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POST: 401 Franklin Post Office Site Redevelopment

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Big E

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2 hours ago, Houston19514 said:

FWIW, I believe design is very much underway.  There's not  really any reason  to think it won't happen.

People have been talking about this since, what, the 40s? I'll believe its underway when there's a gigantic ditch in the ground.

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Sunstar

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1 hour ago, Big E said:

People have been talking about this since, what, the 40s? I'll believe its underway when there's a gigantic ditch in the ground.

They redirected Buffalo Bayou to go around the Police Officers Memorial, so a project like this isn’t unprecedented, although in this case they’ll have to go though devolved land and city infrastructure to make it happen. 

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Ross

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1 hour ago, Sunstar said:

They redirected Buffalo Bayou to go around the Police Officers Memorial, so a project like this isn’t unprecedented, although in this case they’ll have to go though devolved land and city infrastructure to make it happen. 

They also straightened the Bayou East of Downtown where Turkey Bend used to be. Just East of where Lockwood goes over the bayou.

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JLWM8609

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4 hours ago, Sunstar said:

They redirected Buffalo Bayou to go around the Police Officers Memorial, so a project like this isn’t unprecedented, although in this case they’ll have to go though devolved land and city infrastructure to make it happen. 

That bend in Buffalo Bayou around the Police Officers' Memorial has been there since before the memorial was built. It's present in a 1915 topographic map. They recently did some channel work there, but the bayou wasn't redirected.

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samagon

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11 hours ago, Ross said:

They also straightened the Bayou East of Downtown where Turkey Bend used to be. Just East of where Lockwood goes over the bayou.

maybe I'm not looking in the right place, but there's fewer photos of this than of freeway construction.

in maps from 1950 the bend was there, with no bypass. in historic aerials from 1953 (as old as they show), it's there, but looks rather fresh.

we seem to take easy access to cameras for granted these days, but it sure is nice.

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Ross

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9 hours ago, samagon said:

maybe I'm not looking in the right place, but there's fewer photos of this than of freeway construction.

in maps from 1950 the bend was there, with no bypass. in historic aerials from 1953 (as old as they show), it's there, but looks rather fresh.

we seem to take easy access to cameras for granted these days, but it sure is nice.

I did some searches for Turkey Bend, and a number of Corps of Engineers reports showed up from Google books. Otherwise, crickets. Must not have been a big deal when it happened.

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gmac

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4 hours ago, Ross said:

I did some searches for Turkey Bend, and a number of Corps of Engineers reports showed up from Google books. Otherwise, crickets. Must not have been a big deal when it happened.

Work was authorized by a House Public Works Committee resolution on Feb. 17,  1950

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gene

gene

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Posted (edited)

That sounds amazing!!! I am excited to have another awesome music venue in Houston!

I am hoping my best friends band plays there and no doubt they eventually will! Which btw, they play tonight at White Music Hall Lawn! www.blueoctober.com *(always happy to plug my best friend of 26 years and his band! haha!) 

 

and ps...bring back Day For Night!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! that was such an incredible experience!!!

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SMU1213

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1 hour ago, gene said:

That sounds amazing!!! I am excited to have another awesome music venue in Houston!

I am hoping my best friends band plays there and no doubt they eventually will! Which btw, they play tonight at White Music Hall Lawn! www.blueoctober.com *(always happy to plug my best friend of 26 years and his band! haha!) 

 

and ps...bring back Day For Night!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! that was such an incredible experience!!!

My uncle new a guy that was in the band for a while. CB Hudson

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gene

gene

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Just now, SMU1213 said:

My uncle new a guy that was in the band for a while. CB Hudson

heck yeah, CB is an amazing person!!! love him and his whole family...in fact he co-owns a multi million dollar recording studio called Orb Studios in austin with my other best friend Matt of 22 years who is the bassist for Blue October! Justin Bieber, Skrillex, Usher, Pentatonix, Tanya Tucker and tons more have all recorded there! CB is doing amazing and so proud of him.

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samagon

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6 hours ago, gene said:

and ps...bring back Day For Night!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! that was such an incredible experience!!!

looking at the rooftop amenities, it would be a whole 'nother level of experience. 

I have no hope of it ever coming back though.

