JW Marriott At 806 Main St. & Expansion Into Battlestein’s - 812 Main St.

[mollusk]

Does someone mind snapping a pic of the exterior progress?

 

I would if I could get them to turn out properly.  Regardless, not a whole lot to see vs. a couple weeks ago.  They seem to be working more on interiors right now (including much jackhammer work).

[Avossos]

I would if I could get them to turn out properly.  Regardless, not a whole lot to see vs. a couple weeks ago.  They seem to be working more on interiors right now (including much jackhammer work).

 

Ah ok. I was just wondering about their progress on "bricking"

[downtownian]

I would if I could get them to turn out properly.  Regardless, not a whole lot to see vs. a couple weeks ago.  They seem to be working more on interiors right now (including much jackhammer work).

 

The entire north side of the building is almost completely covered in the faux brick:

 

 

 

 

[rsb320]

Interesting.

Edited April 10, 2014 by rsb320

[Avossos]

thank you!

[Nate99]

I am really interested to see what they do around the lower three floors, it could end up really cool. 

 

Now if someone could figure out a use for the old Battelstein's building. 

[Tumbleweed_Tx]

here's more..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[mollusk]

The faux brick is even more faux than lick and stick - it appears to be another layer of paint in a different color.

[H-Town Man]

The faux brick is even more faux than lick and stick - it appears to be another layer of paint in a different color.

Just don't make it sound like you're lamenting the faux-ness of the brick. When I did that a few pages back, people jumped all over me for it.

[mollusk]

Just don't make it sound like you're lamenting the faux-ness of the brick. When I did that a few pages back, people jumped all over me for it.

 

 I embrace painted Styrofoam brickesque building materials. 

 

Given the mastic that apparently couldn't be removed from the original brick, to get to the original appearance I don't know that there was a whole lot of alternative (except perhaps for actual lick and stick, which in that volume would be pretty spendy).

[Nate99]

New stuff on the lower two floors looks to be getting ready to attach whatever the exterior will ultimately be.  

 

 

I did not grab a picture of it, but the fake brick looks decent to me, you can see it better now that they have the rusk side done down to the fourth floor. 

[H-Town Man]

I'm going to man up and say that, despite my earlier disappointment, the brick-painted-on-foam really does look better than I thought.  I actually like it so much that, whenever I stay there, I just might take my pocket knife and gouge out a chunk to take home.

 

[Nate99]

I'm going to man up and say that, despite my earlier disappointment, the brick-painted-on-foam really does look better than I thought.  I actually like it so much that, whenever I stay there, I just might take my pocket knife and gouge out a chunk to take home.

 

Snag me a star while you're out there. 

[H-Town Man]

Snag me a star while you're out there. 

 

Yeah, that probably wouldn't be too hard either, though the longer reach might save them.

[H-Town Man]

 

If it still interests anyone, this photo of the earlier building seems to show some interesting iconography on the upper entablature and cornices. As for the most controversial feature, we seem to have some type of sash instead of a star:

 

Edited April 15, 2014 by H-Town Man

[Nate99]

If it still interests anyone, this photo of the earlier building seems to show some interesting iconography on the upper entablature and cornices. As for the most controversial feature, we seem to have some type of sash instead of a star:

 

 

 

The cattle skulls in the Esperson building stonework are pretty cool. It is unfortunate that they couldn't have done something on that scale, or even similar to the Texaco building "Texas Company" logos, but I suppose real estate investment is too transitory these days to literally etch anything like the JW Mariott logo in stone (or foam/plaster/stucco). 

Edited April 16, 2014 by Nate99

[Subdude]

If it still interests anyone, this photo of the earlier building seems to show some interesting iconography on the upper entablature and cornices. As for the most controversial feature, we seem to have some type of sash instead of a star:

 

 

Great picture.  It is amazing to see the amount of detail that was poured into facades back then (also check out the elephant parade picture posted above).  

 

I don't even think it is economic considerations that prevent recreation of that degree of detailed design, even in restorations such as this one that are aiming at some degree of accuracy.  I think that architects now simply don't know how to decorate that way anymore.  It's like a cultural memory that has been lost through time.  All that architects can think of to do is plaster on stick-um stars and hope that sufficiently connotes a sense of historicism. 

 

It also seems that modern architects have a really hard time not using the color beige.

