DrLan34 Posted December 6, 2014 Share Posted December 6, 2014 (edited) From the site Edited December 6, 2014 by DrLan34 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monarch Posted December 6, 2014 Share Posted December 6, 2014 actually, i think that it would be most wonderful.. if they would have designed for the old houses to be contained within a very intimate inner courtyard. or even have them placed inside the overall structure itself. upon my most honest view... the old house just looks ridiculous upon the outside front entrance of this most modern structure. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H-Town Man Posted December 6, 2014 Share Posted December 6, 2014 upon my most honest view... the old house just looks ridiculous upon the outside front entrance of this most modern structure. Agreed. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tigereye Posted December 6, 2014 Share Posted December 6, 2014 (edited) actually, i think that it would be most wonderful.. if they would have designed for the old houses to be contained within a very intimate inner courtyard. or even have them placed inside the overall structure itself. upon my most honest view... the old house just looks ridiculous upon the outside front entrance of this most modern structure. I think this is a direct result of trying to add too much to this project within its overall site footprint. The original design and orientation was perfect and the historic homes placement on the site fit naturally within the street-grid, making it look and feel like they've always been here. The former design also did a much better job connecting with the neighborhood surroundings too (connecting to Texas Ave rather than turning its back on it) Now that's lost and the Cohn house will be awkwardly repositioned to add classrooms, which will turn its back against Texas Ave. If they wanted to add classroom space, couldn't they use one of the historic houses for this? Edited December 6, 2014 by tigereye 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adr Posted January 1, 2015 Share Posted January 1, 2015 Site status as of January 1st. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toxtethogrady Posted January 2, 2015 Share Posted January 2, 2015 I see a sandbox. Does this mean a groundbreaking is imminent? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H-TownChris2 Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 They're boarding up the houses 1.31.15 by H-TownChris, on Flickr 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tigereye Posted February 8, 2015 Share Posted February 8, 2015 Houses have moved - although I hope they reposition the Foley house (still on movers). That front porch with its Corinthian columns and double gallery should face the street.https://twitter.com/thachadwick/status/564221626544185344Didn't know that back in 1963, Blanche Foley (daughter) bequeathed the William Foley house to Annunciation Catholic Church. With that in mind, it seems fitting the house end up back with the church. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate99 Posted March 4, 2015 Share Posted March 4, 2015 (edited) So, they knocked down the old buildings (offices, rectory?) behind Annunciation Church and parked the white house where they used to be. EDIT - the plan for Annunciation looks to include the house as an office/rectory. - http://annunciationcc.org/ That's not Howard's Porsche, btw. Edited March 4, 2015 by Nate99 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate99 Posted March 4, 2015 Share Posted March 4, 2015 Houses have moved - although I hope they reposition the Foley house (still on movers). That front porch with its Corinthian columns and double gallery should face the street. https://twitter.com/thachadwick/status/564221626544185344 Didn't know that back in 1963, Blanche Foley (daughter) bequeathed the William Foley house to Annunciation Catholic Church. With that in mind, it seems fitting the house end up back with the church. Looks like it will face west, though closer to Texas Street than it is currently positioned oriented with a new courtyard behind the church. Folks driving down Texas should see it fairly prominently. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tigereye Posted March 5, 2015 Share Posted March 5, 2015 Looks like it will face west, though closer to Texas Street than it is currently positioned oriented with a new courtyard behind the church. Folks driving down Texas should see it fairly prominently. Prominent placement indeed. Since the new church garage will be across Jackson St, I've got no issues with the Foley house's front porch facing the church, forming a mini plaza inbetween. Gives the complex a nice bit of street presence on the Texas Ave side. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ctaf Posted March 5, 2015 Share Posted March 5, 2015 sorry to be a dumb, but what is the history of these houses? I guess I could wait until the Nau Center opens to find out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asubrt Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 Oh no. Project put on hold because they are unable to raise the full $80 million. http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Plans-for-80-million-cultural-center-in-downtown-6135856.php 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lockmat Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 ah well, cant fault people who are giving away their money for something. hopefully they get it soon, or at all Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monarch Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 maybe its just me, but am i the only person that thinks that this particular development is a bit ill conceived, as per this area of the houston cbd? please allow for me to proposition all of our wonderful haifers, to stop and reference all