1801 Smith Renovation/Conversion To Residential

[houstontexasjack]

I’m rooting for these lads to succeed. I’d love to see a residential conversion of 800 Bell, and we need something like this to show the concept can work in Houston.

[Nate99]

T

10 hours ago, houstontexasjack said:

I’m rooting for these lads to succeed. I’d love to see a residential conversion of 800 Bell, and we need something like this to show the concept can work in Houston.

Get this, 800 Bell and everybody's favorite former transcendental meditation center/junkie-squatter-sky-hovel renovated and filled with residents and that's a pretty big neighborhood on top of the other stuff that's already (or about to be) occupied. 

[kennyc05]

13 minutes ago, Nate99 said:

T

Get this, 800 Bell and everybody's favorite former transcendental meditation center/junkie-squatter-sky-hovel renovated and filled with residents and that's a pretty big neighborhood on top of the other stuff that's already (or about to be) occupied. 

Has there been any talk about converting 800 Bell into residential? That would be a lot of units!.

[sapo2367]

5 minutes ago, kennyc05 said:

Has there been any talk about converting 800 Bell into residential? That would be a lot of units!.

Wasn't there a proposal to make it affordable housing?

[Montrose1100]

29 minutes ago, kennyc05 said:

Has there been any talk about converting 800 Bell into residential? That would be a lot of units!.

None except here. Shorenstein still owns it and still maintains the "Updated" facade on their site. 

This area of town needs some love. The former Skyhouses and additional residential on Main have been great but it's my hope we'll see more aging office to residential. 

[Nate99]

36 minutes ago, sapo2367 said:

Wasn't there a proposal to make it affordable housing?

I may be mixing concepts, but the Days Inn/Heaven on Earth was mentioned as a candidate for some manner of affordable housing, but again, maybe only here. 

The 800 Bell residential speculation is probably just plausible wishful thinking for it's next use given the amount of nicer and better located vacant office space elsewhere downtown.  That property represents a huge chunk of square footage and I wonder how much work it requires to keep the infrastructure from decaying. 

[hindesky]

Houston Housing and Development web site had the Days Inn/Heaven on Earth as a possible affordable housing they going to renovate but its no longer on the list.

[X.R.]

On 6/7/2022 at 10:37 AM, Montrose1100 said:

Suppose the indoor pool is the only option and better than none. Really hope this is successful. Gives me hope for an 800 Bell conversion to residential.

If I'm being honest, I'd almost prefer an indoor pool to one that has no view, is surrounded by buildings, or doesn't get much sun. Plus, as an indoor, its all year round as opposed to a lot of outdoor pools. If they can, make the windows bigger, put in a sizeable spa/hot tub, and its a better amenity than some of these pools at the luxury places. 

[Amlaham]

 *Wishful thinking*

800 bell has the perfect layout to be like the Vertical Forest tower in Milan. This would legit be a dream. 

 

 

[Brooklyn173]

is that scaffolding going up on the north side?

[sapo2367]

3 hours ago, Nate99 said:

I may be mixing concepts, but the Days Inn/Heaven on Earth was mentioned as a candidate for some manner of affordable housing, but again, maybe only here. 

The 800 Bell residential speculation is probably just plausible wishful thinking for it's next use given the amount of nicer and better located vacant office space elsewhere downtown.  That property represents a huge chunk of square footage and I wonder how much work it requires to keep the infrastructure from decaying. 

Ah yep that is what I was thinking of :)

[BEES?!]

not to get too off-topic, but the most recent proposal for days inn is mixed-income housing, as of feb 2021. I believe it’ll have market rate units. 

[editor]

On 6/8/2022 at 11:01 AM, Amlaham said:

 *Wishful thinking*

800 bell has the perfect layout to be like the Vertical Forest tower in Milan. This would legit be a dream. 

 

 

Is that Milan building real, or a rendering? 

I've seen dozens and dozens of proposals that look exactly like that.  The only ones I've ever seen actually built never lived up to their hype, largely due to maintenance issues.  Not everyone is a gardener.  Not everyone is home all the time to give the greenery the care and attention it requires.  Surprisingly few people will allow an in-house gardener/maintenance person into their home when they're not there in order to take care of the plants.

Ditto for the thousands of "green roof" and "green walls" demos around the world.  90% of them I've seen are dead, or dying, with no hope of being re-planted.

