Montrose1100 Posted June 6, 2014 Share Posted June 6, 2014 Love that last shot. BG Group place melts into the sky. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArchFan Posted June 7, 2014 Share Posted June 7, 2014 Agree. Nice photos! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monarch Posted June 7, 2014 Share Posted June 7, 2014 great job triton! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate99 Posted June 12, 2014 Share Posted June 12, 2014 (edited) They have added something of an "eyebrow" to the top of the unfinished section. Not sure how much of it you can make out in the picture here. There will be a ledge right below the 4th floor windows. Edited June 12, 2014 by Nate99 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate99 Posted June 16, 2014 Share Posted June 16, 2014 They have blocked off Main completely in front of 806. I'm presuming that they will be doing work on the entryway extending nearly to the street. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mollusk Posted June 16, 2014 Share Posted June 16, 2014 There was a chain link fence between the driving lane and the rail track for quite a while; this barrier appears to be more substantial. Warning: wild speculation alert. Perhaps a laydown area for real stone to clad the bottom floors? They don't have a whole bunch of room on the Rusk side, what with the rail line being right up against the sidewalk. (we now return to sourced material...) There will also be a pretty good sized canopy on Main, with a smaller one on Rusk, plus a second ledge - http://www.jwmarriotthotelhouston.com/ As per that website, they're looking at an August opening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aarosurf Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 Looking at the official Google+ page, the clock has re-appeared in one of the photos - I hope it gets installed i think it will add a lot of character (note that these were both uploaded on May 22) 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monarch Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 wow. timeless. simply beautiful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aarosurf Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 I walked past this morning and they were starting to put up cladding on the Main St. side (only foam-type material so far). I will try to put up a photo after work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Howard Huge Posted June 20, 2014 Share Posted June 20, 2014 Credit to Hbj for the pics.. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Howard Huge Posted June 20, 2014 Share Posted June 20, 2014 Each room comes with a tablet for ordering room service, etc.. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mollusk Posted June 20, 2014 Share Posted June 20, 2014 The wood fence on Main between the street and rail lanes is back down, though the southbound street remains blocked during the day. They've taken up a lot of the sidewalk and street in front of what I'll assume will be the front door; the street had metal construction plates over the hole when I drove over it yesterday evening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate99 Posted June 24, 2014 Share Posted June 24, 2014 Pallets of bricks, for the sidewalk/street, I presume. Pallets of what looked like tile. Could be wrong though. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H-Town Man Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 Actual brick! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kdog08 Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 Actual brick! For that up and close touch, MMmmmmmmHmmmm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
downtownian Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 Here's an interesting article with the lead Gensler architect discussing design and construction: http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/blog/breaking-ground/2014/06/what-the-brooklyn-bridge-and-new-downtown-jw.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mollusk Posted June 26, 2014 Share Posted June 26, 2014 I'm eager to see the finished product. Driving by today I could see that they are going gangbusters on lower floor interior buildout, even though they still don't have the bottom few floors closed in yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcus Allen Posted June 26, 2014 Share Posted June 26, 2014 You know, for as many times as our beloved HTown gets it wrong regarding architectural preservation, this is a keeper. Way to go! Yes, I believe as many as ten towers could be reclad DT and it would completely change the aesthetics of the area. I also believe HTown should try to maintain some historical relevance. This certainly meets that personal criterion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate99 Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 (edited) Exterior being bricked up. Looked like cinder block. Looks like I had my phone in square mode, apologies for getting mostly pole. Edited July 1, 2014 by Nate99 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate99 Posted July 3, 2014 Share Posted July 3, 2014 Stone going on... 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UtterlyUrban Posted July 3, 2014 Share Posted July 3, 2014 It will be nice when this hotel opens. All those sane out-of-towners will dilute the percentages of the: 1) truly crazy, 2) mostly crazy, 3) crazy only some times, and 4) general miscreants that populate Main Street. It will be fun to watch Sally and Sam - quilting Convention attendees from Nebraska-- navigate Main Street. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate99 Posted July 3, 2014 Share Posted July 3, 2014 It will be nice when this hotel opens. All those sane out-of-towners will dilute the percentages of the: 1) truly crazy, 2) mostly crazy, 3) crazy only some times, and 4) general miscreants that populate Main Street. It will be fun to watch Sally and Sam - quilting Convention attendees from Nebraska-- navigate Main Street. It is but a one block stroll to the crazy epicenter in front of the $0.99 store, but really since they dynamited the Montagu and build BG place, it hasn't been the same. