Nate99

I was surprised yesterday looking down San Jacinto from McKinney to see the structure already over the roadway. Looks to have had much more attention paid than with Houston Center and The Park Shops.

Most likely because they are working on the pond there.

I'm sure that you are right, it did look recessed, although from above, my depth perception wasn't the best, and I'm not entirely familiar with the layout. It's good to see it come together though, since they started, it has just been a giant mud pit bordered by skanky parking lots.

Now we'll have a nice park bordered by skanky parking lots. Oh well, one block at a time, I suppose....

I looked out a window from my office at 5 Houston Center today, and it looked like they planted several acres of sod over the main greenspace recently, although the part of the park closest to the ballpark (north?) is still very torn up.

I always figured those buildings were some kind giant switching station. There is another one on Weslayan between Richmond and Alabama IIRC. There is no parking structures to support the kind of office space that something of that size could hold, and without windows, I assumed them to be, as some one pointed out, just full of wires.

Seems to me that these might be obsolete in a few years with IP telephony and mobile not needing such massive dedicated infrastructure. That can't be cheap to maintain...

I don't think the tunnel system is going to be expanding for the park, is it?

It would have to go in to 5 Houston Center, which has no underground tunnel access (only skywalks). They would either have to go directly under McKinney street, or cut under the lot where Discovery Tower is to be built and/or the One Park Place construction. Unless those buildings are going to have tunnel provisions, I'd guess that it would not extend that far.

So what ever happened to the plans to renovate the Texaco building? It's way too cool of a building to sit there abandoned. Had anybody heard any updates on it?

In searching around, it sounded like there was no news after the Ritz-Carlton plan fell through (correct me if I am wrong).

There was a link that had photos by a guy that broke in to the building, and the inside looked to be in rough shape. Add that to the surrounding area that has the ambiance of Fallujah after dark, and I'd be surprised if anyone is chomping at the bit to refurbish, especially for a luxury hotel property. Who knows, maybe the junk that is around there now might start coming around once MainPlace gets up and running and it could be a viable property again.

if my bearings are correct, that was the old Texaco building annex

That would have to be it, the block with the hole borders San Jacinto as well (street sign in the foreground).

I searched around a bit and found out that the deep hole in the ground on Fannin & Capitol used to be a parking garage, (I think) but why was it demolished, and are there any plans to build anything on the site? Based on the weathered plywood on the barriers, it has been in it's present state for a while.

I tried to search around for it, but couldn't find anything more specific.

I just walked around the block of the site, and they have crews crawling all over the brown building that fronts Main, with some others in the Montague. They have built scaffolding the entire height of the Stowers building in between it and the other one that is going to be demolished.

I guess they must be going level by level on these taller structures taking them out from the top down. It would be fun to watch the Montague go down, any ideas on the timing of the implosion? The area definitely has the smell of recently opened crawlspaces that have not seen the light of day since the 1800

Just a random update, I walk across the surface lot that takes up the space that DT is supposed to be built on (the block surrounded by Walker, LaBranch, McKinney and Crawford, IIRC) on a regular basis, and I noticed at least two perfectly circular holes about five or six inches in diameter near the corner of LaBranch and McKinney with markings spray painted on the pavement around them.

I'm guessing these have something to do with soil samples that the builders might be taking. They probably showed up in late August/early September, if memory serves.

Those who know more about the process can chime in as to what these might mean.

You mean the complex of black office buildings next to the 'Park' or whatever it's called?

The two black towers that are joined by a four or five story crosswalk over San Jacinto are 1 Houston Center and 2 Houston Center, I can never remember which is which.

Part of the land that the Hilton Americas sits on (the NE corner of Jackson and Polk) was the Redwood Chemical Company that my step-father once owned (sold long before the city acquired the land for the Hilton), it had been on that site for a long time, possibly pre-war.

Has anyone heard any news coverage or updates as of late? Good Lord (no pun intended) what in the bleep is taking them so long to complete?

Sistene Chapel didn't take this long. Kidding

Just getting a bit impatient.

and the angels sing...

I caught the news in the recent diocese newsletter, it will be open in April 2008.

http://www.diocese-gal-hou.org/newsevents....thedralSchedule

The dedication/consecration activities will begin with First Vespers, on the evening of Tuesday, April 1, 2008. Second Vespers will take place Wednesday, April 2, the evening after the Mass of Dedication/Consecration.

While these first three events will be by invitation only, the general public will be invited to get its first look at the completed worship space that week beginning with guided tours, which will begin April 2 in the afternoon.

Daily Mass, which is open to the public, will begin to be celebrated the following day, Thursday, April 3, 2008 at 7 a.m.