[Amlaham]

6 hours ago, editor said:

Is that Milan building real, or a rendering? 

I've seen dozens and dozens of proposals that look exactly like that.  The only ones I've ever seen actually built never lived up to their hype, largely due to maintenance issues.  Not everyone is a gardener.  Not everyone is home all the time to give the greenery the care and attention it requires.  Surprisingly few people will allow an in-house gardener/maintenance person into their home when they're not there in order to take care of the plants.

Ditto for the thousands of "green roof" and "green walls" demos around the world.  90% of them I've seen are dead, or dying, with no hope of being re-planted.

It's a real building, it actually opened in 2014. I got the chance to see it when I was in Milan and its STUNNING in person. I'm sure the building was designed so the plants needed no-to little maintenance and could prosper on their own. The architect, Stafano Boeri, is also building a tower in the Netherlands. IMO, this is peak architecture and is worth way more than a skyscraper. 

https://www.stefanoboeriarchitetti.net/en/project/trudo-vertical-forest/

 

 

[hindesky]

Installing a climbing scaffold system on the north and west side.

[texan]

On 6/10/2022 at 2:45 PM, editor said:

Is that Milan building real, or a rendering? 

I've seen dozens and dozens of proposals that look exactly like that.  The only ones I've ever seen actually built never lived up to their hype, largely due to maintenance issues.  Not everyone is a gardener.  Not everyone is home all the time to give the greenery the care and attention it requires.  Surprisingly few people will allow an in-house gardener/maintenance person into their home when they're not there in order to take care of the plants.

Ditto for the thousands of "green roof" and "green walls" demos around the world.  90% of them I've seen are dead, or dying, with no hope of being re-planted.

The Optima properties always looked to be alive when I lived in Phoenix, the best example in my opinion is Optima Camelview Village. I think they could be a successful brand in Houston.

https://www.optima.inc

https://www.optima.inc/projects/optima-camelview-village/

[mattyt36]

I listened to this podcast, which had as its guest Bob Eury's successor at Central Houston (someone who most recently was head of some Hollywood BID).

Anyway, he stated the organization's goal is 30K residents in downtown Houston . . . he didn't give a timeframe on that, but that is about triple the current number.

Seems like probably a good 20-year goal.  Obviously it was all kick-started by the DLI incentive packages, and there have been a couple of non-DLI projects since, but that's a lot of new units to deliver.  Seems like still a ways to go in getting the momentum going towards tripling the units downtown.

Looped In Podcast: Interview with Kris Larson and Angie Bertinot of Central Houston on downtown Houston's recovery post-pandemic (houstonchronicle.com)

[editor]

On 6/3/2022 at 11:37 AM, cspwal said:

Probably will give Houston House a run for its money - I bet it will be over serviced with elevators compared to other residential high rises 

They might just mothball some of the elevators to cut down on maintenance costs. 

That's what they did at The Star.  It has two elevators that aren't used.  Also, the beautiful and historic brass elevator monitoring system in the lobby is completely disconnected.  Such a tremendous opportunity wasted.

[Houston19514]

1 hour ago, mattyt36 said:

I listened to this podcast, which had as its guest Bob Eury's successor at Central Houston (someone who most recently was head of some Hollywood BID).

Anyway, he stated the organization's goal is 30K residents in downtown Houston . . . he didn't give a timeframe on that, but that is about triple the current number.

Seems like probably a good 20-year goal.  Obviously it was all kick-started by the DLI incentive packages, and there have been a couple of non-DLI projects since, but that's a lot of new units to deliver.  Seems like still a ways to go in getting the momentum going towards tripling the units downtown.

Looped In Podcast: Interview with Kris Larson and Angie Bertinot of Central Houston on downtown Houston's recovery post-pandemic (houstonchronicle.com)

The 30,000 goal is from  the 2017 PlanDowntown and it was stated as being the goal "over the next 20 years".  "Build 12,000 additional residential units within Downtown to support population growth from 7,500 to 30,000 over the next 20 years."  So... 2037.

Also, in the podcast, he stated that downtown passed 10,000 in 2021. There are currently more than 1,500 units under construction (or very recently completed - Brava). 

Edited June 13, 2022 by Houston19514

[mattyt36]

2 hours ago, Houston19514 said:

The 30,000 goal is from  the 2017 PlanDowntown and it was stated as being the goal "over the next 20 years".  "Build 12,000 additional residential units within Downtown to support population growth from 7,500 to 30,000 over the next 20 years."  So... 2037.

