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dbigtex56

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Everything posted by dbigtex56

  1. dbigtex56
    Happy 7th Anniversary, Caroline Street Project! So far as I know, most blocks still do not have contiguous sidewalks, the new streetlights aren't functional, the water gardens and landscaping aren't complete, but what the hell...trees have been planted. Woo-hoo!
  2. dbigtex56
    But surely if the outlet is 100' below sea level that would have some bearing on matters, wouldn't it?
  3. dbigtex56
    COH also was indifferent to supposed "community input" on whether the Spur 527 should be rebuilt after it was taken out of commission. My recollection is that there wasn't much time or publicity given for opportunities to respond. Even so, some well thought-out alternatives were presented, and promptly ignored by the COH. And we're stuck with that concrete dinosaur for another 50 or so years. These alterations to a workable plan seem unnecessary, unless their desire is to add insult to injury. My question; who's behind this indifference to the desires of the people most affected by these changes? Is it all of City Council, or just Mayor Turner?
  4. dbigtex56
    Although it was is very rough shape, the house had the original windows (both double-hung and decorative), the appropriate siding, and that small bay window. They're the elements that gave the house appeal. As they say, you have only one shot at original. The redeeming quality is that it's scaled to the neighborhood. I don't know what the restrictions would be if had been razed and something else built in its place, but at least one building on Fairview (The Ripcord) has been extensively rebuilt to remain grandfathered in to maintain its footprint.
  5. dbigtex56
    I had firsthand experience with the November 16, 1993 tornado. At the time I lived in a garden apartment building in Westmoreland (Montrose area) and was still in bed when it hit that morning. That was an odd, selective tornado. At least four 1950's apartment buildings suffered serious damage, yet the historic homes were almost entirely unscathed. In one building, a rooftop air conditioning unit was torn loose and neatly dropped onto the hood of a beautifully preserved 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado, totaling it. One of my neighbor's apartment seemed untouched, except the roof had disappeared and his piano exploded. Another neighbor worked nights and usually would have been in bed. He had a bout of insomnia and had just lain down on his living room couch to watch TV when the roof collapsed. The back and arms of the couch spared him; his bed was completely flattened.
  6. dbigtex56
    Soma was also the drug of choice in Huxley's "Brave New World". When the stresses of everyday life became too much, people would take a Soma vacation.
  7. dbigtex56
    While you claim to "feel for" people whose houses will be demolished, bear in mind that at least they will be compensated for their loss. Why the dismissive attitude towards renters? Are they not worthy of your attention? The reality is that many renters live for years, even decades, at the same location. Often, landlords don't raise the rent on long-term tenants. They form bonds with their neighbors. The fact that they rent does not mean that this is not their home. The increase in rents in Houston is accelerating, and it's increasingly difficult for low income people to find affordable housing. Further, the costs of physically packing and moving possessions, paying new security deposits, and transferring utilities can easily wipe out or exceed a renter's savings. Likewise, lower end hotels and motels exist because there's a market for them - but it's unlikely that someone is going to construct a new building to cater to people with a modest budget. The small business owners who may have spent years building up a clientele will find themselves starting again from zero. I believe that the people I mention deserve to be treated with dignity and not ignored, dismissed, or otherwise devalued. To toss them aside is the opposite of "for the greater good". It smacks of elitism.
  8. dbigtex56
    I have mixed feelings about this. Ideally, this designation should have been in effect at least 20 or 30 years ago, when places such as Avant Garden were being harassed for having acoustic music acts. COH's Rip Van Winkle approach will be met with resistance from people who have little interest and no memory of when live music actually existed in Montrose. There's a schism between those who would like Montrose to become River Oaks East, and those who would like it to retain some semblance of its days as a lively bohemian neighborhood. My current home is near a nightclub, and it does get loud sometimes. However, I knew the nightclub was there when I moved in. Asking them to close down because a neighbor chose to live close by seems unreasonable, so resign myself to a few hours of noise a week.
  9. dbigtex56
    Of course it is. It's tailor made.
