VelvetJ

Very very exciting. However, I wonder exactly who the clientele will be? Houstonians have a tendency to do things out of convenience. After the initial couriosity visits, we tend to only shop in our backyards. Will this store's product consistently draw those from outside of downtown, or does it need those from outside of Downtown? Personally, I will shop there because I want downtown to succeed, but since teens and hipsters in Clear Lake and Sugarland and Katy and the Woodlands, can't hop onto a train in their communities and conveniently get downtown, will it mostly be downtown employess shopping during lunch?

Yes, unfortunately there is already a CVS drug store south of the building, so the chances of the second tower being built to the back of the first, are very slim. Facing the building from the Southwest Freeway, the second building will be to the left of the current one. And if I'm not mistaken the groundbreaking shouldn't be too far off. I know there is a billboard on the westloop advertising it. It really breaks the heart to know the scar on the Uptown Skyline is about to become even deeper by adding a twin to the current eyesore. But like Trophy Property stated, what can we do about it now? If nothing was done after Channel 11 did a news report based soley on the "ugliness" of this building, it's not going to happen with a few of us here thinking it's ugly.

You bet your bottom dollar it's obvious it was for a buck. We know every developer wants to make a profit. I think that goes without saying. But despite what anyone here says, it is my opinion that in many cases, developers that enter Houston have a slightly different mindset because they know that Houston is a city with a "anything goes" type of environment when it comes to development. Which is why I wonder if this monstrosity could have been designed and built in the heart of the Buckhead area of Atlanta? Or if a highrise with a blank wall facing such a highly visible area would have even been CONSIDERED for Buckhead, or even Uptown Dallas for that matter. How anyone could defend or make excuses for the appearance of this eyesore, despite individual personal taste, is beyond me. The architect of that building knows how ugly it is but doesn't care, and IMO it is partly due to the fact that he KNOWS he doesn't HAVE to care........not in Houston at least.

kjb434, no one is questioning whether a developer has a RIGHT to do something, I think that is pretty obvious in Houston. The question is SHOULD a developer do something? CAN the owner of the lot where the proposed Shamrock Tower change his mind and decide to build a used car lot there on Main Street in the middle of downtown because he could possible make money.......yes, he can. But SHOULD he build a used car lot there to make money.....IMO, no he shouldn't. But the problem in Houston is there are too many that would say it would be fine for that location to be a used car sales lot, just as long as the owner can make money. That is a problem. There can be drawbacks to a city having a developer free-for-all environment, and there are tons of examples of those drawbacks in our fair city.

Or how about a much smaller version of a entertainment center like Dave and Busters with a couple of pool tables, some video games, a snack area, etc. A Dave and Busters or a Jillians in a downtown? I suppose turning it into a movie house with 2 or 3 screens that only show old or classic movies is out, due to the close proximity of the Angelica. To be quite honest, I have no idea how large the place is in terms of open space, or if it even has a second floor. Either way, I hope the space is used wisely.

I heard the mosque was considering moving because parking was a issue. I'm not sure, but not meaning to offend anyone, I have always thought that was a terrible location for a mosque, and if it's true it is moving to another location, I'm pleased. This may sound a little corny but I think a mixed use restaurant in the lines of something by Monica Pope would be nice there. When I say mixed use, I mean during the weekdays it is a restaurant and on Friday and Saturday nights, it is converted to a nice club. The restaurant could close on Fridays and Saturdays at 10pm and open as a club from 11-2. The bar would already be there and they could just remove the dinner tables and place a couple of cool pieces of furniture in the corners and people could dance in the middle. The hour it is closed could be used to transform the place. If any of you guys remember, there was a restaurant in the Montrose on California street called Sanoma. It was a restaurant until Midnight, where it became a gay dance club. The first time I went there, my friend didn't tell me, and we are sitting at the table finishing our drinks when the waiters all came out and began removing the tables. They said we could stay until we were done, and before you knew it, the sounds of Madonna filled the room and Drag queens were coming up the stairs. Just an idea.

