POST: 401 Franklin Post Office Site Redevelopment

[kbates2]

53 minutes ago, InTheLoopFromNYC said:

What am I missing? I mean, don't get me wrong, cool interiors and rooftop spaces, but what about the exterior? Most people see this thing from the outside and frankly, its as ugly as its always been! 

With a November opening, seems what you see is what you're going to get -- to me it looks like umm, an old post office processing facility and offices! Why no significant improvements to the exteriors? I mean, not like this place was landmarked or had an exterior with anything worth preserving!

They got like $50 million dollars for keeping it historic (not sure if it was tax breaks or what but I read that number somewhere).  You can’t do much with the facade and still get that.

[hindesky]

So I stoped to take some pics of what looked like and Indian Wedding event going on here. Up comes Paula Blart:Mall Cop, saying I can't take pics from a public street of a private wedding. STFU. I took a whole bunch of pics. Screw her.

[TheSirDingle]

downtownhouston Instagram posted a video of some of the interior/exterior areas of the POST.

Link: https://www.instagram.com/reel/CU5XpUggpDs/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Along with posthtx Instagram and a fly threw of the complex. They're a private account so I can't directly post the video into HAIF.
Link: https://www.instagram.com/p/CUffqfggBlB/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

[Amlaham]

The building is beautiful, I just wish they put more work into the outside landscape/ entrance. Imagine if they built an eye-catching garage on the east or west parking lot and converted the entire front of the building into greenery or something. The outside looks a little, unfinished for something thats practically finished. 

Edited October 12, 2021 by Amlaham
Grammar

[samagon]

my guess is it's in the plan, but they wanted to get some revenue going first.

[tangledwoods]

Quote

my guess is it's in the plan, but they wanted to get some revenue going first.

 

What we have now is 100% Phase 1.  They absolutely have plans for parking garages / more buildings on site.  They REALLY want residential + office space on the site. 

[hindesky]

Grand Opening is Nov. 13th.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/post-grand-opening-tickets-183000037037

Edited October 31, 2021 by hindesky

[BEES?!]

So exciting. Anyone planning on going? I imagine it’ll be pretty crazy. 

Edited October 31, 2021 by BEES?!

[gene]

I will be there...i get back from Vegas that day (the 13th) so won't be there until around 7 or 8pm! Then Rufus there the next weekend! Can't wait! 

[j_cuevas713]

Yeah I have my tickets

[Brooklyn173]

I thought someone else would have beaten me to these pix. There was a 'soft' opening tonight (and tomorrow). Only about 15 of the vendors were open and the site is still very much a work in progress. But it is an interesting space and, as promised, the roof views and gardens are spectacular.

[wilcal]

29 minutes ago, Brooklyn173 said:

I thought someone else would have beaten me to these pix. There was a 'soft' opening tonight (and tomorrow). Only about 15 of the vendors were open and the site is still very much a work in progress. But it is an interesting space and, as promised, the roof views and gardens are spectacular.

Great pics!!!

How hard do you think it would be to get in to this soft opening tomorrow if you aren't invited? Asking for a friend lol

[Brooklyn173]

I had an Eventbrite 'invitation' and no one checked. But I didn't park, I just walked up. My guess is its not a big deal. But you could still probably do an eventbrite sign up if you want to be sure.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/post-soft-opening-nov-6-tickets-203265200687?aff=erelpanelorg

[dbigtex56]

On 11/1/2021 at 9:53 AM, gene said:

Then Rufus there the next weekend! Can't wait! 

Rufus Wainwright, or the Chaka Khan Rufus?

[wilcal]

9 hours ago, Brooklyn173 said:

I had an Eventbrite 'invitation' and no one checked. But I didn't park, I just walked up. My guess is its not a big deal. But you could still probably do an eventbrite sign up if you want to be sure.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/post-soft-opening-nov-6-tickets-203265200687?aff=erelpanelorg

Well having a ticket certainly helps things a bit! I'm definitely gonna go. 

[BEES?!]

We ended up going and it was so cool- the rooftop gardens are absolutely gorgeous and have some spectacular views of downtown. We didn’t see some parts- there was a wedding reception, but next time for sure! 
 

It was pretty busy at times- I can only imagine how crowded the grand opening is going to be.

[wilcal]

Some pics I took last night. I just got my Pixel 6 Pro, so was looking forward to testing it out.

