ChannelTwoNews Posted August 20, 2012 Share Posted August 20, 2012 I was told once that the original facade was more or less intact under the newer facade panels. It will be interesting to see how true this is, and how much restoration treatment will be necessary. Once 806 Main is restored, the disco glass facade on the Kirby Building will be one of the last remaining traces of the great wave of Main Street "modernization". Based on what I saw when I was taking pictures near the site, I wouldn't be surprised if that were the case. Here are a few snaps... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate99 Posted August 22, 2012 Share Posted August 22, 2012 Anyone know anything about Wexlers? A guy who saw me take this pic said that it was a clothing store. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 There's a Wexler's Jewelry, but that was incorporated in the early 1970s so it might not be the same. The covering up of the original facade on 806 Main was completed in about 1965. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nole23 Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pleak Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 Sweeeeeet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lockmat Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 old rendering. but nice to see it again anyway. if that's the final product, it'll be one of my favorite buildings in all of Houston 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate99 Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 old rendering. but nice to see it again anyway. if that's the final product, it'll be one of my favorite buildings in all of HoustonAgreed. That looks pretty sharp. To go from what is there now to that would completely transform that block. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted August 24, 2012 Share Posted August 24, 2012 They are even showing restoration of the old clock that was at the corner. I must say I'm impressed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houston19514 Posted August 24, 2012 Author Share Posted August 24, 2012 (edited) It is really interesting and sad to see the progression of this building. Love that new rendering. This is going to be a GREAT addition to downtown! Comparing this old picture with the new rendering, it appears 6 floors were added to the building at some time. Edited August 26, 2012 by editor Image 404 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate99 Posted August 24, 2012 Share Posted August 24, 2012 Construction elevator has arrived. I walk by the place all the time, so I'll do what I can to chronicle the refurb. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roadrunner Posted August 26, 2012 Share Posted August 26, 2012 Wow this would be fantastic if it actually turns out like that. The red canopies really make it slick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mfastx Posted August 26, 2012 Share Posted August 26, 2012 It would be fantastic. It would be even more fantastic if there were really that many people walking around at street level downtown. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houston19514 Posted August 26, 2012 Author Share Posted August 26, 2012 It would be fantastic. It would be even more fantastic if there were really that many people walking around at street level downtown. That is not an unrealistic portrayal of downtown. You should visit some lunchtime, especially in a non-summer month. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
editor Posted August 26, 2012 Share Posted August 26, 2012 Here's the text of that City of Houston PDF referenced earlier for those whose computers panic at PDFs:The City of Houston proposes to provide approximately $7.35 million of gap financing (Section 108/EDI funds) for the renovation of a vacant property located at 806 Main Street into a luxury hotel. In addition to the construction jobs provided for the renovation of this building, the hotel will is projected to provide over 177 permanent, on-site jobs in Houston’s core. The project will also eliminate one of the few remaining blighted areas of the Main Street District and offer much needed rooms to support the efforts of the Convention and Visitor’s Bureau and the George R Brown Convention Center.Once hailed as Houston’s most magnificent structure, “The Carter Building,” Houston’s first sky-scraper, was constructed in 1910 by Samuel Fain Carter, nephew of philanthropist Jesse H. Jones and stood sixteen stories tall. Houston's historic buildings were influenced by visionaries such as Mr. Jones and Mr. Carter, and the city’s growth and diversification were due, in part, to their dedication and involvement in promoting the rapidly growing city as a thriving metropolis. Later pinned the Second National Bank Building, renowned architectural firm Sanguinet and Stattsthen oversaw the massive 1925 renovation which involved adding six additional floors.The property is located on the southwest quadrant of Main and Rusk Streets in Downtown Houston. The property sits on .03 acres and is approximately 235,000 sq feet. This twenty two story office building has been substantially vacant for the last decade, but will be redeveloped into a full-service, luxury hotel. The hotel is located on the Main Street at the intersection of the existing North/South metro rail as well as the East/West rail line currently under construction. The site is approximately 20 miles from George Bush International Airport and 16 miles from the William P Hobby Airport. The site also has easy access to local and regional highways such as Interstate 45, US Highway 59, and Interstate 10.The newly renovated hotel will provide permanent jobs, retain and revitalize a historic structure, and add much needed hotel rooms to downtown Houston. With unmet demand for downtown hotel rooms, current market studies for the CBD indicate that the downtown market will benefit from a hotel of this caliber. Aside from transient guests, the hotel will enable the George R Brown Convention Center to win conventions it has previously forfeited for lack of quality hotel space. Lost conventions include Academy of Nurse Practitioners Annual Conference, Microsoft Tech Ed, AARP Annual Meeting, Church of God in Christ, National Safety Council Annual Meeting, and American Chemical Society Annual Conferences to name a few. The ability to book these conferences not only aids the Convention Center, but also the local downtown businesses that serve convention goers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houston19514 Posted August 27, 2012 Author Share Posted August 27, 2012 Is that a City of Houston press release? Whoever it is, they need to find someone who can write (and at least know the name of the city's primary airport). