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The Menil Collection At 1533 Sul Ross St.


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Feh. I like the current size. Why does it need to be bigger or more visible?

Me too, but also it might be nice for them to make it more obvious to the Richmond line riders that they are there. I'm sure Lucky Burger and Cafe Artiste would like it. And replacing the vacant white building with something useful could be nothing but good.

They could always cannibalize the under-utilized Cy Twombly gallery! ;)

Gosh I hate that place. Rotho Chapel too.

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They own and use the building for storage that was once the Parade Disco. Maybe that's the same as the Richmond Hall/Grocery store. So, it would appear that they own everything between W. Alabama and Richmond, west of St. Thomas.

I did not know this.

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Feh. I like the current size. Why does it need to be bigger or more visible?

I'm curious to know if they intend on building more space for the art etc? It seems like the article said the new space would be for other functions that would create income.

Those facilities include the Menil Drawing Institute and Study Center, an auditorium, a caf
Edited by lockmat
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Me too, but also it might be nice for them to make it more obvious to the Richmond line riders that they are there. I'm sure Lucky Burger and Cafe Artiste would like it. And replacing the vacant white building with something useful could be nothing but good.

Gosh I hate that place. Rotho Chapel too.

I think Cafe Artiste is closed now.

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They also own the giant apartment complex Richmont Square.

HCAD shows ownership of Richmont Square changing in '88 from Menil to Richmont Corp... Is Richmont Corp a menil-owned land holding company?

Also.. HCAD shows UST as owning some of the land the Menil is on. Is Menil-owned land and UST-owned land one and the same ?

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HCAD shows ownership of Richmont Square changing in '88 from Menil to Richmont Corp... Is Richmont Corp a menil-owned land holding company?

Richmont Corporation's President is Elsian Cozens who was apparently a long-time assistant of Dominique de Menil, so very possible that its all the same family of companies.

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HCAD shows ownership of Richmont Square changing in '88 from Menil to Richmont Corp... Is Richmont Corp a menil-owned land holding company?

Also.. HCAD shows UST as owning some of the land the Menil is on. Is Menil-owned land and UST-owned land one and the same ?

Nothing named Richmont Corp shows up in the state of Texas corporation search..

Plus, why's the address on HCAD 400 Richmond (shouldn't it be 1400?)

...i just google mapped 400 Richmond and it put it at Loretto St. :huh:

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Nothing named Richmont Corp shows up in the state of Texas corporation search..

Plus, why's the address on HCAD 400 Richmond (shouldn't it be 1400?)

...i just google mapped 400 Richmond and it put it at Loretto St. :huh:

Probably a typo on HCAD. Not sure about your Google Maps issue, because it puts it at Bute St (E of 59) for me.

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HCAD shows ownership of Richmont Square changing in '88 from Menil to Richmont Corp... Is Richmont Corp a menil-owned land holding company?

Also.. HCAD shows UST as owning some of the land the Menil is on. Is Menil-owned land and UST-owned land one and the same ?

Yes, Richmont Corp. is controlled by the Menil. The income from the apartment complex provides some revenue for the Menil operations.

Menil has been quietly acquiring property over a number of years such that they now own close to 100% of the land in the area bounded by Mandell, Richmond, Yupon, and W. Alabama. Likewise, UST has been steadily trying to acquire as much land as they can in the area bounded by Yupon, Richmond, Montrose, and W. Alabama. It is the intent of both of these institutions to expand and enhance the visual appeal of their respective campuses.

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Feh. I like the current size. Why does it need to be bigger or more visible?

Rather than expanding the main building, I believe their intent is to add other facility buildings, as they have done with the Twombly and Byzantine Chapel buildings, while maintaining a park-like setting for the campus.

Something else appears to be opening up in the Cafe Artiste building. I hope it's another coffee shop.

It is now Sophia, owned by the former sous chef of Shade, David Alvarado: http://www.sophiahouston.com/index.htm

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This will show how old I am, but I remember when Cafe Artiste used to be Chicago Pizza. Loved that place, only because they served beer to an under-aged me!

I loved it because they were close to Rice and had really good pizza. Back on topic, I'm glad they want to maintain a "park-like setting" but that rendering looks a whole lot less park-like than the setting does now.

