MidCenturyMoldy

4 hours ago, thatguysly said:

 Second, that area is so historical, Freedoms Town, that it is nearly untouchable.

I don't know, maybe it's just a typo or an autocorrection, but if not, it's Freedmen's Town.

I had a house on the 1200 block of Bomar for 13 years. That rendering looks more like Sugar Land.

Also, I can't help it...even though the original post was made more than 8 years ago...I have to say it...because I'm anal and uptight... "Inversion" was by Dan Havel and Dean Ruck. Not by the Art Guys.

2 hours ago, downtownian said:

Those are also Hotel Laura photos. They did not change any of the rooms or design. Really just changed the name from Alessandra to Laura

That may be so, but the photos still have "HA" on the pillows and "Hotel Alessandra" in the photograph on the TV.

1 hour ago, nate4l1f3 said:

The Laura Hotel, Autograph Collection by Marriott. The valet says they’ve been open for two weeks- not sure how we missed this one. 

Its website still has Hotel Alessandra photos. https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/houkd-the-laura-hotel-autograph-collection/

On 10/11/2021 at 10:21 AM, freundb said:

There are two reddit posts from this bridge, and the amount of hate this building is getting is remarkable. 

From at least one view its being there is an incredible improvement. (Because I really dislike Three Allen Center.)

Am I remembering correctly? Wasn't Charles Renfro the architect who was originally chosen to design the Rice opera house?

On 4/10/2021 at 10:55 PM, Skyboxdweller said:

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. 

When the elevations were first accidentally published, Skyboxdweller pointed out the similarity to the Shah's Palace in Isfahan. 

This reminds me a bit of the Glassell atrium as well as the Kinder to some extant. 

👆You are too quick!

7 minutes ago, Texasota said:

It was fine. Maybe tone down the pessimism for a little while.

I actually like the building. It has a nice mid-century vibe. Is that optimistic enough for you? 

Yikes! Star Spangled Banner butchering.

Leaked images.

Can already see it. It's the design that was leaked a few months ago.

Yep. The original announcement says preview (of the preview) coverage would begin 30 minutes prior. 

 Who's preparing themselves for disappointment???

Anyway, my "command + shift + 3" fingers are ready!

2 hours ago, sapo2367 said:

The crane has arrived 

I know I'm hopelessly behind on many things... but... how long has the St Joseph Professional Building had the new facade?

3 hours ago, H-Town Man said:

This picture made my day. I have not generally liked this building so far, as I fear the march of glass and concrete into the Historic District. But at ground level, this is pivotal for downtown Houston. We have not, since before World War II, seen a Class A office building that devoted such attention to the ground level, sidewalk experience. Texas Commerce Tower had ground floor retail as a nod to Main Street, but it was in the parking garage building. BG Group Place turned a cold shoulder to Main. 609 Main has ground floor retail but it's sort of an afterthought architecturally; the emphasis is increasing but it's not really there yet. But this building (1) sharply differentiates the first two floors from the rest of the building, (2) puts the retail on the best street frontage, Texas Avenue, (3) makes the office entrance secondary to the retail - a total revolution for downtown, and (4) adds a canopy as a significant architectural component, in the tradition of the Rice Hotel, acknowledging the climate and the needs of pedestrians, i.e., people who are not necessarily tenants of the building (!). I mean, you literally have to go back to the days of the Gulf Building, 1929, to see this kind of recognition of the street and the public domain in a Houston office building. Obviously the Houston Center reno gives similar attention, but that's a renovation. This is the most premium product from the most premium developer in Houston. A century has gone by and the circle is complete; an era has finally ended, a new one has begun.

 

In late August of 2019 I decided to go check out Understory for lunch. I was walking along the building on the Rusk Street side wondering what-the-eff is wrong with this city that no one builds arcades or some sort of shade devices to protect pedestrians from the killer sun. This building is a welcome change. But is it the beginning of a trend? I personally just can't muster that much optimism. 

15 hours ago, db650 said:

The London House location, like the Paramount, is off a busy street. But in my option the LH has a better location than the Paramount.

I can't decide which location I would like more. Paramount would have been a block away from Central Market and pretty close to Costco and also near Highland Village and River Oaks District (Central Market being most important). And though I don't like that stretch of San Felipe much, and am especially not overly smitten with Shepherd Drive, being closer to Downtown and near(ish) to Buffalo Bayou might afford some great views from the northeast side corner of the building. Plus that neighborhood behind it would be great for dog walking.

3 hours ago, dbigtex56 said:

I'm unfamiliar with the Red Bag girl.
Is she a popular meme or stock photo?

She's everywhere! 😆

https://littleredridingbag.tumblr.com

https://www.nonarchitecture.eu/2020/01/16/girl-red-bag/

https://architizer.com/blog/practice/tools/the-art-of-rendering-7-mistakes/

2 hours ago, Luminare said:

Thats actually really good work on the shadow. As someone who uses photoshop everyday, I can certainly appreciate it.

Thank you. I just created a duplicate layer of her. Completely darkened the underlying layer using Levels. Skewed that layer into something approximating a shadow cast in the same direction as that of fence post. Decreased the opacity. Nudged the shadow around a bit to better align with her feet. Flattened the image and resized. Easy-peasy.

The direction's a bit off and I could have blurred it a bit but I was in a hurry. Plus her feet still look like they're floating.

Maybe the owners of the townhouses can sell to some nice mole people. 🙄

Yeah, I know what you meant. Except it's the morning sun that will be blocked by this. Afternoon sun is already blocked. And that morning sun will be blocked 365 days a year, not just in August. And let's not forget that the first 40 feet or so up from the street is (what seems to be) unadorned parking garage. 

ETA: If I lived in those apartments across the street, I'd be thinking of moving when the lease is up. Especially when construction starts. If I owned one of those townhouses, I'd be depressed.