[H-Town Man]

Great picture. It is amazing to see the amount of detail that was poured into facades back then (also check out the elephant parade picture posted above).

I don't even think it is economic considerations that prevent recreation of that degree of detailed design, even in restorations such as this one that are aiming at some degree of accuracy. I think that architects now simply don't know how to decorate that way anymore. It's like a cultural memory that has been lost through time. All that architects can think of to do is plaster on stick-um stars and hope that sufficiently connotes a sense of historicism.

It also seems that modern architects have a really hard time not using the color beige.

Not just architects but I think society in general is less interested in iconography, which we used to get through the masons and other societies, as well as studying things like heraldry as a pastime. I'm not sure I know the reason for this change, other than just to guess technology.

[HoustonBoy]

I think the absence of masonry reflects society's uninterest in the small details that come together to make one beautiful thing and are now interested in the big picture; the shape and design of the building as a whole.

[H-Town Man]

I'm hoping that 3D printing makes it easier to recreate some of these old designs for castings.

 

[mollusk]

It also seems that modern architects have a really hard time not using the color beige.

 

In general, I agree; however, they're pretty close to the original brick color on this one. 

 

I'm just glad that the glass isn't tinted blue.

[Nate99]

Pardon the finger in the corner.

 

You can actually make out remnants of exposed old brick right at the bottom of the re-covered area. 

 

Edited April 16, 2014 by Nate99

[Subdude]

In general, I agree; however, they're pretty close to the original brick color on this one. 

 

I'm just glad that the glass isn't tinted blue.

 

Wasn't the original structure all white?

 

 

 

Beige is the defining building color of our time, to the point where modern architects have a hard time conceiving of not using it in structures.  Once we had a HAIF topic about "beige blight".  

[mollusk]

Wasn't the original structure all white?

 

 

 

Beige is the defining building color of our time, to the point where modern architects have a hard time conceiving of not using it in structures.  Once we had a HAIF topic about "beige blight".  

 

In a demonstration of how eager I am to escape what I'm working on this afternoon (however briefly), I just went downstairs to take a look.

 

The whitish spandrel brick still visible under the bottom left windows looks to have been painted white at one time.  The adjoining bays also look to have been painted but then soiled.  Tucked around the corner and behind the curtain wall of the little alley filler building between 806 Main and 801 Travis is some once upon a time exterior brick that is about the same shade of buff as the Neils Esperson.

 

The scourge of beige has been with us a long time - just look at Neils Esperson, 1001 McKinney, Commerce Tower, what I still can't break myself from calling the old Gulf Building, Houston Club, the brick portion of Americana, etc., etc...

[Texasota]

natural color of masonry is very different from applied color though

[Subdude]

In a demonstration of how eager I am to escape what I'm working on this afternoon (however briefly), I just went downstairs to take a look.

 

The whitish spandrel brick still visible under the bottom left windows looks to have been painted white at one time.  The adjoining bays also look to have been painted but then soiled.  Tucked around the corner and behind the curtain wall of the little alley filler building between 806 Main and 801 Travis is some once upon a time exterior brick that is about the same shade of buff as the Neils Esperson.

 

The scourge of beige has been with us a long time - just look at Neils Esperson, 1001 McKinney, Commerce Tower, what I still can't break myself from calling the old Gulf Building, Houston Club, the brick portion of Americana, etc., etc...

 

Beige/sandstone also had its moment in the 1940s-early 1950s (your examples, Herman Hospital, Shamrock etc) but interestingly there was a swing towards white and turquoise through the 1960s.  Examples are Medical Towers, St Lukes, Americana, Melrose, Exxon, Sheraton-Lincoln, First City, Alley Theater.  The turquoise in particular came to seem dated in the 1970s and in some cases was covered up.  

[H-Town Man]

I think most early 20th century architects thought beige was "appropriate" for the southwest, so we got lots of beige. I think the old brick on this one was yellowish-beige.

[mollusk]

I'm going to continue to describe the color as "buff" in honor of the age of the older examples, for which beige would also imply boring and formulaic (not that they weren't boring and formulaic in their time).

[BaderJF]

Pictures from today:

[Nate99]

Shiny new glass on the skinny Rusk side part...

 

 

 

Full shot - note the scaffolvators are coming down...

 

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Far off shot...