Dallascaper

So NYC had more commercial building starts than Miami, DFW, Chicago, Washington DC, LA, and Boston...combined. Well, that puts the Dallas-Houston rivalry in perspective.

42.5 million square feet is indeed bigger than the 30 or so million square feet that Downtown Dallas has.

This is square footage of buildings.

Is that so?!?  LOL!

Anyway, we have already derailed this thread enough, so maybe I will start a new thread in the TMC forum for further discussion.

Thanks!

Lol no that's an actual fact, but it's not a knock against dallas. I went there a few weeks ago, and I think the biggest thing that hurts downtown dallas is the lack of grid. It is so hard to get around.

It's a "fact" in the same way that it's a "fact" Terre Haute, Indiana is "bigger" than Manhattan.  The "fact" that the TMC covers slightly more acreage than Dallas' CBD (note, they always leave out the rest of downtown for their little comparison) is disingenuous at best. The TMC is a testament to Houston and Texas, but claiming that it is bigger than reality is silly and reinforces some of the worst stereotypes about Texas.

Don't forget the TMC is larger then Downtown Dallas that has 100,000 employees.  Please send some drone views of Dallas.  I would like to see all the buildings under construction.   

Seriously..nobody believes that.    

Wow...one sarcastic post by SMF, and a few insecure Houston fanboys get in a tizzy over the possibility of Dallas getting a supertall.  What are these people going to do if Dallas actually builds one?  Have a stroke?  What if Dallas gets three? I would visit this site just for the show.

I must admit, I enjoy visiting architecture sites, but we certainly are an eccentric bunch...getting our panties in a wad over things most people couldn't care less about.  We're like a bunch of Trekkies at a convention arguing to the death over whether the Enterprise can defeat the Battlestar Galactica.  LOL!

Yeah, it would cost a bit over 120 million in 2011 dollars I believe.. Still, we got a phenomenal deal on a much larger bridge which happens to be an interesting sculptural element as well.

The Hunt Hill bridge cost $69.6M - the rest was for land acquisition, design, inspections and ramps.  Since a bridge extending Woodall Rogers was going to be built anyway, Dallas decided to build a nice bridge, instead of yet another boring overpass.  Years from now, nobody is going to care how much the Margaret cost - it's a nice addition to the Dallas skyline paid for, in part, with private funds. 

Data source: http://www.dallasnews.com/news/margaret-hunt-hill-bridge/bridge-headlines/20120221-true-cost-of-dallas-margaret-hunt-hill-bridge-182-million.ece

Your right they are in fantasy land.  I just flew back there is nothing going on there.  With 30% empty buildings downtown and no growth a developer would have be insane!  A lot of people overlook Fort Worth.  I had a better time there, downtown is very nice. 

The proposed towers are residential, no?  Residential development in Dallas' CBD is quite active so I am not sure what you mean by "no growth."  See Downtown Dallas running out of empty buildings. Obviously, the proposed towers are just fantasy for the moment, but the fact that one of the more forlorn sections of Dallas' CBD is the subject of developer attention says good things about the market in Dallas.

Nice pictures. How far along is the park?

Thanks. The freeway is covered and they are now starting to add dirt. I believe they start planting trees before the end of the year.

Oh, and back on topic, Emirates must not have liked what they saw at DFW.

Instead of starting new service to DFW, Emirates will be adding a SECOND daily non-stop to Houston later this fall.

So, we'll get TWO 777s from Emirates and DFW will get some narrow body airbuses to California.

On second thought...

Emirates adds Dallas-FT Worth, takes one flight from Houston

I hope the people in Fort Worth make a big deal of this. They deserve it.

Funny that the biggest entertainment event of the year is happening in north Texas, and Dallas is snubbed two ways. I have visions of a debutante all dressed up for the ball, but left sitting on the stairs crying.

Or maybe it's just really late and I'm too tired to post of HAIF.

Cute, but hardly an accurate analogy. Other than the game itself, the biggest event, the NFL Experience, is in downtown Dallas the week of the big game. Dallas is benefiting very nicely from the hoopla, especially considering that the city invested nothing in the stadium. The fact is that events and parties are planned all over DFW - there is plenty of $$ for everyone. Let's hope it doesn't snow that week.

And good for FT Worth with the ESPN thing - Sundance Square is perfect for what the network is looking for.

