susanhilton Posted May 21, 2012 Share Posted May 21, 2012 If you’ve driven down Texas Avenue past University Drive then you are familiar with the Plaza Hotel. And if you’ve driven by in the past few months, you’ve likely noticed the vacancy and apparent emptiness of the buildings as the sky shines through from the opposite side. This is because the building is being set up for an implosion. But to understand how this pivotal structure has been led to this point, it’s important to understand the past. Joe Ferreri built the structure we know today as the Plaza Hotel to be a Ramada Inn under the urgings of Earl Rudder. Twenty years later, in 1980, he added the seventeen story high rise that we can see empty and vacant today. Due to the economy he had to sell and since then the hotel has traded owners until finally becoming bankrupt as the Plaza Hotel. Demolition has been encouraged since the site has become a favorite for criminals and vagrants. Though the future of the location is unclear, there is an undeniable air of hope and excitement for something significantly more aesthetic than the ‘eye-sore’ tower of the Plaza Hotel.For more information about the Plaza Hotel Implosion..... http://susanhilton.com/2012/05/19/demolition-and-renewal-a-history-of-the-plaza-hotel-in-college-station/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wxman Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 It's College Station's skyscraper. The building was vacant the entire 5 years I was at A&M. I actually thought it was a dorm at one point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate99 Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 It was a private dorm when I was there. The original non-tower area was referred to as "The Ghetto" and deservedly so. The tower was everything you would expect a derelict hotel that housed 18-22 year olds would be with an overpowering smell of chlorine from the indoor pool. Someone fell from the balcony of one of the rooms through the pool roof and on to a tree and for some reason I'm thinking he lived, though I may be wrong. It's most redeeming quality was proximity to The Kettle's all hours greasiness. Good on them for taking it down. I think it has proven to be a loser as far as a real estate venture with 3-4 different owners giving it an honest go. I don't think anyone will miss it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestGrayGuy Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 Back in the 90's it was called University Tower. I lived there for 2 years. They provided meal plans and "social" activities. It will not be missed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IronTiger Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 Same demo company as the Houston Main Building/Prudential Center building. Thing always was ugly, and a real tragedy since it was built at the wrong place at the wrong time. The guy who built it is still alive and will be one of the people (along with the CoCS mayor Nancy Berry and publicity lover John Sharp) who will be imploding the thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
susanhilton Posted May 23, 2012 Author Share Posted May 23, 2012 We can't wait for the implosion! We are even going to "camp out" at one of our offices near the hotel so we don't miss it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate99 Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YakuzaIce Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 I was really surprised at the number of people that were there. Far more than the Prudential building a few months back. Of course the weather was better, and I don't know how many hundreds or thousands were watching from the surrounding hospitals for Prudential. Here's the video I took of it. The demo jumped the gun a bit compared to the countdown. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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