Just so you know, people are reading these articles you are posting, so continue.

According to the site, the average ceilings will be 9 feet 8 inches, so I'm thinking these buildings will definitely hit the 500 ft mark when everything is considered.

Passed there today and there is a big metal sign up with the letters GLO carved into it. It looks pretty nice. From the looks of it, it's not looking like a Karoke bar but that's just my opinion. I tell you guys what would be cool. There are these new places popping up in other cities (I know I'm comparing cities again ) that are like Karoke bars but instead of singing along to your favorite song, there is a bar sized movie screen up on stage and people get up there and act out their favorite movie scenes along with the movie. From Rocky, A Street Car Named Desire, and Grease, to Star Wars, Purple Rain, Urban Cowboy, and your favorite Betty Davis flick. People get up there and basically make fools of themselves. But it's fun. I may be out of the loop and late, but I haven't heard of any of those bars in Houston yet. It would be cool if this new "Glo" place turned out to be one of those, but somehow I doubt it.

Ironically enough, 59 inside of the loop from the edge of the Greenway Plaza area through the Montrose will look somewhat similar to what was done on the Central Expressway in Dallas. Once the construction is done, the ivy and vegitation has matured more, and all of the bridges with the fibre optics are finished, it is going to be just as attractive, if not more so.

It's nice but I still would have preferred something other than a "box".

I have to say that the building is growing on me. I didn't like the design initially but it's turning out to look better than I expected. I also agree that Houston seem to have lost it's cutting edge spirit in a lot of things including building design. This is suppose to be Space City. Personally, I would have loved to have had Minute Maid Field, this new Criminal Justice Building, a lot of the new condo towers going up, some of the new projects in the Medical Center etc., with a more "forward" cutting edge look. It appears Atlanta has taken the "future" cutting edge title Houston used to have. Houston, shouldn't forget what it is.

Well, although I think he may be in the hunt for the Astros, a theme park would be great for Houston and it would be nice if he were indeed going that route. Six Flags has taken advantage of Houston for a long time now by not investing in the park because they know they don't have to, and the end result has been AstroWorld "going down the tubes" and is a national disgrace in the theme park community. Personally I would love to see a Universal Park, like Islands of Adventure in Florida. That park is perfect for what I think would work in Houston. It is a mix of a kiddie/family park with thrill rides. There are a lot of "traditional" styled families in Houston and there are a lot of young people. A park like that would cater to both. When I worked at AstroWorld, one of the common complaints was the kiddie area was not large enough and most of the rides in the park were too big for kids. On the flip side, due to space issues, AstroWorld/Houston has never had what is called in the Amusement Park community as a "Big Ride". We marvel at Texas Cyclone and Serial Thriller, but compared to many other parks those rides are "small change". Islands of Adventure is a fine mixture of both, that is so incredibly themed, it literally looks like it is not of this earth. Universal Texas could have a Texas Themed section, a Space/Future section(Houston), a large Kiddie/Family land, a area themed after a character or movie like at their other parks with rides like those that are found at Universal Studios, and possibly a Safari Section since Tillman is into exotic animals now . The themeing alone would be a draw. With regard to location, I think out 288 would be perfect. Someone mentioned a possible theme park idea next to the Race Park they are building down there, but I haven't heard much else. That location would be great in so many ways. It would be in relatively close proximity to NASA, Galveston's Beach, the Cruise Ships, Moody Gardens, Schlitterbahn, Gulf Grehhound Park, and even Kemah. It would also be not too far from Reliant Stadium, Hobby Airport, and Downtown. Not to mention a possible rail connection to all of these places in the future (I can dream can't I?) It would be ideal IMO. Tillman building a park would be great if no other reason than to teach Six Flags a lesson for taking advantage of this city. Who knows, maybe Six Flags will finally sell the park to the Rodeo like they have requested in the past and end it's days in Houston to make room for another park.

