102IAHexpress

Only 15 posts and already going to animated gifs instead of answering a simple question. 

4 hours ago, IronTiger said:

 

I find it laughable that you think that KBR is an impossibility but the Astrodome isn't.

I find it laughable that not one supporter of the KBR site idea is able to list at least one freebie that the private investors at Midway are willing to offer to Amazon. No one has because Midway is a private company with private investors who have no desire to be on the opposite end of the corporate welfare game. And you can't blame them. Unfortunately, that doesn't fit with Amazon's plan of wanting as much for free as possible. If Midway want's to maximize their profits on this potential deal, as they should, then the kbr site is an impossibility. 

I'm not saying I love the astrodome idea, I'm just saying Amazon could get the astrodome for practically nothing. 

I can't recall a post I've ever made about which I feel as confident as this one:

The KBR site will not become Amazon's headquarters.  Will. Not. Happen.

Don't get me wrong, that site is a great blank canvas. I hope Amazon picks that location, it would be great for that part of town. However I just don't see it happening. The fact that a wealthy private company abandoned it and other private companies have not had interest in the land is telling. Also, what freebies can the Midway developers offer Amazon? Amazon is playing hardball and will want as much freebies as possible. That's why I believe government owned land, whether it's in Houston, Denver, Boston, etc. will be most likely as a future HQ2 site.

2 hours ago, Houston19514 said:

 

LOL  105 million doesn't go as far as you seem to think it does. 

How many millions in free incentives can the private developers of 800 bell and/or the old KBR site offer? lol. That's the main problem, a private developer can't justify to his partners playing the corporate welfare game. 

43 minutes ago, HOUTEX said:

No, because it at least has habitable floor plates and windows. 

 

What are you going to do with a 700-foot wide building? Have corridor upon corridor upon corridor of cubicles without windows, or facing into a vacant expanse under a roof? 

No.  But, If you have 105 million of free money the sky is the limit. The astrodome is 42 million cubic feet of indoor space.  So, I would just build structures inside the dome: kind of like this

Then, surround the indoor astrodome campus with parks, trails, rock walls, or whatever else millennials deem desirable. Outside the dome you have more free space with the astrodome parking lots which could also be given away for free. 

9 minutes ago, HOUTEX said:

Not to be disrespectful here, but the Astrodome site is a non-starter unless you're talking about razing the structure. It's totally inappropriate for an office building...

Amazon's first corporate headquarters was in an old government hospital (Pacific Tower) in Seattle. Is an old hospital totally inappropriate for an office building? I'm sure some thought so back then, but Amazon made it work. 

44 minutes ago, IronTiger said:

 

Putting HQ2 in the Astrodome is probably on par with locating it in College Station-Bryan, that is, a nice thought that you imagine is fantastic and can make a few arguments for before reality hits and you realize how impractical the location is, with that only happening of very powerful people moved heaven and earth to make that happen.

The astrodome is the best option from a free incentive point of view for Amazon in Houston. I would prefer downtown, but what free incentives could anyone, private or public, offer to Amazon in downtown Houston that Amazon can't get from another city? The astrodome already has 105 million approved for renovations. That's a great incentive for the corporate welfare sweepstakes of the century. 

11 hours ago, H-Town Man said:

 

Shield your eyes, folks! A natural body of water! It doesn't even have a decorative fountain feature!

 

Buffalo bayou is ugly. However, that's not the issue. Chicago is also pitching Amazon HQ2 on its own ugly river:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ori/ct-biz-freedom-center-ryan-ori-20170929-story.html

The problem for the old KBR site, is that it too undeveloped when compared to other potential river sites in the US. 

The astrodome idea is looking more and more like the best option. 

On ‎9‎/‎17‎/‎2017 at 5:33 PM, HoustonBoy said:

Is this true? It's the first I hear of it and seems very sudden.

Yup.

Well, when the route was announced back in 2014, it was kind of sudden then too. Only fitting that it ends suddenly. Kudos to Korean Air for having the Houston route as long as they did. Right after they announced the route, United announced double daily service to Tokyo. Then Eva Air and ANA entered the Houston market. Also, without an alliance hub in Houston, Korean Air could only rely on local traffic, which is not that much between Houston and Korea. 

 @ToryGattis do you think Houston has the best public transportation system of the southern cities putting in bids? Obviously, Houston was wise to limit their light rail spending and improve their bus system. Dallas' DART seems to be huge disaster now, and Atlanta's is not much better. How much is Houston's commuter and local bus service an asset to Houston's bid?

