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What an elegant addition that compliments Weingarten's historic holdings in the area. The graceful curviture of the new build indeed appears to be a tip of the hat to the long lost structure that once stood. I want to thank Weingarten for delivering to Houstonians this lovely piece of ____________.

You're right! That concrete slab construction is elegant! Houston is quite fortunate to have such a lovely new building.

Basically, you're talking about a third-tier guy who is frequently kept out of the loop when key decisions are being made. This person probably has a background in the media or public relations, and may not be well-versed in the specifics of any particular deal, most certainly not the deals' pro formas.

You're quite wrong. He has decades of solid, very high-level finance experience at one of the largest firms in the US.

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I am still extremely disapointed by all of this. The River Oaks Center's understated style and elegance made it one of my favorite areas of town. My biggest sorrow is the loss of the Black Eyed Pea - such a comforting restaurant - I even enjoyed a nice Thanksgiving dinner there one year.

That said, now that the demolition has occurred (and cannot be reversed), is the replacement building 'worthy' of the overall center? The images look stylish and appear to be a reasonably modern fit for the center (time will tell).

One of the great things about the River Oaks Center is the mix of styles and periods (construction dates) of its buildings - this replacement building could help continue that trend. The important thing is to prevent the whole center from being replaced by new buildings all at once, effectively creating any generic shopping center.

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Drew Alexander is actaully a member of the Weingarten family, as his father, Stanford Alexander, is the grandson of Harris Weingarten and the nephew of Joe Weingarten. Stanford Alexander is the Chairman of Weingarten Realty Advisors. Drew Alexander is more than just an "employee".

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Drew Alexander is actaully a member of the Weingarten family, as his father, Stanford Alexander, is the grandson of Harris Weingarten and the nephew of Joe Weingarten. Stanford Alexander is the Chairman of Weingarten Realty Advisors. Drew Alexander is more than just an "employee".

When WRI formed as a publicly-traded REIT, all of their executives became employees serving the shareholders. End of story.

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Here's a quick snapshot while passing by:

riveroaksnew.jpg

Ugh. It's even worse than I feared it would be. I may have to drive by the site later this week when I'm back in Houston for a few days. I still can't believe they're doing this. :(

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  • 1 month later...

There is a new Weingarten sign up at the Bookstop strip along Alabama, looking to lease 13,000 s.f., which is the same size as the Bookstop. Anyone know a timetable for when B&N is leaving to move down to River Oaks Shopping?

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I miss Black Eyed Peas. Now I have to drive to the suburbs for these type of restaurants. At least, they opened a Chili's in Sawyer Heights (I-10/Sawyer).

With all the fantastic, unique restaurants at every price level inside the loop, why would you want to eat at a Chili's??!?

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I miss Black Eyed Peas. Now I have to drive to the suburbs for these type of restaurants. At least, they opened a Chili's in Sawyer Heights (I-10/Sawyer).

Yeah, I liked going to that location once in a while - it's a chain I'd make an exception for. The closest other one is on Bellaire near the train tracks/bowling alley

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I guess when you grew up in the burbs, you just miss that type of restaurant. We don't have many of those restaurants. At least we now have a Panda Express in the loop. lol

The one at Gulfgate has been there for a long while. You're probably better off for not noticing, though.

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  • 2 months later...
Whole Earth's sign at W. Alabama advertises that they need staff in their new location opening up at River Oaks Shopping. Changes may be happening soon at the bookstop strip and the River Oaks shopping area.

I thought Whole Foods was supposed to be on Dallas/Montrose, not River Oaks?

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It is.

the reference to Whole Earth Provision Co--the outdoor gear store in the Alabama theatre strip.

Oh, duh. Sorry, I'm hard of reading.

But I didn't realize they were moving to River Oaks as well as Bookstop. That will leave a big whole in the Alabama Center.

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Oh, duh. Sorry, I'm hard of reading.

But I didn't realize they were moving to River Oaks as well as Bookstop. That will leave a big whole in the Alabama Center.

I don't know either. My understanding was the Bookstop stays even though the Barnes & Noble is going into River Oaks. But I could have it backwards.

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I think Bookstop and B&N are the same thing. Once B&N moves, then the Bookstop will be available for lease, too. It's the same size (13,000 s.f.) as a Weingarten "available for lease soon" sign out front. Maybe big changes?!

Yes, they are the same. The plan all along has been to close Bookstop and reopen as Barnes & Noble at River Oaks.

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That's actually a brilliant idea. You should contact them with it.

I would support that too! I can think of no better use of the Alabama Theater than to be restored to a theater, and it'd be great to have a draft house style theater close by.

I won't get hopes up though. Weingarten will probably demolish it anyway just for spite.

Edited by barracuda
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I would support that too! I can think of no better use of the Alabama Theater than to be restored to a theater, and it'd be great to have a draft house style theater close by.

I won't get hopes up though. Weingarten will probably demolish it anyway just for spite.

This would be excellent for this area. I think it would do great business.

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I won't get hopes up though. Weingarten will probably demolish it anyway just for spite.

If we prod city council into passing a preservation bill with "teeth," that won't happen. There has been an opportunity for city council to pass a bill like this protecting both the River Oaks and the Alabama, and there likely still is one. The Save River Oaks Theatre groups really need to put the pressure on the politicians.

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"Politicians" have too many financial interests at stake to pass some silly preservation laws <_<

Frankly I don't think the problem is politicians with financial instruments as much as the contingent that views preservation as being equivalent to communism.

And yes, I think Weingarten would demolish it out of spite, although here the big problem is that old movie theaters are notoriously difficult to redevelop into other uses.

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"Politicians" have too many financial interests at stake to pass some silly preservation laws <_<

The problem is that the people of Houston haven't yet convinced the politicians that preservation is in their financial interest.

In cities like New York, London, Paris, Chicago, Los Angeles, and even Seattle there are enough people who care about architecture to get a politician's ear. The same politicians who go on architecture tours while vacationing in other cities apply the strip-mine method of urban management when they come home to Houston. They don't care because they don't have to care, aren't made to care, and didn't grow up in an atmosphere where such things are important.

Until the politicians are made to care, things won't change. We need to make Houston businesses care about preservation, and then the politicians will follow. For a start, the city should make it financially attractive for building owners to seek landmark status. It should also be financially attractive to renovate and rehabilitate existing structures. And there should be penalties for leaving buildings abandoned, whether it's a crack shed along 290 or a skyscraper downtown.

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Good point, editor.

We need to change our political culture. You know that kind-of-wealthy couple who likes watching The Shining or Ferris Bueller's Day Off at the River Oaks? Get them to ask the local city council member (in a tone between "please do so" and "you won't dare not do so") to propose a bill (of course, you should also send your own letter to your representative).

The problem is that the people of Houston haven't yet convinced the politicians that preservation is in their financial interest.

In cities like New York, London, Paris, Chicago, Los Angeles, and even Seattle there are enough people who care about architecture to get a politician's ear. The same politicians who go on architecture tours while vacationing in other cities apply the strip-mine method of urban management when they come home to Houston. They don't care because they don't have to care, aren't made to care, and didn't grow up in an atmosphere where such things are important.

Until the politicians are made to care, things won't change. We need to make Houston businesses care about preservation, and then the politicians will follow. For a start, the city should make it financially attractive for building owners to seek landmark status. It should also be financially attractive to renovate and rehabilitate existing structures. And there should be penalties for leaving buildings abandoned, whether it's a crack shed along 290 or a skyscraper downtown.

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