Gator Purify

The intersection of Main and Dallas should become our Times Square. Some lighting and advertisements would really bounce off of these buildings well and offer some great aerial shots. Let there be light!

At this rate, Market Square Tower will start to peek over the garage by late June.

Good luck, adr! Remind us all again. Is your bar called Houston Watch something-or-other?

Cosign to all of the above posts. Last night was the first time I had watched an Astros opening night game in ages. This team feels special. The '06-'14 Astros would've LOST last night's game late 2-0 instead of the other way around. You didn't see the lapse in focus or concession to pressure that is typical of young or bad teams engaged in pitchers' duels. The crowd was really into the game and the buzz in the stadium felt optimistic. What I really liked is that the media has predicted tons of homers and strikeouts, but we won last night with small ball. Exciting times.

Gorgeous shot. Imagine how beautiful it will look when 609 Main fills in the hole to the left of Chase.

With all of this investment, GreenStreet had better turn into one heck of a jewel. It'd be nice if GS were up and running with all of its tenants in tow. That way, it'd be easier for us HAIFers to visualize/fantasize about this block. As it stands now, I don't know what to make of it.

Seattle has a Space Needle and Houston, the home of NASA and future home of the Ellington Space Port, does not. Who on here has Mayor Parker's phone number?

Except for the rollercoaster part (lol), that is exactly what I'm talking about. The City should build a tall monument with or without an observation tower on that block. An observation tower would make some extra money, but even without it, locals and tourists would visit to take pictures and then dine in area establishments before going to an Astros or Rockets game. I wish I had the ability to create a rendering because I'm sure one would get everyone on this thread on board.

Time to increase the police presence in Midtown and at MetroRail stops.

Houston needs a soaring downtown monument, and I believe this lot is the perfect place for it. People spend hundreds or thousands to visit Paris, New York, D.C., heck even Seattle, just to stop by famous tall monuments. The downtown hotels are in place. Residential is on the way. A light rail stop is across the street. Retail is being set up a block away, along ADLA. Throw up a 500-1,000 ft. monument that will drag the skyline eastward, give drivers along 59 and I-10 an amazing view, and increase property values in EaDo.

I agree with monarch. The Nau Center concept and design were very cheesy. It would make for a fun attraction in a smaller Texas town, but it doesn't belong in the CBD of the nation's fourth largest city. Imagine this: An international tourist visits Houston, books a room at the Marriott Marquis, then asks what there is to do here. S/he is told, "you can either catch a cab to a big shopping mall, take two train lines to the museum district, walk around the adjacent three-block park, or head over to the new cultural center." Tourist chooses the cultural center and enjoys two rooms of exhibits, half a locomotive, an old house, and a restroom. That block is prime real estate. Cloud713 is right. Something like this, with its current concept, belongs in a historic district.

Among other fishes, there are alligator gar and catfish in Buffalo Bayou. I appreciate the response. However, I don't want to get into the "...name one..." trivia game because, no matter how many cities I name, no two waterways are the same. For instance, I don't have to travel across the Atlantic to point out that the San Antonio River looks 10x cleaner and clearer than Buffalo Bayou, but it would be silly of me to compare the two for a lot of reasons (population, elevation, sediment, etc.). If the City of Houston wanted a clearer Buffalo Bayou, at all costs, then I'm sure they could accomplish that. It's just a question of what would have to be sacrificed.

Courtesy of The Houston Chronicle, contract negotiations between Houston Arts Alliance and sculptor Ed Wilson are back on. http://www.chron.com/entertainment/arts-theater/article/GRB-sculpture-contract-back-where-it-began-6129243.php Wilson's work would fill the 90 x 90 x 40 foot atrium. Here is the proposal pic from Ed Wilson:

You may be right, but I would think that H&M opening in CityCentre has less to do with neighborhood demographics and more to do with the demographics of the patrons who already frequently visit CityCentre. The young people who shop at H&M usually don't live in places like the Villages; but they do eat at RA sushi, Cyclone Anaya's, and love Studio Movie Grille. On the flip side, I'd think that there are enough young people in Midtown to warrant the opening of an H&M in GreenStreet.

I like it. The design is very West Hollywood. Greenway Plaza is developing into a fun, Millennial area. An alternative to Uptown East, which is branding itself as an extension of River Oaks.

Can't wait until the towers under construction near the GRB & Minute Maid stretch the skyline eastward. Now imagine if the land north of Buffalo Bayou, where the jails are, were repurposed and a huge amphitheater were placed there.

