Parking Vault Houston: 16-Story Parking Garage At 1441 Walker St.

[houstontexasjack]

I saw this on a walk today:

 

 

I hadn’t seen this before. It’s a block to the north of the Houston Center. I’m assuming it’s Block 97 given the email contact.

 

Edit: To clarify, this is specifically to the north of the Fulbright Tower.

[hindesky]

Is the the block where 6 Houston Center was going to build?

 

http://realtynewsreport.com/2017/02/01/john-goff-six-houston-center-skyscraper-still-planned-but-groundbreaking-not-expected-soon/

[rechlin]

No, that's Block 95.  Block 97 is between the Hess Garage and the Fulbright Garage.

[Urbannizer]

Proposed multifamily residential Downtown by the Morgan Group. Site is the block bounded by Austin/Rusk/La Branch & Walker

 

SubdivisionPlatPDF_Morgan La Branch.pdf

[Luminare]

@Urbannizer can you combine this with the one you just created in going up?

 

Thanks.

 

EDIT: Needs to be combined with this one in going up:
 

 

@Triton @Subdude @editor

Edited September 13, 2019 by Luminare

[mattyt36]

Great location!

[Triton]

23 minutes ago, mattyt36 said:

Great location!

Going to have incredible views of all the nearby parking garages.

 

Kidding aside, whoever lives here will have great access to all the amenities in downtown, especially Discovery Green.

[Texasota]

Yeah the location is actually great. The neighbors, not so much.

[Luminare]

With its proximity to Rusk and Austin, I'm hoping for some GFR on those streets, however, with this being Morgan Group I'm also not going to set my expectations for that very high.

[H-Town Man]

13 minutes ago, Luminare said:

With its proximity to Rusk and Austin, I'm hoping for some GFR on those streets, however, with this being Morgan Group I'm also not going to set my expectations for that very high.

 

They worked with Whole Foods in Midtown. Might get one here.

 

Edited September 13, 2019 by H-Town Man

[Luminare]

Just now, H-Town Man said:

 

They worked with Whole Foods in Midtown. Might get a 365 one here.

 

 

Great idea! Did alter this since 365's are dead. RIP. Can you imagine if HEB dropped into downtown? That would be wild.

[Triton]

1 hour ago, Luminare said:

 

Great idea! Did alter this since 365's are dead. RIP. Can you imagine if HEB dropped into downtown? That would be wild.

I still would not be surprised if HEB got the 212 Milam address. Wouldn't have to really worry about flooding with a parking garage below the HEB. Either way, I think there's a high chance HEB comes to downtown if Whole Foods and Target are trying to enter this more urban market (midtown and downtown).

[CREguy13]

1 hour ago, Luminare said:

 

Great idea! Did alter this since 365's are dead. RIP. Can you imagine if HEB dropped into downtown? That would be wild.

As a downtown resident, I would lose my mind over this.  Honestly a smaller, more urban HEB could work as it would service Downtown, Midtown, Eado, East End, and some Near Northside residents.

 

It's unlikely, but there are a lot of multi-family projects proposed and under construction in these neighborhoods, so the density in the next several years may make sense.

[Luminare]

2 minutes ago, Triton said:

I still would not be surprised if HEB got the 212 Milam address. Wouldn't have to really worry about flooding with a parking garage below the HEB. Either way, I think there's a high chance HEB comes to downtown if Whole Foods and Target are trying to enter this more urban market (midtown and downtown).

 

Just now, CREguy13 said:

As a downtown resident, I would lose my mind over this.  Honestly a smaller, more urban HEB could work as it would service Downtown, Midtown, Eado, East End, and some Near Northside residents.

 

It's unlikely, but there are a lot of multi-family projects proposed and under construction in these neighborhoods, so the density in the next several years may make sense.

 

Agree with all of these. I wonder if, for parking reasons, they could attempt to build more parking on top of the existing garage the block next door? That would be interesting.

[wxman]

Any idea as to how tall it could be?

[hindesky]

The block.

[HNathoo]

Looks like we’ll be getting a parking garage...