We all agreed that there were some strong Cali vibes with the sunset. Thanks again to @Brooklyn173for posting the eventbrite link. No one ever checked and there were tons of people, but I probably wouldn't have been as emboldened.

One thing that was kind of interesting was that there was a wedding on the roof last night. Talk about hitting the weather lottery. They had the reception on the roof as well on the eastern portion, so didn't make it over there. 

View from where the wedding was set up:

Towards the reception area:

I went to post this one in The Allen thread and Brooklyn713 posted almost the same exact photo from the night before! This was using the 4X optical zoom camera. Crazy impressive for a cell phone imho.

 

Best food we tried was this, the hot chicken fries. Price is $12 and the heavy black pepper mac is $3.

Spicy salmon hand-rolls 5/$20

20oz ribeye I think about $35 normally. All of the food was half price for the soft opening.

Bonus pic of the Bagby rebuild because it makes me so happy:

 

 

[hindesky]

https://www.posthtx.com/grand-opening

Edited November 7, 2021 by hindesky

[wilcal]

They announced a bunch of further details about the grand opening next weekend https://www.posthtx.com/grand-opening

[HtownWxBoy]

Yea looking like this development is gonna be just a tad successful... and by that I mean very successful.  I'm sure the Downtown Aquarium is happy with both this and the Bagby Street improvements. 

[dbigtex56]

What sort of landscaping is planned?
A jewel such as this deserves a great setting.

 

[wilcal]

12 hours ago, dbigtex56 said:

What sort of landscaping is planned?
A jewel such as this deserves a great setting.

 

Are you talking about at ground level? It was pretty underwhelming. The walk to the Bagby street improvements left a bit to be desired. They currently stop on the other side of Franklin. 

[gene]

On 11/5/2021 at 11:38 PM, dbigtex56 said:

Rufus Wainwright, or the Chaka Khan Rufus?

 

ha! Rufus Du Sol and while Rufus W is cool, i would kill to see Chaka Khan live...minus rufus! haha! 🤪

[nate4l1f3]

Will this have a rooftop bar?

[freundb]

Oh man, the grand opening is gonna be packed. Looks like a fun event, I may just make it out. 

42 minutes ago, nate4l1f3 said:

Will this have a rooftop bar?

Doesn't look like it currently. 

[gene]

this speaks about the SKYLAWN which is the rooftop of POST.

it doesn't mention a bar but speaks of rooftop dining and more so my guess is that it eventually will have a bar if rooftop dining is an eventual feature?

https://luxesource.com/post-houston-rooftop-park-biggest-world-hoerr-schaudt/#.YYmB_2DMLGI

 

 

[BEES?!]

27 minutes ago, gene said:

this speaks about the SKYLAWN which is the rooftop of POST.

it doesn't mention a bar but speaks of rooftop dining and more so my guess is that it eventually will have a bar if rooftop dining is an eventual feature?

https://luxesource.com/post-houston-rooftop-park-biggest-world-hoerr-schaudt/#.YYmB_2DMLGI

 

 

When we were there, there was a section in the gardens called The Grove Cafe (it was the part with the asparagus ferns and bamboo!) It looked like they were doing some buildout on a space up there.

my husband took a nice pic

(This was my personal favorite part because I love bamboo. I was trying to figure the variety out- it’s yellow and had a bit of green striping. Mostly, I’m curious how tall it’s going to get- here where the weather doesn’t get too cold, some varieties can get extremely tall)

Edited November 8, 2021 by BEES?!
Added pic

[BeerNut]

Thanks @Brooklyn173 I made it out for a bit Saturday evening with several guest after dinner.  None of them were aware that this building was being renovated but they really enjoyed the experience and took lots of pictures.  Walking around you realize how cavernous the building is and there is the other building on site which I haven't seen any pictures of how it's being developed.  

 

[j_cuevas713]

This development creates a solid anchor for Houston to showcase itself to visitors. There is no doubt that this will spur more development in the area. I’ll be there with my gf and parents this weekend. I can’t wait! 

[sapo2367]

Also stopped by over the weekend. It was really busy for a soft opening, next weekend is going to be PACKED. The skylawn is really cool, there are definitely going to be a lot of weddings etc up there — especially with the sunset. It’s hard to really get a feel for how huge the space is from the photos but the building is massive. I really hope it goes well, there is an opportunity for it to be a great anchor for downtown!! 