of the gorgeous / magnificent illustrations that our generous and gracious haif photographers have been supplying lately. (just take a very good look at all of these wonderful photo's throughout these many construction threads) the whole concept of the NAU CENTER OF CULTURAL HERITAGE just does not seem to fit in with this particular ULTRA VIBRANT district. (not at this time anyway) somehow, i get the sense that prospective donors, just were not very interested in this particular development / concept. the donor's that did graciously extend funds, i think that they did so, because of who mr. nau is as a person, a most wonderful and generous philanthropist. our fair city of houston is finally blasting off. the rockets red glare... are now bursting in air! this is what it feels like whenever i view those magnificent illustrations that our photographers are supplying daily / weekly. upon my view, downtown houston, is in dire need of cutting edge development. lively, fun, and state of the art concepts that shall bring in visitors from all over the world to our fair city. i sincerely feel that the NAU CENTER OF CULTURAL HERITAGE is a prospective concept for who's time has come and gone. this particular area of downtown houston, is just begging for something better...... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cloud713 Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 i agree to an extent. it would have been nice to see the cultural heritage center go into the newly renovated building at Allens Landing. have little historic bayou boat tours recreating the path of the Allen Brothers, or something touristy/neat like that instead of just a couple old houses and a learning center to walk through. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gator Purify Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 I agree with monarch. The Nau Center concept and design were very cheesy. It would make for a fun attraction in a smaller Texas town, but it doesn't belong in the CBD of the nation's fourth largest city. Imagine this: An international tourist visits Houston, books a room at the Marriott Marquis, then asks what there is to do here. S/he is told, "you can either catch a cab to a big shopping mall, take two train lines to the museum district, walk around the adjacent three-block park, or head over to the new cultural center." Tourist chooses the cultural center and enjoys two rooms of exhibits, half a locomotive, an old house, and a restroom. That block is prime real estate. Cloud713 is right. Something like this, with its current concept, belongs in a historic district. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gator Purify Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 Houston needs a soaring downtown monument, and I believe this lot is the perfect place for it. People spend hundreds or thousands to visit Paris, New York, D.C., heck even Seattle, just to stop by famous tall monuments. The downtown hotels are in place. Residential is on the way. A light rail stop is across the street. Retail is being set up a block away, along ADLA. Throw up a 500-1,000 ft. monument that will drag the skyline eastward, give drivers along 59 and I-10 an amazing view, and increase property values in EaDo. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luminare Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 Houston needs a soaring downtown monument, and I believe this lot is the perfect place for it. People spend hundreds or thousands to visit Paris, New York, D.C., heck even Seattle, just to stop by famous tall monuments. The downtown hotels are in place. Residential is on the way. A light rail stop is across the street. Retail is being set up a block away, along ADLA. Throw up a 500-1,000 ft. monument that will drag the skyline eastward, give drivers along 59 and I-10 an amazing view, and increase property values in EaDo. I actually don't see this site as being anything too special. I also always thought this was a weird location to put a museum with its back right against a highway. I would rather it be used for another hotel/retail or residential/retail to bring more foot traffic to this area. I do think that there needs an art museum in downtown somewhere. It needs to be a venue that holds a particular collection that you can't find anywhere else and then open gallery space to show off local pieces of art or showcase up-in-comers. Of course we have places like this in town already, but I think a Downtown venue would be a nice cultural element addition to Downtown. It would be a great addition to this budding retail district that is being planned. If it's a History museum then it should be attached to something historical that ties the museum with the fabric of the area. This Nau Center's only attachment was a single House! This center has always been a little cheesy to me as well. I didn't find anything about it very innovative or thought provoking and the architecture is very lacking! It was so bland looking. My guess is that the guy really really liked the old houses and wanted to use them in some way and was like.....Cultural Center! Of course! But then really struggled to find out what to add onto the real attraction he liked which were the houses. Your right though this is something you might find in some small Texas town looking for some extra dollars and a place to show some local pride, but my god we have a substantial amount of great museums already. I mean the up coming bike museum is more interesting than this was! This would have simply been a "greatest hits of Houston" museum with an enormous lack in depth. I'm also very disappointed in the City of Houston for allow this to go through when it was only a 1/3 of the way funded! That just blows my mind. The city has actually been doing very well lately in it's steps to rebuild downtown, the bayous, and other areas, but this is quite the misstep. Very embarrassing. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purdueenginerd Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 Houston needs a soaring downtown monument, and I believe this lot is the perfect place for it. People spend hundreds or thousands to visit Paris, New York, D.C., heck even Seattle, just to stop by famous tall monuments. The downtown hotels are in place. Residential is on the way. A light rail stop is across the street. Retail is being set up a block away, along ADLA. Throw up a 500-1,000 ft. monument that will drag the skyline eastward, give drivers along 59 and I-10 an amazing view, and increase property values in EaDo. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Spirit_of_Houston Google image search spirit of houston statue. Kind of amusing statue, that never got built. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
htownproud Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 I don't share the same dislike that others have expressed for this location. Families coming in from the suburbs for a baseball, basketball, or soccer game could have also gone to this museum afterwards. And people in town for business or a wedding could spent an hour there if they had some down time (although the museum district is close, I suspect that the perceived difficulty in getting there dissuades people with only an hour or two from trying). Also, if this was in the museum district, it would be overshadowed by the bigger attractions and I suspect would not get that much foot traffic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LTAWACS Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 Houston needs a soaring downtown monument, and I believe this lot is the perfect place for it. People spend hundreds or thousands to visit Paris, New York, D.C., heck even Seattle, just to stop by famous tall monuments. The downtown hotels are in place. Residential is on the way. A light rail stop is across the street. Retail is being set up a block away, along ADLA. Throw up a 500-1,000 ft. monument that will drag the skyline eastward, give drivers along 59 and I-10 an amazing view, and increase property values in EaDo. You mean like the Texas Spire (I think that's what it was called) from the Main Street Master Plan? It was a tall tower ~1200 - ~1500 ft tower with an observation level at the top, maybe a restaurant, and I think offices near the bottom. Was supposed to be located close to UHD. I'm sure someone here has a rendering. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tigereye Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 (edited) Why can't they just scale it back to the original $40 million dollar version ...they'd only be $7 million off and that version looked better anyways. Why does a glorified visitors center need friggin classrooms anyways. You're not building the damn Museum of Natural Science... talk about over thinking it. Too much added, now it's too expensive. Just dumb... Edited March 16, 2015 by tigereye 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dakota79 Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 Why can't they just scale it back to the original $40 million dollar version ...they'd only be $7 million off and that version looked better anyways. Why does a glorified visitors center need friggin classrooms anyways. You're not building the damn Museum of Natural Science... talk about over thinking it. Too much added, now it's too expensive. Just dumb... Now it won't be finished in time for the Super Bowl, an it'll be an eyesore! Grrrrrr. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cspwal Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 If they don't build this center at all, what will happen to the land? Somewhere it was said that it was donated by the city Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phillip_white Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 Not to mention that the houses are already there too... If they don't build this center at all, what will happen to the land? Somewhere it was said that it was donated by the city Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cloud713 Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 Yeah. The article said they were returning all the donations back to the donors. Doesn't sound too reassuring to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tigereye Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 Yeah. The article said they were returning all the donations back to the donors. Doesn't sound too reassuring to me.Doesn't sound reassuring? They've basically cancelled the entire project after all the hooplah, website, renderings, movies, ground breaking, and even site work. But they can't outright say they've cancelled for how foolish it'll look. Seriously, the is the worst botched project since Metro managed to fumble its designer Central Station, even with funds kicked in by DMD. And Im still pissed about that... 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cloud713 Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 Yeahh.. Pretty much. This sounds dead. Wether that's for the better or not is yet to be determined... Hopefully whatever replaces this is better than an underutilized "museum". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triton Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 (edited) Yeah. The article said they were returning all the donations back to the donors. Doesn't sound too reassuring to me.Wow! I missed that part... I thought there was some hope for this project but that sounds like a definite dead to me... unless he is thinking prices will go down once the market cools, then he can try his $40 million goal again? Edited March 17, 2015 by Triton 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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