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNiche Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 Is that a City of Houston press release? Whoever it is, they need to find someone who can write (and at least know the name of the city's primary airport).Not to mention, someone that can get their basic facts and figures straight about the project.A 235,000-square-foot building on 0.03 acres would have a floorplate size of 1,308 square feet (barely enough for elevators and stairs) and would be 180 stories tall. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricco67 Posted September 17, 2012 Share Posted September 17, 2012 Here is 806 as it stands as of today: Not much different from the original photo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate99 Posted October 11, 2012 Share Posted October 11, 2012 A coouple of shots from today. Looks like they have a scaffold/elevator setup on the Rusk side, perhaps to start stripping off the facade. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate99 Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 I noticed someone doing what looked like sheetrock work on the third floor of the narrow strip of building with the yellowish panels that face Rusk. He was right above the window unit a/c in my pic above. Is that part contiguous internally with the 806 Main building? It is a different height, but could be a section that was not raised when the original building added the additional floors way back when. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate99 Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 I noticed someone doing what looked like sheetrock work on the third floor of the narrow strip of building with the yellowish panels that face Rusk. He was right above the window unit a/c in my pic above. Is that part contiguous internally with the 806 Main building? It is a different height, but could be a section that was not raised when the original building added the additional floors way back when. Partially answering my question, they extended the scaffolvator all the way across to the other building. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purdueenginerd Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 The proper/construction industry term for that type of scaffolding is a mast climber just for everyone's knowledge... Very cool pictures though, I'm looking forward to this project developing. "scaffolvator" though I like that, I'm gonna have to remember that. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate99 Posted November 5, 2012 Share Posted November 5, 2012 A couple more. They are definitely stripping the cladding. The windows are out of the upper floors too. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houston19514 Posted November 5, 2012 Author Share Posted November 5, 2012 The proper/construction industry term for that type of scaffolding is a mast climber just for everyone's knowledge... Very cool pictures though, I'm looking forward to this project developing. "scaffolvator" though I like that, I'm gonna have to remember that. Yeah, scaffolvator is way better than mast climber. ;-) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate99 Posted November 19, 2012 Share Posted November 19, 2012 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate99 Posted November 19, 2012 Share Posted November 19, 2012 You can see some of the stone work being uncovered on the upper floors now. I'm still interested to see how they are going to get the black gunk that is on the brick behind the white-ish panels off or if they'll paint over it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flatline Posted November 20, 2012 Share Posted November 20, 2012 Sorry for the poor picture quality. These are 15 floors up on the north side. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate99 Posted November 20, 2012 Share Posted November 20, 2012 I also noted that it looks like they have a mockup of a finished hotel room in the area that I noted the sheetrock work being done earlier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatesdisastr Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 I also noted that it looks like they have a mockup of a finished hotel room in the area that I noted the sheetrock work being done earlier.What? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate99 Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 What?In the section of building with the different facade facing Rusk, I noticed that they were doing some interior work on a 3rd or 4th floor area, which I noted in a previous post. I walked by later, and you can see furniture and fixtures and a finished interior where they were working. I am guessing that they were putting together what the rooms will look like as an example, or to work through options when they start to outfit the guest rooms. I could be wrong though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flatline Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 I was at the Embassy Suites in Fort Worth this week, which is also a Pearl Hospitality hotel. The manager said that there is, in fact, a mock-up room that they are showing to potential investors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.