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hindesky

hindesky

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18 minutes ago, Triton said:

https://www.bizjournals.com/houston/news/2021/07/14/post-houston-food-hall-vendors.html

Unable to read it but it sounds like Blendin coffee and a few others are coming to Post now.

This CultureMap article has all the vendors.

https://houston.culturemap.com/news/restaurants-bars/07-14-21-post-houston-food-hall-downtown-vendors-golfstrommen-seafood-market-saison-cellar-east-side-king-chopnblok/

 

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BEES?!

BEES?!

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Posted (edited)

Wow that vendor list has got something for everyone, doesn't it? Can't wait to see what they'll announce next! This place is gonna be awesome! I was already super hyped for that rooftop garden (Love me some outdoor spaces, what can I say... :P especially 'cause this one's so unique for our city) but seeing the huge variety of food offerings and knowing they're going to drop more? Yeah this project is definitely after my heart. :P

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phillip_white

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16 hours ago, Triton said:

https://www.bizjournals.com/houston/news/2021/07/14/post-houston-food-hall-vendors.html

Unable to read it but it sounds like Blendin coffee and a few others are coming to Post now.

Quote

Post Market — the 53,000-square-foot food hall within the 550,000-square-foot Post Houston project underway downtown — has added more vendors.

The entire Post Houston project — a redevelopment of the former Barbara Jordan Post Office — is being developed by Houston-based Lovett Commercial. Post Market is designed by architecture firm OMA and Partner Jason Long, along with Houston-based Lucid United Collective of Independent Designers.

Lovett Commercial announced a handful of Post Market tenants in December, but the latest round includes about twice as many. Many are internationally focused, and there are some hometown favorites as well. The list also features two concepts from controversial chef Paul Qui, a "Top Chef" and James Beard Award winner who indicated in November 2019 that he would open a concept in the Post Houston development.

Here are the latest additions:

  • Golfstrømmen Seafood Market – The first U.S. concept for chef Christopher Haatuft of Lysverket, a restaurant in Bergen, Norway. Named for the Gulf Stream ocean current that connects the Texas Gulf Coast to Norway’s fishing banks, Golfstrømmen will feature Gulf seafood plus seasonal produce cooked with a lightness and minimalist approach that Nordic food is known for. Fresh Gulf seafood will also be available for customers to purchase and prepare at home.
  • Saison Cellar — Sommelier Mark Bright, partner and wine director at Michelin-rated Saison, will open his first location of Saison Cellar at Post Market. It will feature wines from around the world.
  • Hawker Street Food Bar – The first U.S. concept from chef Laila Bazahm, whose Hawker 45 restaurant was named one of Conde Nast’s 30 Best Restaurants in Barcelona. It will feature Southeast Asian and Latin American hybrid street cuisine.
  • East Side King — Created by Qui and Moto Utsunomiya, this Austin-based concept offers globally influenced Japanese street food. It started as a food truck and now has two locations in Austin.
  • ChòpnBlọk — Houston chef Ope Amosu will debut the first brick-and-mortar location of his West African pop-up series, ChòpnBlọk, in Post Market. The concept, which was featured on chef Marcus Samuelsson's series, "No Passport Required," offers healthy West African-inspired plates with bold spice blends, fresh proteins, bright veggies and flavorful grains.
  • Soy Pinoy — Another concept from Qui, Soy Pinoy translates to "I'm Filipino" and aims to expand awareness of Filipino culinary culture. The concept has a location in Denver's Zeppelin Station food hall, as well.
  • Andes Café — Chef David Guerrero’s Andes Café serves flavors from the seven South American countries that the Andes mountain range links from Ecuador to Argentina. The concept's original location in Houston's East End closed in early January 2020 after six years.
  • Thai Kun — Another import from Austin and Denver, Chef Thai Chanthong’s Thai Kun serves authentic Thai street food and includes vegan and gluten free menu options. It was named one of Bon Appetit’s Best New Restaurants in America in 2014.
  • BlendIn Coffee Club – Created by Weihong Zhang, BlendIn Coffee Club opened its first shop and roastery in Sugar Land in 2017. The company also has a location in the mixed-use redevelopment at 3201 Allen Parkway.
  • Abu Omar Halal - Originally Houston's first halal food truck, Abu Omar Halal offers Mediterranean fast-casual items. The company now has several Houston-area locations plus a handful in other Texas cities and a few in other states.
  • Sweets with L&L — Tameia Frank Jones’s cotton candy concept, which currently has two Houston locations, offers over 20 flavors.