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aarosurf Posted July 3, 2014 Share Posted July 3, 2014 Starting at the $0.99 cent store and heading south a few blocks it's still pretty sketchy, especially in the late afternoons. They've beefed up the police presence on the streets recently, but there are still plenty of people "hanging out". I think once the area fills out more (Aloft opens, next houston center tower goes up, Texaco renovation finishes, Hilcorp building finishes) the area will drastically improve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aarosurf Posted July 3, 2014 Share Posted July 3, 2014 Also, every time the 99 cent store gets brought up, I have to post this picture. Hopefully someone a lot richer than me sees my post, and will be inspired to purchase it and restore it to its former glory (I think it would be great for a Museum of Houston): 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate99 Posted July 3, 2014 Share Posted July 3, 2014 Also, every time the 99 cent store gets brought up, I have to post this picture. Hopefully someone a lot richer than me sees my post, and will be inspired to purchase it and restore it to its former glory (I think it would be great for a Museum of Houston): Agreed. It was a seriously cool looking building. Not sure how much is left under all the cladding, but you can still see the points of the ornamentation at the very top poking out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slick Vik Posted July 3, 2014 Share Posted July 3, 2014 Nice picture. I walk by the 99 cent store daily and nobody bothers me though. I think it's more perception than reality 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sevfiv Posted July 3, 2014 Share Posted July 3, 2014 Just a Dollar .19! (used to be Just a Dollar...lol) - and the remnants: http://arch-ive.org/archive/krupp-tuffly/ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UtterlyUrban Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 Starting at the $0.99 cent store and heading south a few blocks it's still pretty sketchy, especially in the late afternoons. They've beefed up the police presence on the streets recently, but there are still plenty of people "hanging out". I think once the area fills out more (Aloft opens, next houston center tower goes up, Texaco renovation finishes, Hilcorp building finishes) the area will drastically improve.On the other end is the Food Store at Lamar and Main. Two bookends to get your smokes and your beer.Separately, I thought the Aloft plan had been officially cancelled. No? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lockmat Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 Just a Dollar .19! (used to be Just a Dollar...lol) - and the remnants: http://arch-ive.org/archive/krupp-tuffly/ Who in their right mind thought what is there now was better than the original building. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mollusk Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 Separately, I thought the Aloft plan had been officially cancelled. No? It's still showing up on the Starwood/Aloft website as opening June 2016. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
largeTEXAS Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 It's still showing up on the Starwood/Aloft website as opening June 2016. Aloft is moving along nicely and should be open by the Superbowl. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purpledevil Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 Who in their right mind thought what is there now was better than the original building.Isn't this the original building underneath all the "modernization"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UtterlyUrban Posted July 5, 2014 Share Posted July 5, 2014 Aloft is moving along nicely and should be open by the Superbowl.Hmmmm.I wonder why it was removed from the development map? I recall it being there previously but a couple of months ago, I recall it being removed. http://www.downtownhouston.org/site_media/uploads/attachments/2014-07-03/140505_Downtown_Houston_Development_Map_8_5_x_11.pdfThoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cloud713 Posted July 5, 2014 Share Posted July 5, 2014 (edited) Thanks for posting this! As soon as I read 99 cent store this came to mind as well. Such a shame.. Interesting.. I thought number 29 was a new residential project we hadn't heard of.. I guess that one replaced the Aloft Also, every time the 99 cent store gets brought up, I have to post this picture. Hopefully someone a lot richer than me sees my post, and will be inspired to purchase it and restore it to its former glory (I think it would be great for a Museum of Houston): Thanks for posting this! As soon as I read 99 cent store this came to mind as well. Such a shame.. Hmmmm. I wonder why it was removed from the development map? I recall it being there previously but a couple of months ago, I recall it being removed. http://www.downtownhouston.org/site_media/uploads/attachments/2014-07-03/140505_Downtown_Houston_Development_Map_8_5_x_11.pdf Thoughts? Interesting.. I thought number 29 was a new residential project we hadn't heard of.. I guess that one replaced the Aloft, since there were 39 developments in each of the last 2 updates Edited July 5, 2014 by cloud713 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UtterlyUrban Posted July 5, 2014 Share Posted July 5, 2014 (edited) Thanks for posting this! As soon as I read 99 cent store this came to mind as well. Such a shame.. Interesting.. I thought number 29 was a new residential project we hadn't heard of.. I guess that one replaced the Aloft, since there were 39 developments in each of the last 2 updatesThe Aloft Hotel project was listed in April:http://www.downtownhouston.org/site_media/uploads/attachments/2014-04-17/140416_Downtown_Houston_Development_Map_11x17.pdfBut, It was removed from the planning document back in May:http://www.downtownhouston.org/site_media/uploads/attachments/2014-05-08/140505_Downtown_Houston_Development_Map_11x17.pdfThat said, I am curious that others say it is moving ahead nicely. For the two folks above who indicated that this project is moving ahead can you share the information that makes you certain that the project is moving forward? Edited July 5, 2014 by UtterlyUrban 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mollusk Posted July 5, 2014 Share Posted July 5, 2014 (edited) OK, here's