Also, in the podcast, he stated that downtown passed 10,000 in 2021. There are currently more than 1,500 units under construction (or very recently completed - Brava). 

The Central Houston guy stated that 30K would be on the scale with downtown Chicago (he stated "Inside the Loop," but it doesn't seem to me that inside the loop has 30K residents) and Los Angeles.  I guess Downtown LA has that much, but it seems to be a lot larger geographically than Downtown Houston.

Incidentally, I think Downtown Dallas is around 10K as well, but I must say the times I've been there, it seems a lot more "lived in."  It's probably more related to the more "organic" grid, with many of the north-south streets not as wide as the east-west streets and the natural axis along Commerce, Main, and Elm.

[editor]

40 minutes ago, mattyt36 said:

The Central Houston guy stated that 30K would be on the scale with downtown Chicago (he stated "Inside the Loop," but it doesn't seem to me that inside the loop has 30K residents) and Los Angeles.  I guess Downtown LA has that much, but it seems to be a lot larger geographically than Downtown Houston.

Incidentally, I think Downtown Dallas is around 10K as well, but I must say the times I've been there, it seems a lot more "lived in."  It's probably more related to the more "organic" grid, with many of the north-south streets not as wide as the east-west streets and the natural axis along Commerce, Main, and Elm.

I didn't think it possible at first, but after looking into it, 30,000 people in The Loop might be possible.

42nd Ward Alderman Brendan Reilly, who represents downtown Chicago just had his ward boundaries reduced because his ward, alone, added 30,000 people.  From an e-mail to his constituents dated May 20, 2022:
 

Quote

This week, the City Council approved an ordinance authorizing a redistricting map for the City’s 50 wards. Based on 2020 Census Data, the 42nd Ward enjoyed dramatic growth in population - adding more than 30,000 more people. That population increase accounted for 58% of the City of Chicago’s entire population growth over the past decade. As a result, Alderman Reilly was required, by law, to reduce the population of the ward by nearly 30,000 people.

Alderman Reilly would prefer to continue representing all of the neighborhoods currently in the 42nd Ward - but given the need to reduce population - that simply could not happen.

So, if the 42nd Ward added 30,000 people and the 42nd ward doesn't even cover the entirety of downtown Chicago, it's possible that 30,000 could be in The Loop, or Loop-adjacent.

Here's the ordinance for those who are curious.

 

[Houston19514]

48 minutes ago, editor said:

I didn't think it possible at first, but after looking into it, 30,000 people in The Loop might be possible.

42nd Ward Alderman Brendan Reilly, who represents downtown Chicago just had his ward boundaries reduced because his ward, alone, added 30,000 people.  From an e-mail to his constituents dated May 20, 2022:
 

So, if the 42nd Ward added 30,000 people and the 42nd ward doesn't even cover the entirety of downtown Chicago, it's possible that 30,000 could be in The Loop, or Loop-adjacent.

Here's the ordinance for those who are curious.

 

LoopChicago says the population inside Chicago's Loop is 42,000+

[mattyt36]

7 minutes ago, Houston19514 said:

LoopChicago says the population inside Chicago's Loop is 42,000+

It also says:

Since 2010, the Loop—defined in the Census data as the neighborhood between the Chicago River to the north and west, Lake Michigan to the east, and Roosevelt Road to the south—grew more than any other Community Area in Chicago.

Which is a much more expansive definition of what I have always understood "the Loop" to be, i.e., the CTA "L" loop.

But if that is the proper definition, then, sure, I could see that area having 30K residents. 

[Houston19514]

22 minutes ago, mattyt36 said:

It also says:

Since 2010, the Loop—defined in the Census data as the neighborhood between the Chicago River to the north and west, Lake Michigan to the east, and Roosevelt Road to the south—grew more than any other Community Area in Chicago.

Which is a much more expansive definition of what I have always understood "the Loop" to be, i.e., the CTA "L" loop.

But if that is the proper definition, then, sure, I could see that area having 30K residents. 

Or 42,000+  ?  ;-)

While the name is originally derived from the CTA "L" loop, which takes in a smaller area, the boundaries described by LoopChicago are the pretty standard usage.

Edited June 13, 2022 by Houston19514

[mattyt36]

23 minutes ago, Houston19514 said:

Or 42,000+  ?  ;-)

While the name is originally derived from the CTA "L" loop, which takes in a smaller area, the boundaries described by LoopChicago are the pretty standard usage.