RECOMMENDED

“In an effort to create a destination that celebrates diversity through food, art and culture, we are committed to opening a property that offers businesses of all sizes opportunities to grow and showcase their product at Post Houston,” said Frank Liu, president of Lovett Commercial. “Our vision from the start has been to create a one-of-a-kind cultural experience for Houstonians and the millions of visitors that come through our incredible city each year.”

Lovett, which purchased the Barbara Jordan Post Office in 2015, began to redevelop the 550,000-square-foot building two years ago with the aim of creating downtown Houston’s newest destination area.

Additional tenants and food hall tenants will be announced as Post Houston gets closer to opening, which is expected in fall 2021.

The completed project will house one of the world’s largest rooftop parks and sustainable farms, a 90,000-square-foot Live Nation concert venue, and many other retail and office concepts including restaurants, bars and flexible coworking space.

 

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Texasota

Texasota

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22 minutes ago, staresatmaps said:

They could have at least attempted a pedestrian connection with downtown...

I'm not sure what *they* would be responsible for. This first phase is just a renovation of an existing building - in future the phases the plaza will hopefully be flanked by new buildings, but there is already a light-protected street crossing at Congress that links the plaza with the rest of downtown. And the crossing at Bagby, which now just leads to a parking lot but at least means there is a protected crossing everywhere a  perpendicular street hits Franklin.

 

The main problem is Franklin itself - it's *way* too wide for no reason. I would love to see the Downtown District use this as an opportunity to redo the street, but I'm not aware of any plans.

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phillip_white

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20 minutes ago, Texasota said:

I'm not sure what *they* would be responsible for. This first phase is just a renovation of an existing building - in future the phases the plaza will hopefully be flanked by new buildings, but there is already a light-protected street crossing at Congress that links the plaza with the rest of downtown. And the crossing at Bagby, which now just leads to a parking lot but at least means there is a protected crossing everywhere a  perpendicular street hits Franklin.

The main problem is Franklin itself - it's *way* too wide for no reason. I would love to see the Downtown District use this as an opportunity to redo the street, but I'm not aware of any plans.

Tunneling under Franklin to add a tie-in to the Buffalo Bayou bike trail would be awesome (but is never going to happen).

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j_cuevas713

j_cuevas713

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1 hour ago, staresatmaps said:

They could have at least attempted a pedestrian connection with downtown...

Give this development some time to settle in. They're already doing a lot. Plus Bagby St was just redone with bike lanes and wider sidewalks. Not sure how much more of a connection you want.

33 minutes ago, Texasota said:

I'm not sure what *they* would be responsible for. This first phase is just a renovation of an existing building - in future the phases the plaza will hopefully be flanked by new buildings, but there is already a light-protected street crossing at Congress that links the plaza with the rest of downtown. And the crossing at Bagby, which now just leads to a parking lot but at least means there is a protected crossing everywhere a  perpendicular street hits Franklin.

 

The main problem is Franklin itself - it's *way* too wide for no reason. I would love to see the Downtown District use this as an opportunity to redo the street, but I'm not aware of any plans.

I could see Franklin eventually get the same treatment Austin did. Then it might tie in with the bike lanes planned for Washington Ave Arts District. 

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samagon

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26 minutes ago, gene said:

all i know is they better have a good, large and secure bike area because i have no desire to drive to this but heck yeah i will bike here every chance i get!!!

seriously exciting stuff! wowsa!

I'm somewhat curious how parking is going to work. will they offer free parking for tenants and customers? will they offer free parking only for tenants, and customers will have to pay an hourly rate? will parking only be available for tenants? 2 hours free, then paid for customers?

I sincerely hope for a future where the viability of parking one's vehicle isn't what makes/breaks a great concept, but the reality is, for your typical Houstonian, if this isn't easy to A) get to via personal vehicle, and B) park their personal vehicle, they'll probably keep saying "I want to go to that cool new place, but today I'm just gonna go to Rice Village because it's more convenient for me to get to in my oversized SUV".

personally, I can't wait for this thing to be finally open, I'll happily park in my office parking downtown and walk the 3 blocks to get here, regardless of the parking situation on site.

