amashgo

is anyone else not sad that a historic building was torn down for a freaking parking garage for the near future. This tower wont be built for years

Nope. It may delayed, but progress is being made. As someone in the industry, if it helps keep jobs and gives more work to go around, good.

And to sum up in general how I personally feel about saving historic buildings because they're historic : 

Just because you're historic for one reason or another doesn't mean we should keep you and impede progress and growth. Ahem, looking at you astrodome.

With all of that said, if a building is historic and it can be rehabbed and actually be used or re purposed for a socially responsible reason, keep it. If its collecting mold and rats and is beyond help, get rid of it.

..... and let the arguments begin (based on what I've seen, my opinion is probably not very popular). Everyone remember, we're all entitled to our opinions. 

From Downtown Houston's Facebook page. Not really sure what the people are doing but looks like they are painting 

They have a sign up that says "Painting Part Everyone Welcome"

There are also food trucks and 8th wonder had a tent set up.

I haven't actually wandered close enough to see if they're jumping a crane or bringing one down.

Oh the funny looks you get when you park and pop your head out of your sun roof for photos.... >.<

From L9 deck of Aris: 

The blue crane on the left is for Catalyst

Oooo. Excellent to know... I periodically get the dirt on that site

You can have that view when you move into the Aris 

Just tell 'em you want a unit in the southeast corner

Had I won, I'm sure a wad of cash would have been the right thing to come along. hahaha.

Maybe. Not only is the lot lucrative, but assuming a tower gets built (assume a +/-100-150mil project) I don't know that they'd want to give it up because they own Linbeck and thats a good size job to have in the books, especially if it hits when they have staff coming off of another project and have no where to send them.

Aquinas isn't giving that site up unless its something good. The last time it stalled out is because the developer they were in talks with just didn't work. Which I find odd because they do have a real estate group in house.

They are content to let it sit until the right thing comes along, their parking lot is minimal effort and pretty lucrative. 

Was over at the Hilton on Friday night and traffic around the area was crazy. I think was the Trans Siberian Orchestra concert at TC. It was interesting to see downtown so busy at night.

It was - that was why I snapped that shot while I was at toyota, lol!

Back of house.

View from Toyota Center.

Oh and Nate99 - that isn't the main entrance that's the retail area and I don't know that the entrance for that has been solidified.

Main entrance is on Travis closer to prairie.

We started the canopy this past Saturday. I have a time lapse of some of it going up but even compressed from my phone says it's too big, I'll work it out later if anyone is actually interested.

As for skin, just the mason and steel erector at the moment. They've actually gotten a lot done you just can't see it because it's inside and BOH.

Stay tuned next week. Houst is being erected.

Happy Friday

From Saturday:

From Saturday....

From level 3 in the garage:

From the current top (level 5):

From level 5 looking out. Not 100% on which buildings those are going up, so I posted here because here is where I took it from.

So you're saying that Houston had alleys downtown, and the city allowed people to build into them? I'm skeptical.

Oh no, sorry for the confusion. Thats just what happened in this particular instance. Like I said there is at least a 3 ft gap between our building and the Citizens building. By the bar (the commoner) and the State National Building it gets down to inches or less (hence my comment about building over their property lines). 

Are alleys a requirement though - clearly thats not the case with this new building butting up against the old ones.  

Yeah what happened to alleys?

People building to and over their own property lines, thats what. 

There is a solid 3 ft gap there. They'll live.

Every gas plant and refinery construction site I've gone to require steel toed boots for all visitors that step outside the office. The commercial and residential construction sites I have been to have not required them (although it's been 15 years since I've been to one of those).

I was referring to commercial. Oil and gas is way more stringent on safety.

They are pulling the other crane down today. Sorry no photos, rain and dark is not a good time for that. 

With the sole exception of the Exxon mobile campus, I've never been or heard of a project where every variety of employee or visitor is made to have steel toed boots.

Typically work boots are what the field staff uses and visitors and office staff at bare minimum are required to have close toed shoes.

They make steel-toed Uggs now?!

Lol, what? If you think you're seeing that, you aren't.

Interesting concept though.