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ArchFan

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  1. ArchFan
    Compare the thicknesses in these two renderings: one thinner than the current building, one thicker. What's up with that? The inconsistency seems rather sloppy. Is the firm doing the designs using interns who aren't talking to each other for these renderings?
  2. ArchFan
    Yeah, I would agree that the "Welcome to Houston" sign hasn't aged well. Time for a new idea.
  3. ArchFan
    The photo above is amazing (no need to replicate it again). So many surface lots and they are virtually full!! Another interesting item in it is the 30-story Holiday Inn, south of the Humble Bldg, looking all new and spiffy. I wasn't a big fan of it even when it was new, but at least it wasn't a civic embarrassment. In the lower right, we can see the Catholic church, the World Trade Center, and our beloved Greyhound Bus Station (before it moved south of Pierce Elevated). I've never been in the "new" Trailways station, but the old Greyhound station was a bit on the gross side. We were all happy when it moved. Now ... I guess we want it to move again ...
  4. ArchFan
    Interesting comments. Subdude, your comment reminded me of something I hadn't thought about for years. That of seeing myriad concrete rectangles being made ready to plug into place in complexes like Greenway Plaza. I also like Luminare's comment about the crisp lines and geometry ... I appreciate that in the core Greenway Plaza buildings. However, for some reason, I've never liked the earlier Hines building (nee "Control Data") on 610 as much, even though it seems quite similar. I think that was an SOM design ... don't know about the GP buildings. I had a summer job in the GP underground in maybe 1970. At that time, it seemed to be the ultimate in modernity, even though it felt rather sterile even at that time.
  5. ArchFan
    I remember that in the 70s, there were a number of "markets" that drew a lot of business travelers to Dallas, which in turn lead to the development of some large hotels nearby. These were (are) places for manufacturers and wholesalers to market their wares to retailers. IIRC, Trammell Crow's company was the original developer and was very successful with the concept. I dunno if they developed any of the big hotels, but that seems like it would have been a good business strategy. The big one I remember was the Apparel Mart, but there was also a Furniture Mart, and eventually the World Trade Center there. I think the latter was the one with the large atrium that was used to film the original Logan's Run movie. ** I think ** Crow's company developed the design center on Woodway here as kind of a branch of the Dallas operation. In any case, I've always thought there was a connection between those markets and why more high-capacity hotels were built in Dallas from the 70s on.
  6. ArchFan
    So, I think Ric Campo and Houston First are doing a good job for Houston in getting the Marriott Marquis built. The lack of close-in hotel rooms has really hurt us in drawing major conventions to GRB.
  7. ArchFan
    I'm a Houston booster, but I must confess I'm skeptical that the graphic is really comparing metro Houston with metro DFW. I tried googling to get some factoids, but didn't come up with any interesting numbers right away. But, while we're in this measuring-ourselves competition, I did stumble on to a Wikipedia page that lists the 184 largest hotels in the world. Dallas has 4 (Sheraton Dallas: 1840, Hilton Anatole: 1608, Hyatt Regency: 1120, Omni: 1001) and Houston has 1 (Hilton Americas: 1200). The Hyatt Regency in downtown Houston currently has 947 rooms, but I seem to recall it originally had 1001.
  8. ArchFan
    That is good news, I think. I'm guessing that Skyhouse's performance will have a big impact on whether other projects go forward.
  9. ArchFan
    I wonder who's in line to be the next CEO? I would imagine that is not determined yet, but the personal preferences of people at that level have a lot to do with HQ relocations.
  10. ArchFan
    Kudos! :-)
  11. ArchFan
    Yeah, one wouldn't expect an expensive hotel to be built so close to the RR tracks. But ... despite that, the quiet-zone program seems to work pretty well in that neighborhood. The main problem is the traffic stack-ups when the freight trains roll through.
  12. ArchFan
    I feel that Houston is underserved in the high-end luxury hotel market. Which seems strange. I mentioned this to a developer I know (who does other stuff here) who is active in Houston and he agreed. The St. Regis here is nice; although I have not stayed in one of the rooms, people have told me it is nice. Frankly, I think the other hotels in the Galleria area -- mostly from the 80s -- seem a bit run down and not up to snuff. A friend from NYC stayed at the Four Seasons downtown a few years ago and was not impressed, either. So ... I think there ought to be an opportunity here for investors who want to fund a state-of-the-art high-end hotel.
  13. ArchFan
    As I recall, some of those 2-story buildings along Richmond were projects that Gerald Hines did early in his career here. In any case, I thought they were pretty cool when I was a kid growing up here, before Greenway Plaza started.
  14. ArchFan
    I think that how fast these new apartments fill up will have an impact on the other new developments -- i.e., those announced, but not started. I hope Skyhouse does well.
