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marc

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Everything posted by marc

  1. marc
    Does anyone know how tall the highrise next to it will be? AND, is the original render the final one of it? m.
  2. marc
    Thanks. I am glad it is the new stuff. It means that project is moving right along. m.
  3. marc
    ^^^ The pillars are from the old building being demolished, right? Not new stuff for towers? m.
  4. marc
    Which i find kind of weird because everytime i have flown into Hobby (rarely, but it happened when i used to take SW, but now because Continental has such awedome deals, i fly into BUSH airport these days) we would always fly over the area between DT and UT or would circle AROUND DT; never over it. Very curious. I honestly cannot see why adding a few more feet (100-500ft) to 1000ft. would make much of a difference. BUT, i admit i know almost zilch about FAA rules and such. m.
  5. marc
    Thanks for the photos. Great job and awesome angles. I also like how you highlighted some historical buildings DT. i am in LA these days, and from other photos of DT, i thought they were demolishing everything over 30 years old to make way for all the new developments. Also, i liked the pix. from I-10. My sister lives out that way, but when i was in Houston briefly for New Years i always seemed to approach Copperfield by way of 290 and didn't get to see all the Energy Corridor cranes! Keep em coming! m.
  6. marc
    Very true, and the credit market seems to be going sour all over the place. i hadn't thought of that. m.
  7. marc
    Thanks for all of the replies. NO, i don't even drink coffee, BUT that is how those type of "picture" books are catagorized. I Googled, "picture books houston" and got several children's books........not what i am looking for at all. I KNOW i can check out B&N and Borders and have done so, and have come up with NADA. SO, i appeal to the masses for their experiences and knowledge. I have a book hightlight American cities which is pretty cool, BUT i must admit, i am perplexed with the lack of books highlighting American cities. I run into the same thing- NY, Chi-town, LA, Seattle, Atlanta and San Fran. It seems not too many others are high-lighted currently. I wish something like TimeLife would run a series of those type of pix. books maybe highlighting a different American city (to begin with) a month. I would definately buy them! If you all hear anything, please, keep me posted. Thanks again for all of the input. m.
  8. marc
    HELP. I am looking for coffee table books which highlight Houston (or all of TX). I currently own TEXAS, A STATE OF MIND, but that was published in 1986. It has wonderful panoramas of major TX cities and countryside, but i am looking for anything current. Also, are there any novels you all can think of OR have read which highlight Houston as the major setting for the plot. There is one book i read A LONG time ago in which it was in the distant future (maybe about 500 yrs.) and Houston was the main setting for it. In fact, i remember the cover- it was like looking from DT Houston towards UT, only futurized! (not even a real word, but you know what i mean). Any help or hints you have is greatly appreciated. Thanks, m.
  9. marc
    i bet that will change if the clientele is low. OR they are trying to keep a certain element out. With HP close by, maybe, just maybe there will be a couple of places there that are affordable. m.
  10. marc
    Absolutely, Ricco- This park is mainly intended for the urbanites who will fill DT in the next decade or so. It is also for those who work DT to lunch and lounge. Yes, there are going to be events for other Houstonians to enjoy, but mainly, it seems to be a place for those who make DT and the immediate surrounding area their home. Please, correct me if i am off the track here. m.
  11. marc
    Like everything else in human reality, the trend pendulum swings from side to side as time progresses. Periods of conservativism follow periods of liberalism and then it swings back to conservatism, etc. This has been a truism since culture began. So follows architecture in the US. When scrapers first appeared, it seemed that form and function were trying to reach a happy co-existence. Once the first decade of scrapers were well under way, then, it seems, the trend setting began. There was a period where form seemed more important than function, i.e. the Gothic look heavily influenced urban architecture, which then morphed into a Neo Classical/ Art Deco trend. Then the trend started celebrating function over form, indicating that a more stream-lined and minimalistic style served the purposes of corporate America. Around the early 80's once again, form started becoming more noticably ornate and flamboyant- i.e. the return of stone with glass facades. Due to the techno. boom since the turn of the millenium, (not just materials, but computer graphic design) it seems that scrapers are, once again, focusing on form over function. It is just a matter of era and trends. Houston just happened to get a great deal of skyscrapers when the trend focused on block, sleek, solid and not too much flamboyance. I think this is most evident in the differences between DT, UT and MT. Look at all three skylines. DT being the oldest , UT, second, and MT with the newest additions. Make sense? m.
  12. marc
    Thanks V-58. m. Enjoyed my stay in Houston over the holidays.
  13. marc
    Ok, Is the glass cylinder going to be included? I didn't seem to see it from my angle. m. uhhhh, nevermind. Just saw a construction photo of it.