2 hours ago, ToryGattis said:

I do believe Houston still needs to cultivate a local startup scene, especially in our natural strengths like energy, biomedical, and enterprise IT. But Amazon is a completely different beast. It would be amazing to get Amazon, just like it would be amazing to win the lottery, but given the competition and probabilities, I just don't want to see Houston waste too much time and resources when there are much higher priorities for the city, especially right now.

Well, this a first. I've never disagreed with your posts on here or on your blog but I must disagree. Typically winning the lottery requires astronomical luck. Here Houston winning the Amazon lottery is at worst 1/50 or at best 1/10 or perhaps even better depending on what factors to include or exclude in a candidate city. Those are amazing odds in Houston's favor. Furthermore, Houston actually has a strong case relative to the competition. 

The 'Dallas' bid is one of many, including Fort Worth, Irving, Plano, etc. They lack a unified bid. 

Atlanta along with DFW are lacking a sea-port which Amazon currently has as part of their Seattle operation.

Austin pumps out a lot of tech graduates but their airport is lacking and cost of living is relatively high for a sunbelt state.

Denver along with Austin have local city councils that are similar to the one Amazon is currently feeling from in Seattle. 

Houston has everything Seattle has yet lacks Seattle's flaws. We have a sea-port, young educated work force, central core, we also have more space for new construction, lower cost of living, larger airports, a rational mayor and city council. I really don't see how the competition, even conceding Houston's flaws, is obviously better than Houston's bid. I've seen cities waste money on Olympic and Super Bowl bids, this bid is different however. 

Yesterday was the 9/11 anniversary. One thing I remember after those attacks was that Mayor Giuliani repeatedly in his words and actions made the point that New York City was open for business. Like NYC, Houston can do multiple things at the same time. Houston can clean up after Harvey and make a strong bid for Amazon at the same time. 

6 minutes ago, ToryGattis said:

I'm as big a fan of Houston as they come, but honestly, don't see this as realistic or a good fit. 

I don't understand your good fit comment. Last month you made the case for an innovation tech district in downtown. If I remember correctly you said it was critical for Houston's future. 

2 hours ago, Houston19514 said:

 

Yes.   Amazon. 

That's true,  Amazon Tower I and II are both 37 stories. I guess that is tall for Seattle. The rest of their dozen or so buildings are not that tall though. 

1 hour ago, Ross said:

Not really suitable for offices, and it's too valuable as a convention space, especially with taxpayer subsidized hotels that were built to support the GRB.

You might be right regarding it just being too valuable to give up. However I'm not convinced Amazon wants a bland office building like Shell Plaza or 800 Bell. Are there any big tech companies occupying tall buildings right now in the US? Seems like they prefer wide open spaces not tall and narrow. I think their typical worker would prefer space for ping pong tables. 

Hopefully Shell Plaza and 800 Bell is not the best Houston can offer. 

I'm just thinking outside the box, but what about GRB as a location? 

Could the city lease the space to Amazon? Would the city want to? What would the city lose? I guess conventions, but they could temporarily be relocated to Reliant, and if deal is profitable then the city could just build a newer better convention hall in the future. 

My two cents:

Houston is a strong contender. It's the most similar city to Seattle that can also offer lower business costs. Both are sea-port cities, Both are aerospace cities, Both have an urban core, heck, they both get a lot of rain.

Possible cons:

Tech talent available in Houston. We don't have as much compared to Austin or Boston for example. But we can argue it in our favor too.

Yes Austin or Boston may have more tech talent, but that also means they are easily poachable by Dell in Austin or GE in Boston. This is a problem Amazon currently faces in Seattle with Microsoft.

Also, Amazon as just a tech company is not true anymore. They are really a conglomerate and want to get into pretty much everything. One rumor is that Amazon wants to massively increase their healthcare business. Houston would be a great location for that.

Another Con is Houston's national Image:

Houston has an image problem. The recent floods complicate the marketing challenge. But again, we can argue it the other way too. Yes, there were bad floods but look how we all came together to assist one another. 

Should the city finance a proposal and incentive package?

Absolutely. This could be a once in a generation opportunity for Houston. An opportunity to diversify and grow an new market in Houston for our future is very rare. 

Which part of Houston is best for HQ2? I would think Downtown. Our downtown is a great commuter bus hub to bring in workers everyday. There's plenty of available office space and space to build new construction. You could also make a case for Midtown, but access to public to transportation is not that good in midtown, same goes foe EaDo.

What do ya'll think?  

