Subdude

The Houston Press sums it up well. New $243 Million Astrodome Renovation Plan a Hodgepodge of Recycled Ideas By Jeff Balke Tue., Mar. 24 2015 at 9:00 AM When the Urban Land Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based organization, released its reporton Monday detailing what it recommended for preserving the Astrodome, it sounded an awful lot like what had been previously proposed. The suggestions included a large indoor park, meeting space for the massive annual Offshore Technology Conference, an area for Rodeo events, a history museum, a pre-game activity center for Texans games and even additional parking buried beneath the structure. The only former suggestions not represented were an indoor amusement park, a luxury hotel and a giant fake ski slope. In all, the proposed renovations were rather underwhelming considering the iconic nature of the building. I am someone who has written about preserving the old gal for future generations and I respect the findings of the ULI, but I have to wonder just who they surveyed and how much influence the plans already on the table had on their findings. The problem is the ideas weren't all that creative or bold, and they came from disparate parties without any central -- never mind determined -- leadership. And there are legitimate questions that spring to mind when reading the 40-page report: Who are these 75 mystery tastemakers the Urban Land Institute surveyed? How were they chosen? What is their stake in this process? http://blogs.houstonpress.com/news/2015/03/new_243_million_astrodome_renovation_plan_a_hodgepodge_of_recycled_ideas.php

The proposal is all fine and dandy, but if the earlier rehab (the one with the mini-dome) was voted down then how would this succeed? Reading it I get the feeling they're still groping for ideas (hydroponics?), which of course has been the problem all along.

Memorial Hospital Doctor's Building:

The floor plan names are definitely cringe-worthy. Pacino? Hoo-Wah!

Here you go:

That's quite the grab bag of allegations: traffic, noise, privacy, cooking odors, building shadow... After the 1717 Bissonnet Ashby highrise ruling this is what we can expect when structures are proposed near wealthy neighbors. I'm not saying it's necessarily a bad thing, since without zoning there are no other means to protest land uses.

So cool to see both this and the Melrose Building becoming hotels. Goes to show you there are actually opportunities in rehab (I'm looking at you, Skanska).

I agree. It really gripes me that one of the most beautiful old buildings in the center of downtown was torn down to make way for a freakin' parking garage. I realize the project is "postponed", but some of those postponements can last for decades (Bank of the Southwest Tower, Lamar Hotel block, etc).

This was Houston's first modern skyscraper and I'm thrilled to see it get a reno. What would be fantastic would be if they removed the 1970s brown spandrels underneath the windows and restore the original turquoise panels. In the photo above, on the sixth level right, you can see a turquoise panel where the brown one fell off. And please god, keep the horizontal "fins".

I'd like to meet the guy that said, "You know, the existing design is too cool looking. Can't you make it look more like a generic spec office building on the Beltway? Something more generic?"

Also note that current Main Street is not evident beyond Main Street Loop, indicating that Main had not yet been extended south of Holcombe. Even now there is a little piece of street between Main and the corner of Fannin and Holcombe named Old Main Street. To me it makes sense that an airfield would have been that far outside of town. Back then airfields were often just that - fields.

In the 1953 Historic Aerials the runway doesn't appear paved. I was puzzling over it, but the street shooting off toward the right background must have been Old Main Street Loop Road.

Glad to hear this. Years ago I posted a topic about a relief sculpture called "The Mad Driver" that was once incorporated into the Petroleum Building garage but seems to have vanished. It would be nice if that sort of detail could be restored.

So if the tower portion is on hold for the moment, will there be any tunnel connection north to Chase Tower?

Thank you for this. Oil crashed even more after it peaked in 2008, and eventually bounced back. It's a commodity business and a degree of volatility is to be expected. The world seems awfully quick to assume that the reduction in prices will somehow be permanent.

It's funny, but one thing that I've always liked about the tunnels was that they are so random. It just shows how the system developed organically over decades (kind of like IAH). Whatever charm they have would have been lost if they had been developed according to a master plan with a consistent design. It's like Houston's equivalent of a quirky village buried underground. I'm not sure if it has been updated, but my favorite part was always the "hamster tube" sections south of Houston Center with the carpeted walls. It was like something out of 1970s science fiction.

Try not to feed the trolls, especially when it's so obviously trolling.

All I could find was here: http://www.houstonarchitecture.com/haif/topic/26747-winterland-ice-skating-rink/ http://www.houstonarchitecture.com/haif/topic/2860-skating-rink/page-3

On the contrary I've always liked the idea of a concentrated downtown Parking District. It would be nice to have all future parking garages built around here with a shuttle bus to take people elsewhere around downtown.

Don't remember it, but I think you're thinking of Winterland Skating Rink that was on Norfolk close to Kirby. We have a topic about it I believe.

BMW might well make money on the X6, as they might make money selling drugs or contract killing, but it still doesn't make it right. Unfortunately Audi is planning something much the same, so that poseurs might have yet more choices. Btw, while BMW gets the credit (blame) for these things, the true originator was the 2005 Ssangyong Actyon and arguably, the Pontiac Aztek. Strange fruit indeed.

The answer to a question nobody asked. I mean seriously, does Mercedes really need this?

I like the little leather-stitched throw pillows for the passenger seats. What next?

With the Camden Conte project going up on the cater-corner block, and Marlow a block away, I figured the Peacock's days were numbered. Shame. At one point this was a very common model for downtown apartments.

The plaza was just redone a few years ago. Did they just totally muff it that time?