Triton Posted June 19, 2013 Share Posted June 19, 2013 Swamplot is reporting that Hines is buying up property near the relatively new Asia Society Texas Center to construct a 20 to 22 story apartment tower. Quote SOURCES are telling Swamplot that Hines is planning to build either a 20- or 22-story apartment tower on the block where this house stands in the Museum District. The house shown here is at the corner of Caroline and Southmore, across the street from theAsia Society Texas Center and just east of the light rail running along San Jacinto. A source says that 3 of the 4 property owners on the block have agreed to sell, and that Hines will be taking those properties over on July 1. And the source adds that Hines might go ahead and build around the holdout. As of this morning, there’s been no word from Hines — though a rep in an email writes: “No deal has been closed so it is too preliminary to discuss,” which sure makes it sound as though there is an “it.” Swamplot article 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swtsig Posted June 19, 2013 Share Posted June 19, 2013 (edited) Hines is very actively pursuing a few sites for residential high rises inside the loop so this is not surprising.btw - that's a helluva a teardown. Edited June 19, 2013 by swtsig 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cityliving Posted June 19, 2013 Share Posted June 19, 2013 I always liked that house, hate to see it torn down. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TowerSpotter Posted June 19, 2013 Share Posted June 19, 2013 I always liked that house, hate to see it torn down. Yea me too wish they could of picked in an empty lot 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moore713 Posted June 19, 2013 Share Posted June 19, 2013 send out the nimbys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travelguy_73 Posted June 19, 2013 Share Posted June 19, 2013 Looking at Google maps, there are four lots on that block. The Swamplot article says three are part of the deal, so I'll speculate that the one in the picture is not part of the package (the others don't appear to be as desireable), it is the most photogenic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barracuda Posted June 19, 2013 Share Posted June 19, 2013 Looking at Google maps, there are four lots on that block. The Swamplot article says three are part of the deal, so I'll speculate that the one in the picture is not part of the package (the others don't appear to be as desireable), it is the most photogenic. The other three lots that may be part of the deal include a garden apartment dating back to 1923 appraised at $1.29M (SE corner), a residential duplex from 1923 appraised at half a million, and a converted commercial building from 1919 appraised at $875K. The newer 1996 house in the photo is appraised at $743K. Hines must really see a lot of value in this specific block - maybe it's the proximity to the light rail? It is currently one of the prettier blocks in that part of town...I do kind of wish they could find a vacant lot or demolish a block of town homes instead. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lockmat Posted June 19, 2013 Share Posted June 19, 2013 It's right across the street from those newish apartments, too, which are very nice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triton Posted June 19, 2013 Author Share Posted June 19, 2013 The other three lots that may be part of the deal include a garden apartment dating back to 1923 appraised at $1.29M (SE corner), a residential duplex from 1923 appraised at half a million, and a converted commercial building from 1919 appraised at $875K. The newer 1996 house in the photo is appraised at $743K. Hines must really see a lot of value in this specific block - maybe it's the proximity to the light rail? It is currently one of the prettier blocks in that part of town...I do kind of wish they could find a vacant lot or demolish a block of town homes instead. Yea it seems a little odd the block that they picked but I'm sure they calculated that this is the lot to build on. Such nice places to teardown too... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shasta Posted June 19, 2013 Share Posted June 19, 2013 (edited) It would be great to see the Museum District get a little more urban connectivity. More retail and restaurants are desperately needed. In fact ,even the Cafe Express that is there (on Bissonnet) closes at 5 pm. Edited June 19, 2013 by shasta 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryDierker Posted June 20, 2013 Share Posted June 20, 2013 One more step towards the cohesion of the three major skylines. Keep'em comin'! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cityliving Posted June 20, 2013 Share Posted June 20, 2013 I wonder why builders prefer to tear down buildings instead of building on already empty lots? I've seen plenty of empty lots around town and most of them have been vacant for some time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt16 Posted June 20, 2013 Share Posted June 20, 2013 I wonder why builders prefer to tear down buildings instead of building on already empty lots? I've seen plenty of empty lots around town and most of them have been vacant for some time. They are probably vacant for a long time for a reason (the owners want too much damn money for a developer to buy it). I don't think it's that developers prefer to tear down buildings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