 

[samagon]

20 minutes ago, sapo2367 said:

Also stopped by over the weekend. It was really busy for a soft opening, next weekend is going to be PACKED. The skylawn is really cool, there are definitely going to be a lot of weddings etc up there — especially with the sunset. It’s hard to really get a feel for how huge the space is from the photos but the building is massive. I really hope it goes well, there is an opportunity for it to be a great anchor for downtown!! 

went to day for night, and I can confirm, the place is a huge space. 

great shots everyone, I look forward to the first farmer's market so I can convince the wife we need to go

[nate4l1f3]

Won’t be a success until there’s a rooftop bar 😜

[Houston19514]

From Downtown Management District:  

Congress Street Bridge Improvements: Based on the re-positioning of the new Post Houston with a grand opening on November 13th, the District has been approached by Lovett Commercial and the City to consider a shared funding improvement of the Congress Street Bridge from Smith to Franklin. The primary purpose and benefit is improved pedestrian sidewalks and safe intersection crossings between Post Houston and the Theater + Historic Districts. The design proposal is roadway narrowing on the bridge with attendant widening of the sidewalks, new streetlights, new traffic signals at Congress/ Smith, Congress/ Franklin, and Franklin/ Bagby, with no modifications to the historic bridge railings. Project engineering is scheduled for 2022 with construction improvements extending into 2023.

[JBTX]

Drove by today while they were setting up for their grand opening. Looks like they are planning for A LOT of people. It looks like they are setting up for a massive festival less so a building's opening.

Hope it all goes by smoothly tomorrow!

[houstontexasjack]

I tried going today. Unfortunately for me, POST was packed and my toddler would not tolerate waiting in line to get in.

On the bright side, I’d say the opening day crowds portend well to the popularity of this development. I’m looking forward to visiting. 

[j_cuevas713]

This place is amazing 

[dbigtex56]

On 11/8/2021 at 10:08 AM, wilcal said:

Are you talking about at ground level? It was pretty underwhelming. The walk to the Bagby street improvements left a bit to be desired. They currently stop on the other side of Franklin. 

Although I haven't walked on the improved portion of Bagby St, this corner of downtown has always seemed vaguely hostile - a sort of no-man's land comprised of parking lots and uninviting buildings.
It's pedestrian unfriendly due to aggressive traffic, disorienting street patterns, and a lack of trees and landscaping. A person can't help but feel exposed and vulnerable.
For many of us, crossing a bayou on a narrow sidewalk with low railings (and just inches from speeding cars) is an activity to be avoided whenever possible. 
From all reports, this is a fabulous facility, and although it's only a short distance from other downtown attractions, I wish it wasn't located in one of those "you can't get there from here" areas.
Perhaps someday improvements will be made to allow for more balanced priorities between automotive, bicycle,  and pedestrian traffic. I should live so long.

[BEES?!]

I wanted to go to the grand opening, but I ended up being sick. How has it been? Was it busier than the soft opening, for anyone that’s gone to both?

[j_cuevas713]

48 minutes ago, BEES?! said:

I wanted to go to the grand opening, but I ended up being sick. How has it been? Was it busier than the soft opening, for anyone that’s gone to both?

It was packed. Lines were very long for the food vendors. Many of the office/retail space was converted to lounge space for the meantime. I’m really hoping for a major tenant like a Google or something.

[tigereye]

Thread of my pics. Loved the way this renovation turned. Hoping the administration building becomes a boutique hotel. I still would also like Amtrak rail depot moved to the rear dock. Might draw even more crowds if a sky bridge or some direct path could be built linking UH Downtown to PostHTX. 

Edited November 14, 2021 by tigereye

[j_cuevas713]

4 minutes ago, tigereye said:

Thread of my pics. Loved the way this renovation turned. Hoping the administration building becomes a boutique hotel. I still would also like Amtrak rail depot moved to the rear dock. Might draw even more crowds if a sky bridge or some direct path could be built linking UH Downtown to PostHTX. 

 

I said the same thing about Amtrak when I was there. I love how it opened up a whole new part of downtown. It’s a side I’ve never explored or thought much about. I think many people were thinking the same thing about the station though. I could def see some sort of connection in the near future. 

