capnmcbarnacle

I need some more scratchface brick for a renovation on my house. This stuff is really tough to find, so I thought I'd see if anyone knows where I can find some of this. Thanks.

I said this in an earlier post but it bears repeating. You have a HUGE windowless building on what is becoming a highly walkable pedestrian oriented thoroughfare. Move the storage buildings to the freeway where nobody cares what's on the side of the road because they're all going 80, I mean the speed limit. Say somewhere on 59 that's not too far from the neighborhood - I can think of a few already there. Then use the space for more sociable, street-oriented land uses. This being Houston the market will ultimately drive things, but one can hope.

Fair enough, but when that thing was remodeled years ago it was a smart way to recycle an old industrial building like that. When you just look at the layout of it, it's hard to imagine what you might do with it. It has a million nooks and crannies and weird angles, it has 3.5 stories, huge service bay doors... It was either make it a storage place or tear it down and strip mall the place. I'd love to see someone take it down and turn it into the kind of apartment building Gaudi would design. Who volunteers?

Personally, I'd like to see it converted back into a dairy so we can get some fresh half and half around here.

Ok that's what threw me. The Hazard apartments are in zip code 77019, which I assumed was further north - I didn't realize Westheimer was the border between 77098 and 77019.

The thread thanks you for shedding light on this. Looks like it's going to be fairly substantial. Next stop: Oak Farms Storage!!

I actually thought storage was pretty good use for the old dairy. I mean, you have this strangely shaped multistory dairy, and if you don't tear it down what can you do with it? Voila! Fill it with everyone's christmas decorations and old weight benches

Impressive credentials indeed!

Here

1902 Westheimer - Plants & Petals. Maybe that's what was there but I don't know of a shop there called that. It's just an ugly old grey abandoned building.

I think I can clear this up. The Martha Turner is going down, as was the old flower shop that was part of that block. They are also taking down the old house and apartments on Hazard (referenced on Swamplot). There are at least 3 structures going down for this thing.

what goes on in katy prairie? anything or just people passing by it on the road?

It's a massive stop for migratory waterfowlon the Central flyway. Of course, it is getting more and more developed and the birds are finding other places. Praries don't get the ooos and ahhhs of mountains and forests but, believe it or not, the Katy Prairie is (or was) a very signifcant ecosystem in the southern U.S.

That's auspicious. That building had a very nice feel to it, at least when it was a coffee shop.

I remember all that Diedrich's stuff when it was a gas station and rundown warehouses. I like to flash my old school neighborhood credentials by saying I got my oil changed there back in the day. Their link has some old photos under renovations. http://www.miradorgroup.com/

I think the architects did a good job with the buildings. The owners then drove out the coffee shop for manicures. Boooo.

Where are people getting this flower shop info?

There are variance request signs for the portion east of Dunlavy that claim a hearing is happening April 24th or 28th (I already forgot). But I have to think that if the developers are thinking this thing is dead, they wouldn't be moving forward for approval to scrape the other 300 units that are generating income.

Once upon a time someone from Regent came on here and said one of the reasons for the delay had to do with the fact they were going to be able to build faster than anticipated and pushed the date back for some reason. Is there any possiblity that they are waiting to clear out the whole property and do it all at once instead of in phases? I'm not a real estate person, just a guy that likes buildings. I'm curious as to your opinions about whether there is any benefit to proceeding this way.

no it's the same location. I guess things will become clearer as demo and construction progress - the posts above indicate there's more to this than a flower shop, so....we'll see.

It was coming down in big chunks today. We'll see what happens. I hope that it resembles what they were originally planning. The designers are the same guys that did Diedrich's across the street.

Cool! I'm going to eat there next time I'm in the park!

I am considering having my graduation dinner with my family at The Grove next month. The food doesn't sound too exciting from me, but the place looks nice (fancy enough but not too fancy), and I think it would be fun to walk around the park with my family after dinner rather than just driving home. Plus it's somewhere new and different. We can go there on the Metro Rail rather than driving, and maybe walk around downtown and have a drink afterwards or something. Anyways, has anybody been there and if so, would you recommend it for something like that? My dinner will be with like 5 or 6 other people.