 

 

[TheSirDingle]

I'm glad there's more infill going up, but it feels like this is only one part of the project. The design for the garage is pretty good compared to what's usually built. I just have feeling there should be more to this block, but this might just be phase 1 of what's coming. 
I'm gonna wait for more information, but i'm hoping it's not just a garage. Albeit it's a nice garage though, only second to lyric in design. 

[kbates2]

Yeah this sucks.

[Triton]

Well, guess I was right about the parking garage part... just won't be an HEB on top haha...

[Luminare]

11 hours ago, Triton said:

Well, guess I was right about the parking garage part... just won't be an HEB on top haha...

 

I mean I don't know about you, but if there was something we need more in downtown, its parking garages! I mean it is technically residential...just for cars! /s

[Purdueenginerd]

Hiring Gensler seems like over kill for a parking garage... Just saying.... 

Edited November 17, 2019 by Purdueenginerd

[mollusk]

The Parking District lives

[Luminare]

43 minutes ago, Purdueenginerd said:

Hiring Gensler seems like over kill for a parking garage... Just saying.... 

 

It also says it will be an "auto" parking garage. Do we think its that same company trying to put in an auto garage in The Heights? If this is to be the first, I could understand why you would approach an arch firm to look into it.

 

If this is going to be an auto garage then I would actually like this to be built if it could become a proven concept in this city which could eventually consolidate surface lots and even obsolete analog parking garages to something like this. In the end, this might be a necessary step back in order to go two steps forward.

[mattyt36]

Sign of the times ... “auto garage” doesn’t seem redundant.

[H-Town Man]

21 hours ago, HNathoo said:

Looks like we’ll be getting a parking garage...

 

 

 

Well, it wasn't a great location considering that it faced three other parking garages and a power station. Perfect spot for some loser to come along and build yet another parking garage. Some people raise the bar and some people just serve the most basic element.

 

[Purdueenginerd]

I will say, that "high density" parking also means the "cost" and "revenues streams" of parking may be increasing in downtown houston, relative to land. Surface lots obviously being the cheapest, followed by pre-cast garages, and now we have potentially higher capacity garages. I'm sort of skeptical though, despite all the losses of parking lots in Downtown, I find it absurdly easy and affordable to find parking whenever I have a meeting downtown or there's an event I want to go to. Though I may be outside of the norm, Normally when I go to a rockets game or concert... I try to park several blocks away to pay $0 after 6 pm on the streets and walk the remainder. This garage may be marketed to the convention crowds.

 

  @Luminare I dont know. Even an "Auto" parking garage seems beneath Gensler's typical project. Do we know if this a full block or half-block. The rendering kind of looks like a half-block. 

[Luminare]

1 minute ago, Purdueenginerd said:

I will say, that "high density" parking also means the "cost" and "revenues streams" of parking may be increasing in downtown houston, relative to land. Surface lots obviously being the cheapest, followed by pre-cast garages, and now we have potentially higher capacity garages. I'm sort of skeptical though, despite all the losses of parking lots in Downtown, I find it absurdly easy and affordable to find parking whenever I have a meeting downtown or there's an event I want to go to. Though I may be outside of the norm, Normally when I go to a rockets game or concert... I try to park several blocks away to pay $0 after 6 pm on the streets and walk the remainder. This garage may be marketed to the convention crowds.

 

  @Luminare I dont know. Even an "Auto" parking garage seems beneath Gensler's typical project. Do we know if this a full block or half-block. The rendering kind of looks like a half-block. 

 

Gensler isn't one of those kinds of firms. I've never thought of Gensler as snotty or imagines a project as "beneath them". Definitely not for a multi-national corporation where their only concern is making money, and not necessarily the look of its portfolio. Even with that being stated, unless you are a name associated with a particular look, feel, and type of architecture, then no project should ever be "beneath you". That exclusion is bad business, and bad in the sense as one is limiting themselves to explore new avenues for architectural expression or architectural challenges. Then again that's the difference between someone who wants to fill a niche and one that wants to reach the mainstream.

