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cwrm4

By cwrm4
in The Heights

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houstonray

houstonray

Posted
Posted
Amen

And I'll second that emotion! HeightsYankee said it best, seems to me they are 'backpeddling'. I can imagine they have been inundated with emails, and of course not to mention the bad press of having newspaper photographers and tv news stations there to record the demolition.

So now comes the obligatory "lets come up with a cover story...hey I know! Let's just say it was structually unsound and we spent a YEAR trying to save it".

Yeah, sure, uh huh....

I hope everyone remembers all this on opening day! :angry2:

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lilyheights

lilyheights

Posted
Posted

I'm sure they'll patch together another side to this story.

I can't tell them that explaining their plans to the Heights Association or Heights residents would have been easy. We're not an easy bunch...but that isn't a bad thing. Too much in this town is too easy.

I can completely understand why they wanted to go behind everyones' backs...it was EASIER...but easy isn't always best. I hope they'll learn that lesson.

The Heights is different: we care. I work in the 'burbs and they wish they had half the passion in their home owners organizations that we have in our voluntary associations and our run-of-the-mill passive residents. We are keeping a part of Houston -- the real Houston, the one that my mom remembers, not the track home Houston -- alive.

We try to keep the old and influence the new...we don't want to become Bellaire and loose our flavor.

Why was this simple reality so difficult for those people to grasp? This attitude has been around for several years and it will likely bite that owner in the backside.

Ask any builder in this neighborhood and he or she will tell you about the Heights Assoc. and the pull it can muster.

If they come back with some silly story, too bad. No matter how true, they should have faced up to the reality of their demographic and explained themselves clearly. Without that, you have to assume they are just backpeddling.

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lilyheights

lilyheights

Posted
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In the same vein, y'all often appear smug and a little self-abosorbed.

Well, that wasn't my intention. I grew up in Sharpstown in a track home. I could tell you great things about that too, but this is the Heights forum.

My mom does remember a different Houston and there just isn't much of it left. The track homes are a dime a dozen...so if we seem smug and self-absorbed about trying to preserve this tiny piece of remaining memories, so be it.

People in CL really harp on the disgrace of loosing the real Kemah...their sentiments are no different...so I guess they're also smug and self-absorbed?

I hope that my children will preserve some of the good things I remember about Sharpstown. There are some significant things there that are worthwhile. I am increasingly happy to see people taking an interest in mid-century modern homes for the same reason I am interested in preservation/sensitive development of the Heights.

So, I think you read these narrowly focused responses but may not recognize that people on these boards have broader interests and varied histories.

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dbigtex56

dbigtex56

Posted
Posted
On a neighborhood forum I am on, someone posted a reply from the owner. I won't reprint it without permission, but the summary of it was that the owner said he and his crew spent the better part of a year trying to save the house and use it, but it was too structurally unsound. He said when it became evident it couldn't be saved, they tried to salvage as many pieces as possible to use in the construction of the new restaurant.

This excuse has grown tiresome. Maria Isabel pulled the same stunt with her Sixth Ward demolition a few months ago. No one bought it then, either.

btw, whatever became of Mary Kay's childhood home? (Please post replies to that thread).

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dbigtex56

dbigtex56

Posted
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My mom does remember a different Houston and there just isn't much of it left. The track homes are a dime a dozen...so if we seem smug and self-absorbed about trying to preserve this tiny piece of remaining memories, so be it.

Many Houstonians (myself included) are appreciative of the results that have been attained in the Heights, and are grateful for the efforts of those who have worked to preserve an irreplaceable neighborhood.

I've lived in the Montrose for twenty-five years, and wish that historic preservation could have fared better in our neighborhood. Unfortunately, we became a cautionary tale - perhaps the good that came out of our destruction has been a stronger resolve among people in other historic neighborhoods.

Houston's a big city - can't we spare just a few acres to remind us of what we were, and from whence we came? Tract housing serves a need, but it's been overrepresented..

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RedScare

RedScare

Posted
Posted
In the same vein, y'all often appear smug and a little self-abosorbed.

Actually, Coog, at times the Heights Assoc. is a LOT smug, and a LOT self-absorbed. It's approach to Starbucks was ridiculous. However, situations like the 1801 Ashland debacle reinforce the militant approach the Association sometimes appears to take.

This old neighborhood is in a prime location. Therefore, it is looked upon lustfully by thoughtless developers daily. If no one was aggressive in trying to preserve what's left, it would be gone quickly.

I have a definite love-hate view of the Heights Assoc. But, at the end of the day, I appreciate what they are trying to do. I understand the profit motive, as well, of some of the developers who come through, trying to make a buck and leave. What I don't understand, is a businessman who wants to move into the neighborhood and invite these smug, self-centered residents into his business, while ignoring what they feel is important.

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sevfiv

sevfiv

Posted
Posted
Can someone explain to me why if it was listed on the National Registry for Historic Places that it wasn't protected by Houston or Harris County regulations? Where is a list of buildings in the Houston/Harris County that ARE protected? Do we have any?

gnu posted this a few up:

http://www.houstonarchitecture.info/haif/i...indpost&p=69088

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heights_yankee

heights_yankee

Posted
Posted

Just got this email as a response to mine:

Good afternoon,

My name is Mark Hanna, and I am working with the owners of the property at 1801 Ashland. Your email was forwarded to me as I have asked to be informed of any communications regarding the unfortunate demolition of the house that stood on this site.