 

edit: and not to be all doom and gloom, if the experience is unique enough, and enough people want to go, it will be a success no matter how hard it is to park. look at baseball and basketball, these are unique enough that people are willing to pay excessive prices to park and go to a game.

Edited by samagon
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Montrose1100

Montrose1100

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It's interesting the market has created what most major cities already have - but without the transportation. This is like the Ferry Terminal Building in San Francisco or Auckland, or the WTC station in New York.

In a ideal world, of course, this would be our HSR/Amtrak/transportation hub. The real entrance to our City.

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Triton

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1 hour ago, Montrose1100 said:

It's interesting the market has created what most major cities already have - but without the transportation. This is like the Ferry Terminal Building in San Francisco or Auckland, or the WTC station in New York.

In a ideal world, of course, this would be our HSR/Amtrak/transportation hub. The real entrance to our City.

Like I said, we need a commuter rail connection from IAH to Post just like Denver.

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iah77

iah77

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3 hours ago, phillip_white said:

Tunneling under Franklin to add a tie-in to the Buffalo Bayou bike trail would be awesome (but is never going to happen).

That was actually planned but the city/downtown authorities  refused to chip in for any of it so got pushed back. Was going to be a nice staircase etc.

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southerncrj

southerncrj

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2 hours ago, j_cuevas713 said:

As the value of the site grows, discussions will follow about transit. I think Amtrak will be first to get attention though. 

I agree. This area would be fantastic to place a metropolis-worthy transit node. Texas Central + Amtrak + Light Rail + Commuter Rail + BRT would make for a nice dream. Its stops there for now though; not sure the long-term vision and intent are there yet.

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arche_757

arche_757

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@j_cuevas713 One would hope.

I still have reservations about just how successful this thing will be once the newness wares off.  The one way to ensure it is a hub of activity is to make it a transit hub.  If that happens then hospitality would be a logical add for phase 2, but you still have the problem that it isn’t really in downtown.  But it would be worth a shot!

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j_cuevas713

j_cuevas713

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Posted (edited)
5 minutes ago, arche_757 said:

@j_cuevas713 One would hope.

I still have reservations about just how successful this thing will be once the newness wares off.  The one way to ensure it is a hub of activity is to make it a transit hub.  If that happens then hospitality would be a logical add for phase 2, but you still have the problem that it isn’t really in downtown.  But it would be worth a shot!

Aside from the food hall, there's going to be more to explore. People are going to want to just chill on the roof and relax. And let's not forget about the concert venue The Terminal that will constantly draw crowds. When I went to the Ferry Building in SF, it wasn't exactly packed. They had a farmers market set up outside but most of the indoor crowd just wanted to grab coffee and sit and relax by the bay. I think it's going to have a very similar vibe.

Edited by j_cuevas713
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Texasota

Texasota

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The "it isn't really downtown" argument seems pretty weak to me. The area isn't really downtown currently, but that's because there isn't really anything there.

It's a 7 minute walk from Market Square. That's plenty close enough to start at Post and then walk to the bars around Market Square and Main Street. Also plenty close to the new residential buildings. 

I think this is offering more than enough stuff to entice people to make a 7 minute walk. Replacing the drive-through bank, doing something better with the Congress bridge (elevated plaza anyone?), narrowing Franklin, and building on the parking lots next to the Ballet and flanking the post office plaza would all strengthen that connection substantially, but we are talking about a 7 minute walk here. 

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arche_757

arche_757

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I hope so.  I think the vast majority of people who will visit this thing will largely just mill about, maybe spend a few dollars.  Office workers from DT will make the trek on a nice Friday from Oct-April, but it’s too far from most offices for casual visits.  You could UberEats, but then you could do that anywhere, and not just the food hall.  And there are other food halls closer to offices.

How many concerts will it take for OMA’s fee alone?  Probably a lot.  Particularly “post-Covid”.  I think the mix of uses is great.  I like the idea of the project, I just think it’s literally an island alone with a river, 2 interstates, a heavily used train track and several blocks of undeveloped/vacant land between it and… the back side of the theatre district.  I hope it’s wildly successful.  I truly do, but I’ve also got my Pessimist Hat on really tight.