On ‎8‎/‎25‎/‎2017 at 7:36 AM, cspwal said:

When the Brightline railroad opens in Florida, both the Miami station and the Orlando station won't have Amtrak connections.  Orlando and Miami both currently have Amtrak service, but the new Brightline stations will be in different spots

Understood. Yeah, Miami has a central station called Miami Airport Station with Amtrak service and Florida Tri-Rail service. Also, Orlando's Orlando Station has Amtrak service and Florida SunRail service. The new Brightline service would stop at separate stations.

So my question is for anyone who may know the answer, if this NW Mall station gets built as planned, would Houston be the only city in the US with more than one inter city line, yet not have at least one station where you could connect to a separate inter-city line? 

It seems like this would be like having two separate airports in the same city, however each airport having only one airline that flies only one route. 

If the proposed Houston station gets built as planned, would this be the only inter city train hub in the US without an Amtrak connection? 

9 hours ago, tigereye said:

I'm in favor of a Northwest Mall terminus as long as it also connects to MetroRail, Uptown BRT and a Park & Ride Transit Center (maybe relocate NW Transit Center here). And since this site is connected to 2 major freeways (and Katy nearby), maybe this could become our regional intermodal transit station with Amtrak & Greyhound services integrated.

 

Amtrak is a smart play. If the developers are smart they should partner with Amtrak and have them be co-tenants of the station. Maybe even help with overall capital costs of the station. The sunset limited runs right through NW mall so it could be a major improvement over the "station" that Amtrak has on Washington street. Once you have Amtrak on board, then it will start to feel more like a hub.

It's sad that we have to be reminded to stick to discussing architecture and quit ridiculing people we do not know. To say nothing of the fact that the people being ridiculed are nuns! Imagine if we took out the word nuns and inserted Muslims. This thread would have been shut down along time ago.

This was a complete failure of leadership by the moderators of this forum. shame. 

On ‎10‎/‎13‎/‎2016 at 0:27 PM, bobruss said:

 This was a major f-up!

On ‎11‎/‎16‎/‎2016 at 7:29 PM, UtterlyUrban said:

 The nuns should be embarrassed

On ‎11‎/‎16‎/‎2016 at 10:24 PM, Dustin said:

I think it's a crying shame. They could have saved and renovated it if they wanted to. They just didn't want to and didn't have the nerve to be honest about it.

On ‎12‎/‎14‎/‎2016 at 3:11 PM, bobruss said:

I hope the nuns have to say a thousand hell mary's for destroying the Nicholas Clayton for this piece of crap.

Get the ruler. They need to pay penance for this.

On ‎12‎/‎15‎/‎2016 at 7:20 PM, Texasota said:

Maybe they should pay taxes if they don't want public input on what they do.

On ‎12‎/‎31‎/‎2016 at 10:52 AM, Texasota said:

In an earlier post, you said they were in the "business of saving souls," but no, they're really not. 

On ‎12‎/‎31‎/‎2016 at 6:33 PM, Avossos said:

 God knows if they are even around in 30 years. 

On ‎2‎/‎10‎/‎2017 at 5:37 PM, UtterlyUrban said:

"IWA"

 

Intentionally Wrecked Architecture"?

The above comments don't sound like critiques on the building. They are obviously attacks on the sisters of IWA.

haters going to hate indeed. 

1 hour ago, Darb64 said:

Lighten up Francis.

@Texasota is an adult. If he is man enough to dish it out and pick on some nuns on an internet forum, then he is man enough to take it too. 

I congratulate the sisters on their decision to expand. It would have been a lot easier to sell their land and develop somewhere else. They decided to continue their historical presence at that site. Thank you.

7 hours ago, Texasota said:

As has been noted before, this is an architecture forum. The entire point of this website is to examine, criticize, and celebrate architecture.

 

Then I would suggest you stick to that. If you were attending an architectural conference in New York or Chicago and someone asked you to critique and examine  this building and your educated response was to call it a turd, they would think you are a crazy person and not worthy of serious architectural discussion. Same goes to the guy who committed sacrilege by Photoshoping that obscenity on the side of the building. 

54 minutes ago, gmac said:

Pretty cool looking school.

I love it. The academy is in the business of saving souls and this new addition will help further that mission. Also from an urban city perspective, more space means more students can enroll. More enrolled students means a larger urban downtown population.

It's funny to read the loonies on here demand more urban this and more urban that (although not putting up any of their own money). Then when a school tries to expand its footprint and become a larger urban neighbor in order to accommodate the needs of the community (on its own dime), those same posters complain.