just remember that they stayed at the LaQuinta Inn on 610 near what is now the Amegy Bank building, and we were about to go to Ninfa's on Navigation. I remember her friend asking where it was, and when I told him it was near downtown, he looked around at all the buildings in the Galleria area and said "this isn't downtown??"

[enriquewx91 856]

15 hours ago, citykid09 said:

Coming into the city from the Bryan-College Station area (29 to the west loop), it never fails, someone in my family or a friend that I'm riding with will always say  "Wow look at downtown (referring to Uptown). It never fails. I would prefer them call it the Galleria instead of Downtown. I always point over to the East (direction of downtown) while its still visible from the freeway and tell them "That is downtown."

My family from Dallas don't travel to Houston often and to be fair they moved to Texas from California. They came in once and we went to a restaurant in the River Oaks area and they were telling us how they liked downtown Houston (we passed by Uptown not DT). I told them yeah that's not even downtown, I took them to downtown and they just said why do you need so many buildings! Dallas has nothing like this.

[htownbro 604]

15 hours ago, citykid09 said:

Coming into the city from the Bryan-College Station area (29 to the west loop), it never fails, someone in my family or a friend that I'm riding with will always say  "Wow look at downtown (referring to Uptown). It never fails. I would prefer them call it the Galleria instead of Downtown. I always point over to the East (direction of downtown) while its still visible from the freeway and tell them "That is downtown."

I think alot of visitors to Houston are confused about which skyline is downtown.  As the developments continue, it will get even more confusing for them. 

[Houston19514 4765]

2 minutes ago, htownbro said:

I think alot of visitors to Houston are confused about which skyline is downtown.  As the developments continue, it will get even more confusing for them. 

 

Indeed.  I was driving inbound on the Southwest Freeway with a visitor last week when he spotted the Medical Center skyline. He commented, "oh there's downtown".  I said, "do you mean over there to the right?... no, that's the Medical Center."  He was dumbfounded and it took a bit to convince him we were talking about the same skyline.

[shasta 337]

We are developing more like an Asian city than an American one. We will have visible skyscraper nodes in many parts of the city.