I've been there twice and as far as I'm concerned the restaurant is not a destination restaurant yet. Good food, crap service. I think they have a lot of kinks to work out. BUT, if the park is really your destination and you want to eat at a pretty good restaurant (the bar uspstairs on the balcony is cool too) then go for it. Don't expect Cafe Annie and you won't be disappointed.

How many people were around in the morning? Unfortunately, I won't be able to go down there again for another 2 weeks or so, but once I'm done with this semester, I'm going to spend some more time at Disco Green.

Let's see. There was a girl reading by the lake, who I later saw heading to the Hilton. Two grandparents with a grandson sailing a boat in the lake. A couple of people who I pegged as tourists. And me. Oh, and about a dozen guys working on fountains, etc. It was a beautiful morning, and the view from the hill near the convention center is pretty sweet.

And to think, it's basically a glorified roof for an underground parking garage. The more I think about what used the be there, the prouder I am of the powers that be for getting this thing done.

That constitutes effort. Hermann Park is not a lunch-hour kind of place, especially considering its size and Houston's summer heat.

Disco Green is one block from 5 Houston Center and its tunnel entrance. The Lakehouse should build itself into a popular weekday food joint.

I played hookie for an hour this morning and really like the park. Of course there are things to nitpick, but I won't do that here. Anybody anywhere should be pleased to have a park like this dropped into their CBD. I will say that there is a lot of stuff packed into that space but I'll trust in the landscape architect's reasons for designing it the way they did. For a park that will primarily be used by people taking breaks from conventions, or getting fresh air from the hotel, or hanging out before a game, I think they nailed it. Compared to a park like Memorial, it is a totally different animal. This park is not about exercise, it's about going to a destination to partake in an activity (like bocce ball, the sport of tomorrow). The combination of gardens and lawn space is nice, and one day I'm going to sail a little boat in the pond even if I look like a creepy person doing it.

I think they did a great job.

Look here: http://www.houstonarchitecture.info/haif/i...?showtopic=5225

Apparently, they held out as long as they could.

Thanks for the info. Bummer. It was like culinary anthropology.

This building has been known as Black Angus, Condederate House and now State Grill. We lost The Stables and now Felix. I guess it's just a sign of progress, but it's still hard to see these Houston traditions vanish. Molina's on Buffalo is also closing, but I think they'll just be moving to another location. I think I read that HEB is building something there at Buffalo and Westpark.

What happened to Felix? It looked open to me awhile back.

Realistically, if the underlying value of the land is in excess of the present value of the stream of income from the existing structures, then value is actually added to the land by demolishing the structures and thereby making it less costly for the next developer to build. But the way the property tax system actually works, yes, you're probably right.

I think they obviously are off of their timetable a little bit, but they might not be getting hammered sitting on vacant land. I recall an early article about this development stating that the compnay has owned this place a long, long, time. If they own this land outright and aren't paying a note on it somewhere, they might not be losing money. They also have all the units that are stll east of Dunlavy and South of Dallas. So while they aren't generating as much money as they were, I doubt they are sitting there hemmorhaging money while waiting to get started. Just a thought.

Let's not look West Ave in the mouth. I don't think anyone can seriously say this type of development is a bad thing for the area when one considers the alternative (peering at a thin strip of shop signs across a sea of cars). Give the tenants a chance. This is a market driven economy, and Houston is not spoiled for choice when it comes to eateries. If you don't like a restaurant, don't go. If enough people (white, black, latino, whatever) don't like it, it will close down and something will take its place. Chuy's has stood the test of time, which in Houston is really saying something. unfortunately it doesn't own the land it sits on, so I guess its days are numbered.

And yes the fajitas are awesome.

I had a friend who had an unhealthy obsession with the Fajita Tower at Jalapeno's. He knew that, technically, he shouldn't have enjoyed a stack of crispy tortillas, fajita meat, melted velveeta and shredded lettuce, but he couldn't resist. He dragged me there all the time. As an aside, if you compared the four "Mexican-inspired" restaurants that have been on that intersection of late -- Chuy's, Taco Milagro, Jalapenos, and Armando's -- you'd find four pretty distinct places. Certainly a more diverse four Mexican restaurants than you'd find on an intersection in, say, Cincinatti.

