Skyboxdweller

 It will be great to have the west side of the boulevard fill in if and when this site and the Apache site get developed. The only other major parcel will be the 2 story apartment complex next to Uptown Park that was a condominium  bought out by a developer a few economic cycles ago.  The building the corner of Westheimer and Post Oak could you a redo. It's odd that the east side is still a hodge lodge of an empty lot,  strip malls, small retail and a few high rises , while the west side has been pretty much redeveloped.  

There are several in Banff National Park in Canada as well.  And Olmstead and Vaux did something similar with the Central Park cross town roads and in the weaving of pedestrian , horse and vehicle trails elsewhere. 

You've got to be kidding.  This is one of the most visible and potentially vibrant corners of central Houston and they came up with a design that belongs as an addition to Co-op City in the Bronx.  

I took a walk in the park on Sunday at dusk. The walls of the outdoor rooms had gone to seed and berry. The swamp was moist.  The families sitting on blankets and individuals walking the planks seems at peace. To the landscape architects who repurposed and replanted for the public's use and enjoyment , kudos. 

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I'm no expert, but it looks like the parapets and screens on the roof are done. Maybe some lighting? The only part that looks crappy from my 37th floor perch is near the San Felipe side of the tower where there is exposed sheet metal ductwork.  I'm probably only one of a handful of people who can see it. It's not going to be visible from the ground or from miles away. 

I watched them do this when they started work on the foundation of the Aspire residential tower.  They "dewatered" the perimeter of the building site and drove metal pilings to create a relatively dry bathtub-like space two stories below the surface before laying down a massive amount steel and concrete.  

I paid $30 to park my Roofnest at El Cosmico last Thanksgiving.  Do you think they will set aside spots for campers like me? 

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I live in a 2690 sq. ft. unit at Four Leaf,  a quarter of the floor, which was the standard 3 Br, 3 and 2 1/2 bath unit for the top 18 floors designed 40 years ago.  A 10K sq. ft. unit in this new tower will be a whole floor, the 5K a half, etc. The only reason it will demand fewer public services is that there will be 100 people living there, and if its marketed to those overseas, many apartments will be empty for most of the year. I live alone with a cat, and this apartment is too big for my needs at the moment.  With digital media, there is no need for a library or a wall of shelving to house one's lp collection.  I"m not sure how residents are going to fill up 10K sq. ft. of space, even giving the servants a wing of their own.  In Four Leaf, we have residents who live in Mexico and who spend a few weeks a year here . They own more than one apartment and travel with their servants.  I guess in the new condo, when they ring a bell, the staff will respond more quickly, not having to ride the elevator to attend to the needs of their employers. 

If its the same Blue Nile that has been on Richmond near Gessner for 20 years, since I've been here, then it might do well. When I last ate there a decade ago it was the go to place for  ithe Ethiopian community here, which probably has grown, with  a second or third generation that has its roots in Houston, not in Addis Abbaba. 

Looking good . 

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The building reminds me of the entrance to the Shah's palace overlooking the great square in Isfahan. one of the treasures of the Safavid era. I was last there in 1977 , but I remember an elevated open air terrace under a roof supported by tall thin columns facing the irrigated gardens in the center of the square ( more of a rectangle ). The fractal geometry of the tile work and  niches and other decorative elements were at least  impressive those one might find on a Gothic cathedral in Western Europe. It's nice to see the continuation and modernization of an architecture that has historical resonance with this religious sect. 

On 4/8/2021 at 3:56 PM, jmitch94 said:

Came across it one day on google maps and it has a very fascinating history.

https://www.harriscountyarchives.com/Portals/1/Documents/Marker/Final Morse Bragg narrative with figures July 7.pdf
 

This goes into great detail and also shows a lot of what Houston was like pre civil war. This part of town was mostly one large plantation and little did I know but San Felipe was a very old wagon tail long before this part of town was considered part of Houston. 

 

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On 3/27/2021 at 9:20 PM, Highrise Tower said:

Love this picture! Did you know that there is an open to the public pre-Civil War cemetery a few courtyards over from the one in the picture?  Quite a juxtaposition of styles and uses along this street. 

I've been doing take out from all three.  TOS delivers free in the area if its more than $25 dollars.  The last two time I ordered from them I had some friends over and spent about $100 , and had enough leftover to feed me for another couple of days. Just finished the twice cooked pork and the eggplant dish tonight. 

I'm glad that the Uchi spin off is on track.  Right now my three go to Asian restaurants in the neighborhood are Uptown Sushi, Jennis Noodle House and Taste of Sichuan Bistro.  It will be great to get another one in the rotation. 

21 hours ago, hindesky said:

The metal clad building plays EPCOT to Michael Graves' Main Street Fed Reserve building.  I'm curious what goes on in the great hall now that its intended use as a workspace for the  batching and swapping of checks is not needed as much due to the electronic transfer of funds.
 

On 2/20/2021 at 9:11 PM, Highrise Tower said:

The rear podium is being worked on. Have mixed feelings, but I do love the mat colors.  Can't wait to see the front completed.

It's such a big box.  I wonder if it is equipped to offer charging stations in a quantity to accommodate a changeover to electric cars during the course of the next decade.  I live in Four Leaf with a vast below grade parking deck and right now we don't have enough demand to bring power to the people on a cost effective basis . I think there is a business opportunity for a third party to install the wiring and buy the power in wholesale and get its investment back through fees and the spread on power purchases/sales in apartment complexes , but I haven't run the numbers. 

Looking through there developer's portfolio, I think they should put something like the Poplar Grove Plantation clubhouse, with pool and lounging areas on the site of the Disco Krogers, entrance purchased on a daily, monthly and annual basis.  

This evening as I walked past the  green lawns that flank the Whole Foods unit and  the two unbuilt sites on the western side of  Post Oak Lane and through the Apache parking lot, it struck me that its been a good 15 years since this project got underway and that a good amount of it is still undeveloped.  Would this be considered a failed project in the development world?  Granted not as disastrous as the mall built in the Jersey Meadowlands that opened just in time for Covid to shut it down. And to the extent that the developer sold all of the land and got a return on his investment, then it might be considered a success. Nonetheless given that it might take another decade for the final lot to be built upon, it seems like something about this location or urban plan didn't work out right. It's also true that the US has been through a Great Recession and financial melt down  and now a pandemic recession during this period and that the oil business has been through a boom/bust cycle and a recovery bust cycle during the last decade. There are no plans on the record to start construction on the vacant lots and it is hard to understand where the demand would come from for more retail or office space in this location.  That leaves residential and hospitality, with the latter currently in distress and wiping out any equity cushion the owners of hotels have above the mortgages on their properties, many of which are in default or in some form of special servicing.    

  Pasted the comment in the wrong topic.  I"m bad.