jtmbin
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Posts posted by jtmbin
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What does this topic have to do with architecture?
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Just curious what happened to all the federal money the city has received for the restoration of this site.
Approx. $1.1M in federal dollars was received by the city towards the Gregory School project. The majority of those dollars have been spent during the scope development, progamming, and design phases of the project. Those plans are 90% complete. The city has identified nearly $3M in bond and grant funds towards the nearly $5.5M construction budget for the project.
The city is in the process of finalizing plans, budgets, operating costs, and management of the facility before committing the balance of the needed funding and beginning construction. The intent is to begin construction before the end of the current fiscal year; June 30, 2006.
It's been a long three-year process, but considering that HISD allowed the building to rot into complete disrepair for nearly 20 years before the city agreed to take it over and save it, and considering the ridiculous amount of political posturing that has enveloped the project, the city is making reasonable progress.
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Our neighbor says that it will be a Copperfield Liquor store, not Spec's. Are you sure it's Spec's?
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www.midtown-dental.com is the best in town, especially midtown.
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I'm jealous!!! i just got back from a two-week stay in Seattle. Loved it. Could live there, no problem. It's progressive, liberal isn't a bad word - it seems to be the norm, tolerant, non-redneck, and beautiful. Loved it!!! Stayed at Hotel Monaco and only rented a car for two days when we ventured out of the city, walked, took the monorail, ferry, taxis, and buses every other day. It's a rrevelation to be in a city that walks the walk instead of just talking the talk like here in Houston. Seattle built multi-hundred million dollar staduims AND a multi-hundred million dollar library! It has one of the highest rates of recycling of any city. You know all of this so I won't go on. I literally ran into an old Houston friend on Pike Street one night. He moved there two years ago and feels like he's in heaven. Did I mention that it's beautiful? I was born here in Houston and take it from me, Summer here SUCKS! You're leaving just in time. Take Care.
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i'm glad to hear that there are investors and plans that would make such a restoration possible. i based my opinion of a necessary lower, longer return on investment from an article i read in metropolis (i think, or maybe architectural record). this particular article discussed an area of downtown albuquerque where investors, architects and urban planners had put together a business plan that would allow for a longer, smaller return on their investment with the hopes of turning around an particular area (read, increase property values) by restoring and reusing older buildings for various purposes. some of these investors also owned other nearby properties that would appreciate if the project succeeded (it appeared that it was beginning to succeed).
outside of that article, i've not read about financing plans for successful reuse projects. i have witnessed the apparent success of the hogg palace lofts, the rice and other historic downtown buildings, but nothing of 1940s to 1950s era apartments
i appreciate your input on this subject. apparently, we need some cynicism in this area.
Call me frustrated. I renovated several Heights, Montrose,and Garden Oaks homes for clients back in the 90's that had been listed as teardowns because that's what the realtors "decided". Every one of them is not only still there, but all of them have at least doubled in value over what my clients spent both buying and renovating them. They were rather high-end renovations which is why they are still around. The Wilshire Village apartments are no different. I would gladly buy a couple of them as-is for my own use and a couple more to renovate for re-sell. I can literally think of at least a dozen other people who would buy units there to renovate themselves (mostly other architects), and others who would buy a renovated unit. There is no place like it with the space between buildings, the trees, history, and that location. It's the vision thing.
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unfortunately, jtmbin, the people with money to invest are not necessarily the same people with an interest in redeveloping properties like this. investment groups and private investors require a certain increase on their monies in a short amount of time. restoring a property like this would require patience, conviction, and less return on the initial investment.
unfortunate, but true.
Patience? Yes. Conviction? Yes. Less return? Whatever makes you believe that? It will only take the right business plan, but developers here are not savvy enough to put together the type of deal on project like this that would attract investors.
Developers here are by and large a lazy bunch who have no desire to modify the status quo. It hasn't always been this way - witness the Allen Brothers, you know? George Mitchell and Gerald Hines were developers who saw opportunity where no one else did. Even Randall Davis was a virtual pioneer compared to the new breed.
It's endemic to current Houston culture. It's why we are still arguing about the benefits of rail transit and still building 24 lane highways while the rest of the world watches in amazement. There is a lack of vision, lack of ideas, and lack of education in too many of the people who are in the position of actually affecting what gets built in this town.
Every where I go in Houston, at every party, every event - every day people are talking about urban living in one degree or another. On this very site, it's talked to death every day. All across the country, cities are DOING all the things that we discuss on this site everyday, but Houston's most prominent developers, politicians, and investors don't seem to have a clue.
I don't mean to sound so negative, but every time I go out of town I find myself disgusted when I get back here and realize how far behind Houston is, and that it will probably not be the kind of city that I want it to be in my life time.
Just got back from two weeks in Seattle. I hadn't been there in seven years and the progress has been nothing short of amazing. How does a city of half a million people pass a $200,000,000.00 bond to build libraries when the 4th largest city in America barely managed to pass one for $40M?
I think your comment illustrates exactly what I meant to begin with, You actually believe that there are no investors that would invest in redeveloping that project. Too many people here think that way. Investors want to make money. Put together the right deal and the money will come. There are plenty of institutional investors and REITs that are not all looking for a quick buck. They are looking for a good investment.
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My office overlooks it from a nearby skyscraper, and if any of you have ever seen it from above, you see how L A R G E it really is. The orangy-brown color grabs your eye and won't let go (even "tin can alley," block after block of Urban Lofts, can't detract from the Federal Reserves presence).
