BigFootsSocks Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 I guess it all depends on how well the economy is doing when they finally get a lease for 609, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Urbannizer Posted February 14, 2016 Share Posted February 14, 2016 The Chronicle vacates 801 Texas 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wxman Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 Any word on this? Now that building is vacated, will they move forward with demo? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tangledwoods Posted February 18, 2016 Share Posted February 18, 2016 demo contractors have bid on the work, i hear it is down to two bidders. They will NOT be imploding the building, it will be a conventional process down floor by floor. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Urbannizer Posted February 18, 2016 Share Posted February 18, 2016 Sweet! So we can expect it to come down sometime this year. Will the garage be demolished around the same time as well? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timoric Posted February 18, 2016 Share Posted February 18, 2016 (edited) - Edited July 10, 2019 by Timoric Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
houstontexasjack Posted February 18, 2016 Share Posted February 18, 2016 Sweet! So we can expect it to come down sometime this year. Will the garage be demolished around the same time as well? I'm still surprised they would demo the garage, at least until new construction is started. With the garage at Congress between Milam and Louisiana going to the Market Square Tower this fall (which is the major parking hub for the Lyric Centre and a good number of folks at the Calpine Center), I'd think Hines could fetch pretty good rates for spots in the Chronicle garage. The Lyric Centre has been radio silent regarding the development of its proposed garage on the lot next to the building, which has made a number of tenants here worried. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mollusk Posted February 18, 2016 Share Posted February 18, 2016 I'm still surprised they would demo the garage, at least until new construction is started. With the garage at Congress between Milam and Louisiana going to the Market Square Tower this fall (which is the major parking hub for the Lyric Centre and a good number of folks at the Calpine Center), I'd think Hines could fetch pretty good rates for spots in the Chronicle garage. The Lyric Centre has been radio silent regarding the development of its proposed garage on the lot next to the building, which has made a number of tenants here worried. True that. Parking on the north side of downtown has gotten a bit squoze - it's even hard to find a place in the catacombs, and pretty much everywhere has a wait list for contracts. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate99 Posted February 19, 2016 Share Posted February 19, 2016 They have done brisk business with that garage ever since they opened it to the public, probably doubled the Chronicle's profit. When Skanska's garage comes online, the scarcity in the area might dissipate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobruss Posted February 19, 2016 Share Posted February 19, 2016 I know it would be expensive but since theres no hurry on tearing the Chronicle down I'd love to see them take the facade off the building to reveal the original brick work.Leave it that way for a little while and then deconstruct. I'm just curious about seeing the old structures from those pictures.On a similar note I'd like to to see them do the same thing to the Binz building and the Sears building.They just seemed to have more character in their original design. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate99 Posted February 19, 2016 Share Posted February 19, 2016 I know it would be expensive but since theres no hurry on tearing the Chronicle down I'd love to see them take the facade off the building to reveal the original brick work.Leave it that way for a little while and then deconstruct. I'm just curious about seeing the old structures from those pictures.On a similar note I'd like to to see them do the same thing to the Binz building and the Sears building.They just seemed to have more character in their original design. It would be interesting to see what is under there. I wonder which of the re-skinned buildings were done primarily for appearance versus functional weatherproofing like the Mickey Leland building. 806 Main (the new JW Marriott) had a layer of thick mastic applied to the original brick under its 60's vintage curtain wall, which made me wonder if it had water issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobruss Posted February 19, 2016 Share Posted February 19, 2016 I'm pretty sure that the Binz was just a remodeling modernization effort and the Sears building was supposedly done because of the racial climate at the time.I don't have a clue except to make the two separate Chronicle buildings appear to be one and modernized. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KDW Posted February 19, 2016 Share Posted February 19, 2016 From what I hear the garage is not part of the demolition scope of work 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate99 Posted February 19, 2016 Share Posted February 19, 2016 I'm pretty sure that the Binz was just a remodeling modernization effort and the Sears building was supposedly done because of the racial climate at the time.I don't have a clue except to make the two separate Chronicle buildings appear to be one and modernized. When was Binz redone? Prior to 601 Travis/TCB Tower being built in the 80's, that corner had to look like hell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobruss Posted February 19, 2016 Share Posted February 19, 2016 1982 was the remodel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tumbleweed_Tx Posted February 20, 2016 Share Posted February 20, 2016 What is under the facade? Gobs and gobs of black glue, just like on the recent Marriott conversion Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nole23 Posted February 20, 2016 Share Posted February 20, 2016 What is under the facade? Gobs and gobs of black glue, just like on the recent Marriott conversion Yea I was thinking the same thing. The exterior underneath is ruined. I wonder whose brilliant idea it was to "modernize" a lot of these old buildings a few decades ago with these lousy facades. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Montrose1100 Posted February 20, 2016 Share Posted February 20, 2016 Yea I was thinking the same thing. The exterior underneath is ruined. I wonder whose brilliant idea it was to "modernize" a lot of these old buildings a few decades ago with these lousy facades.Shorestein with 800 Bell... I could even say the federal government with the Mickey Leland Building, Central Square, those condos on westheimer, those twin boxes on the west loop. To a lesser extent the telemundo building on the north loop. The list could go on but I think you get the point. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted February 20, 2016 Share Posted February 20, 2016 When was Binz redone? Prior to 601 Travis/TCB Tower being built in the 80's, that corner had to look like hell. The Binz building isn't a remodel. It was built new in the early 1980s. The original structure was demolished. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mollusk Posted February 20, 2016 Share Posted February 20, 2016 There are some times when a reskin is just fine. The Chron is a jumble of five buildings plus an addition, erected over decades with little apparent thought given to coordinating them. In particular, the three buildings on Texas with the shorter theater in the middle and under one are just a mess; the cladding brings it all together. Likewise, when the existing exterior skin leaks like a screen door (as with the Mickey Leland building), there's not much else that can be done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Urbannizer Posted February 24, 2016 Share Posted February 24, 2016 Are we sure this is coming down soon? http://realtynewsreport.com/2016/02/24/houston-chronicle-leaves-downtown-newspaper-property-now-controlled-by-hines/ Hines currently has no plans for the Chronicle site which covers 99,184 square feet of land including a half-block parking garage at 710 Preston, says Mark Clegg, director, media relations and communications for Hines. He adds no date has been set for demolition of the Chronicle building. “Our Southwest Region will consider all of its options and announce something in the future – but nothing has been decided at this point,” he says. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j_cuevas713 Posted February 24, 2016 Share Posted February 24, 2016 Are we sure this is coming down soon?http://realtynewsreport.com/2016/02/24/houston-chronicle-leaves-downtown-newspaper-property-now-controlled-by-hines/ What if Hines saves this building and restores it!!!??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
houstontexasjack Posted February 24, 2016 Share Posted February 24, 2016 What if Hines saves this building and restores it!!!???For the price they paid for the site, they'd have trouble getting a decent ROI. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cloud713 Posted February 24, 2016 Share Posted February 24, 2016 What if Hines saves this building and restores it!!!??? Honest question. Not necessarily directed at you, but it made me wonder.. How many restorations has Hines done? It seems like they always tear down to build new, but I can't say I've followed every project in their portfolio.With that said, I wouldn't mind them saving the little theater building and developing around it (though not directly on top of it like the current building cluster). Doubtful, I know.. but I dig the architecture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j_cuevas713 Posted February 24, 2016 Share Posted February 24, 2016 For the price they paid for the site, they'd have trouble getting a decent ROI.Yeah true, but Hines seems to respect Houston enough where I don't believe its impossible that he decides to restore it. Especially since they don't have clear direction on what they want to do with the building, one would only wonder what other options there would be other than demoing the building and starting over. Seems like they're going to really weigh every option. You also have to think about how many developers are continuing the trend by restoring older structures. Hines has to take notice. Honest question. Not necessarily directed at you, but it made me wonder.. How many restorations has Hines done? It seems like they always tear down to build new, but I can't say I've followed every project in their portfolio.With that said, I wouldn't mind them saving the little theater building and developing around it (though not directly on top of it like the current building cluster). Doubtful, I know.. but I dig the architecture.Yeah, it just seems perfect for them to actually invest in doing that considering the trend among other developers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mollusk Posted February 24, 2016 Share Posted February 24, 2016 Judging from the photos, any exterior detail on the theater was gone by the 40s. Also, combining the five buildings apparently ended up with a rabbit warren of interior passageways, complete with seemingly randomly placed sets of steps where the floors didn't line up with one another. Based on that, it looks like any sort of restoration would be a mammoth undertaking, if it could even be done. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timoric Posted February 24, 2016 Share Posted February 24, 2016 (edited) - Edited July 10, 2019 by Timoric Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Montrose1100 Posted February 24, 2016 Share Posted February 24, 2016 Hines doesn't restore. Hines destroys. Hines SMASH! 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mollusk Posted February 24, 2016 Share Posted February 24, 2016 Is this close enough to Market Square to go stone rather than glass modern to match the character or would glass tall building be just fine? The main building complex is a full block away from Market Square; the parking garage is catty corner. Both are across their respective streets from 717 Texas (aka Calpine). The garage is also across the street from the 40 story Market Square Tower. The view from La Carafe across Market Square towards the Chron is already dominated by 600 Travis; from the square itself all you really see across the parking lot is the wall of the printing plant and the back of the taller part. So, a current style design on that site wouldn't really affect Market Square in any appreciable way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mollusk Posted February 24, 2016 Share Posted February 24, 2016 Hines doesn't restore. Hines destroys. Hines SMASH! 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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