And for the record, I am really, really, psyched about this development. Even though I kind of insulted it by comparing it to West End in Dallas. But if they put a Planet Hollywood and dueling piano bar in there, I'll be back with guns blazing.

Somehow I thought I'd be more excited. Chain "upscale" restaurants with a "gastropub", "gourmet pizza", surf & turf and a cigar-and-martini bar...I don't know, it does sound a bit tired.

Word.

I keep picturing West End in Dallas. It reminds me of the sarcastic thread somewhere on the board with the "mediterannean-inpired upscale steakhouse concept."

Chain restaurants are bad enough. Chain bars make me want to cry. Really, are these restaurants better than Jalepeno's was? Musicman, care to chime in with your thoughts on Jalepeno's fabled "Fajita Tower?"

kinda like chuy's

I don't want to turn this into a food thread, but how dare you.

On a related Chuy's/West Ave. topic, there have been numerous rumblings in the neighborhood (from the Avalon Place homeowner's asociation newsletter, no less) that Chuy's lease is not being renewed and that West Ave. expansion is looking toward the site where Chuy's and Rickshaw are located.

If you click the first link, they say 225-room five star hotel and "chef-driven restuarant". Are they hinting at something like a Emeril restaurant?

Chef-driven is developer speak for something that isn't a chain. They used to just call them restaurants. Now they have to tell you when it's not something owned by Tillman Fertitta.

Here is the article from the Houston Press:

http://www.houstonpress.com/2006-07-20/news/dark-water/full

The gator photo was taken in Memorial Park on the North bank of the bayou. It is at a point about due south of where the maintenance yard is. It is amazing how wild that section feels. If you think about the fact that ROCC is to the south and the park is to the north, it is about as isolated as you can get inside the loop.

Those new drawings don't seem to show the condo and office towers in the original drawings, but that's not too surprising given the ambitious nature of intial drawings. I was pleased to see they still have space of a boutique hotel. I think there is a definite niche for a small hotel serving the neighborhood. I'll be interested to see how this shakes out...

I got word from the developers that they are aiming for a construction start of late summer or fall.

I'll leave the pessimism to subsequent posters...

very possible. I was thinking that was a very big piece of land.

Edit modified thread title

That building is one of those bungalows on the south side of Alabama. I think it was an antique place for awhile. I don't know how you put an office building on a residential lot, but we'll see how they do it.

Neat tour. I've been interested in doing one of the canoe trips along the bayou for some time. Curious as to what it was like in terms of length of time and rental costs...

From 610&Woodway to downtown takes around 4 hours. The first half of that is Memorial Park on the left and River Oaks on the right. You'd never think you were in a city. It's great. I've rented canoes for around $50 a day. It's a good time.

Took these last year on the Bayou from 610 to Allen's Landing...

All the parking lots around the historic part of DT and the drive-in banks, what use to be their? Were they all old two-three story building that were torn down? What about all the lots around MMP? What about along Main towards Midtown?If so when did all these place get torn down and why? I really would appreciate some info about this. Thank you.....

It is sad what was torn down for that parking lot. It could have been awesome apartments. Someone one time told me that the old Rice hotel was almost torn down at one time. Look what that turned into, one of the best blocks DT!

Don't look too hard for some of the stuff that used to be there. It is depressing as hell. I remember when they tore down the Witch Hat house on Fannin and that was around 1997. But a lot of this stuff was torn down before WWII. Intersting that a lot of the grand houses had a shelf life of about 30 years even back then. The more things change...

Anyway, here are some houses that used to exist along Main St. in Midtown and near the Ballpark.

is that a brick facade? If so I like it.

There is a new chainlink fence up and it looks like the are starting prelimnary demo work on he house and old apartment complex along Hazard. I'm anxious to see how this goes.

ADMIN: Can you move this back to Montrose or maybe Going Up?