infinite_jim Posted June 20, 2013 Share Posted June 20, 2013 (edited) Pretty good location, maybe they could even get a portion of the dead ended streets (along San Jac) to be converted to pocket parks. Edited June 20, 2013 by infinite_jim 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Specwriter Posted June 21, 2013 Share Posted June 21, 2013 They are probably vacant for a long time for a reason (the owners want too much damn money for a developer to buy it). I don't think it's that developers prefer to tear down buildings. The price issue is probably the cause more times than not. Another is the inability to "locate" owners. Sometimes land is owned by trusts whose trustees and beneficiaries are hard to locate. Developers will take the path of least resistance when it comes to acquiring land. For them too time can be just as important as money. In their world the two are one in the same. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Urbannizer Posted June 21, 2013 Share Posted June 21, 2013 Looks like Swamplot was onto something when it reported rumors that Houston-headquartered real estate company Hines was looking at a Museum District block for a 20- or 22-story apartment tower. Though no plans have been finalized, George Lancaster, senior vice president of corporate communications for Hines, tells CultureMap that the company is considering the development of a "high-end residential multifamily project" on the land adjacent to the Asia Society Texas Center. However, Lancaster explained, the developer definitely doesn't own the house pictured in Swamplot's post or the land under it. Swamplot said that three of the four property owners on the block bound by Caroline, Southmore, Oakdale and San Jacinto have agreed to sell. "We respect the architectural quality of the new Asia Society building, and if we were to build something next door to it, it would be something great looking," said Lancaster, noting reverence for the striking museum structure designed by Japanese architect Yoshio Taniguchi. "We also think the location, being proximate to the rail line and all those amazing cultural offerings, would be a fabulous and desirable place to live." http://houston.culturemap.com/news/realestate/06-21-13-a-20-plus-story-luxury-apartment-tower-could-be-rising-next-to-asia-society-texas-center/ 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KinkaidAlum Posted June 21, 2013 Share Posted June 21, 2013 I really love the climbing vine on the street light. I might try that on the one in front of my house. One of my favorite things about the Asia Society, is that this block is adjacent to it. It's so Houston. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triton Posted June 24, 2013 Author Share Posted June 24, 2013 You know what, I was looking really forward to this project until I realized what block they are building it on. I don't mean to be "that guy" and I've liked all of Hines projects but I really wish Hines wouldn't tear down these really nice old homes. I know there's nothing a person on a forum can do but like others have said it would have been great if they built this highrise on an abandoned lot or even a parking lot. It's a shame to see these old homes go: Again, I know that Spanish tiled home isn't going anywhere (right?) but that I'm going to miss that big ole 5 story home. It has always been nice to see it while riding my bike down Caroline. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bachanon Posted June 24, 2013 Share Posted June 24, 2013 the top picture is a historic apartment building. the AIA museum district tour discussed it, but i do not remember the details. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triton Posted June 24, 2013 Author Share Posted June 24, 2013 Oh really? Honestly, out of all of the homes, I'm hoping that's the one that stays. If it's actually declared historic, there's no way Hines can tear it down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triton Posted June 25, 2013 Author Share Posted June 25, 2013 Whelp, looks like they are going to tear down that historic apartment building.... man. Link Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swtsig Posted June 25, 2013 Share Posted June 25, 2013 Whelp, looks like they are going to tear down that historic apartment building.... man.Linkand more here:http://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/real-estate/article/Houston-s-apartment-boom-focuses-on-urban-scene-4619878.phpi think i mentioned it before but Hines is very actively looking for core multifamily sites, here and elsewhere. hopefully we get some distinctive architecture out of it.btw expect the final design of the cafe adobe site to be a value-engineered version of the original rendering. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Urbannizer Posted July 11, 2013 Share Posted July 11, 2013 (edited) http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/html5/video?id=9168382&pid=9168376§ion=news/local Edited July 11, 2013 by Urbannizer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lockmat Posted July 11, 2013 Share Posted July 11, 2013 http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/html5/video?id=9168382&pid=9168376§ion=news/localWhat did the 6:30 report say? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Urbannizer Posted July 11, 2013 Share Posted July 11, 2013 I dunno, can't find the 6:30 report online. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nativehoustonion Posted July 11, 2013 Share Posted July 11, 2013 They said it will be 22 floors. And they will build around a historical house around it. The Jewish Museum said they were contacted by Hines and were assured it will be a beautiful addition to the area. Remember we have no zoning. Hines has never built a ugly high rise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Howard Huge Posted July 11, 2013 Share Posted July 11, 2013 Awwww man. Why tear down these old homes? Why not an empty lot in midtown on fannin? Im sure theyve done their demographic homework but is 1-2 minutes closer to downtown a dealbreaker? Or are all those midtown empty lots owned by landholders trying to make a gazillion dollars off of their lot? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nativehoustonion Posted July 11, 2013 Share Posted July 11, 2013 Ask Hines. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swtsig Posted July 11, 2013 Share Posted July 11, 2013 or the landowners who wouldn't sell their vacant lots. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nativehoustonion Posted July 11, 2013 Share Posted July 11, 2013 Only one, it is a historical home and just got remodeled last year. They may have a brick wall behind them. But they refuse to sale. It is a beautiful house. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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