dbigtex56

"cautin", or you'll get cautin that hole.

3 minutes ago, zaphod said:

What I don't like is the light rail livery. Bring back the all silver trains

I don't like when the trains' windows are wrapped, making it impossible to see whether that car is more or less crowded than the other. I like knowing what I'm walking into. 
Can't agree with you about the silver trains. They were a disaster, virtually disappearing against the concrete and asphalt of city streets, especially at dusk.
I've heard fewer reports of vehicle/train collisions and pedestrians since METRO began wrapping them in bright colors. People have a hard enough time grasping the idea that trains run on tracks and can't stop or swerve on a dime. The "urban camouflage" silver/gray color only served to make it worse.

On 3/8/2022 at 4:36 PM, gene said:

i go to brown bag deli often...so boo for that reason only ;) 

 

Perhaps I ordered the wrong thing or was in a snit that day, but the only time I ate there, it seemed like the bread was waaaay too sweet. 
It was like having ham and cheese on a slice of cake.

4 hours ago, j_cuevas713 said:

No not so much just that. I feel like their typeface and main color scheme is just plain ugly. It feels like a transit agency and not in a good way. Some aesthetic updates I feel would help tie everything together better and help promote ridership for the agency. 

I agree that METRO could use a fresher look, and that rebranding might draw in a few new riders. 
The problem is that repainting (or rewrapping) its existing fleet would be expensive. Add in the cost of repainting or replacing every METRO bus stop sign, redesigning its website and printed materials, even updating the operators uniforms would make it very costly. New TV ads would need to be shot.
A snappy new image won't do a thing towards addressing the shortcomings that make people reluctant to ride METRO. A gift-wrapped turd is still a turd. 
I think a new image is a good idea, but until such a time that funding makes it feasible, the emphasis should be on reliability and ease of use. 

On 3/6/2022 at 10:38 AM, clutchcity94 said:

Bets on how long this land will sit vacant before they start building on it?

This is Houston. Could be three weeks, could be three decades.

On 3/8/2022 at 2:03 PM, hindesky said:

817 Richmond is now gone. Loading out the debris.

 

Although the facade was only an addition to the house behind it, I always liked its Moderne/Streamline style. 
Is there a term for that type of C-shaped cove overhanging roof edged with aluminum or stainless steel?
Many buildings built in the 30's and 40's in Houston had that feature.

On 3/2/2022 at 8:05 AM, trymahjong said:

Two houses ( 704-706 I think) were demolished last week.

Death by a thousand cuts. Montrose is disappearing before our eyes. 

On 3/6/2022 at 8:17 AM, Avossos said:

Hope they salvaged as much material as possible, including the door!

Doubtful. When I saw it, the backhoe was completing demolition on the back of the building, and the front didn't look like anything had been removed.
Seems unlikely that they would stop halfway through demolition to do any salvaging. 

On 3/4/2022 at 7:36 PM, hindesky said:

It's usually the elevator core.

I'm surprised that there's not at least one more under construction. That would be a heck of a walk for someone living at the opposite end of the building.

As of this morning, 819 Richmond is gone, departed, razed, taken down, history. 

R.I.P., former home of Wilde 'n Stein books.

On 3/1/2022 at 3:53 PM, hindesky said:

Any idea as to why just that one portion of scaffolding is so much higher than everything else?
I'm wondering if it might be for a stairwell or elevator shaft.

On 2/23/2022 at 1:54 PM, hindesky said:

Buck Mason is opening a location here.

Yesterday workmen were removing the stone facade from the former Hue Salon. They're wasting no time.

14 hours ago, j_cuevas713 said:

From what I understand Houston First does plan to open up that side once the freeway cap is done. 

My post was based on the observations of a friend who helps with the logistics of setting up and dismantling the equipment for conventions. According to her, the area under the I-69 overpass is necessary for the trucks to have access to the building. Personally, I know nothing about it, but it sounded logical. 
I'll be interested to see what solution Houston First comes up with.

@hindesky @Ross
Thanks for the image and link to the map. 
Can this be integrated into HAIF so that users can access it without hunting for the link and having to go off-site for this information?
What I have in mind is ease of use. If it's not possible because of copyright issues, I understand

10 minutes ago, j_cuevas713 said:

 

I think what I would like to see done with the building is have the other side become as pedestrian friendly and open as the front facing Avenida De Las Americas. But convention centers take space, that's just what it is. Plus the focal length for that image makes it look so much worse than it actually is. 

Conventions sometimes require moving various equipment, display units, etc. into and out of the GRB.
Space for large trucks and loading docks have to be incorporated into its design, and it would be difficult to make it pedestrian friendly as well. 

For those of us who are unfamiliar with the block numbering system in downtown Houston, an easily accessed detailed map on the HAIF website showing the number assigned to any block would be helpful. 
Historic Houston maps are of interest to many people as well.

19 minutes ago, Luminare said:

Oh the days when we all thought this was never going to get built. So much drama. So much speculation. We have certainly come a long way haven't we.

What's the next building we are all irrationally impatient about that has not started yet?

Phase II of Drewery Place.

I look at this building and think, "I do not understand. What are you trying to tell me?"

An aside: Midtown Redevelopment Authority repeatedly refers to this property as Baldwin Park. 
My understanding is that it's officially known as Elizabeth Baldwin Park, and that it should be referred to as such, both to recognize the original honoree and so that people won't expect to find it on Baldwin Street.

1 hour ago, gene said:

Wait what about Chess King and Merry Go Round though!!!???!!!

 

Their clothes are now being sold in the retro resale shops on Lower Westheimer (in case you have an urge for a polyester disco shirt and double-knit flares).

On 8/3/2021 at 8:55 PM, hindesky said:

I remember a helicopter installing a window washing system 4 yrs ago,

The original system had a rail upon which a carriage could move across the facade, suspending a platform on which the window washers stood. 
Sometime in the mid-80's two window washers were on the upper floors of the north facade when a gust of wind caught the platform and propelled it to the end of the rail on the west side of the building. The blocks at the end of the rail which should have stopped the platform failed, and the platform flew off and plummeted to the street below. 
Tragically, the window washers and a pedestrian were killed. The woman standing next to the pedestrian lost a toe. It was a pleasant sunny day, just about lunchtime, and it's a miracle that there weren't more victims. 

I'm so used to Taco Bells that look like 1970's cartoons that this sedate architecture seems out of character. 
It's pleasant but could just as easily be a dentist's office.

3 hours ago, H-Town Man said:

if we have better, more natural drainages leading into the bayou, much of the sediments that wash into it will be filtered out, and the water will be consequently less murky.

A few years ago ordinances were passed requiring developers to confine run-off from construction sites, which reduced the amount of silt going into the bayou. 
To me, Buffalo Bayou looks a little less murky than it used to. 
I've read historical accounts of what the bayou looked like in Houston's early days and at one time the water was fairly clear. Much of the silt came from natural erosion of its banks, which was minimal due to dense plant growth.

19 hours ago, mkultra25 said:

 

But neither one of them could hold a candle to the BBQ place it used to be in the mid-1980s, the name of which escapes me now.

Ditto.
I remember the BBQ, which was delicious, and the outdoor seating area, but cannot remember its name.  Was sorry to see it go.

On 12/1/2021 at 3:19 PM, nate4l1f3 said:

Does this look cheaply built? I can’t imagine spending 1.1 mil on this. Am I in the minority or is this nice?

Yeah, it looks like someone slapped a bunch of marble on a plain Jane building hoping to create the illusion of 'luxury'.
But would you just look at that view!? (on second thought ... maybe not)