As stated above, the Central Houston guy said 30K, so who knows what definition he is using?

I can get the squishy boundaries to the north and west but including all of the residential areas of the South Loop, which must be where the majority of those 42K people are, and implying those are residents of a comparable "business district" seems a bit of a stretch to me, like including Midtown with Downtown.  Congress (or Ida B. Wells) would seem the more appropriate boundary, at least to me.

[editor]

17 hours ago, mattyt36 said:

As stated above, the Central Houston guy said 30K, so who knows what definition he is using?

I can get the squishy boundaries to the north and west but including all of the residential areas of the South Loop, which must be where the majority of those 42K people are, and implying those are residents of a comparable "business district" seems a bit of a stretch to me, like including Midtown with Downtown.  Congress (or Ida B. Wells) would seem the more appropriate boundary, at least to me.

I'm surprised by the use of Roosevelt Road as a southern boundary, too.  During the ten years that I lived there, it was always Congress Parkway (now Ida B. Wells) that was the southern boundary.  Sometimes you might see people including Printer's Row, but that was never people who lived in the area.

The guy who runs the South Loop blog uses Ida B. as the northern boundary of the South Loop.

[editor]

Looking closer at the source, it makes more sense — That map is from The Loop Alliance.  It's a downtown Chicago promotional quango, similar to the various ones that Houston has.  It has always used a very broad geography for "Loop" because when it was founded, there weren't really neighborhood groups for the South Loop and the West Loop, and some other adjacent areas. 

[mattyt36]

2 minutes ago, editor said:

I'm surprised by the use of Roosevelt Road as a southern boundary, too.  During the ten years that I lived there, it was always Congress Parkway (now Ida B. Wells) that was the southern boundary.  Sometimes you might see people including Printer's Row, but that was never people who lived in the area.

The guy who runs the South Loop blog uses Ida B. as the northern boundary of the South Loop.

For the same reason I don't think "EaDo" IS the Downtown or even the eastern part of Downtown (even though I think it technically is by the City's definition, or at least some parts of it), I don't know why people would consider the South Loop part of the Loop.

Makes me wonder if the 10K "Downtown" population includes any of the EaDo complexes.

[BEES?!]

They were punching out windows on this yesterday.

[hindesky]

See residue from water blasting all over the place. Noticed some windows out.

Edited June 20, 2022 by hindesky

[BEES?!]

Huh, so it looks like these will be loft-style? (2-story units?) if that render is anything to go by…

[TheSirDingle]

1 hour ago, BEES?! said:

Huh, so it looks like these will be loft-style? (2-story units?) if that render is anything to go by…

Might be a mix of single story and multi-story lofts, Looks really cool imo. 

Hope they start doing more conversions of the older office stock into residential/hotel or maybe even mixed use with a sizeable retail component on a few of them. I could see something like 601 Jefferson,  1111 Fannin, or even 800 Bell like y'all proposed above being converted. Wouldn't mind thinning that office stock to get more people living/visiting downtown. 

Also, wouldn't mind seeing something like a sizeable public plaza and a couple attractions that could anchor it. There are definitely enough parking lots in the area to do something like that. If there's one thing downtown needs more of(Houston in general) it would be big open plazas where people could gather, just need to find a way to make that viable and an enjoyable experience. 

[hindesky]

1 hour ago, BEES?! said:

Huh, so it looks like these will be loft-style? (2-story units?) if that render is anything to go by…

From the ARC3 Architects web site.......

https://www.arc-3.com/boards#/1801-smith-street/

 

[hindesky]

[Big E]

Wasn't the Houston Fire Dept. Headquarters in this building? If so, where did they move?

[Brooklyn173]

I think the Fire Department is the next building over, going west. Along with the county DAs office. I'm not sure if it is a Brazzos or Jefferson address.

[Houston19514]

It seems like the fire department was formerly in this building but is now in 500 Jefferson.

[Houston19514]

On 6/18/2022 at 7:28 PM, TheSirDingle said:

Might be a mix of single story and multi-story lofts, Looks really cool imo. 

Also, wouldn't mind seeing something like a sizeable public plaza and a couple attractions that could anchor it. There are definitely enough parking lots in the area to do something like that. If there's one thing downtown needs more of(Houston in general) it would be big open plazas where people could gather, just need to find a way to make that viable and an enjoyable experience. 

