editor

Designed by AS+GG. When I lived in Chicago, I was friendly with a lot of the big-name global architecture firms, and spent a bit of time in AS+GG's offices, so I dug up some pictures I took. When you design buildings on the scale of AS+GG, building a regular scale model doesn't give you the detail needed to understand the building the way you need to, so you have to build them extra large. Some of AS+GG's models are seven feet tall. Here's its Burj Kahlifa model, which is what became the Burj Dubai: I don't remember her name, but she's explaining the Jeddah Tower. I believe these are all Jeddah Tower renderings on the wall. I was into architecture models at the time, so I took a lot of pictures of the models around the office: This is a bunch of options AS+GG came up with for one tower. I don't remember which version got built. And because creative people thrive in a creative environment, there's a piano in the lobby for lubricating the brain cells: The lobby also opens onto a private rooftop garden about 25 stories above the street.

I've seen people reporting blocked sidewalks in the city's 311 app. I'm sometimes tempted to do the same since more often than not, when I walk past the night club on McGowen and Travis during the day, it has trucks and sometimes construction equipment parked all over the sidewalk. But considering how quickly the city responds to 911 calls, I imagine by the time a 311 complaint about a blocked sidewalk was addressed, the offender would be long gone.

Yeah, it's a bit confusing. The post card published in Houston Post Cards shows a very different building for the 1866-1894 Saint Joseph's Infirmary. It also states that while two nuns died in the fire, that the blaze only partially burned the campus. It wasn't destroyed, according to the book. It also shows the 1919 Saint Joseph's Infirmary, so I wonder if either your photo, or the one in the book, is actually where it operated from between 1894 and 1919.

Salad joint going into Brava. New bar at Main and Franklin.

CMAR?

Considering there's a retail component, that seems like a good idea. People in Houston love free parking, and it will bring hundreds people past the stores each day. Slightly off topic, but I wish that more transit agencies America would take the development-funding business model seriously. It's worked so successfully in so many other places from Singapore to Tokyo and elsewhere. If Metro has x acres of land for this project, build an apartment building on it, plus offices, and retail. The money from the rents goes to fund Metro, and the buildings are a natural draw to bring people who live and work there to use the transit system. Some of the largest real estate developments on the planet are owned by transit companies. Bonus: That's less money the transit agency needs from tax payers. Who owns the World Trade Center in New York? The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey — the same people who run the commuter trains and busses across the Hudson River.

The same boogieman was raised when cities tried to mandate smoke detectors in apartment buildings. They're only normal now because the insurance industry started raising rates on buildings that didn't have them. It's the whole "internalize the profit, externalize the cost/risk" play all over again. If it costs a real estate developer an extra $10 to do something, is that cost passed on to the home buyer? Absolutely. If a real estate developer saves $10 doing something, is that savings passed on to the home buyer? Absolutely not. Let's not pretend that the real estate developers fighting this improvement are doing it out of the charity of their hearts. The people who benefit from curb cuts every six feet isn't the people who live in the neighborhood. It's the people building and selling the homes, who don't have to live with the consequences.

I'm with you. If it's not in writing, it didn't happen.

Pretty much every American city with more than 500 people had a "Mercantile Building."

According to Houston Post Cards, that's the second of three train stations at that location. The first, pictured in the book, is more modest, though it had a massive train shed. The book states that one you posted was built for $80,000. That was torn down in the 1930's and replaced with what I think was the best design — Art deco, and very much like the 1940's Air Terminal. That one was torn down in the 1960's to make way for the Post Office, which is now Post Houston.

I used to live a couple of blocks from this location, and we considered it Midtown. The owners of the property marketed it that way, too. To us, Genesee Street was the Montrose/Midtown border. But a lot of the neighborhood borders have gotten fuzzy in the last couple of decades.

Doesn't look too different from the last municipal tax auction I went to in another city. Except for the lady with the scepter. That's a new one for me.

The problem is that the "adds to housing costs" boogieman is brought up every time any new regulation is proposed, no matter how minor the cost. How much would this add to the cost of a house? 50¢? A dollar? Ten dollars? Nobody ever says. Is the cost added to a single house more or less than the benefit delivered to the general public?

Might be this:

LEGACY by Bimbo Adenugba Houston is always looking to improve, for today and tomorrow. "Legacy" is a mural that focuses on the essential task before us in providing a sustainable planet to future generations. This mural was inspired by the 17 sustainable development goals (SD's) adopted by the United Nations, designed to provide a blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet now and into the future. Hear the United Nations Global Compact (UNG) tell you more about the SDG'S, in the app "Behind The Wall". This mural, created by artist Bimbo Adenugba and curated by Street Art for Mankind (SAM), pays tribute to the legacy of native Americans in our region, featuring the daughter of a local indigenous tribe. The fireflies and roses symbolize hope and nature, the scale symbolizes justice, and the apple and glass symbolize access to food and clean water for all. The piece is part of the Big Art. Bigger Change. project produced in October 2022 in Downtown Houston. It was made possible thanks to the drive and generous support of the Houston Downtown Management District and TotalEnergies. Special thanks to Harris County for offering their wall.