[Houston19514]

13 hours ago, dbigtex56 said:

Although I haven't walked on the improved portion of Bagby St, this corner of downtown has always seemed vaguely hostile - a sort of no-man's land comprised of parking lots and uninviting buildings.
It's pedestrian unfriendly due to aggressive traffic, disorienting street patterns, and a lack of trees and landscaping. A person can't help but feel exposed and vulnerable.
For many of us, crossing a bayou on a narrow sidewalk with low railings (and just inches from speeding cars) is an activity to be avoided whenever possible. 
From all reports, this is a fabulous facility, and although it's only a short distance from other downtown attractions, I wish it wasn't located in one of those "you can't get there from here" areas.
Perhaps someday improvements will be made to allow for more balanced priorities between automotive, bicycle,  and pedestrian traffic. I should live so long.

I’m sorry to hear you don’t plan to live until 2023.  😒
 

i walked to and from Post yesterday and was surprised to find that it is much easier to walk to than has been suggested on this forum.  Sidewalks Congress St bridge are already pretty decent, with improvements coming.

[corbs315]

I went yesterday and thought it was neat. I have no idea what they plan to do with all the empty space. Then I see reddit comments like this and am a little concerned it's the prevailing opinion (and it was in the back of my mind too)

 

 

[BeerNut]

9 minutes ago, corbs315 said:

I went yesterday and thought it was neat. I have no idea what they plan to do with all the empty space. Then I see reddit comments like this and am a little concerned it's the prevailing opinion (and it was in the back of my mind too)

 

 

I kinda agree with this opinion.  Might be a cool thing to take people visiting from out of town or to go see a show.  I don't see myself going there on the regular unless it's heavily programmed like Discovery Green.   

[BeerNut]

 

[downtownian]

11 hours ago, BeerNut said:

I kinda agree with this opinion.  Might be a cool thing to take people visiting from out of town or to go see a show.  I don't see myself going there on the regular unless it's heavily programmed like Discovery Green.   

It is a major amenity to me - 15 minute walk which is perfect for evenings. Also about 5-10 minutes to the performing arts district from Post so I will likely do pre-show dinners here. Realize it may be a little casual for others going to shows. The music venue builds inherent demand. Rufus du sol is sold out on Thursday/Friday.

It is a little far for lunches for office workers however.

[samagon]

formatting is key for any venue designed to entertain, why should this place be any different?

Edited November 15, 2021 by samagon

[Houston19514]

It's almost like some posters are cutting and pasting comments from the early Discovery Green thread.  🤣

[gene]

Okay so i went to Las Vegas all last week (half work and half fun with local friends) and upon landing saturday at 330pm i went straight to Post. 

Easy parking on the streets and there was a line of about 50 people which caused me to stand in line for maybe 10 to 15 minutes so not bad at all! They had some super cool cars on display in the right side parking lot and the left side parking lot was set up with some games, huge screens showing football and some bar setups.

BUT OMG i am not kidding that i felt almost giddy walking into THE building...i LOVED Day for Night and as mentioned previously i especially love this building (*and that festival) because i got to meet and work with BJORK! so...walking in it STILL looks like it did during the festival just of course a whole lot cooler and nicer in that they left the concrete and cavernous spaces but added lots of cool staircases everywhere haha! The Food Hall was really great as there were lots of cool restaurant/food vendors and some cool shopping booths as well...and the white light spiral staircase is definitely the showpiece of the inside of the building)

and seriously...seeing this place so darn alive and bustling with cool people and excited made me just love OUR awesome city even more...and dang don't even get me started about the incredible rooftop...the gardens, the artificial grass spaces and just THAT FREAKING AMAZING VIEW...just WOW! (and yep, the sunset saturday night was beautiful!)

They definitely need to add a bike station to this and hopefully some more landscaping to the surrounds of the building. This is a place you can get to easily and often and while it may not be everyone's opinion, i am telling you now that i loved this space and this experience and everyone needs to go check it out!!! I am in love haha! 

From the google search:

Hours: 

 

Monday	Closed
Tuesday	Closed
Wednesday	11AM–9PM
Thursday	11AM–9PM
Friday	11AM–10PM
Saturday	11AM–10PM
Sunday	11AM–9PM

 

I LOVE this building and will be going often... in fact, next up, maybe dinner wednesday after work either via bike or vehicle... then friday is Rufus Du Sol! So excited 

https://www.posthtx.com/

 

 

 

[freundb]

I didn't take many pictures, but it was a great space that should just get better over time. Slim Thug was there checking it out too!