mls1202

Montrose, my wife and I have moved from Houston to Tyumen, Siberia this past February for my job. I've been saving each of your pictures to show her at home--you have no idea how homesick we've become. Seeing your pictures has really helped. Please keep them coming--maybe I'll post some pictures of Siberia as soon as I can figure out how.

In keeping with people's names, I should probably change from mls1202 to Houstonian_In_Siberia

Use Google's Picassa, probably the single best image viewer and organizer out there. It can resize multiple photos and even send them to your email program to be sent out if you want.

I used to live in Midtown and always passed by the Kirby House. Does anyone know what business or organization is there? There is no signage at all.

Probably some secret society planning to undermine urbanism in Midtown

For what it's worth, don't foget that many prime steakhouses also age their steaks for up to 21 days (I believe). Granted, it's nothing more than climate controlled rotting to the point that the FDA allows it, but I don't hear too many people agining their Kroger bought steaks...unless you're buying their "sharply discounted for quick sale: steaks that are turning a bit grey

I just came back from Kansas City and ate at what was supposedly a highly recommended KC institution. They brag that their steaks are UNSEASONED so that you get the natural flavor through and through. Needless to say my wife hated it because it was bland. Mine? I had mine drenched in bleu cheese and peppercorns!

So shopping occupied ALL the levels in the building in downtown? How in the world did they convert it into parking? What a waste!

Can anyone provide any info on what is happening across the street in the old building adjacent to the Mercury Room and Boka Bar? That building is in need of some serious restoration.

so travelguy, mls, and crash- never been to the States? what brings you to HAIF?

Fair enough. US Travels include:

New York

Massachusetts

California

Missouri

Arkansas

Wisconson

Minnesota

Florida

Louisiana

Arizona

Washington

Kansas

Oklahoma

Illinois

Texas

Still conservative

I'm hoping that the Borders will be accessible from the outside and will go far to alleviating the "bunker" look of the Galleria. A nice multi-story glass facade will give the Galleria a lot of curb appeal from Westheimer. I like the renovation of the inside, but I'm hoping that something can be done to the exterior. That intersection is extremely important.

Thailand

Brazil

England

Scotland (I know, it's all the UK, but I gotta make my list look longer)

Chad

Brunei

China

Canada

Singapore

Japan

Taiwan

France

Trinidad

Conservative

Thanks seviv for the picture post. Maybe I'm an optimist, but it looks better than all the negative posts indicated it would. Maybe more credit should go to the photographer than the builder

Does this mean the plan to convert it into a mixed use apartment/retail is no longer on the table?

Man, I hope the higher density of people was taken into account by the civil engineers of those skyscrapers. Lets see, 6 times more people per floor...Thats, mabye 200lbs times 6 equals 1,200lbs per floor, and taking a 50 story building is 60,000lbs more than originally expected...

I once heard there was a univeristy...somewhere here in Texas....where they built a new library but forgot to take the weight of the books into account...and the building has been slowly sinking into the ground since!!!

That would be Evans Library at Texas A&M. Actually, the building was supposed to be 2 stories taller than it is today. The change to remove the top 2 floors was due to not counting the weight of the books. However, I don't believe the building is sinking. I got this from the tour guide during my freshman year there in 94.

Th Pavilions is progressing right along. Here are the latest renderings:

If you compare if to the original rendering, it has been scaled down somewhat. There used to be a office/residential tower on the north portion of the project. that has been removed completely. Is this in response to the vacancy rates in downtown?

The mall is next door to the Town Center. As for building a riverwalk, I doubt it. Their current project is more than ambitious enough.

Actually, there is a "riverwalk" of sorts that is planned and progressing on the northeast corner of Hwy 6 and 59 by the Flour-Danial plant. The waterway is already there, and there is a planned development to add mixed-use development along its path. There's a thread somewhere around here.

Can anyone post any pictures of the rehab? Thanks!

Heh, I am currently living at Jackson Hill Apartments!

Anyway, let me shed some additional light on the situation after having read the public notice that is stapled to his newly installed fence (apparently installed in response to complaints about the blight). The man who is occupying the house is not actually the owner, who is listed as some other woman who I don't believe lives there. I think both his house and the adjacent one are owned by the same person.

Anyway, the motivation for condemnation is not due to blight (according to the paperwork). Under reasons for pursuing condemnation, there is a check box for blight that is marked NO. Instead, they are pursuing it as a structuraly unsound building and have levied daily fines until sufficient repairs are made or the building is torn down.

As for the legality or moral rightness of this act, I am torn. You would be hard pressed to find someone who found the junk strewn across his yard to be attractive, and I became concerned during Rita that much of that would become airborne missiles. However, it is not illegal in that neighborhood to do so. I am glad to see development of the scale of Jackson Place Condominiums, but I think natural market forces would have caused him to relocate eventually without having to resort to dirty games.

Take out retribution on them by telling us all the name of the company and the apartment!

Astro:

You are correct, French Quarter was on Louisiana and Elgin.  I am glad it was torn down.

The club you may be thinking of near River Oaks theatre is the Marfreless, 2006 Peden st.

Here is a review:

Marfreless

It appears to be straight make out place, needless to say I have not visited.

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Wow guys. Hold on. Marfreless is NOT a sexually oriented business, nor is it a swinger establishment or anything of the sort. It's a pretty classy wine bar , and yes, it does have areas where people make out, but it is far tamer than what you would see at most of the dance clubs in Houston.

Do you live in the 2-story Perry Town Homes just south of Gray (the ones with the beige siding? I used to walk by these all the time, and the floor plan looks familiar. Very nice.

As a fellow Ikea shopper, I recognize some of your items

Is the rendering above facing Elgin?

Hey, if you look at the bottom left corner of the link picture above, you can actually seem my old dorm, Hart Hall.

Oh the memories of that non-airconditioned building.

Well, I hope I'M wrong, but I recently (1 month or so) spoke to one of the floor managers at Central Market about their expansion plans. The plan for Houston seems to be one central location (Westheimer and Weslyan) with the satellite areas getting the new HEB's (which carry many, but not all, of the same items). This conversation developed as we talked about Dallas. You see, Dallas is getting several CM's across the city whereas Houston seems to be getting only one. The exception to this is, of course, the new Woodland's Market. That is netiher an HEB or a CM.

Okay, forgive me for being stupid, but this simple man needs some clarification:

1) The renderings above show the two buildings at the Gray location? Is that LaBranch between the two?

2) If (1) is true, then what does the one on Main and Alabama look like? The article only mentions 2 buildings being built.

Help!

Wow, West Gray Guy, I used to walk my dog down your street every day! That area was always my favorite place to meander through since there was so much up and coming development with the various lofts and townhomes.

I just moved to Galveston, but I used to live on top of Baba Yegas Restaurant on Grant St.

The Daily News reported that because all the red tape issues had taken so long, the groundbreaking was pushed back.  That was in July, I think.  I haven't been out west in a while so, I don't know if construction has begun or not.  Here is a link on Schlitterbahn.com about the Galveston park....  http://www.schlitterbahn.com/pressroom/2004-6-8-a.htm

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The ground breaking has been pushed to September. I read this in one of those free mailer newspapers that keep popping up in my mailbox today. The article is actually about a perceived negative of the new park. It claims that it will negatively impact the park board's tax revenue since it will pull people from the existing beaches.