Earlier today:

Musk has a long history of being Russia-friendly. When he started SpaceX, he wasn't going to build his own rockets. According to Wikipedia, he tried to buy ICBMs from Russia so he could convert them into rockets. More recently: Elon Musk Acknowledges Withholding Satellite Service to Thwart Ukrainian Attack [on Russian military] (New York Times)

I guess my information is a little outdated. I just looked at Apple Maps, and the train line is no longer active: A quick Duck shows that the trains stopped running in 2020. Here are a couple of pictures (from here) from when bicycles and trains shared the bridge: Here's the location, if you want to explore it yourself: https://maps.apple.com/?address=1049 W North Ave, Chicago, IL 60642, United States&ll=41.910306,-87.655529&q=Dropped Pin

If that had happened, the cry would be "They're rushing through justice to keep him from running!" instead. When all that matters is tribalism, the prosecutors can't satisfy anyone.

It's funny how someone who campaigned with the slogan "Lock her up" now says it's unfair to indict someone during an election.

Short term, I don't see any change coming. Neiman Marcus and Saks have different customers. But I could Hudson Bay eventually eliminating one brand simply because Hudson Bay is a terrible company that in recent years has ruined Saks in so many ways. (One example: many Saks stores don't even have HR people in them anymore. If an employee needs something, they have to make an appointment to have a video chat with someone in Toronto.)

SWEENEY, COOMBS & FREDERICKS BUILDING THIS LATE-VICTORIAN COMMERCIAL BUILDING WITH A 3-STORY CORNER TURRET AND EASTLAKE DECORATIVE ELEMENTS WAS DESIGNED BY GEORGE E. DICKEY IN 1889. EVIDENCE INDICATES THAT THE 1889 CONSTRUCTION MAY HAVE BEEN A RENOVATION OF AN 1861 STRUCTURE BUILT BY WILLIAM VAN ALSTYNE AND PURCHASED IN 1882 BY JOHN JASPER SWEENEY AND EDWARD L. COOMBS. GUS FREDERICKS JOINED THE SWEENEY AND COOMBS JEWELRY FIRM BEFORE 1889. RECORDED TEXÀS HISTORiC LANDMARK - 1974

INNOVATION FOR ALL, by W3R30N3 "Innovation for All is a mural about access to technology and innovation for all (United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 9). Bridging the digital divide, promoting sustainable industries, and investing in scientific research and innovation are all important ways to facilitate sustainable development globally. Houston is continuously connected to technology and innovation. Whether it is about working to lead the green revolution or becoming "a smart city" with strategic investments in Artificial Intelligence, the city is up for every challenge. This mural, created by artist w33on3 and curated by Street Art for Mankind (SAM) empowers humankind to unlock access to technology for all. The lines created by the artwork prolong the architecture of the building, creating an impression of movement and a technological web. The message is direct: "We hold in our hands the key to making our world more sustainable and equitable by sharing our technology." The piece is part of the second series of the Big Art. Bigger Change. murals produced in May 2023 in Downtown Houston. It was made possible thanks to the drive and generous support of the Houston Downtown Management District, TotalEnergies and Harris County Precinct One. Special thanks to the Dhukka Family for donating their wall.

Finally got a chance to take a picture of the plaque. CHILD LABOUR by Hopare "Child Labour" is a mural that highlights the connection between child labor and our consumption (United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 8.7). Cosmetics, smartphones and electric vehicles may be emblems of the modern world, but the sparkle added to our make-up or the batteries in our electronics are frequently powered by minerals, like mica or cobalt. These minerals are mined by children laboring in slave-like conditions in Congo, India or Madagascar. This mural, created by artist Hopare and curated by Street Art for Mankind (SAM) represents the two sides of the same coin next to each other: On one side our consumption. On the other side what powers it: child labor. Through the allegory of a girl putting on make-up, next to her friend collecting mica, the mineral used to create make-up, we dig into a deeper topic and in the contradictions of our modern society. There is also a vision of hope here with a new generation, represented by the two girls, side by side questioning how we can fix this. The piece is part of the second series of the Big Art. Bigger Change. murals produced in May 2023 in Downtown Houston. It was made possible thanks to the drive and generous support of the Houston Downtown Management District and Harris County Precinct One. Special thanks to Houston House for donating their wall.