editor

Yeah, this was part of the transit center opening reminder. The Wulfe thing was supposed to be in addition to the transit center event.

I know this article is six months old, but I've only just read it. It's one of the best things I've read about Houston in a long time. Even with the junkies and who-knows-what it makes me wish I lived in that neighborhood.

Buried in a press release from Metro is the following line: "Ed Wulfe of Wulfe & Co. to unveil upcoming redevelopment plans for Gulfgate area." The date listed is tomorrow, the 5th of August, 2005. Anyone know what's up?

I seem to recall I was looking for about that size. Maybe a little less. I remember thinking that the storefront space would cost almost as much as my rent. At the time I know I was paying $1,475/month, so that's where I got the $1,400 figure. Part of the problem was getting the owners of the space to take me seriously. I called the number on the sign two or three times and left messages. It was only when I called back and left a message that didn't have the word "tunnel" in it that they called me. And then they were total jerks.

Not off the top of my head. I seem to recall that the total for the space would have been in the neighborhood of $1,400/month.

I actually considered setting up shop in the Houston tunnel system. There was a short time when it seemed financially viable to do the web site full-time and quit my real job. I was going to sell posters and prints of the city in a little store and work on the web site in between customers. Anyway, when I tried to price some space, I was shocked. They were charging as much for tunnel-level space as for street-level space. I think that's part of the problem. If rents were cheaper down below, more stores would open there and attract more people. But then, it's not like there isn't plenty of street-level space available in Houston still.

I like tunnel systems when they're more open and accessable and less tunnel-like. I think a great example of this is 1000 Main. I find it quite invitiing. Not so with the tunnels beneath Bank of America.

This is exactly the sort of thing we need for the Podcast. Care to record that into an audio file, Hizzy?

There have been a few reports, and they have brochures inside for a ghost tour which meets there, then works its way through the city.

Here's the press release we got yesterday about this: --------- Goddard Investment Group Buys Houston Landmark Addition of Heritage Plaza positions Atlanta firm as major owner in Texas city ATLANTA, July 21, 2005 - Goddard Investment Group of Atlanta has acquired Heritage Plaza, a landmark office complex in downtown Houston. Goddard Investment Group purchased the 53-story, 1.15 million-square-foot office complex in Houston\'s \"Skyline District\" from an institutional investor advised by ING Clarion. The sellers were represented by Richard H. Rudd of CB Richard Ellis\' Houston office. The Heritage Plaza complex comprises a tower constructed in 1986 and the Federal Land Bank Building, which was built in 1935. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed, although Goddard Investment Group acquired the office property below replacement cost. The firm, headed by Atlanta real estate veteran Robert C. Goddard III, was selected as the buyer because of its ability to close on the acquisition quickly. \"Because we have excellent access to capital we were able to close on this trophy asset in a very competitive environment in 30 days - on an all-cash basis,\" said Goddard, chairman of Goddard Investment Group. The addition of Heritage Plaza to Goddard Investment Group\'s portfolio instantly raises the company\'s Houston profile and positions it as a major owner in the Houston real estate market. This is the ninth transaction Goddard Investment Group has completed in Houston. Goddard Investment Group has been active in the Houston market for five years and currently owns five buildings, including Heritage Plaza, totaling 1.7 million square feet. Heritage Plaza offers a tremendous opportunity, said William T. Deyo Jr., a principal at Goddard Investment Group. When ChevronTexaco vacates its space later this year to relocate to a building it purchased at 1500 Louisiana, Heritage Plaza will offer the largest contiguous block of Class-A office space in downtown Houston. \"We plan to reposition Heritage Plaza and make major renovations to the property,\" Deyo said. The acquisition of Heritage Plaza, which sits on a 1.44-acre site bounded by Brazos Street, Dallas Street, Bagby Street and Lamar Avenue, meshes with Goddard Investment Group\'s business plan. Goddard Investment Group is an entrepreneurial firm that opportunistically acquires properties in markets it knows well. Once it acquires a property, Goddard Investment Group often works with local partners to improve the properties and works with the local brokerage community to lease up the buildings. In addition to Heritage Plaza, Goddard Investment Group will buy approximately 2 acres adjacent to the complex, where the firm plans to develop a new parking garage that will increase the parking ratio to more than 2 spaces per 1,000 square feet of rentable space. \"We\'re going to offer suburban parking ratios in downtown Houston,\" said Russell F. Read, a principal at Goddard Investment Group. \"That will be hard to beat.\" Leasing and management services are currently being provided by ING Clarion and Lincoln Property Co. Goddard Investment Group will interview the current leasing and management team as well as others for the ongoing leasing and management assignment. Goddard said his firm understands and appreciates the importance of Heritage Plaza to Houston. \"Heritage Plaza is a landmark in Houston,\" Goddard said. \"It\'s a building that businesses and residents of Houston know well and are proud to have in their city, and we\'re proud to add it to our portfolio.\" About Goddard Investment Group Goddard Investment Group is a privately held real estate investment firm headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The company was formed in 2000 for the purpose of investing private capital in quality real estate assets in larger metropolitan Sunbelt markets. In addition to the direct acquisition of properties, Goddard Investment Group also provides financing for real estate related re-capitalizations, mezzanine debt and traditional first mortgage loans. Goddard Investment Group\'s current portfolio consists of approximately 4.5 million square feet located in Atlanta, Houston, Dallas, Miami and Denver.

