monarch Posted March 29, 2016 Share Posted March 29, 2016 ^^^ try the chronicle CHRON.COM online... it has everything that one could need news wise. however, it is indeed still the chronicle... just a note of caution... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houston19514 Posted March 29, 2016 Share Posted March 29, 2016 On 3/27/2016 at 2:28 PM, hindesky said: I talked with a Harvey supervisor at the Hines 609 Main project during the luffer removal, he said they are going to demo the building this summer and make it surface parking lot and wait for the local economy to improve before they build something on this block. Just a little curious about this. If they are going to demo the building and replace it with surface parking, why would they wait until summer? I would think they would want to get it done ASAP and start earning a little money from the parking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate99 Posted April 1, 2016 Share Posted April 1, 2016 The guy in a hard hat setting up barriers said it would take a year to demolish. Perhaps the exterior will start coming down this summer, but it appears that they are starting now. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tangledwoods Posted April 1, 2016 Share Posted April 1, 2016 Quote The guy in a hard hat setting up barriers said it would take a year to demolish. Perhaps the exterior will start coming down this summer, but it appears that they are starting now. I have worked on a few jobs like this one, here is how it will likely go: They will run interior asbestos abatement crews that will likely gut / scrap most of the interior. Then the building will be processed down with high reach demo excavators. This one should be pretty fun to watch once the get to the facade and structure demo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j_cuevas713 Posted April 5, 2016 Share Posted April 5, 2016 I really hate seeing this building go... I'm actually right next to it now... I mean we will have a crater on this side of DT... right next to the massive Chase tower... idk, just hope something replaces one of these lots soon because this is depressing... you have a boom and to replace all the great construction you have Skanska build a garage and the Chronicle building coming down. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lockmat Posted April 6, 2016 Share Posted April 6, 2016 So considering that 609 still has a lot of vacancy and the O&G industry stinks, we should expect in announcement in 4-5 years at the soonest? Unless of course they decide to go mixed-use or hotel? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmitch94 Posted April 6, 2016 Share Posted April 6, 2016 Especially since office is way over built right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunstar Posted April 6, 2016 Share Posted April 6, 2016 22 hours ago, j_cuevas713 said: I really hate seeing this building go... I'm actually right next to it now... I mean we will have a crater on this side of DT... right next to the massive Chase tower... idk, just hope something replaces one of these lots soon because this is depressing... you have a boom and to replace all the great construction you have Skanska build a garage and the Chronicle building coming down. Not to mention the fact that there's already a giant parking lot right next to this location by Market Square. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j_cuevas713 Posted April 6, 2016 Share Posted April 6, 2016 What would be awesome is if both lots were filled with residential, that would def make up for demoing this building. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texasota Posted April 7, 2016 Share Posted April 7, 2016 And it would really tie the whole neighborhood together with the Rice and the new towers right nearby. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunstar Posted April 7, 2016 Share Posted April 7, 2016 I'm sure the future for this location will be great, but in the meantime - blech! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Urbannizer Posted April 13, 2016 Share Posted April 13, 2016 Houston Chronicle Building by russell.hancock, on Flickr 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moore713 Posted April 13, 2016 Share Posted April 13, 2016 (edited) Not surprising given the area explosion as a hot spot and parking shrinking in that area that for the time being they see a parking lot as more revenue potential than another building ..The beauty about Hines unlike other companies is that the moment they decided that a building is more profitable than a lot..they will most likely move ahead with it. Edited April 13, 2016 by Moore713 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KinkaidAlum Posted April 14, 2016 Share Posted April 14, 2016 damn it. We already lost the Houston Club Building and the two smaller edifices so the f'in Lancaster Hotel could park 50 cars. Now, we're losing a full block? Lets all pray oil rebounds quickly but I am old enough to recall all of the scars that were created in the 1970s and 80s being empty for decades... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wxman Posted April 14, 2016 Share Posted April 14, 2016 Nobody would pay $10 million (or whatever Hines paid for the Chron building) to own a building that they're going to have to pay millions more to have demolished just to turn it into a parking lot. Thank GOD Hines are the ones who bought the lot. I suspect it'll sit as a lot for a year or two but you can bet for sure that somewhere in Houston, in a corner office on the upper floors of a building that there is a sketch or model of a new skyscraper that will eventually adorn that block. Anybody? 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
astros148 Posted April 14, 2016 Share Posted April 14, 2016 I dont think they will have build a skyscraper here, more like a 30-40 story hotel/retail. This side of downtown will be booming with nightlife and rest assured hotel demand always follows. It sucks that this side of downtown will have two adjacent parking lots esp during super bowl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Montrose1100 Posted April 14, 2016 Share Posted April 14, 2016 On April 5, 2016 at 6:28 PM, j_cuevas713 said: I really hate seeing this building go... I'm actually right next to it now... I mean we will have a crater on this side of DT... right next to the massive Chase tower... idk, just hope something replaces one of these lots soon because this is depressing... you have a boom and to replace all the great construction you have Skanska build a garage and the Chronicle building coming down. i would love to see this block become a massive residential/hotel/retail tower. Along with the International Tower block, it would be nice to have residential developement creep further towards the theater district. