rechlin

That's normally the case, but this mesh is right up against the brick.  I would have expected it to be a few feet away from the wall so someone could be inside working on it.  I am under the impression that they will be cleaning and repointing the brick so somehow they need access to it.

Looks like work on the exterior of the upper floors has finally resumed.  They appear to have taken a break beginning on December 3, but finally today they are putting more of that white insulation up.  I can't see the lower floors from where I am, so maybe they were focusing on the bottom, but I was surprised at how quickly it was going for so long, only to apparently come to a stop for a full month.

In fairness, the blue will turn gray before it's done, slightly improving it, but yes, it is still hideous.

The only way it could be even remotely saved at this point is to repaint it in the colors of the Westin to be a little less jarring and fit in better with the 500 Crawford apartments and the stadium.

Is the other Steel Street project the Giorgetti?

Perhaps some updates in this recent article:

Quote

Giorgetti Houston. This 32-unit, seven-story mid-rise may be the most stylish building of all, thanks to its unique partnership with the venerable Italian furniture maker that shares its name. The first floor will be decked out with Giorgetti furniture, and the company’s handcrafted kitchen and bathroom cabinets and custom closets will finish out each unit.

The setting among the oak trees of Upper Kirby on Steel Street adds another graceful note.

http://www.papercitymag.com/interiors/houston-next-great-buildings-high-rises-seven-projects-tilman-fertitta-post-oak/

Probably from the US Customhouse across the street and the federal prison on the next block over.

Of course, in 10 years or whenever TxDOT removes the Pierce Elevated this will all be moot.

According to the Swamplot post linked above, there were 36 units in this building.  But according to HFD via ABC13, 45 units were damaged by the fire.  Wonder if the building is a total loss due to heat damage to the garage podium or if it's salvageable.  Hopefully nobody lost any pets.  The ABC URL says 3 were injured but the headline and article don't say that; hopefully if true that was nothing more than minor smoke inhalation.

Actually I took a peek in there on Friday night and it looked like a fully-built-out bar, complete with liquor bottles and everything.  I tried to take a picture but it just didn't turn out.

Last year a TABC license application sign was up there but I assumed that never panned out, so this is all very strange.

Yes, I first noticed the curtains earlier this week.  May be unrelated to the development, though, as I'm sure they'll gut the place before beginning work.

Does anyone remember what the lower floors of the 1980s skyscrapers looked like?  Perhaps they are planning something like the all-steel structures of those for the tower.

I heard from a neighbor today that the electrical work is progressing.  He said they were working on the western-most bridge, and it appears the lights are going on top of the arches rather than along the sides, where the old lighting was.  Hopefully the lights will be better protected from graffiti overspray that way.

I liked the first design because it was unusual.  I liked the second design even more because it was something very cool that was unlike anything else.  But the third design is entirely forgettable, easily confused with a number of other towers recently built or proposed.  Of course, if it never gets built this is moot, but it's a shame if this is the final design.  It just screams 2013.

Just about done!  After they arranged all the patio furniture for the photoshoot shown above, they moved everything aside again to wash the whole deck, and today they positioned all the furniture again!  Bar still isn't quite ready yet, but the rest appears done:

Looks like the bar won't quite be finished in time, if it's supposed to be open tomorrow, because this is what it looks like today:

$1 for 3 hours really isn't bad.  I suspect they are doing this so people don't pay the $1 and walk/skateboard/bike/whatever to their job downtown instead of paying $10+ for downtown parking, preventing anyone else from parking there all day.

I just realized I forgot to upload this photo last Wednesday, but they have the pool furniture out now (or at least they did last week; I'm out of town at the moment):

Both.  I can think of 3 parking garages within a block or so that have vacant GFR, including the ~6 year old Walker@Main garage which even has the prime Walker at Main corner space open and never occupied (and the place taken by Enterprise was vacant until just this past year).

The Stowers building was in good shape and had nobody occupying its ground floor either.  Admittedly, the Texaco building and this one were in terrible shape but also had vacant GFR for decades.

Don't think it had anything to do with the highrise.  Hard to tell from the street, but it looks like all they did was dig a little trench through the old driveway entrance between a manhole and a storm sewer drain.  There's been no activity all week since.

I'd love to see GFR, but there is so much vacant GFR in the area (most of which has been vacant for at least 5 years) that it really wouldn't surprise me if they don't bother to put any in, unfortunately.  Let's keep our fingers crossed, though; with three vacant buildings nearby soon to be occupied, maybe there will finally be demand to fill the existing empty GFR, incentivizing the developer here to make room for some.

Definitely not vacant.  I remember when I went by it a week or so, it looked like one of the middle floors was occupied.  Can't remember what I saw, though (desks or other furniture or whatever, I don't remember).  But it is mostly vacant.