This is a press release we received today from Crescent Real Estate, a company which owns a number of buildings in Houston including Greenway Plaza and Houston Center. --- Crescent Announces Lease Termination Agreement with El Paso Corporation FORT WORTH, Texas, Jul 18, 2005 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Crescent Real Estate Equities Company (NYSE: CEI) announced today that its subsidiaries, Crescent Real Estate Funding III, L.P., and Crescent Real Estate Funding V, L.P., have signed an agreement with Crescent's largest office customer, El Paso Corporation ("El Paso"), which will terminate El Paso's leases effective December 31, 2007. Under the agreement, El Paso is required to pay in cash to Crescent: -- $65 million in termination fees in periodic installments through December 31, 2007; and -- $62 million in rent according to original contractual lease terms from July 1, 2005, through December 31, 2007. Crescent plans to immediately begin re-marketing all space not currently subleased. Crescent can collect rent simultaneous with El Paso's rent if the vacant space of approximately 762,000 square feet is re-leased before 2007. In May 2004, El Paso notified Crescent that, as part of its long-range plan to reposition the company, it was consolidating its personnel from Crescent's Greenway Plaza to a building El Paso owns in downtown Houston. At the time, El Paso was under lease obligations for 912,000 square feet in Greenway Plaza, a 4.3 million square-foot, mixed-use, Class A complex located in one of Houston's premier submarkets. Since then, 24,000 square feet of the original lease have expired, leaving El Paso contractually responsible for 888,000 square feet. El Paso is current on all rental obligations, and, under the termination agreement, will continue paying rent through 2007. Original expirations for the space ranged from 2007 through 2014. John C. Goff, Crescent's vice chairman and chief executive officer, commented, "We have been working with El Paso for some time now on an agreement that satisfies both Crescent's and El Paso's two very distinct goals. Crescent's desire was to arrive at an appropriate termination fee while having the time and the opportunity to re-lease El Paso's space prior to termination. El Paso, on the other hand, wanted to consolidate its Houston-based workforce to one location. We believe that we reached an agreement that works well for both parties." Regarding Crescent's plans to re-lease the El Paso space, Goff added, "We are bullish about the Houston office market and, specifically, the attractiveness of Greenway Plaza as an office location. We believe that it is realistic to re-lease this space by the end of 2007."

I guess what qualifies as a designer brand varies from person to person.

People probably saw the Monaco picture and decided they didn't want to live in the jungle.

I came across a building very similar to the AIM proposal when I was in Tokyo. AIM: Atago Gren Hills Mori Tower: Cesar Pelli did the Mori building. Anyone know if he put together the AIM design, too?

AIM planned a major expansion and hiring a bunch of people. Then Enron broke. Then a bunch of other financial companies had scandals. They are wisely keeping a low profile until market conditions improve, and have decided not to expand. For now.

The last one got built. Just not in Houston. Looks like it went up in Tokyo, in a smaller form (earthquake height restrictions) with a few other modifications. It's a government office building. "Sumida City Hall" - the equivalent of a neighborhood ward office.

For a while May Company told everyone that it would keep the local names. Then it changed all the Kaufman's stores to Macy's. No great loss. But now they're changing all the Bon Marches in the Pacific Northwest to "Bon-Macy's" and people are outraged. That's a name with as much heritage as Marshall Field's or Neiman Marcus or Macy's, itself. May won't think twice about ditching the word "Foley's."

Perhaps it's a reference to them shoe"horn"ing in another school? Ha! No, just kidding. I know nothing.

I guess it depends on the school. When they're isolated they should be left open. But if there's a chance to merge two small schools into a less small school and save money, why not? 158+394 students is only 552 students. I went to an elementary school about that size, and it seemed to be a good size. Of course, there is the busing factor. How far can you bus kids? I remember in 4th grade having to walk a mile to the bus stop, then ride for an hour each way. It sucked. But it's nothing a fourth grader shouldn't be able to handle.

Nevermind. I figured it out myself -- it's the Paige Parkes building.

From the Houston Chronicle: Developer Mike Atlas of MDA Cos. will demolish an eight-story, 1960s-era office building, situated on a small lot on Kirby Dr. to make room for a glass and steel residential high-rise. The condominium project, called 2727 Kirby at River Oaks, will have 30 stories. Its 96 units will sell at prices starting at $400 per square foot. A 1,280-square-foot condo will sell for more than $500,000. Scott Ziegler of Ziegler Cooper Architects designed the building. Ledingham Design Consultants of Vancouver is designing interiors with 12-foot ceilings, fireplaces, floor-to-ceiling windows and balconies with outdoor kitchens. Demolition of the office building will begin after 25 percent of the units are sold. http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/business/3231183 Does anyone have a picture of what's there now?

I'll believe it when I see it. How many dozen false starts have there been with this place over the years?

Sorry to reply to myself, but I just checked the phone company's web site, and they seem just as quaint as I remember. If you don't have a fax machine, you can use theirs! Just call the phone company office and let them know you're expecting a fax. When it arrives, the operator will call you to let you know you can come pick it up. Eat THAT, SBC!

Part of northern New Jersey and upstate New York still have option five-digit dialing. The Warwick Valley Telephone Company spans the state line, and people who live there can just dial 4-xxxx to get 973/764-xxxx or just dial 9-xxxx to get 845/986-xxxx. And calls across the state line are free in either direction. Last time I was there was about five years ago, and they still had payphones that only cost a dime for local calls. I found out the hard way because even with a tri-band (analog, CDMA, TDMA) cell phone there was absolutely no service.

My grandmother in Brooklyn was GE-9-5325. I never found out what the GE was for.