Subdude

Deleted a sidebar conversation.  As long as posts are on-topic and don't violate HAIF rules, we've never told members not to post unless they have new information, and we're not planning to start.  Likewise, there's no policy about excessive gifs, but recognize that some people find them annoying so I wouldn't overdo it with them.  

10 minutes ago, Purdueenginerd said:

Thats interesting. Is it common for MLB teams to be in the development industry for mixed use, etc?

Yes, I think pro teams increasingly try to bundle mixed-use projects in with new stadium developments.  It's another source of revenue for them.

24 minutes ago, Luminare said:

 

The project can't move forward until all tenants of whatever buildings are on the property vacated. Thats all the connection that is needed. Its also where the first rumors of this project began. Would be good to include it into the thread for the record. We do this for pretty much every other thread with smaller properties that then get replat into one big property. Keeping in line with precedent done in the rest of the forum, can we please merge them?

Consider it done.

On 7/20/2019 at 6:05 AM, CrockpotandGravel said:

Thanks @skooljunkie. I thought I remembered reading about this a while ago on the forum. I couldn't find it, so I appreciate this.



Mods @Urbannizer  @Triton can you please merge that thread with this one since it's about the redevelopment of the lot that's to become Montrose Collective?

https://www.houstonarchitecture.com/haif/topic/42919-montrose-hpd-storefront-closing/

 

 

Other than the same physical location, I'm not sure I see the connection.  The earlier thread was about the HPD storefront closing; this is about a new development properly in "Going Up".  

13 hours ago, X.R. said:

Didn't see this posted, it has a bit more information that the HChron article:

 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/cynthialescalleet/2019/06/27/from-mail-to-mixed-use-in-downtown-houston/#7f92b5605da7

 

I didn't realize that because they utilized the tax credits or what not, they can't do the residential stuff: 

 

A residential component is not part of the mix, he said, because it is a landmark historic building and the project incorporates state and federal tax credits: “We were restricted from making large façade modifications which would have made it impossible to place residential units in the existing building.”

 

At Preservation Houston, an advocacy organization, Executive Director David Bush said this property and project have been on the organization’s radar. “It would have been very easy to lose the post office," he said in an email. "These buildings are an age when they’re typically threatened. There are a lot of them, they don’t look modern anymore and they aren’t what most people think of as historic.

“So we’ve got two challenges: Helping people understand that buildings from this era are architecturally and historically significant. And getting owners and investors to look at historic preservation as a viable alternative to Houston’s typical scrape and rebuild history of development.”

 

I'm all for historic preservation, but the old post office hardly strikes me as architecturally or historically significant.  

18 minutes ago, H-Town Man said:

I wonder when and if trails can be built along the HCFC easement linking Buffalo Bayou Park at Shepherd with Memorial Park. It can surely physically be done, it's just the NIMBY issue that must be overcome.

 

That would make sense.  Unfortunately there are some pretty wealthy NIMBY's in the neighborhood.  

3 hours ago, Subdude said:

Nice picture.  I'm guessing about 1963-64.  The Tenneco Building (1963) looks complete, but 806 Main (JW Marriott) doesn't appear to have received its facade slipcover yet.  

I wrote this before I noticed the caption.  Doh!

56 minutes ago, CrockpotandGravel said:

Mods please consider changing the title of this thread to Bank of America Tower | 800 Capitol St

For ease of reference, I think it makes sense to keep it as Capitol Tower, at least for the time being.  My guess is that most people still think of Bank of America Tower as the structure at 700 Louisiana, and in fact googling the term mainly brings up references to the older building.  The new structure is still probably thought of as Capitol Tower by most people.  

Nice picture.  I'm guessing about 1963-64.  The Tenneco Building (1963) looks complete, but 806 Main (JW Marriott) doesn't appear to have received its facade slipcover yet.  

9 minutes ago, invisibletrees said:

 

What was the building in the background?

Hermann Hospital. 

The high-rises behind the 1020 Holcombe building look extremely theoretical.  

Nice pictures!  Can anyone identify the street with the accident in front of Jack-in-the-Box?

I really don't see this building becoming light/airy/modern.  It still looks very 1970s, especially with the bronze-shaded windows.  

The article is in the Marq*e topic as well, so all may be happy.  

It's fine in this thread, since anyone wanting to know the fate of Spaghetti Warehouse would look here.  

I loved these.  It sounds crazy to say I looked forward to the new phone books every year, but I did.  

The Grand Parkway Segment B is routed along the Alvin bypass.  Presumably the Alvin Freeway, if it were ever to be built, would just merge and dead-end into Grand Parkway immediately north of the town.  If these roads are built that will become a high-growth section of the metro area. 

I hope they retain the balconies on the south side of the building.  

My guess is that Leon's Lounge etc remain in place, and the build-out just covers the current parking lot behind these structures.  The block on the far right in the diagram is slightly smaller than the two on the left, while the actual Dennis-Main-McGowan block is wider than the blocks immediately south, so there is room.

Note dupe topics merged.

16 hours ago, Visitor said:

I think these need to be merged...

 

 

Done.

No, but I've always wondered about that place.  It has that mid-century turquoise thing going.

I hope they replace the cladding on the side.  The old granite/marble had been falling off.

14 hours ago, MarathonMan said:

They’re putting up a rough-hewn white brick on the face of the ground level parking podium.  It’s kind of hard to tell from the picture, but it looks light years from anything urban that you’d expect in Midtown.  More like Texas Hill Country or Tuscan countryside.  I hope it turns out better than I’m imagining.

I'm holding out hope.  The look they are shooting for seems similar to Union Station / Minute Maid Park. 

On 3/8/2019 at 1:32 PM, Naviguessor said:

It looks a little more “Dodge” than “Volvo” to me.

Agreed.  The black cladding on the rocker panels has the dual effect of making the body seem less tall, while also appearing to sit higher off the ground.  I don't hate it exactly, but it does come off as a bit awkward.