[Purdueenginerd]

1 minute ago, Luminare said:

 

Gensler isn't one of those kinds of firms. I've never thought of Gensler as snotty or imagines a project as "beneath them". Definitely not for a multi-national corporation where their only concern is making money, and not necessarily the look of its portfolio. Even with that being stated, unless you are a name associated with a particular look, feel, and type of architecture, then no project should ever be "beneath you". That exclusion is bad business, and bad in the sense as one is limiting themselves to explore new avenues for architectural expression or architectural challenges. Then again that's the difference between someone who wants to fill a niche and one that wants to reach the mainstream.

 

I might be subject to recency bias in my opinion of the typical projects Gensler peforms, at least from my anecdotal standpoint. I'm not trying to convey theyre snobby, I apologize-- that wasnt my intent. I guess every time I've worked with Gensler its typically a huge multi-national firm as the owner. Hopefully thats not enough to doxx me ; ). That's why i'm generally surprised they would go for and win the bid for a parking garage, even one that's automated. My only thought would be that something else is attached to this project that hasnt been revealed yet. Alternatively, perhaps Gensler just has a lot of experience with this automated garages in other markets and thats why they won. 

[Luminare]

17 minutes ago, Purdueenginerd said:

 

I might be subject to recency bias in my opinion of the typical projects Gensler peforms, at least from my anecdotal standpoint. I'm not trying to convey theyre snobby, I apologize-- that wasnt my intent. I guess every time I've worked with Gensler its typically a huge multi-national firm as the owner. Hopefully thats not enough to doxx me ; ). That's why i'm generally surprised they would go for and win the bid for a parking garage, even one that's automated. My only thought would be that something else is attached to this project that hasnt been revealed yet. Alternatively, perhaps Gensler just has a lot of experience with this automated garages in other markets and thats why they won. 

 

pfft. No need to apologize, and trust me I'm no defender or agent of Gensler. My intention was merely to debase you from your initial certainty. You were so certain! I can't really let that go unchallenged, just like I expect you to call me out if I'm ever too certain about engineering .

 

While they are a multi-national firm, their Houston branch is very localized. I see them as going for any type of project if it means it will potentially access a new revenue stream, as thats typically the prime objective of a multi-national corporation. If this is truly a new potential market then I know if I were in their shoes I would be gunning for it to be first to the market with a new product, both programmatically and aesthetically.

Edited November 17, 2019 by Luminare

[jermh]

17 hours ago, Purdueenginerd said:

 

I might be subject to recency bias in my opinion of the typical projects Gensler peforms, at least from my anecdotal standpoint. I'm not trying to convey theyre snobby, I apologize-- that wasnt my intent. I guess every time I've worked with Gensler its typically a huge multi-national firm as the owner. Hopefully thats not enough to doxx me ; ). That's why i'm generally surprised they would go for and win the bid for a parking garage, even one that's automated. My only thought would be that something else is attached to this project that hasnt been revealed yet. Alternatively, perhaps Gensler just has a lot of experience with this automated garages in other markets and thats why they won. 

 

If this is a Phase 1 garage and Phase 2 tower project, Gensler has direct experience a few blocks away from designing the One Market Square garage (Minus the automated parking portion). I'm armchair speculating with you that there is a Phase two of some sort, and it'll probably beat One Market Square to completion at this point. 😉

Edited November 18, 2019 by jermh
Fixed quote. I had quoted the wrong post.

[thatguysly]

I mean at least it has a decent facade. That's all I got after thinking residential was coming.

[Nate99]

This block feels like everything around it has it's "back turned" to it, with corridors formed/forming along McKinney, Capitol, Main, and Discovery Green. It's a bit of DT's "back of house".  If something new and fun were to pop up, I'm hoping for the International Tower/Market Square Garage half block, then the block across main from Local Foods.

 

With Skanska jumping in over by DG/Toyota Center with something large scale, more car storage might be a good thing.  

[Texasota]

Has anyone done a thorough analysis of existing parking downtown? Private garages, public garages, the giant garage under the theater district, street parking...

 

Because there has to be a ton. I definitely believe that better parking management would be incredibly helpful, but the idea that, even with additional development, downtown needs more parking seems completely disconnected from reality to me.