  10. dbigtex56
    I thought the observation that the lack of access to the Ion from the Wheeler Street Transit Center is a missed opportunity was spot-on. "Transit adjacent", indeed! Why are public transit riders forced to walk around the building to gain entrance? I'm hazarding a guess - the architects either didn't think to factor that into their plans, or just plain don't care.
  11. dbigtex56
    Post from Sept 17 2021 (Highrise Tower): 2-Story medical office building going up at the corner of Bomar and Montrose. Looks like it will replace the the Hollywood Food & Cigar spot. Address is 1103 Bomar St.
  12. dbigtex56
    Although I haven't walked on the improved portion of Bagby St, this corner of downtown has always seemed vaguely hostile - a sort of no-man's land comprised of parking lots and uninviting buildings. It's pedestrian unfriendly due to aggressive traffic, disorienting street patterns, and a lack of trees and landscaping. A person can't help but feel exposed and vulnerable. For many of us, crossing a bayou on a narrow sidewalk with low railings (and just inches from speeding cars) is an activity to be avoided whenever possible. From all reports, this is a fabulous facility, and although it's only a short distance from other downtown attractions, I wish it wasn't located in one of those "you can't get there from here" areas. Perhaps someday improvements will be made to allow for more balanced priorities between automotive, bicycle, and pedestrian traffic. I should live so long.
  13. dbigtex56
    I had a friend who lived in Soulard, and we'd tour Forest Park, Tower Grove, the Central West End and marvel at the grandeur of the houses and enclaves. The decayed areas were heartbreakingly beautiful.
  14. dbigtex56
    Heated, no doubt, by burning bushes (a renewable resource).
  15. dbigtex56
    sevfive and I toured the Montagu and spoke with the young men who were trying to reopen it as a sort of hostel, featuring low priced rooms geared to musicians and such (similar to the Allen Parkway Inn). IIRC, they were the nephews of the owner of Charlie's diner on Westheimer in Montrose. The Montequ/Cotton Hotel was at the corner of Fannin and Rusk, which would be the northeast corner of the building that took its place.
  16. dbigtex56
    I agree. At least with Whole Foods the quality might justify the additional expense, but Randall's manages to combine mediocre products and selection with significantly higher prices than, say, Kroger. Midtown has lost businesses that added to its livability (a dry cleaner, Art On Main art supply store), Sears, the fire clearance store) but offhand, I can't think of anything that doesn't involve prepared food or beverages that has taken their place.
  17. dbigtex56
    It's because Houstonians are like children who plead for new toys, then immediately lose interest once they have them. New is sexy. Maintenance is boring.
  18. dbigtex56
    Perhaps METRO lost interest once the rail opponents stopped their kamikaze collisions with the trains.
  19. dbigtex56
    What sort of landscaping is planned? A jewel such as this deserves a great setting.
  20. dbigtex56
    Rufus Wainwright, or the Chaka Khan Rufus?
  21. dbigtex56
    This has seeped back into my consciousness. The rhythm reminds me of Pet Shop Boys "Rent" speeded up, and the chorus (especially the way he sings 'forever') puts me in mind of Bowie.
  22. dbigtex56
    When I started a new job in 1982, the physician who gave me my physical had an office in the Medical Arts building. If's possible that he never had an office anywhere else, as his diploma from medical school was dated 1933. I remember thinking what a glamorous building it must have been in its day, and observed that the exterior probably hadn't been cleaned since it built. Although shabby, it retained much of its original ornamentation and many of its light fixtures. Given enough money and a sympathetic treatment, it would have made a memorable hotel. Unfortunately, there wasn't much interest in historic buildings in those days, nor in developing anything east of Main Street.
  23. dbigtex56
    I have a sudden urge to brush my teeth.
  24. dbigtex56
    Update: There was a fire in the former SEARCH building last night. Lots of smoke, no visible damage, but today the windows are all open, presumably to air the place out. It still has a "BUILDING FOR SALE" sign posted on the Bremond St side (and lots of graffiti).
  25. dbigtex56
    And though the holes were rather small They had to count them all.
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