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate99 Posted April 14, 2016 Share Posted April 14, 2016 10 hours ago, astros148 said: It sucks that this side of downtown will have two adjacent parking lots esp during super bowl Who knows what is actually going to happen for the events, but the surface lots around DG looked well utilized around the Final 4 festivities. Tie something in to Market Square Park and those two blocks could be a temporary plus for the Super Bowl crowd. But for what it's worth, dude in hard hat told me that it would take a year to complete the demolition. It might still be in carcass stage next February. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H-TownChris2 Posted April 14, 2016 Share Posted April 14, 2016 12 hours ago, astros148 said: I dont think they will have build a skyscraper here, more like a 30-40 story hotel/retail. This side of downtown will be booming with nightlife and rest assured hotel demand always follows. It sucks that this side of downtown will have two adjacent parking lots esp during super bowl Mixed Use? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cspwal Posted April 14, 2016 Share Posted April 14, 2016 It would be nice if instead of a just a parking lot it also had some tunnel access from street level. Don't know how they would do it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary K Posted April 22, 2016 Share Posted April 22, 2016 (edited) I walk by this building at Milam & Texas corner every morning on my way to work. The electricity appears to be off, and there is a large (running) generator situated outside the giant warehouse door truck entrance. Wonder what's going on? Edited April 22, 2016 by Gary K change Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KDW Posted April 22, 2016 Share Posted April 22, 2016 Probably started the asbestos abatement portion of the project. Gotta be done before the wrecking ball hits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cspwal Posted April 26, 2016 Share Posted April 26, 2016 Looks like the theatre square people aren't happy with the demolition http://swamplot.com/hines-and-hearst-being-sued-over-planned-demo-of-former-houston-chronicle-building/2016-04-26/ Quote Linbeck’s Theater Square entity claimed in a Wednesday night filing that the planned demo is the latest in a string of interferences with its attempts to build a tunnel through the former newspaper building’s basement and connect its property into the broader downtown tunnel network. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j_cuevas713 Posted April 26, 2016 Share Posted April 26, 2016 http://www.chron.com/business/real-estate/article/Downtown-property-owner-files-lawsuit-to-halt-7375374.php Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmitch94 Posted April 26, 2016 Share Posted April 26, 2016 I know Hines is most likely going to turn this into a very nice development but having a surface lot is really going to hurt the feel of this area. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samagon Posted May 2, 2016 Share Posted May 2, 2016 On 4/14/2016 at 7:48 PM, astros148 said: I dont think they will have build a skyscraper here, more like a 30-40 story hotel/retail. This side of downtown will be booming with nightlife and rest assured hotel demand always follows. It sucks that this side of downtown will have two adjacent parking lots esp during super bowl Optimist here: if the concern is for the superbowl, there's nothing stopping the owners from pulling a temporary TABC for each property and having some beer booths along with 10-15 food trucks and asking for a modest 15-20% cut of sales. reality here: they'll probably just charge $100 per parking spot. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AREJAY Posted May 13, 2016 Share Posted May 13, 2016 http://swamplot.com/daily-demolition-report-what-lies-beneath/2016-05-13/ 801 Texas is on the demo report for today Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobruss Posted May 13, 2016 Share Posted May 13, 2016 I believe that Hines has bought property in the past in downtown and demolished buildings and held the property for a few years before proceeding with development. Please verify or correct me but it seems someone has quoted that before. I also spoke with one of the very high up officials in the company who happens to be the next door neighbor to family and he said it will be a while before anything is done with the property. There is no incentive to start another project right now due to our economic state, and to do differently would be unsound judgement in my mind. I don't know how many of you were around in 1985, at the height of the oil bath but the investors in the Heritage Plaza were the last ones in the building boom to start construction and before the slab was dry they were filing for bankruptcy. With millions of square feet of sub lease available downtown and 22,000 new inside the loop apartments almost 10,000 of them downtown why build even if your talking 3 years for completion. The oil companies won't be absorbing that space for a while and its going to take several years to fill whats being built right now. Perfect example is BG Place soon to be 00Place. It will happen but I think its going to be a parking lot for a while. I hope not but history says they will wait. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rechlin Posted May 13, 2016 Share Posted May 13, 2016 In the case of the last few Hines projects downtown (BG Group Place, 609 Main, Walker@Main garage and Calpine), the existing structures were torn down immediately before building the new structures. Technically in the case of 609 Main, the McDonald's came down quite a few years before construction began, but that was a minor building, and maybe that had nothing to do with Hines (the Texas Tower, the only building of consequence on that block, wasn't taken down until they were ready to build 609 Main). This is a different situation, with millions of vacant square footage downtown, including a new Hines tower that is only about a third pre-leased (and Hines' since-sold last tower, BG Group Place, will soon have over 40% vacancy), so maybe Hines will delay things a bit, but it seems their strategy is to deliver office space every 5 years or so (frequently when nobody else is building), so it really wouldn't surprise me if they start on a new building here within a couple years of 609 Main opening (the opening of which will more-or-less coincide with the Chronicle block being cleared). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KinkaidAlum Posted May 14, 2016 Share Posted May 14, 2016 The McDonald's was taken down for a proposed apartment/condo tower called The Shamrock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.