[Subdude]

At one point this block was targeted for hotel.  I guess there's more demand for parking.

 

Changed topic title accordingly.

[H-Town Man]

2 hours ago, Nate99 said:

This block feels like everything around it has it's "back turned" to it, with corridors formed/forming along McKinney, Capitol, Main, and Discovery Green. It's a bit of DT's "back of house".  If something new and fun were to pop up, I'm hoping for the International Tower/Market Square Garage half block, then the block across main from Local Foods.

 

With Skanska jumping in over by DG/Toyota Center with something large scale, more car storage might be a good thing.  

 

Agreed that if this area needs more parking, this is about the best block you could put it on. But to Texasota's comment, the issue likely isn't how much parking exists, it's how it gets utilized. You have massive garages for Houston Center that pretty much sit empty in the evenings, as far as I'm aware. If there were some way to get those spaces into the market, you probably wouldn't need this.

 

Skanska would do themselves and the world a favor if they built a multi-block, underground garage on their land like the theater district has. But with sewers and utilities under all those streets, that would probably cost a ton.

 

Edited November 18, 2019 by H-Town Man

[wilcal]

5 hours ago, Subdude said:

At one point this block was targeted for hotel.  I guess there's more demand for parking.

 

Changed topic title accordingly.

 

'Van Life' + automated parking garage + AirBNB = .....??

[ChannelTwoNews]

Larger version of the above rendering now on the Mathis Group website...

 

[ArtNsf]

9 minutes ago, ChannelTwoNews said:

Larger version of the above rendering now on the Mathis Group website...

 

wow, pretty cool looking just for parking, and I love it !

[Angostura]

Kind of terrible from a street-scape point of view.

 

I'd be interested to see how this competes with nearby non-automated garages. I wonder how quickly they can empty it out after an Astros game, for example.

[H-Town Man]

1 minute ago, Angostura said:

Kind of terrible from a street-scape point of view.

 

If it wasn't Gensler, I would think it was the same architect as did the Main Food Store reno.

 

[Luminare]

9 minutes ago, Angostura said:

Kind of terrible from a street-scape point of view.

 

I'd be interested to see how this competes with nearby non-automated garages. I wonder how quickly they can empty it out after an Astros game, for example.

 

Would be cool if the colors lite up depending its utilization. Like Orange for astros games, red for rockets games, a color for the convention center etc... That would be unique.

[Angostura]

9 minutes ago, H-Town Man said:

 

If it wasn't Gensler, I would think it was the same architect as did the Main Food Store reno.

 

 

Of the four façades, one is a blank wall, one is a mostly blank wall with a glass door to some kind of lobby, and two are not shown. Presumably there will be a place for cars to enter and exit somewhere.

[H-Town Man]

7 minutes ago, Luminare said:

 

Would be cool if the colors lite up depending its utilization. Like Orange for astros games, red for rockets games, a color for the convention center etc... That would be unique.

 

Very Dallas though. Once you start down the LED path, forever will it dominate your destiny.

 

[Luminare]

Just now, H-Town Man said:

 

Very Dallas though. Once you start down the LED path, forever will it dominate your destiny.

 

 

no...there is another....neon.

[kbates2]

Yeah this is an embarrassment to Gensler. 

[phillip_white]

Let's take this block to the next level with some automated GFR. Perhaps an Amazon Go?

[Luminare]

9 minutes ago, phillip_white said:

Let's take this block to the next level with some automated GFR. Perhaps an Amazon Go?

 

Amazon Drone Delivery, Domino's Self-Drive Delivery, and corner to corner Japanese style vending machines!

[nate4l1f3]

Tuuurible

[thedistrict84]

6 hours ago, Angostura said:

I'd be interested to see how this competes with nearby non-automated garages. I wonder how quickly they can empty it out after an Astros game, for example.

I’m guessing not very quickly. 1,400 vehicle capacity with maybe a dozen or so loading bays. I guess we won’t know for sure until we see the layout, but I’m not optimistic this will be practical in that kind of scenario. 

Edited November 21, 2019 by thedistrict84