The question might be asked, why are you only interested in the aesthetics? Why not discuss the financing schemes and what effect they have on other buildings and the city itself? Why be so superficial?

Here's the deal. The building makes no economic sense to me either, but it's a private building, with private funding that as far as I know has received no special tax incentives from Dallas. To me, the topic of how is building is financed is mundane because I have no skin in the game. An example of an interesting financing topic is the convention center hotel - because as a Dallas property owner, in a sense I am now in the hotel business and have a vested interest in the enterprise.

If you wish to discuss the financing of the Museum Tower, then knock yourself out. But I fail to see how the building of a relatively modest condo tower has anything to do with Dallas' attempts at becoming a world class city. I fail to see how your imaginative description of the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge has anything to do with the tower. I fail to see how anything in your post made any relevant, factual point regarding the financing of the tower.

Seems to me you are no more interested in discussing the nuts-and-bolts of how this building was financed any more than I am.

Not 'several millions'. More like $120 million. And that is only for the first one, which, coincidentally, does not even connect any roads to each other. Because the Trinity levees must be rebuilt, it could take another 6 years and $150 million if you believe Dallas City Council, or up to $2 Billion, if you believe opponents. Lately, opponents have been right more than Council.

In this sense, Museum Tower IS similar to the Calatrava bridge(s). In Dallas' desparation to eat at the big kids' table, they have squandered hundreds of millions of dollars on a bridge that connects to nothing, and now are mortgaging the retirements of their police and firefighters on a condo tower that likely cannot be sold, all in the hope that they will be 'hip and cool'. I don't know what a bridge with no connecting streets, or an empty tower is, but 'hip and cool' are not the words that come to mind

Not to disagree, because Dallas clearly didn't do due diligence in planning the bridge, but my understanding is that the bridge approaches have been cleared by the Army Corps of Engineers. I'm not an engineer, so maybe I missed something and you are right.

As for the tower, who cares? I'm never going to live there, I'm never going to pay for it, so I will just sit back and enjoy the show. And frankly, I don't care to know the balance sheet or funding sources for every tower, bridge or road built in Houston, so why are you guys in a tizzy over Dallas? Chill out - it's pretty tower, what more do you really need to know?

Not to pick on you njeppeson, especially considering that you are one of the few constructive posters on Dallas area topics, but it looks like, of the 10 'projects' you've listed, 4 are plans or talk, 1 is a demo, 1 is a park, and 1 is a rather mundane renovation. It appears that there are 2 actual construction projects, in addition to a recently completed one. But, hey, in this climate, that's better than nothing.

You are right, a little development is better than nothing.

- Main Street Garden. $17 million

- Belo Garden. $6.5 million

- Woodall Rodgers Park. $60 million

- Omni Dallas Convention Center Hotel. $490 million

- The Perot Museum of Nature and Science. $180 million

- First Baptist Church Dallas. $130 million

- The downtown YMCA. $5 million

- AT&T Performing Arts Center. $354 million

Total: $1.24 billion. Thank you, njeppeson, for compiling the original list.

Of course, this post in no way bashes Houston; I am simply pointing out that Dallas recognizes the problems and potential of its downtown. In an economy where many cities have seen plans for downtown renovations put on hold, Dallas is doing what it can to move forward.

Wow!

Technical question: What are you shooting and what are your settings?

Thanks for contributing!

Body: Nikon D80

Lens: Nikkor 18-200mm VR

Tripod: Manfrotto 190XB, 322RC2 ball head

Post Processing: Adobe Lightroom & Fireworks

Most of the images were taken in manual mode, maximum aperture, ISO 100, with 2 - 10 second exposure.

Hope this helps.

Actually, the buildings you were looking at all have LEDs or otherwise have a crown of lighting devices installed on them. The Downtown Management District got most of the building owners to turn them off as part of an organized attempt to make Houston appear more energy-efficient and "green".

Every now and then a professional photographer will be doing downtown, and the District will coordinate to make sure that all the buildings are lit at once. That's always a very impressive sight. We also light up everything for special events.

Okay, that make sense. I have seen photos of the downtown skyline illuminated, but Friday night it was quite dark - now I know why. Next time I am in town I'll call the mayor - I'm sure he'll turn the lights on for me.

Which bldg is the one porchman and lockmat singled out. You've managed to shoot that building in such a unique and wonderful way that i cant even identify it.