This area will greatly benefit from the NHHIP and the improvements planned in connection therewith.

[hindesky]

I have yet to see any Houston media about this project. I've emailed the Houston Chronicle and Downtown Houston about this.

Edited July 12, 2022 by hindesky

[hindesky]

Realty News Report does a story about cities converting offices into residential but doesn't seem to know about the one doing it in Houston. I sent them a link to the ARC3 Architecture web site, we'll see if they finally report it.

"In many downtowns across the country, vacancy consumes office towers and the prospects for leasing them are few and far between."

https://realtynewsreport.com/converting-skyscrapers-to-apartments-a-us-trend/

[Houston19514]

19 hours ago, hindesky said:

I have yet to see any Houston media about this project. I've emailed the Houston Chronicle and Downtown Houston about this.

I was searching yesterday for media coverage of this.  Our media has to be the worst of any major metro area.  How does this kind of project not even get a whisper of coverage?  Inexcusable.

[IntheKnowHouston]

On 7/12/2022 at 2:54 PM, hindesky said:

I have yet to see any Houston media about this project. I've emailed the Houston Chronicle and Downtown Houston about this.

Not surprising that local news organizations and digital publications haven't covered this. If it's not in a press release, there won't be anything reported - at least that's what it seems. I've disclosed how I sent tips to reporters and freelancers coverings Houston's dining and nightlife scene. Weeks or months later the news MAY end up being published. And if it is, it's usually due to one of three things:

- received a press release for the developer or business owner
- it's become a hot topic in whichever neighborhood foodie group on Facebook
- another local media outlet finally picked the news up, which means other publications piggyback off their news often doing little to zero research of their own to verify or gather additional details


That being said, I appreciate you and everyone else for keeping up abreast on what's happening around town. 


 

On 7/13/2022 at 10:33 AM, Houston19514 said:

 Our media has to be the worst of any major metro area. 

Agreed to a certain extent, especially with local news stations - both their online and on-air content. 

Dining and real estate coverage aside, Houston Chronicle (paywall site/newspaper) does a pretty good job.

 

Edited July 15, 2022 by IntheKnowHouston

[editor]

On 7/13/2022 at 1:43 PM, IntheKnowHouston said:

Dining and real estate coverage aside, Houston Chronicle (paywall site/newspaper) does a pretty good job.

As a near-daily reader of the Chronicle's dead tree edition, it's my observation that:

• The very few reporters the Chronicle has are generally tied up on the very big stories.
• The bulk of the news is written by Hearst people, in New York, or somewhere else.  Which is why so much of it is press release regurgitation.
• The Chronicle does a lot of restaurant and food news compared to other newspapers I read.
• The Chronicle does a pretty good job with its feature pieces. It's nice to live in a town that has regular reporting on the ballet, the symphony, gardening, birds, religion, and other topics that are usually the first to be jettisoned when the budget axe swings.
• The Chronicle runs a lot of stories from the co-owned San Antonio newspaper, and the reporters work together on stories. 
• The Chronicle hides its lack of local reporters by not printing datelines.  Instead just putting "Staff reporter," which can mean anything.  Could be someone in New York, or New Delhi, or even an intern. 

[Nate99]

It would be interesting to see this site's stats and how many hits it gets from lurkers. Stories like this probably get a "hey, that's cool" kind of reaction from the mildly curious if/when they do a search to see what is going on, but these stories strike me as something you have to actively find rather than something a news company would want to put in front of its audience in these days of rage clicks, pooled reporters and reduced local coverage.  

On this and a zillion other topics, there are places on the web to find the precise facts about what someone with a niche interest might find relevant, and slogging through a journalist's interpretation leaves you worse off as often as not. 

[editor]

5 hours ago, Nate99 said:

It would be interesting to see this site's stats and how many hits it gets from lurkers. Stories like this probably get a "hey, that's cool" kind of reaction from the mildly curious if/when they do a search to see what is going on, but these stories strike me as something you have to actively find rather than something a news company would want to put in front of its audience in these days of rage clicks, pooled reporters and reduced local coverage.  

On this and a zillion other topics, there are places on the web to find the precise facts about what someone with a niche interest might find relevant, and slogging through a journalist's interpretation leaves you worse off as often as not. 

For what it's worth, this thread has had ~2,000 people read it this year.