a link to the Starwood/Aloft website I referred to in my earlier post. Scroll about halfway down to the locations in Texas. For more detail, click on the "detail view" button, scroll down, and you'll see this: I don't prepare the downtown development map, so I can't speak to why it would be there on one version and not on another, later one. Perhaps the person updating the map started from an earlier version that didn't have it on there, and didn't catch omission of that one, relatively small project. Other equally innocent possibilities exist. Edited July 5, 2014 by mollusk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UtterlyUrban Posted July 5, 2014 Share Posted July 5, 2014 OK, here's a link to the Starwood/Aloft website I referred to in my earlier post. Scroll about halfway down to the locations in Texas. For more detail, click on the "detail view" button, scroll down, and you'll see this: Aloft grab.jpg I don't prepare the downtown development map, so I can't speak to why it would be there on one version and not on another, later one. Perhaps the person updating the map started from an earlier version that didn't have it on there, and didn't catch omission of that one, relatively small project. Other equally innocent possibilities exist. Yes, thank you. I looked at the website. Of course it could also be that the project has been cancelled and Starwood has not gotten around to updating their website. I guess we will find out, one way or the other, in the next several months. I am most curious about the other post above that indicates that the project is moving forward nicely. That statement implies to me that the poster knows something about this project that a casual observer like myself does not know. Hopefully, the author will be back to clarify/amplify his post in light of the conflicting information on the two websites. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate99 Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 I wish Battlesteins next door had been part of the project. I could see it as a nice reception / party / meeting space for the hotel. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate99 Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 I wish Battlesteins next door had been part of the project. I could see it as a nice reception / party / meeting space for the hotel. They used it for construction offices/materials staging basd on folks I have seen coming and going out of it. Would have been nice to have the whole block rehabilitated in one shot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H-Town Man Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 I wish Battlesteins next door had been part of the project. I could see it as a nice reception / party / meeting space for the hotel. It would be better in the long run if there was more than one use on that side of the block besides the parking garage. That's assuming the Battelstein's space can get filled. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mollusk Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 The parking garage does have GFR on the Main Street side. One of the spaces is even leased out. I could see at least the lower two or three floors of the Battelstein's building working out as a grotto like club thing, or a tiki bar. It's the same sort of space as what's further up Main in the 300 block, just a newer build. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UtterlyUrban Posted July 15, 2014 Share Posted July 15, 2014 I just went to the website. It does not seem that they are Taking reservations for any date yet. I wonder if that means that the project is still in enough flux that they can't predict and opening? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate99 Posted July 18, 2014 Share Posted July 18, 2014 I just went to the website. It does not seem that they are Taking reservations for any date yet. I wonder if that means that the project is still in enough flux that they can't predict and opening? Not sure if they have a date certain, but I did just get a bit of unexpected info on this. The cashier lady that knows my order at Starbucks in the Chase tower said she was quitting and starting over there on Monday, so they are staffing up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purpledevil Posted July 18, 2014 Share Posted July 18, 2014 Approximately 2 more months, give or take. Hiring is well under way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aarosurf Posted July 20, 2014 Share Posted July 20, 2014 Some floor plans linked below from http://planyourmeetings.com/27779/jw-marriott-downtown-houston/ . Some interesting new information - they've restored Samuel F. Carter's original office: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 "It is Historically restored to it's beautiful grandeur is considered the heart of JW Marriott Houston Downtown as it resides nestled in the center of our hotel." Hire a copy editor, folks. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate99 Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 (edited) "It is Historically restored to it's beautiful grandeur is considered the heart of JW Marriott Houston Downtown as it resides nestled in the center of our hotel." Hire a copy editor, folks. It is written to be google translated in to many languages and still be semi-decipherable. Edited July 21, 2014 by Nate99 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texasota Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 eh, but it barely even makes sense. And if nothing else, "it's" should be "its". There's no excuse for that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Specwriter Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 It is written to be google translated in to many languages and still be semi-decipherable. Give me a break. Is that crap supposed to appeal to an educated clientele? I agree with Texasota; it is (it's) hardly decipherable in the original, i.e. piss-poor English. Here is my translation: Authentically restored to is historical grandeur, it holds pride of place in the center of the hotel. I could be even less florid and replace the last phrase with: it is located in the center of the hotel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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