Nate99 Posted February 9, 2015 Share Posted February 9, 2015 Chipping away... 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigFootsSocks Posted February 9, 2015 Share Posted February 9, 2015 I know there's some plan behind all of this but damn to the common man this whole outcome of events has been so hard to understand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoninATX Posted February 9, 2015 Share Posted February 9, 2015 I know right. Skanska should just build the tower, by the time it's complete or perhaps before it's complete they would have already landed a tenant. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate99 Posted February 9, 2015 Share Posted February 9, 2015 (edited) Having messed up the parking situation, Skanska is now contractually committed to building a statue of Ben Love on the site no more that five feet below the FAA maximum allowable terrestrial structure height for Downtown Houston. Edited February 9, 2015 by Nate99 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mollusk Posted February 9, 2015 Share Posted February 9, 2015 I'll wildly speculate that what's going on is that rather than Plan A of building the south half of the parking podium, moving over Those Whose Parking Shall Not Be Disturbed, then taking out the north structure and going up with the tower, they are going to Plan B - zap out the whole block and build at least the full footprint of the parking podium so that Chase can get hooked back into the tunnel system. It's interesting, though, that after all the time and effort expended to deconstruct the southern structure prior to imploding it, they're going with an old school wrecking ball. (**insert Miley Cyrus earworm here**) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KDW Posted February 9, 2015 Share Posted February 9, 2015 My guess, for what it's worth......The garage sustains some damage during the implosion, Have to move Those Whose Parking Shall Not Be Disturbed (TWPSNBD) to another garage for the repairs. Move TWPSNBD to said new site. Once TWPSNBD are gone see an opening. Now even though they spend the money to demolish the structures as they were see this opening to save millions by now clearing the whole site, gain more room for the construction of the new parking garage, and maybe have a more marketable site to find that new tenant for the new tower....just a guess.. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate99 Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timoric Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 (edited) - Edited July 8, 2019 by Timoric Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate99 Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 Any buildings in downtown Houston have rooftop access that are pretty tall for pic taking and drone launching? It looks like there is a railing on the smaller gray Chase-matching structure in the pic. Not many that would be openly accessible. Public garages would probably be your best bet. If you get a room at the Magnolia, you could go out on their pool deck, it's at the top. Ditto Hotel Icon. Judging by the google map satellite image, the 601 Travis garage that you mention doesn't look to have anything but the standard roof top mechanical stuff up there as its top few floors are all office space. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graystone Posted February 15, 2015 Share Posted February 15, 2015 Not many that would be openly accessible. Public garages would probably be your best bet. If you get a room at the Magnolia, you could go out on their pool deck, it's at the top. Ditto Hotel Icon. Judging by the google map satellite image, the 601 Travis garage that you mention doesn't look to have anything but the standard roof top mechanical stuff up there as its top few floors are all office space.Nate is correct. I can see the top of this garage from my office. However there is quite a lot of equipment on that roof and what cannot be seen from street level is that at the center of the garage structure is a smaller oval office/conference room level rising above the last visible floor that could have roof access. There are also coolers for the JP Morgan building in a hidden nook on the northeast portion of the mega garage slash office. As this was a Hines construction I wouldn't put it past them putting permanent railings in simply for safety of workers on the roof. As a side note for those who don't work downtown there is kind of a parking crunch since many surface lots have bitten it and The Market square garage is not open to daily parkers only contract. This has prompted the Chronicle to open up half their garage to public use for eight bucks a day. Also their is like a seven hundred person long waiting list to get a contract parking spot with the Theater District Parking during daytime hours. If Skanska builds this garage they will get a lot of business to pay for it while they search for a tenant so they can build their tower. Parking rates are rising all over downtown. Last I checked the going rate for contract parking was between $120 and $150 a month for a space. Many of my co-workers are not happy about this for obvious reasons. On a bright note this is causing several of them to consider riding metro. (More parking for me!) 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoustonIsHome Posted February 15, 2015 Share Posted February 15, 2015 ^^^was wondering how the parking situation had changed in the last year with all these spots disappearing.Hopefully this will spark more park and ride use and taller parking structures instead of open surface parking Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
por favor gracias Posted February 15, 2015 Share Posted February 15, 2015 ^^^ Or perhaps a real mass transit option or two ^^^ 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate99 Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 More (or less) 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Nate99 Posted February 26, 2015 Popular Post Share Posted February 26, 2015 Pilings go in... Buildings come out... 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate99 Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 (edited) On a side note, it won't be too long before 609 Main will peek over the top of the Chase Tower garage and be visible from Milam near where I took the pictures above. Stuff's going to get a lot denser in here. If this (Capitol Tower) gets built all the way as rendered, it will be an interesting new atmosphere going down Capitol. Edited February 26, 2015 by Nate99 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate99 Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 Also of interest is that this is now listed on the development map as: Capitol Tower Parking Garage - 7-story, 300-space parkinggarage. Skanska. Est. completion 4Q 2015. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fkp5 Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 Wow, this is very disappointing. I wish they would have just kept the Houston Club building and converted it to residential. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cloud713 Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 We knew they were only going to start with the garage.. They're waiting to land a tenant before they build the tower. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fkp5 Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 Yes, we knew they were starting the garage first, but the tower was still listed as a proposed project on the previous maps. Now it isn't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate99 Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 My inner voices are saying "parking garage...parking garage!" Spooky! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cloud713 Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 I assure you Skanska didn't put all of this effort into the development just to build a 7 story garage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fkp5 Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 You're right, the tower will probably eventually get built, but it could be a while. It's still a little disappointing. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cloud713 Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 oh i agree. but at the same time did we really expect Skanska to make a poor business decision and go spec with such a large office project in this economic environment? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urbanize713 Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 (edited) I don't disagree with you but to play devils advocate is that not what they are literally doing in the energy corridor? http://www.bisnow.co...al-sweet-spots/ http://www.houstonarchitecture.com/haif/topic/26149-skanska-in-the-energy-corridor/page-2 Edited February 26, 2015 by urbanize713 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fkp5 Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 I understand and respect Skanska's reasons for postponing the project because of the questionable economic environment, but I'm just disappointed that we're only getting a seven story parking garage for now in such a prime spot, especially because I feel like the building that they ripped down had potential to be converted into pretty cool residential units. I hope they are able to eventually find a lead tenant because I really like their proposal. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate99 Posted March 2, 2015 Share Posted March 2, 2015 (edited) Edited March 2, 2015 by Nate99 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Urbannizer Posted March 6, 2015 Share Posted March 6, 2015 3/6 by Christopher Andrews on Twitter 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monarch Posted March 7, 2015 Share Posted March 7, 2015 haif photographers..... you guys are rocking these great illustrations! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UtterlyUrban Posted March 7, 2015 Share Posted March 7, 2015 (edited) Has the tower really become jetsam in a sea of free crude? Edited March 7, 2015 by UtterlyUrban 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KinkaidAlum Posted March 7, 2015 Share Posted March 7, 2015 Can't wait to see the temporary 7 story garage. Should be a beauty that will frame Pennzoil and our city's tallest so well... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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