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The Collective Imagination At 1515 Elgin St.


midtown_resident

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Here's some scoop from my visit...

I met with the Executive Director of the Artists' Collective. They going to be building a seven story structure that will pretty much occupy the remaining portion of the block bound by Elgin/LaBranch/Rosalie/Crawford. This project will be a mixed use structure that has 56 condo units prices from 150k up to the mid 400s. Since they are a non-profit organization, they are committing a substantial portion of the profit from this development to helping first time home buyers with down payments. The structure will also house a large parking garage (completely enclosed).

The bottom level will be retail...and the art gallery will be at street level as well. The vision seems to be a combination book/coffee store at the corner of Elgin/Crawford.

What's impressive is that they are building this - and they are going to be there...i.e. they are not moving on. The outside will feature community art that is being preserved from the current structure.

Today, I saw that they were taking soil samples for foundation studies.

These people are doing something pretty amazing. It looks great.

I don't know who the architects are...although maybe i can find out.

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the prices seem pretty reasonable...i'm impressed with their desire to help first time home buyers...that's pretty amazing.

these guys aren't like the typical developer who is moving from project to project...sounds to me like this is the project of their lives...and they're going to remain there, thus making the results all that more important to them...

nice people.

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The front of the bldg looks to be brick...although i'm not sure what color/shade...given that i saw a b/w scaled sketch. Also...around the bldg...and the second story level is steel sculpted artwork...and i believe the existing stucco that's on the bldg today is to be preserved and applied to the same. The rear of the bldg has a fully enclosed parking garage....

Street level at the corner of elgin/crawford features a two story retail space...which would ideally be a bookstore/coffeshop. Retail spaces are floor to ceiling glass. The west side of the bldg (closest to the corner of LaBranch/Elgin) will feature the art gallery...which occupies two stories...

Sorry i can't tell you much more about the materials and such...i don't have an architects eye!

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For the last five days, I've noticed trucks on various locations of the block drilling for soil samples...and surveyors all over the place.  Can't wait for this thing to commence.

That makes me so happy. I can imagine our Midtown being Houston's own little SOHO or something like that, with small retail, galleries, restaurants, pubs, etc. All within a dense carpet of 4 to 20 story residential buildings that but up to the streets, with nice sidewalks and such. Something you can walk around and visit some shops or go out for dinner. I dont live in Midtown, and I probably never will, since I dont make that kind of money. But I love what it does for my city, and I would feel proud to visit Midtown, to show it off to visitors, as an alternative to the high-energy of downtown's historic entertainment district. I cant wait to see it turn into something nice.

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I do believe that this project presents one of the best plans that i've come across in Midtown...

I believe this primarily because the people who are doing this are NOT developers or real estate investors...they are not speculators...they are going to own, operate and run their gallery, art community and such from this structure...so it will have character. Character is lacking from a lot of the new construrction in midtown...sadly.

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  • 9 months later...

http://images.chron.com/content/news/photos/05/07/17/cac.jpg

A RAZE AND A PROMOTION: This is an artist's rendering of the seven-story, $22 million project at 1515 Elgin, which will include retail space and 62 residential units, as well as 8,500 square feet for exhibition space and offices.

July 15, 2005, 11:28AM

The Collective imagination

In Midtown, an art nonprofit dreams big, 100,000-square-foot big

By PATRICIA C. JOHNSON

Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle

Houston Chronicle Article

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  • The title was changed to Art Collective On Elgin St.
  • The title was changed to The Collective Imagination At 1515 Elgin St.

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