Marcus Allen Posted November 1, 2013 Share Posted November 1, 2013 Does anyone know what the building is between One Shell Plaza and B of A coming from a west perspective? Any chance it can be razed and a 60 plus or supertall can replace it? I would like to see a tower similar to either the BofA in NY or the Shanghai Tower. Thoughts? How awesome would that be for the skyline from that perspective? Feel free to photoshop a mock skyline and share, LOL. I don't know how or I am the sort of geek who would. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Montrose1100 Posted November 1, 2013 Share Posted November 1, 2013 Are you talking about the public works building next to Bank of America Plaza? Or the one built in the 50's behind the surface lot behind 1 Shell? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arche_757 Posted November 1, 2013 Share Posted November 1, 2013 I think we have enough empty lots that we don't need to tear down any existing highrises! The best spot for a "supertall" is the land in front of Bank of the Southwest building or 919 Milam - that is the land that would have had the Bank of the Southwest Tower proposed in the 1980s. But... I would be really suspect if we actually ever get a supertall (over 300meters) again. If we even got a 900' tall building that would be astounding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted November 1, 2013 Share Posted November 1, 2013 I see where he's coming from though. The downtown skyline is frequently photographed from along the Bayou, and the public works building makes kind of a stumpy gap in the row of skyscrapers. The old Band of the Southwest location would have been great, but from a western perspective would have been largely blocked by One Shell. So from a skyline compositional perspective, the Lanier Building block would make some sense. That said, Houston's never been a place to make active efforts to design the skyline. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
infinite_jim Posted November 1, 2013 Share Posted November 1, 2013 The Lanier bldg, like our art deco (err.. thumbnail) City Hall provides much needed visual scale to the skyscrapers around them. It is owned by the city so if some developer made an offer the city couldn't refuse I'm sure it would be a goner. But it couldn't hurt to power wash that high modern thing at least once a decade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Montrose1100 Posted November 1, 2013 Share Posted November 1, 2013 The Lanier bldg, like our art deco (err.. thumbnail) City Hall provides much needed visual scale to the skyscrapers around them. It is owned by the city so if some developer made an offer the city couldn't refuse I'm sure it would be a goner. But it couldn't hurt to power wash that high modern thing at least once a decade.The X Bracing and the glass in the lobby is spectacular. I would be sad if they tore it down, when there is a prime location for a tall skyscraper directly east of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcus Allen Posted November 2, 2013 Author Share Posted November 2, 2013 Are you talking about the public works building next to Bank of America Plaza? Or the one built in the 50's behind the surface lot behind 1 Shell? I think I mean the public works building. If you are traveling down I10 from the west, it's nestled between BoA and 1Shell. I just always thought it seemed irrelevant after all those other signature towers were built along that venue in the 80s. I am surprised it hasn't been razed and a 50 plus storey tower hasn't replaced it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcus Allen Posted November 2, 2013 Author Share Posted November 2, 2013 I see where he's coming from though. The downtown skyline is frequently photographed from along the Bayou, and the public works building makes kind of a stumpy gap in the row of skyscrapers. The old Band of the Southwest location would have been great, but from a western perspective would have been largely blocked by One Shell. So from a skyline compositional perspective, the Lanier Building block would make some sense. That said, Houston's never been a place to make active efforts to design the skyline. that last part made me laugh. Yes, it is sort of a hurly burly mix, isn't it? Sometimes, I think the Galleria Post Oak area has more semetry than either DT or MT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcus Allen Posted November 2, 2013 Author Share Posted November 2, 2013 The X Bracing and the glass in the lobby is spectacular. I would be sad if they tore it down, when there is a prime location for a tall skyscraper directly east of it. Two Shell Plaza space? I was looking on a DT map. East of that is 2 Shell Plaza, right? What am I missing? I must be looking at it wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tumbleweed_Tx Posted November 2, 2013 Share Posted November 2, 2013 it's the Lanier Building. you have to remember, when it was built, it stood tall and kind of by itself. it was dwarfed by One Shell a couple of years later Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Montrose1100 Posted November 3, 2013 Share Posted November 3, 2013 Two Shell Plaza space? I was looking on a DT map. East of that is 2 Shell Plaza, right? What am I missing? I must be looking at it wrong.You aren't missing anything. My brain was missing the right axis of the grid. Whoops... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LTAWACS Posted November 6, 2013 Share Posted November 6, 2013 Does anyone know what the building is between One Shell Plaza and B of A coming from a west perspective? Any chance it can be razed and a 60 plus or supertall can replace it? I would like to see a tower similar to either the BofA in NY or the Shanghai Tower. Thoughts? How awesome would that be for the skyline from that perspective? Feel free to photoshop a mock skyline and share, LOL. I don't know how or I am the sort of geek who would. Sure. i'm guessing someone out there wants to build a supertall at this location. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcus Allen Posted November 6, 2013 Author Share Posted November 6, 2013 Well, yeah, ME. LoL. Anyway, I am always really interested in different people's take on the Houston skyline. Being from west Houston that, of course is the view I associate with Houston. But then I think of those approaching it from the other three directions, and wonder what their opinions are regarding WHERE a suitable scraper should be placed, with symmetry and such in mind. But I will leave that to another thread. For me, that building has always underwhelmed me in that venue. Then again, I only have been a devoted fan of Houston architecture and architecture in general since the early 80s. I wish I was more cognizant of HTown development a few years earlier. My dad was a security guard for One Shell when it was first built. Unfortunately, I don't remember that; only stories of how creepy it was at night. I don't know if this is true or one of those family myths, but he said they could actually hear the building settling and the water pumps beneath them at like 2 in the morning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoustonIsHome Posted November 12, 2013 Share Posted November 12, 2013 Its odd how the chase tower looks so much less significant from the east. Its too glaringly prominent from the north and still strong from the west. It would be nice if the tallest didn't ask shoulder west. A nice group of 800+ footers along main, fannin and San Jac would have been nice. Our skyline looks so much more sparce than it really is because a wall of tall buildings block out the rest of the skyline. A hefty tower at 609 main would fill in nicely, but building more of a wall to join shell and BOA... I dunno Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcus Allen Posted November 19, 2013 Author Share Posted November 19, 2013 I agree, now that you mention it. It's not as spread out like Atlanta, but I see that the dominant view from the west sort of spoils the 20 to 30 storey infill that is taking place. What I mean is that from the west side there are what, six 50 or more storey towers? So, to impact the skyline from that viewpoint, it would take a super tall. But from other venues, the 30 storey or taller towers would have a huge impact on the skyline. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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