  15. ArchFan
    Yeah, i feel the same way. I am not in the business, but I have to wonder how many of these projects don't happen because the developers can't get financing. From years of watching Houston real estate development -- albeit not being directly involved most of the time -- it has always struck me the these projects are usually subject to the whims of lenders from other places. While I'm sure there were lenders who lost their shirts providing financing here in the 80's, I think there are a lot more who have missed opportunities to grow their money here since then.
  16. ArchFan
    I vaguely remember the Chuck Wagon on Long Point. Can't remember exactly where it was, but I think it was close to the first Whataburger I ever ate at ... with the classic triangle shape. There was also a BBQ place nearby that I liked, which I think maybe lasted into the 70s. It was on Long Point near the intersection with Antoine. Also close to those places was the Prince's Hamburgers location on Wirt, just south of Long Point. I remember being fascinated as the price of a burger, as listed on their sign, increased from 12 cents, a few pennies at a time. This would be in the late 50s or early 60s. In those years, Weingartens was the major grocery store in the neighborhood, at the NE corner of Long Point and Wirt. Across Wirt, White's was a place to buy automotive stuff like tires and batteries. In the same strip mall was a Palais Royal or maybe Wiener's, a drugstore, and another grocery ... maybe Henke & Pillot. Later on, the first Pancho's Mexican Buffet I ever saw. I loved that place at the time, tho' I wouldn't eat there now :-)
  17. ArchFan
    I thought the "South Canal" was just the current course of Buffalo Bayou, downstream of where White Oak Bayou joins it. Is that right? If its not, where would the current channel be in the rendering above? While I wish we wouldn't have to deal with the "Little Alcatraz" aspect of the island, I think the greatest benefit provided by the canal would be flood control. And ... perhaps it would not be impossible to make the banks of both channels attractive to people, especially once a lot more people live in the area who are free to move about :-)
  18. ArchFan
    I'm surprised no one has complained yet that all the beautiful young people in the renderings appear to be light-skinned Caucasians. As a geezer-in-training, I could complain that they are all young with great bodies. But, I won't. :-)
  19. ArchFan
    That's good news. How about the old strip center between the T&C office buildings and the Sheraton Four Points Hotel (or whatever it is now)? To me, it's been kinda creepy for awhile, especially after hearing about someone being shot to death during a robbery (or some such) there some years ago.
  20. ArchFan
    "Highland Oaks" has a good ring to me. Which probably means it would never be adopted by any developers :-) I think its good for place names (or nicknames) to to tell people something. In this case, it would tell people that its adjacent to 2 areas that are already well-known and well-established. To me, the name "River Oaks District" fails because it seems to imply that its located farther east, like San Felipe @ Kirby. I think OliverMcMillan and their branding consultants goofed a bit on choosing that name, but its only a minor goof.
  21. ArchFan
    I like the idea of trenching the RR, tho' I don't know how easy it would be now that the adjacent drainage canal is trenched. However, I'm sure the RR would not want to pay for it and I doubt the taxpayers would want to pay the whole cost, either. So, as much as I hate to say it, I expect we'll be stuck in the usual Houston conundrum ... i.e., we'll suffer through it, and after decades, we'll wish we had bitten the bullet and done it now.
  22. ArchFan
    My thought, exactly. That is a super-primo view. There aren't many places that provide such a close-up panoramic view of the downtown high-rises, unobstructed by elevated freeways. I think it would be terrific if the property could be developed in such a way as to provide restaurants and bars with that view, plus of the bayou and associated amenities ... plus being a short walk from the Wortham Center. Personally, I would lean toward having the north side (away from the bayou) developed as high-rise residential.
  23. ArchFan
    I just don't want it to be either (1) tacky or (2) underwhelming. I think that, if done right, it would be a really nice addition to downtown and to Houston. By "done right", I am not thinking about how tall or glitzy the building is ... but rather, whether it brings to light the myriad facets of Houston's unlikely rise to being a city of international importance. One good source appears to be Louis Aulbach's book, which (among other events) discusses the 1837 arrival of ~300 Comanches camping on a gully and spring in downtown Houston (near today's Wortham Theatre) to petition Sam Houston and make a treaty with the Texas government based in Houston. The details are very interesting and otherwise one would never imagine such things would occur in "boring ol' downtown Houston".
  24. ArchFan
    I agree that if there were a lack of views from many rooms, it would make it less attractive as a hotel property. In any case, I sure wish Kimpton would put a hotel downtown. I've stayed at them in Portland and DC and enjoyed their product and services. Frankly, I can't believe they haven't placed one here ... so, I'm guessing that (being from San Francisco), they don't think we're "cool" enough. I mean, Dallas got one first, now Austin is getting one. <sigh>
  25. ArchFan
    I feel depressed whenever I see this building from the outside. I don't recall the cost, but I'm sure the money could've been spent better. I do agree that it is functional on the inside, while being just bland, rather than embarrassing as it is from the outside. Trying (desperately) to look on the bright side ... perhaps it will wind up being viewed in the future somewhat like the Shamrock Hilton was in its later days: ugly, but an interesting historical reminder of an earlier era ...
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