Nate99

How much higher will it be than the ES?

In any case, seems ideal from a DG perspective, and the foot traffic in the park is still really good. Whatever goes in the lobby here has a very high visibility location, and the garage should do booming after hours business. 

3 hours ago, Montrose1100 said:

This thing is really filling in some gaps from afar. I attribute the rebirth of NoDo (JK), Northern Downtown to the Bayou and street improvements. Also, look what Discovery Green has spurred. Southern Downtown is patiently awaiting the Pierce Elevated to be torn down and will be the next focus area of development. Hopefully.

 

While the base is a slap in the face, the tower portion is a gentle peck. 

I'm not picky, but driving down the street, the base seems unremarkable either way. Once the construction barriers are removed and the street level is finished out, I think it could be a decent looking place to walk around. 

The "International Tower" block/garage is now an ugly outlier in the neighborhood. Five years ago it would have been an upgrade. 

I'm sure they thought of it, but it kind of looks like an airfoil shape. Weird twisting loads in a heavy wind would be fun to engineer around. 

4 minutes ago, jmitch94 said:

 

You have to remember that developers have zero sentimental attachment to anything. People don't seem to understand or just don't want to come to the realization that developers literally only care about making as much money as possible and nothing else. 

 

This is why our city needs more protections for historic buildings because soon we will have none left. 

 

 

They just measure belovedness by how much someone is willing to pay for it.  Maybe that particular red box is a head fake to get some alternate financing for the other three from a "save the RO Theatre" campaign, but jeez, to be a theater owner now, you're probably desperately trying to volunteer to be a vaccine distribution center. Not the best time for these guys to see value in keeping it around. 

I think a small cinema like this one would be a great addition to a walkable retail area with dense residential, a pretty nice amenity on it's own. The old structure/style of this one would add to the charm, and I don't typically care for that kind f stuff. 

Any other rumblings here? Along with the Hess garage block residential, this project would round out Discovery Green's adjacent blocks, I think. . 

3 hours ago, CREguy13 said:

That site is still planned for a 1m SF office tower developed by TC and Linbeck.  They are trying to secure lead tenants, which is certainly a challenge in the current climate, but I believe the designs have all been completed.

Yes, that one would be awesome too, even more so because demand would have justified it.  As it is, I was thinking about alternative possibilities. 

The new parking garage there across the street is really going to be stinking up the joint when these two towers are finished.  Hopefully someone will see some value there and do something cool. I don't think the immediate area is hurting for office space, unfortunately, but put another residential tower right there and you could justify a nice grocery store on the ground floor. 

Occasionally I still miss the $3 Supreme Sandwich combo meal that rivaled a middle school cafeteria lunch, that half of the building (right side) had been empty for years.   The awning/overhang had been used a camping spot for homeless people for a while now, but that's hardly an exclusive thing for DT that would warrant tearing it down altogether.  It makes me think that perhaps they might have intentions to use it.   

Put in a temporary platform floor and a tent and call it outdoor dining flex space for the time being. 

On 10/21/2020 at 9:27 AM, HouTXRanger said:

Although I'll never be able to afford it, damn is that a slick looking tower. I wonder if it'll be one of the city's "Historic" landmarks by 2100 . . .

Either that or they'll spend six months chipping all of these pilings out. 

Elevator winches?

I wish them luck, to be sure, but echo the same concerns.  Having to walk through a de facto homeless shelter into or out of your home during certain hours is going to be a tough sell. 

41 minutes ago, Triton said:

 

Keep out the coronavirus.

Now people are going to steal it. 

What’s the blue fencing stuff for?

3 minutes ago, CasualObserver said:

 

Here's my plan.  City puts a sign out front that says anyone who sprays graffiti on the building has to take a brick or chunk of concrete home with them or they go to jail.  It will be gone by summer.

My idea was to give it to CrossFit and have them do some kind of workout that involves manual demolition and running up and down stairs with buckets of debris. 

14 hours ago, Urban Monster said:

Sure was! Maybe the sketchiest block downtown at the time, and that’s saying A LOT for that time. Although, I’m still a little sad they tore down the West building across the street. BG Place has very little appeal at ground level. Very disappointing. 

Ideally it would have been neat to repurpose the West building, but I don't remember that much about it honestly, apart from wanting to get the heck away from it whenever I went by, but that's not its fault directly.  The Montagu would have needed a redo as well. On net, can't complain. 

9 minutes ago, Urban Monster said:

So happy to see this! I believe that space has actually been vacant since the garage opened in 2006? 

prior to the JW opening and BG Place being built, that block was skanky as all get out. Massive turnaround right there. 

Status of McKinney Street: jacked.