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I'm glad UST can't buy anymore land to expand. Great architecture happens where there are boundaries. Eventually they'll have to infill their campus instead of having it spread out. My one gripe about UH is that its got the case of urban sprawl. They need more infill projects. Heck you almost have to sprint across campus to make it to classs with the 10 minutes they give you in between!

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This expansion news bothers me, especially the remark about the surrounding bungalows being at the end of their useful lives.

One of the main reasons behind the Menil Collection's "architectural success" has to do with how well it is integrated into the surrounding neighborhood fabric. You could easily miss the buildings if you weren't looking out for them, and the museum is meant to be somewhat hidden. The buildings are to be seen as a backdrop for the art, not self-conscious landmarks. It is for this reason that neighboring bungalows were purchased and left in place - to preserve the context of the neighborhood. Painting everything the same colors was an afterthought meant to further drive home the point that the museum is part of the surrounding neighborhood.

I feel that demolishing a large section of the adjacent neighborhood to erect a big new building would totally destroy this effect, and go against Renzo Piano's and Dominique deMenil's original plans for the museum. If space is needed for expansion, it should be located somewhere else.

Why isn't Renzo Piano involved in this planning process? He's still alive, and he gave a lecture at the museum 2 years ago...

Edited by Dan the Man
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Feh. I like the current size. Why does it need to be bigger or more visible?

Menil has a huge collection that is not on display and the addition of the Whitney collection would justify more gallery space. What I have always respected about Menil is that it has significant works by well known artists, that would draw people to the museum, that it doesn't display unless it fits in with the rest of an exhibition. I'm all for adding space so that more of the collection can be exhibited in a sensible way.

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Painting everything the same colors was an afterthought meant to further drive home the point that the museum is part of the surrounding neighborhood.

I agree with you, Dan. Aren't the bungalows already very desirable income-producing rental properties? But the gray color has been around since way before the Menil Collection building. At least since the early 80s, probably earlier. The area was called "Doville" for Dominique de Menil. I don't know for sure but I imagine it dates to her association with the University of St. Thomas and the Rothko Chapel.

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  • 2 weeks later...

http://www.davidchipperfield.co.uk/

After reviewing some of the architect's previous master plans and bldgs, I get a distinctive signature in his work where he "groups the volumes together to form a greater sense of solidity." Typically his volumes are boxes and have a push-pull effect in their spatial relationships. Even in his more delineated plans, the squares maintain a distorted proportional relationship as if the amoebic stasis of the San Michele Cemetery, Barcelona Justice, or Segovia Project were stretched thin like Cantera Cultural Centre or Museum Island in Berlin.

Given the current campus amassed by the Menil Foundation, his planning tendencies will have a positive effect on the plan's outcome. His Des Moines public library is less than inspiring but judging from the pics it's site looks small and the bldg's budget appears modest but well dressed. I am not too concerned w/r/t the Menil Foundation's precedent for building and a master plan is something I'm surprised they had not already done. I am interested with how they will generate profit from a more public, campus style bldg in light of the forthcoming Richmond Ave. transit upgrades.

Edit: Speaking of Chipperfield, maybe he could tap Adjaye to do a bldg in Houston. B)

Edited by infinite_jim
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I feel that demolishing a large section of the adjacent neighborhood to erect a big new building would totally destroy this effect, and go against Renzo Piano's and Dominique deMenil's original plans for the museum. If space is needed for expansion, it should be located somewhere else.

What about the previous bungalows that were plowed under to create the current Menil? I don't see why plowing some to the South would make things all that much worse. There's still plenty of neighborhood to go around.

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What about the previous bungalows that were plowed under to create the current Menil? I don't see why plowing some to the South would make things all that much worse. There's still plenty of neighborhood to go around.

The bungalows that are immediately adjacent to the museum building should not be demolished, as they play a primary role in the scalar relationship between the building and its original neighborhood context, which is central to the architectural experience.

In fact, some of the surrounding bungalows originally sat on the museum building site. Renzo Piano and Dominique deMenil chose to have these houses moved (not demolished), in order to fill in vacant lots in the blocks around the museum site. This move ensured that everything in the vicinity was relatively the same scale, and helped the new museum building fit into the surrounding area.

Yes, some of the adjacent bungalows are already gone (ie where the Cy Twombly Gallery is located). However, Piano was careful to design this building to be the same scale as the museum building and the remaining adjacent bungalows. Hopefully the new architect will keep this concept in mind when the new buildings are designed.

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