Its good folks like you @j_cuevas713 are excited and plan to visit early and often.  I hope there are far more of you than curmudgeons such as myself!

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arche_757

arche_757

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Posted (edited)
30 minutes ago, Texasota said:

The "it isn't really downtown" argument seems pretty weak to me. The area isn't really downtown currently, but that's because there isn't really anything there.

It's a 7 minute walk from Market Square. That's plenty close enough to start at Post and then walk to the bars around Market Square and Main Street. Also plenty close to the new residential buildings. 

I think this is offering more than enough stuff to entice people to make a 7 minute walk. Replacing the drive-through bank, doing something better with the Congress bridge (elevated plaza anyone?), narrowing Franklin, and building on the parking lots next to the Ballet and flanking the post office plaza would all strengthen that connection substantially, but we are talking about a 7 minute walk here. 

@Texasota Yes and no.  It is not downtown.  You’re correct though in that IT CAN BE.  It should be - or godhelpus it’ll become NoWoDo or some nonsense! 😬 

I hope it’s very successful, but some of that success is out of the hands of folks developing it.  The city really has needed to address the aforementioned streets/bridges for some time.  It’s ridiculous what exists there now.  Maybe we will all have to attend council meetings.  To that end is there an official HAIF shirt @editor

[edit: I don’t want to come across as disliking this project, I don’t!, i just think it’s alone; and in real estate it’s always location, location, location.  It’s a lovely re-use, and I hope it works wonders for the area!  So I will refrain from coming across too negatively about it by arguing more.  — the better question, which @j_cuevas713 raises is what could be done to make it more successful, and attract developers to the other nearby land ripe for the taking.]

Edited by arche_757
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j_cuevas713

j_cuevas713

Posted
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1 minute ago, Houston19514 said:

This thread reminds me of the Discovery Green thread.  Thank goodness there are developers and others in this city with more vision than the average HAIFer.

I'm telling you! The same has been said about so much in this city and it continues to surprise us. 

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tigereye

tigereye

Posted
Posted (edited)
On 7/16/2021 at 10:58 AM, Montrose1100 said:

This is like the Ferry Terminal Building in San Francisco or Auckland, or the WTC station in New York.

In a ideal world, of course, this would be our HSR/Amtrak/transportation hub. The real entrance to our City.

Don’t mean to be a Debbie downer but I sent the Post HTX folks this idea back in April (see below) and never heard back. I even sent them my post from this thread and the follow up responses. It makes too much sense not to do it. We all can see it, they apparently don’t have the vision or foresight to think that far ahead…

On 4/14/2021 at 5:22 PM, tigereye said:

Since Amtrak might be increasing service to Houston and we all now this city needs a better train station, with Post HTX being located close by, it lead me to an obvious idea: 

I’d like to see the Amtrak station moved to PostHTX, which would be a nicer location (compared to under a freeway overpass) and could still use the existing heavy rail tracks. Since the loading dock is being transformed into covered patio spaces, convert the loading dock area behind Post HTX into a European style train shed that can support Amtrak operations and connect directly to the food hall/shopping and collaborative areas of Post HTX, adding a new audience to help support Post HTX growth and success. This provides vendors at Post HTX with more sales opportunities in the form of train travelers and gives the city better gateway to welcome train travelers to and from Downtown. And if the city eventually uses the existing heavy rail tracks for commuter rail, this could be the station connection to downtown. Think Denver’s Union Station. 

 

Edited by tigereye
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j_cuevas713

j_cuevas713

Posted
Posted (edited)
1 hour ago, tigereye said:

Don’t mean to be a Debbie downer but I sent the Post HTX folks this idea back in April (see below) and never heard back. I even sent them my post from this thread and the follow up responses. It makes too much sense not to do it. We all can see it, they apparently don’t have the vision or foresight to think that far ahead…

 

They probably didn't respond because it's not really up to them. There has to be partnership between multiple entities; the CoH, Amtrak, the developers, etc. I'm sure the discussion will be brought up at some point because the CoH's long term plan was to relocate the Amtrak station before this renovation started. All in all the developer is def carrying their fair share of the responsibility simply by renovating the building. Now it's up to the CoH to talk to all parties. 

Edited by j_cuevas713
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