  14. marc
    Some of what i am about to say may have already been said, but after the first page, i got tired of reading the bantering. SO, here it goes. I think, perhaps, there are a couple of MAIN reasons why Houston doesn't have the type of archetecture you like. (or doesn't have A LOT of it). First off, relatively, H-town is a young town compared to the East Coast metropolises. Or is that metropoli?? Anyway, places like NY, Chi-town, Boston and Philli had tons of people, limited land space and the need for skyscrapers in an era where brick, stone and marble was predominately used as facades. Keep in mind, when skyscapers first started making their mark on US cities (1890s-1920s) architects used historical trends (Gothic, Romanesque, Greek) and added height to them. Consequently, we get lots of marble, stone and brick cladded scrapers. Houston's ascendence as a top 5 contending city did not really occur until after the 50's, and thus the past trend had moved on to a more sleeker, boxier look thanks to then-visionaries like Frank L. Wright. Now, let's move to present day. With the push for "greener" high rises that can be virtually self sustaining, photo-voltaic glass, aluminum, and the like are becoming more and more popular. With that, there seems to be a current trend of office skyscrapers which have a more transparent feel to them (connotating a more honest and open to public view maybe?) whereas more resdidential towers adopt the type of cladding you like. I know this doesn't always account for everything you have pointed out, but maybe this helps you understand the "why" of Houston's DT look. m.
  15. marc
    Like most of you, i think the crown looks off kilter and doesn't really fit with the overall statement of the building. I was in Houston for the New Year's festivities and drove by many construction sites; Hermann-Memorial being one of them. I am impressed with its size considering the location (yet, another business center cropping up somewhere NOT downtown...cool) BUT, IMO, the building is too squatty (is that a word?) and big for such a small crown. I am not sure why the crown did not cover the entire top or at least look proportionate to it. Anyone know the method behind this madness? Also, i am glad they are building the highrise next to it. Maybe, JUST MAYBE, it will all mesh together once everything around it is built. i am keeping my fingers crossed. Still, it is SO GOOD to be home (even for a mere week) ,and i was jazzed seeing all the construction in H-Town. I really miss her. Cheers. m.
  16. marc
    Thanks for the updates! I am in Houston for the holidays, so i think that on my trek to Austin i will stop by B/CS for a night. AND i did forget about the Santa's Wonderland that we used to drive through. By the by, RENOVATING the Bush Library??????????? Wasn't it built just a few years ago? Did they add something to it? Here in LA, they expanded the Reagan Library to fit Air Force One and Marine One Helicopter. It is awesome! What is B/CS current population? AND with Houston spreading like wildfire, are there commuters who either live or work in Houston and commute to B/CS? m.
  17. marc
    i like it. It is different (or so it seems) than many of the other cookie cutter buildings in the area. I HOPE it isn't anywhere near the color of beige, brown or tannish yellow. (like the others) m.
  18. marc
    That's so odd: I mean the time it is taking to complete this. What is the story? By the by, i haven't been in the B/CS area since 1999. What has been happening since then? Good things for the area or stagnation? I seems TX cities have been fairing well over the past few years. Have these twin cities benefitted as well? Pix. anyone? My mother was an accountant for the Purchasing and Stores Dept. of TX A&M for twenty years before she passed away.....hence, i haven't returned to the area in ages. thanks, m.
  19. marc
    i agree. Without something to vitalize that part of town, more well loved buildings could perhaps, fall into disrepair, so this project will probably save more beloved historic spots. m.
  20. marc
    True about those with money could affort it, BUT still, 2 ML seems pretty steep for an unfinished condo. in Houston....albeit nice. Not to dog my hometown, but H-town is no NY, Chi-Town or LA. Nor is it London or Paris. Those rates are par for the course there. BUT, in Houston. Hmmm. I would guess some pricing modification will occur when the units do not fill up so quickly.
  21. marc
    I certainly want to see Main Place go up, so don't get me wrong. I was wondering though, how are some of these buildings allowed to be demolished? I would think the Houston Historical Society would be screaming bloody murder. Has this already been addressed? How does something like this get passed if historical buildings are to be demolished? m.
  22. marc
    That's hilarious! You guys crack me up! m.
  23. marc
    My, my aren't we the superstitious bunch!? I wouldn't think people in the "know" would be SO worried about a little 4 letter word.I suppose our skyline has to be littered with cranes and traffic at a virtual stand still because of all the massive construction before you will concede the obvious. Interesting tactic. m. Hey hey hey. Enough of that language. I have said that particular word in conjunction with this town in my past posts and obviously the architecture gods haven't caused a crane to fall on me yet. Chill out. Enough projects in the works for Houston should keep us all happy for some time now. Have faith! m.
  24. marc
    Is everyone still afraid to say...............boom? m.
  25. marc
    ^^^^ Noted. Personally, i rather like a more urban feel. But as you have pointed out, that may mean different things to different people. I have lived in NoHo Cali. for a few years and the entire area has experienced a rebirth. By urban, i mean outdoor cafes, more small, quaint theatres, a dance studio or two, acting studios, open air markets, a community library and park in the middle of all of it and mass transit out the wazoo. (Red line and Orange line converge in NoHo). Do i miss the homeless people camping in the park? Peeing in the alleyways? The graffiti on the walls? Not so much. NoHo has even hired a team of security people who travel around on bikes in the 5 mile radius to make sure the "degenerates" move along and do not squat anywhere in the area. Because of this transformation which took place really in the past two years, i do see the "grit" rubbed out. So, i do understand where you are coming from. And i must admit, i am still deciding where i stand about the polishing of NoHo. Some things i do miss. Urbanity, to me is supposed to include the more gritty side of life, so if that is whitewashed and polished, then is it really urban? Hmmmm. m.
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