Class of '97 Vanguard. Thanks so much for starting this thread! While I always held Lanier in high regard, I never looked back on my time there fondly until these posts brought back good memories. I was there from '94 to '97, which is about as "90s" as it gets. Pogs, tacos (basically small paper projectiles that are launched from your fingers with a rubber band; the bad kids used to do things like put staples in them), these weird nerdy trading cards with anime characters (I forget what they're called), Treasure Trolls, friendship bracelets, lanyards. The white/Jewish/Filipino/Vanguard kids listened to alternative music like Nirvana, Aerosmith, Green Day, and Soundgarden, while the others jammed Tupac and Junior Mafia (Lil' Kim & Biggie). We were the last class before uniforms were instituted. Sadly, one of my classmates was killed in a skiing accident during a school year. She was really pretty and popular, and I (along with most of the guys) had a crush on her. It was a big deal when they served Chick-Fil-A in the cafeteria. Emeka Okafor, future NCAA basketball player of the year for UConn, was my football teammate and friend/acquaintance. A handful of my classmates ended up going to Harvard. My bus driver was Mr. Marino and he drove bus 8285. Mr. Bordelon for 6th grade (I think) math. I liked him. What I remember most is a boy stabbing his female classmate with a pencil. Mr. Henley for 6th grade social studies. He's a legend at Lanier. Awesome teacher. Shameless in brainwashing us to like the University of Arkansas ("whoo pig suey!"). We put on a mock OJ trial at the end of the year. Mr. Nielsen for German. I can only say numbers 1-10 in German, but I probably ate about 20 Toblerones because of him. Mr. Moore for art?? If Mr. Moore is a black dude, then he taught 8th grade art. That class was lazy as hell, lol. I had Mr. Yeargin, too, but I don't remember him. Ms. Haynes. [insert expletive] This &*^%$ ruined middle school for me. Piece of *&@% math teacher always talked down to people and bragged nonstop about her Prairie View degree. My mom had to meet with her because she kept marking my grades down even though I had correct answers. She taught this unnecessarily long math that was just busy work. Spent 1-2 hours doing homework for her class alone. Ugh. Mr. Green. School librarian who reportedly died of AIDS. He looked sick at the time. Principal Lanclos seemed like a really cool lady. Lanier was incredible. Beautiful building. Great neighborhood. Great legacy. If my kids aren't in private school for 6th-8th grades, I'll want them to go there.

This is one of the greatest projects going in Houston. Now let's talk about the actual water quality. Short of introducing dyes or paving the bottom, can anything be done upstream or downstream to turn the water at least somewhat clear? I'm talking Turkey Bend clear, not Miami Beach. Similarly, what can be done to improve the smell around Sesquicentennial Park/Sunset Coffee Building? Most Houstonians above a certain age, and a lot of tourists, still view Buffalo Bayou as dirty sewer water, so that needs to be addressed, regardless of how many amenities are placed next to it. What about installing a few fountains in the middle of the bayou in downtown? I'm not an engineer, but it seems like that would move some of the silt around, deter mosquitoes, and possibly help with the smell by circulating the water. Please don't rip me if that's a bad idea. Just trying to think of something.

I won't comment anymore on the actual building, since some ppl on this forum seem to bemoan criticism. I will objectively state that this is turning into a PR nightmare for Midway. They (and their agents/cohorts) need to just stop talking. No more press releases and interviews. Start building the thing and move on.

"...Hotel Alessandra's interior design will reflect a strong vertical design and an overall minimalist approach to decor." Sigh. Possible translation: "If you love the exterior, just wait until you see our interior!" Lol.

Nothing says "sleek" like a 21-story box... This whole Alessandra fiasco feels like a bad online dating experience. Its profile picture looks like Scarlett Johanssen but it showed up looking like Carl-Joe Hansen :-/

I just thought about the rendering change and got pissed all over again, lol. This was the one (the ONE) high-rise that had some sort of architectural significance, and now we're left with a CityCentre building in the heart of the city. I lauded Midway for their efforts prior to this, but now it's painfully clear that they'd have been better off staying in the suburbs. GreenStreet is a dumb name (tourists are going to assume it's on Green Street and not Dallas), it has no worthwhile tenants, and now it has an ugly hotel to look forward to. Hmph.

This is very embarrassing for Midway, but if you lop off that top floor & the roof, the rest of the building looks okay. Granted, it looks like it belongs in CityCentre instead of in the...city's...center...but it could still be a positive addition if quality materials are used. Brinsden, if you're reading this, PLEASE redesign that roof. Give it some character, man.

From 59, by Minute Maid Park, this thing and the Hampton Inn/Homewood Suites already look HUGE. The Marriott Marquis is about as tall as the GRB, and the HI/HS covers a lot of ground, so downtown finally looks like one continuous mass of buildings from 45 to 59! These are exciting times!