I was downtown at 12:30am Sunday morning (although it was chilly, the whole area was "jumping" with activity. Partiers on every street) and The Jefe was closed. If it is closed for good, I hope this is a opportunity for a more established reputable business.

^ Oh my bad, I took your statement as 59 was worse in appearance and more depressing than other freeways in Houston. I actually love that our freeways are lined with office buildings and businesses, etc., it's just I think it could be done a whole lot better in some places (I-45 is a big pet-peeve of mine). Houston sprawls, and is what it is, and I actually have always had issue with the reasoning of those that believe that any place that is spread out is not a city. So when you are traveling up 59 and don't feel you are in a city, that is a opinion that I think many in Houston would disagree with. Oh well, to each his own.

No please, go ahead.....I'm a big boy.

If I may ask UrbanLandscape, did you get off of 59 and actually go into the Town Square to see what it was like? Also, if you find 59 depressing, what freeway in Houston do you find the most exciting? I-45 north or south, I-10 East or West, 290, or some other Freeway?

I actually just left there and say what you will, but this place looks great. To actually see residences above retail (a lot of it is open by the way) in a city like Houston is a accomplishment. People were walking along the sidewalks on their way to the restaraunts and stores, couples were sitting on the steps of City Hall by the fountains, and the storefront retail along the sidewalks was very inviting. None of the residences looked as if they were occupied at the moment but seeing residential windows above those storefronts just made me lust for one. I'm sure they are going to be very popular. I hope the city of Houston and some of the developers that are allowed to develop in the city, take note of what Sugarland has done and how inviting that type of development is to actual people instead of soley thinking of the automobile. I'm aware the types of developments like Sugarland Town Square come a dime a dozen in this country, but in Houston it is like something dropped from Heaven.

Hey Mr. Houstonretail, can you tell us why this fell through?

On November 1, I will be right there.

2112, I think TreaderCRC meant compared to most other major American cities, Houston is indeed conservative. It's not the Most conservative, but definitely one of the most conservative. There are exceptions such as Dallas, Salt Lake City and Nashville, but overall Houston would be considered conservative when we are talking American cities.

Krystals is a totally different animal than anything in Houston right now. For those that have cash flow issues but want a treat, it's Krystals all the way. Gather the loose change in your car and stop by Krystals. We all know Whataburger is tasty but it is also pricey. Krystals will be a hit I'm sure because of the price, not to mention they don't taste too bad. Plus kids love the size and shape of the burgers. As much as I love Krystals, White Castle is the King of Late night burgers and do indeed taste better than Krystals. But I don't think White Castle will ever venture south. Love live the murder burger/gas burger!!!!

I can't wait, can't wait, can't wait. I grew up on those things. Back in the day, they had a CRAZY burger called the Big K. Of course it had a thick patty of beef with the normal lettuce, tomato, Ketchup, mustard, mayo, onions and cheese. But what gave it it's signature was it also had a couple of slices of bacon and a roundly cut slice of ham. OOOOO, talk about unhealthy, but it was so good. Either way, I think those little burgers are going to be a hit here in Houston, especially if they are open late at night. First we get Krispy Kreme, now we finally get Krystals. Now the set is complete.

Exactly TreaderCRC, I agree completely. Things like that do indeed make a difference in the overall image of a city. That was the point I was trying to make in a previous thread with regard to Virgin Record Stores in downtown, professional sports teams, etc. There are certain stores and amenities that cities of our size are expected to have and when visitors and business people don't find them, it can hurt the cities image to a degree. I'm not saying a Virgin Records will "put Houston on the map", but those types of things can add to a city's image and image can mean a lot. I also have noticed the large amount of high end retail that has entered the Houston market over the past couple of years and hope it continues. I never shop at those places but I love what they do for the city's image considering the "oil soaked country bumkin' cowtown" image Houston seems to continue to have with so many people.