Jump to content

Elev8: Multifamily High-Rise At 1801 Smith St.


Montrose1100

Recommended Posts

I'm surprised no one has posted this yet...

 

http://realtynewsreport.com/2014/11/18/stream-partnership-buys-600-jefferson-tower-in-downtown-houston/

 

Quote

 

"The upgrades will include renovating the exterior façade and lobby, upgrading finishes to Class A consistency and changing the building’s address."

 

 

It would be a complete shame if they turned it into a glass box. The exterior could use some TLC, but why not just use that money for the interior/lobby? 

  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I mean really how does one make an exterior "Class A"? Unless it's the Heaven on Earth Days Inn, I don't see how this makes any sense. I wonder how much it would cost to renovate the exterior versus the interior? I'm sure it's a lot of money that would really improve the office spaces as well as some upgrades to the mechanics of the building.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I must be crazy because I think a new (presumably glass) facade would be great.  It'd break up the monotony of those big off-white concrete blocks next to the Pierce and play well off of the federal building next door.

A new glass facade would be great in addition to the area (new building, not re-facing the current), but you have blue glass close by - Chevron Tower, Federal Building, and soon Central Square.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I had an office there for several months about 15 years ago, when the company I worked for was playing musical chairs with several departments due to severe space constraints at our usual location. They leased an entire floor (or possibly two) at 600 Jefferson for a year or so to accommodate the overflow while they were implementing a more permanent plan. It was great - I wound up with an enormous office that looked faintly ridiculous with only a desk and a couple of guest chairs in it, and was remarkably productive since our remote location almost totally killed the impromptu "drive-by" interruptions that were the bane of working in our main location's open-plan office space. 

 

Some of the interior spaces had seen better days back then, so I'm not too surprised to hear that they'll be doing some interior updates now. 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Do you think 30-40 years from now some developers will strip down all these glass curtain revamps to a mock up stucco version of the original (JW Marriot)? I know the current design will never be as romanticized as Art Deco and other styles from that era, but surely by then these 60's and 70's style structures will be missed and appreciated?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Another interesting thing from the pic is to see the houses to the right side of the Pierce Elevated Freeway, under construction.  I don't remember those.  

 

We lived on the west side of Houston at the time.  To get to Gulfgate Mall or Galveston, we used Highway 90 (now I-10) to go as far east as Westcott, then travelled on Washington Avenue to downtown.  From there, I think we used Pierce Street to get to the Gulf Freeway.  The part of the trip through downtown was interesting.  It would have been about the time the Humble Building (Exxon Mobil) was being built.  Humble had a gas station and auto mechanic operation on an adjacent block that was in an interesting structure with a design that was -- at the time I though it was Spanish Colonial but now I'm not sure what to call it -- similar to the structures still remaining from the expo in the Presidio area of San Francisco.  

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Those houses were leveled I think when the continental tower went up. It was a parking lot until recently, now theres construction for a believe 5-6 floor condos or apartments on those blocks. 

 

This picture looks like its right over Dallas Street. Where the bar "The Refinery"  Is today. Side note, I like that bar. Hope it sticks around. 

 

 

Another interesting thing from the pic is to see the houses to the right side of the Pierce Elevated Freeway, under construction.  I don't remember those.  

 

We lived on the west side of Houston at the time.  To get to Gulfgate Mall or Galveston, we used Highway 90 (now I-10) to go as far east as Westcott, then travelled on Washington Avenue to downtown.  From there, I think we used Pierce Street to get to the Gulf Freeway.  The part of the trip through downtown was interesting.  It would have been about the time the Humble Building (Exxon Mobil) was being built.  Humble had a gas station and auto mechanic operation on an adjacent block that was in an interesting structure with a design that was -- at the time I though it was Spanish Colonial but now I'm not sure what to call it -- similar to the structures still remaining from the expo in the Presidio area of San Francisco.  

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...

http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/morning_call/2016/05/exclusive-downtown-tower-to-be-renovated-as.html

 

 

Quote

 

With Chicago-based United Airlines Inc. leaving its space at 600 Jefferson in downtown Houston and moving to 609 Main at the end of 2018, the owners are planning a revamp of the building.

 

Stream Realty Partners LP and New York-based DRA Advisors LLC launched a tower renovation and rebrand that should wrap up a year before United leaves. 

 

Construction started in March and are planned to be finished in January 2017, a spokesperson for Dallas-based Stream told the Houston Business Journal. All in all, the building's two lobbies will get updated marble and granite ceilings, light fixtures and new furniture and art. A new conference center, tenant lounge and cafe will also be built.

 

1801-smith-3.png

  • Like 6
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...
  • 2 months later...

It might be similar Tiger,  but 600 J is a less attractive Pig than 811 L.

 

 

The interior of that place has been a mess for well over a year.  They took out the escalates and replaced it with stairs (like anyone is going to use it) they ripped out (or rather have been ripping out) the beige tile and replacing it with grey tile. But it looks like they have made very little progress in all this time.

 

 I overheard the firefighters say that they don't really work around business hours; doing very little in the evenings and weekends but almost completely hindering access. He said sometimes they block off the elevators to certain floors, so if you are going from 6 to 2, you would have to take it all the way down to one then walk to the garage and take the elevators there up to 2, then do the reverse to get back to work.

 

Sometimes the entire front of the building is blocked off so you have to enter through the garage go up some, find a concorse, cross over to the main building then find the elevators to your appropriate floor. 

 

Continental folks must sure be happy they are leaving. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 5 years later...
  • The title was changed to 1801 Smith Renovations
On 2/11/2022 at 9:52 AM, JBTX said:

The building was sold last year, so I suspect something must be underway.

https://realtynewsreport.com/downtown-houston-tower-sold-for-20-6-million/

Looks like the new buyer also owns 500 Jefferson next door.  Would be awesome if there was a plan to convert both towers to residential.  Imagine what that does to this area of downtown after they decommission the Pierce elevated and downtown seamlessly connects to this active corner of midtown.

  • Like 7
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...