DrLan34

Dbigtex, take a look at the rendeirng, I might be overly optimistic but I am pretty sure that the "Fine Arts Center in Existing Building" at the bottom right of the page is indeed the Settegast Estate building you are talking about.

yes it does, it will be turned into a fine arts building for the school.

great news, thanks for the update

excellent, glad to see this moving along

So I was talking to one of the contractors and he said they they do indeed plan on putting the turbines back in eventually. When I asked when, he said they are just trying to finish the building first so I don't have a timeline. Hopefully he is right.

http://swamplot.com/new-2010-census-numbers-document-houstons-trickle-in-decade/2011-02-17/ here's the link from swamplot.

Guys check out what I saw parked in front of El Patio the other day "Mobile Cigar Lounge"... very interesting. http://www.styxlounge.com/

There is a new tapas bar going in next to Front Porch... I think they just put up the sign today... Majora Bistro and Tapas "The hottest Tapas restaurant coming soon to the heart of midtown Houston! Serving the best and the only Mallorcan island cuisine in Texas" http://www.facebook.com/pages/Majorca-Island-Bistro-and-Tapas/178687525488583

that's no bueno... let's hope it looks close to the rendering...

true true and i like both of those places. HOB and the foundation room has some too actually.

great... the only place with a door to the street...

just to spur some interest in anticipation of opening... i found some great photos of Munich on flickr http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=188347

http://culturemap.com/newsdetail/12-27-10-demolishing-the-doldrums-office-towers-somehow-keep-rising-in-houston/

Drove by during lunch and caught the new renderings on my cell phone... looks very good, I am impressed.

maybe they could add them at the train stations too

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/local&id=7918690 some information on the new park

lights are on at the top of the building but the E's aren't on there yet

http://mycity.houstontx.gov/fourthward/bethel-missionary-baptist-church.html

Pretty good article with some of our most well known developers and their outlook on 2011. http://002mag.com/wordpress/2011/01/30/a-real-estate-rewind-february-2011/ - The article has a positive tone overall but they are not too optimistic about projects being started downtown - but I don't think that is a surprise. We will probably see a decent amount of build outs in existing buildngs which is good too though. "Jonathan Farb What new projects are you starting this year? 2011 is going to be my most ambitious year, particularly because I am opening CityPlace, my first major luxury apartment development on Bagby and McGowen (www.cityplacemidtown.com). I am also breaking ground on five new townhome communities spread out over Rice Military, the Heights and Montrose. Marvy Finger Are you starting anything new this year? I will have two or three projects. One project is bogged down in serious zoning difficulties. I am currently building the Whole Foods at Waugh and West Dallas and the balance of the land will be residential. We are doing market surveys to see if this will be a midrise or a tower. The other is in west LA, close to two of my previous projects. Tom Wadley What new projects are you starting this year? Houston’s Inner Loop, Heights and Galleria areas continue to grow. We will begin building 3- and 4-story homes in Washington Court – located in the Rice Military area. As well as Remington Park in the Heights and Asbury Manor near Memorial Park. We’re also opening several communities throughout the Greater Houston Area, and our Build on Your Lot program continues to expand. Dr. Richard Wainerdi President/CEO /COO | Texas Medical Center | What do you see in 2011? We are nearing completion on 22 construction projects and possibly one new one this year. We are not sure, partially due to the uncertainty in the health care markets. How does that affect TMC? We have just gone from 32,000,000sf to 42,000,000sf which is a 30% increase. We have adequately increased our size to meet our needs. When you compare that to the size of Downtown Business Districts, we currently rank 13th. Our additional square footage should put us in line to be 7th or 8th by 2014 (as long as those Downtown Business Districts haven’t added significant size in the last few years which I don’t think occurred) which is ahead of Dallas, LA, Minneapolis and Cleveland. Ed Wulfe What is new at your BLVD Center on Post Oak? We have completed phase 1 and it is 100% leased. We are working on plans for phase 2 which will be a 185,000sf expansion anchored by a 48,500sf Whole Foods. There is a significant shift in tenancy in all retail projects to include restaurants, both large and small. They have become mini-anchors as they are expanding and seeing good growth. We plan to have four or five new restaurants in Phase 2, some local – some national. Is residential back in play? We are talking to one high rise rental developer about a site on the property. I am also excited about talks with a hotelier about a boutique property as well. Robert Eury President | Central Houston How do you see the development market Downtown in 2011? As I look out my office window, I am thrilled by the sight of workers putting the finishing touches on BG Group Place, Hines’ exciting new office tower at Main at Rusk. This is one of several new buildings opening this year including Hess Tower, Embassy Suites Hotel and The Houston Ballet’s Center for Dance. Although demand exists, funding challenges are likely to result in few if any new project starts this year. However, overall we believe that this situation will be short-lived and future prospects are bright. I personally think that Discovery Green has truly created an anchor for not only the Downtown residents but the workers as well. What else is happening along that line? We anxiously await the opening of Phoenicia Specialty Foods in One Park Place this spring. It will be a unique and interesting shopping destination for residents, workers and out-of-town guests alike. Most of all it addresses the often heard question about living downtown: “Where do I buy groceries?” At Phoenicia, of course! If you have not experienced the newly rebuilt Market Square Park, try it out. Our goal was to make this historic location into a park for neighborhood residents including a dog run, lovely green lawn, numerous works of art, floral beds and Niko Niko’s restaurant kiosk. We have high hopes that this jewel will spawn more residential development in Downtown’s Historic District."

http://innerlooped.com/394/update-on-midtown-grove/

The place going in next to Front Porch in Midtown says "Mi Cielo" on it... It is the building where Lemon Tree used to be.

Brookfield's comments on the Allen Center Parking Gararge "Description Located in the heart of the Allen Center/Cullen Center complex, the Allen Center Garage could accommodate an office building above it. The site fronts on historic Antioch Park and would have unobstructed views to the west."

I recently started selling my family's Jerusalem spices (the company is Old City Trading Co) at JuanMon's Internaitional Sandwich Shop in Midtown Houston. Just let me know if you have any questions. The spices are mainly blends. http://www.oldcitytrading.com/ http://de-de.faceboo...shouston?v=wall

Ya I notcied they broke up the earth at the lot earlier and closed off the parking but then the construction equipment has since left. I look forward to ground breaking on this place. Seems like there is a lot of activity in Midtown right now.

http://innerlooped.com/?p=349 http://www.lamaisonmidtown.com/index.html "I noticed this new bed and breakfast in Midtown slowly coming to life last year when it was under construction, but never knew when it would open. Well La Maison’s website is up and running and it appears they have been open for a couple months now. The place looks fantastic on the outside, and their website describes some of the great rooms available on the inside. Even TripAdvisor has it currently rated the #4 B&B in Houston (granted only two reviews available). One cool thing I discovered about La Maison is that they offer guest access to the 24 Hour Fitness in Midtown. So do any of you know anyone that has stayed here? Room 304 sounds like my kind of place…"