Highway6, the building is the hotel next to Discovery Green, the Hilton Americas, I think.

Thanks, everyone for your comments.

I was in Houston for business on Friday and decided to stay the night and snap a few shots of downtown. I explored maybe 20% of downtown in about 4 hours, 9 PM

Public input sought on renaming of Dallas' Industrial Boulevard:

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dw...ty.36b6809.html

When I worked at Love Field we would hit Industrial for some tasty tacos. Why in the world would they want to change the name?

If anything I'd rename Harry "ho" Hinez first.

The name "Industrial Blvd" was perfect for the area 100 years ago, when it was designated as the light industrial armpit of Dallas, but the area between Stemmons and the Trinity project is slated to change dramatically over the next 20 years. Unless there is historical significance to the name "Industrial Blvd", I have no problem changing it. Street names change all the time - this is hardly a Dallas phenomenon.

The following was DMN article was taken from DallasMetropolis.com. It does a nice job of exposing as "misinformation" many of the statements that have been made by our Dallas friends regarding the Victory Tower/Mandarin Oriental project.

Following is a list of just a few of the statements that have been posted here by some of our Dallas friends about this project, which have now been decisively proven false:

-- The tower is under construction

-- piers were being installed in the tower portion of the site (saw it with his own eyes, he did)

-- Tower cranes were absolute proof that the tower was under construction because tower cranes would never be used for just a low-rise parking structure

-- The structure actually under construction (the parking garage) was primarily for various (unexplained) support functions for the tower

Axioms for the healthy use of HAIF:

1. Believe nothing at face value

2. Validate for yourself before repeating a statement as fact

3. This forum is for entertainment purposes only.

As for Dallas posters - I can't blame them for believing Hillwood's plan for the tower. Hillwood has a decent history of following through with their plans in the DFW area. There was a hole in the ground, piers were dug, there was construction and there were multiple cranes. Sure looked like more than a garage was under construction to me, not that I was one of the people making grandiose claims. I'm sorry that not everyone here is an engineer, real estate maven or architect, but to most novices, the tower appeared to be under construction.

The DMN story does not contain any confirmation from Hillwood or anything new to those who frequent DM.

And BTW, I don

...anything sexy like HP, Discovery Park, a new 46 story tower or a new soccer stadium, that is.

Just to make sure, you are a guy, right?

Perhaps you have never seen/read a joke.

I have, every time I visit downtown Houston.

(Drums please)

Now that's a joke.

What the hell is a Metyroplex? Your 28 right DB?

It's called a typo; perhaps you have never seen one.

Borrowed these pics from NThomas on skyscrapercity. Anyone know why the wall showing the mural of the MO was painted over? Just curious.

Because it has been canceled? Just guessing.

Speculation at DM is that the MO towers in Chicago and Atlanta are gone as well, but those who know for a fact aren't talking. My sister works for Hillwood and was surprised when I told her two weeks ago that the tower was history. But then, she always thought it strange that I knew more about Victory than she did.

Anyway, the land is available for another tower, should the market or Ross' credit allow it. The only thing I didn't like about the old tower is that it topped out at 199 meters. Maybe Ross can tack on 3 more feet to the new tower to make it a clean 200 meters. Or maybe they'll just build a Starbuck's on that lot.

Distort this however you want. But everyone knows there is only about 9 ugly new buildings going up in that overbuilt uptown district. Are there any buildings even over 30 floors? I think most are under 20. I see nothing in that photo that exactly sets the world on fire.

BTW, I think some of those cranes were just some mosquitos on the lens so they don't count. And if we are going to start counting all the cranes 'behind' the buildings then why not just make up a higher number and say that there are 40 cranes are just located 'behind' AAC.

This is all about fudging numbers to make it seem that Dallas is building more that it really is anyway isn't it. When all is wrapped up in the not too distant future, there won't be anything special about uptown Dallas except that it totally destroyed downtown Dallas. Hell, even most Dallas folk aren't all that impressed with it.

I counted the crane behind the building because 1) you can see it in the photo, but it is obscured, and 2) I already posted a photo of the crane in a previous post earlier today. You need to F O C U S.

Here's the crane in question from another angle:

How do I know YOU aren't a 12 year old drunk?

You don't. Are you quoting me on other boards? You shouldn't, I don't know anything.