[hindesky]

Finally got acknowledgment from Realty News Report in an email thanking me for bringing this project to their attention. But as others have said until they get a press release they don't seem to report it. We will see if they investigate it further to add it to their report.

[hindesky]

[IntheKnowHouston]

On 7/16/2022 at 6:36 PM, editor said:

As a near-daily reader of the Chronicle's dead tree edition, it's my observation that:

• The very few reporters the Chronicle has are generally tied up on the very big stories.
• The bulk of the news is written by Hearst people, in New York, or somewhere else.  Which is why so much of it is press release regurgitation.
• The Chronicle does a lot of restaurant and food news compared to other newspapers I read.
• The Chronicle does a pretty good job with its feature pieces. It's nice to live in a town that has regular reporting on the ballet, the symphony, gardening, birds, religion, and other topics that are usually the first to be jettisoned when the budget axe swings.
• The Chronicle runs a lot of stories from the co-owned San Antonio newspaper, and the reporters work together on stories. 
• The Chronicle hides its lack of local reporters by not printing datelines.  Instead just putting "Staff reporter," which can mean anything.  Could be someone in New York, or New Delhi, or even an intern. 

I didn't respond earlier because I didn't want to derail the discussion. I don't know where else I can address this, so, I suppose I'll reply here:
 

• I am very aware Houston Chronicle has limited reporters devoted to in-depth and investigative reporting. However, following up on tips, other news sources, and the like is also part of a reporter's job. Most of the reporters for the Chronicle have lots of contacts who are willing to share information about upcoming projects. And even if they don't, being that they're the Chronicle gets them further into the door than other news organizations (with the exception of news stations).
  
   
• Also, very aware much of the news on Houston Chronicle comes from other Hearst publications and Associated Press. Still, that has zero to do with the Chronicle's dining, business, and real estate staff's local coverage. 
  
   
• I keep up with dining and nightlife news around the country, and respectfully, I disagree with your assertion about the Chronicle reporting a lot of local dining news. The Chronicle does well with recipes, its barbecue features, and Alison Cook's reviews (though its dining coverage on its paywall-free site Chron.com has become slightly better under the leadership of food editor Emma Balter). However, its coverage of food and beverage trends, new restaurants, restaurant closures, upcoming chefs and bartenders, the pop-up restaurant scene, new food trucks, and more is severely lacking. If it's not an inner loop eatery or bar with a big name involved, chances are there will be zero to little coverage about it. And if there is coverage, it's usually reported months or years later Case in point: the Turkey Leg Hut. I kept informing Houston Chronicle and Eater Houston about it long before the restaurant's move from Washington Avenue to Almeda and they wouldn't cover it. They only covered it once Hollywood's African-American stars began dining there and sharing their experiences on social media. The same goes with press releases, which is about 98% of what Chronicle's food editor Greg Morago mainly reports. 
  
   
• I never said or implied the Chronicle's feature pieces weren't great. The features are wonderful and why I'm still subscribed to the digital paper.  But this also goes back to my first point: Houston Chronicle has limited reporters devoted to in-depth and investigative reporting. It's not surprising in this new era of shrinking newsrooms. Although there are few tasked with in-depth and investigative reporting, business, real estate, and especially dining staff could publish more local and timely news. Even more features, be it weekly or twice a month, would be great.
  
   

 

[editor]

One other thing to consider if that some newspapers completely, or near-completely outsource their real estate reporting to third parties.

I used to work with a guy who was in this business.

The entire real estate section of certain newspapers are actually the product of people like him who buy an entire section of the newspaper to write puff pieces about their own advertisers, and very occasionally publish very bland, very safe real estate trend news.

To my knowledge, this isn't one of his clients, but as an example, here's the front page of this past Sunday's Real Estate section of the Las Vegas Review-Journal:

Most people will never notice the small "Advertising section" text in the upper-left corner that indicates this isn't journalism, but a big fat ad disguised to look like a real section of the real newspaper.

(I only choose the LVRJ because it's something I have easy access to at the moment.)

It's worth looking for subtle clues like this in the Chronicle to see what its real estate staffing is like, or if it has any commitment to covering the real estate industry.  It already publishes a half-section advertisement like this every Sunday headlined "Careers," that is ostensibly part of the Business section.

 

[Brooklyn173]

I'm wondering if the dark glass cladding on the lower levels will remain. It sort of looks like a late add on to the current building.