All of us fully understand and associate with the feelings regarding the destruction of historical buildings in the Greater Houston area. Unfortunately, there is a great deal of misinformation concerning the Ashland house.

What you may not know is that for almost a year, the current owners of this house were in the process of restoring the property to open a restaurant, slated to open this spring or early summer. Recently, soon after the interior demo had been completed, it was discovered that the many additions, renovations and alterations that had been made on this building over the years had so damaged the structural integrity of the building, the contractors deemed it both unsafe and unsalvageable. Our contractors, by the way, have been active in saving and restoring old properties - and been awarded for their efforts. We explored the possibility of selling the house and having it moved but were informed the structure would not survive.

Our decision to demolish the building comes at both an emotional and financial loss. We did salvage as much of the home as possible, and it will be incorporated in the building to be constructed. Our architects are now working on a design which we assure you will be very compatible to the historic nature of the Heights. At such a time when the exterior drawings are made and we feel they meet our demands, we will work to show them to those who live and work in the neighborhood. All of this will be more expensive than anticipated as well as delaying any hopes of opening a restaurant until early fall.

I hope you understand that our initial plan had always been to open a restaurant with the fanfare of being in a unique, historic area and in showing off the restoration and modification of a grand old structure. The reality of the situation has not been pleasant for anyone. And while I cannot expect this explanation to smooth over the anger you feel at the loss of another historic building, I can assure you it was not done with callous disregard nor was it a decision that came easily or painlessly.

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houstonray

houstonray

Posted
Posted

I'm still confused...from another neighborhood board I'm on where people are talking about it as well there is some intersting info. How could he have been working on it for a year, when Ashland's just closed in September and the new owner bought it on 10/21/05? Was he working WITH the previous owners? That sounds unlikely because I don't see why they would be helping a new owner who hadn't even closed on the house do potential remodeling? And if it was so 'unsafe' how come Ashlands was up and running right up until as recently as September?

Hmmmm, something still smells fishy about this. Perhaps if someone knows how to get in touch with the previous owners they could fill us in.

I think they realized they made a mistake and are now caught in a PR disaster and are just trying to ward off the bad press...

We need some more info to the story they are telling.

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sevfiv

sevfiv

Posted
Posted
Does the city issue a condemned certificate of some sort? If so, I'd like to see it. If they don't have one, what other proof besides a paid-for opinion of their engineers do they have? I'd like to see the paper before I believe their story.

good question, although i doubt the structure would fall under the condemned category.

either they are 1.) lying,

or 2.) they screwed up and did not properly assess what would happen once the interior walls were removed...

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dbigtex56

dbigtex56

Posted
Posted

Crocodile tears!

If the house was unsuitable to be gutted and refitted to whatever configuration they'd decided, then go elsewhere. As the house stood, there was no suggestion of structural problems. Did these people not take the obvious step of hiring a structural engineer before they started ripping the place apart?

Quote:

"Our contractors, by the way, have been active in saving and restoring old properties - and been awarded for their efforts."

A beautifully constructed sentence - but it doesn't really tell us much. Which properties? What award?

As anyone who's familiar with old houses knows, repairs and alterations can be daunting tasks - which is why a suitable structure should be chosen before undertaking such a project. Often, it's easier just to start from scratch. Which is what they've done.

But they still have the location...goody. :angry:

Edit:

Quote:lilyheights Posted Today, 01:58 PM

Does the city issue a condemned certificate of some sort? If so, I'd like to see it. If they don't have one, what other proof besides a paid-for opinion of their engineers do they have? I'd like to see the paper before I believe their story.

I didn't see the word 'engineer' mentioned in Mr. Hanna's letter. Just 'contractors' - and anyone can call himself a contractor. Isn't it usual to get a second opinion before pulling the plug on a patient?

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houstonray

houstonray

Posted
Posted

I just wrote to the email address someone provided for the owner and asked him some point blank questions about this 'year long renovation' and why they never contacted anyone from ANY association or preservation group. I asked why all the secrecy in the days before the demolition? Why all the commentary now AFTER the fact. I told him that there are potentially hundreds of people who are not going to frequent the new place and we all know that bad press spreads faster than good press. I told him he keeps referring to 'misinformation' yet they are not giving clear answers either.

I'll let you know what, if anything different, he says.

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Markus

Markus

Posted
Posted
Markus's house:

16713517_c23e6f0052.jpg

:D:D:D

Even though I wrote this...I can't tell if the B.S. is in RED or BLACK text.....

"My name is Markus

This IS my house

What you may not know is that for almost a year, I was in the process of restoring the property to open a restaurant. Recently, soon after the interior demo had been completed, it was discovered that there was a big freaking vortex in this building and so damaged the structural integrity of the building, the contractors deemed it both unsafe and unsalvageable. I explored the possibility of selling the house and having it moved but I was informed the structure would not survive.

My decision to demolish the building comes at both an emotional and financial loss. We did salvage as much of the vortex as possible."

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