As for the style, it is definitely Graves. I suspect before it is finished, there will be a soft blue grippy handle sticking out one side and a water spout on the other. Very Target housewares.
It's light years better than another stucco, buff, beige brick, gray glass, boring me to tears office building that Houston seems to have adopted as official. Better this Graves design for Allen Parkway than something like that awful 3333 Allen Parkway apt/condo tower with the pathetic hat on top. It's supposed to have presence. It's supposed to make a statement. Bravo to Graves and to the Federal Reserve for having the balls to build it.
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Typical of a bunch of Houstonians to all agree that these apartments are beyond repair. This is why our city sucks when it comes to issues like saving, well, anything. I've had many friends live there over the last 20 yrs, most of them architecture students. The units are fantastic. Art Deco, Moderne and just groovy. AND NewsFlash: People still live there. The complex could be redeveloped into condos. Expensive, probably. People pay good money for all the Perry crap all over Montrose, surely people would be willing to pay for an updated condo in a perfect location, with units in buildings that are not built three feet away from each other. The grounds and trees are like nothing else left in Montrose. The problem is the lack of precident in this backward thinking town. Redevelopment of this complex would be a no-brainer in Chicago or Seattle or NYC, but Houstonians STILL don't get it.
No need to give me any lectures about being a Houstonian, I was born here.
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I drove by this building today and there is a huge sign on the front that says, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. ??? Uh, I don't get it. This building is in Houston. Just like our Government to get all confused and waste money, they'll probably change the sign in a year or two for $100k. Go check it out next time your driving down Allen Pkwy.
Dream
this post is dedicated to the late 27, "he may be country but that don't mean he wasn't classy"
Not to worry. Drive by again. They've added "Houston Branch" to the signage which aptly describes the facility. It really isn't that big of an issue is it? Saks Fifth Avenue didn't change it's name to "Westheimer Road" just because they opened a store in Houston, away from their New York roots.
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They did keep all the trees though along Montrose. The location looks as if it has been there for years.
Correction. They plowed every single tree on the site. The only reason they didn't mow down the trees along Montrose is because they cannot. Those trees are on the street side of the sidewalk which puts them in the city's right-of-way and they cannot be cut down. CVS sucks. I refused to shop there after the Midtown store was built because of thier total disregard for the community's efforts in Midtown. The new Montrose store is just more of the same. They will never see a dime of my hard-earned spending. That's how you vote in a city with no zoning.
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Looking at the track record for other projects that come close to this size and complexity, I'd expect the actually cost to be significantly more. When projects get this large and have many pieces (outside of the actual highway construction), cost estimates are just that. TxDOT knew this would happen. The news media just blows it out of proportion.
I hope you're kidding. This project is obviously going to cost at least twice as much as "promised". If any of us in the real world made the mistakes and oversights that were detailed in the story we would be out of a job. It's not worth $3,000,000,000.00 dollars to me to expand the Katy Freeway to a ridiculous size without a commuter rail compenent. Unlike you, I don't this is OK and business as usual.
Remember, ALL of the west side politicians who shoved this project down our throats swore up and down that the inclusion of rail was not possible due to costs and that lowering the freeway, just as is inside the loop, to decrease its detrimental affects on adjacent neighgorhoods was also too costly. The project is already more costly than those two changes to the plans were projected to cost.
But Hey, we are a nation that re-elected a President who misled us into a war that has cost the lives of tens of thousands of human beings based on "mistaken information", so I certainly don't expect anyone to be held accountable for this billion dollar blunder. All the parties involved will probably get promoted. It's the new American Way.
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There's no place better than the Breakfast Klub in midtown. Barnaby's on West Gray is the my second favorite. On weekends if you want to spend a little more, the french toast at benjy's in second to none.
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Did anyone else notice how they're converting the Compaq Center into a church? I couldn't believe it when I saw that sign! Here's some general info I found through Google. Sorry if this was already discussed somewhere else.
http://www.injoystewardship.com/solutions/...05_lakewood.htm
Are you kidding or new to Houston? The deal to lease the building to Lakewood Church was one of the biggest news stories in town a couple years ago. It involved lawsuits regarding the other tenants of Greenway Plaza, it threatened to keep the Rockets from playing in Toyota Center on schedule, it was a BIG deal.
It's been under construction for nearly a year.
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Does anyone know if all of the units have the rooftop patio space, or is that just for the ones on the top floor?
Another thing I liked about this place: There is an incredible feeling of privacy despite this being a high density complex. The staggering of the walkways, exterior shapes, and multiple levels make each unit feel like its own building.
Only the upper two story units and the three story units have roof-top decks. The one-story ground floor units have ground floor patios, some of them quite nice.
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I lived there in the mid 90's in #7. Loved it. Incredibly quiet or else I had neighbors with hearing problems because I played my stereo very loud without ever a single complaint, plus I never heard anyone else. The pool area is very cool, and the location as described above is hard to beat if you are in inner loop kind of person.
Only drawbacks, the finishes, appliances, and fixtures need major updating in most units. There are 20+ floorplans and some are much, much better than others, but on the whole it is one of the best designed developments ever in Houston - in my opinion.
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"This is a critical project for our City - the potential impact on our neighboring residential and business communities and the preservation of our history."
...and they are considering a deal with Perry? Don't know whether to laugh or cry.
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Very interesting. I called to find out the story and they're auctioning 20 units in order to get to their pre-sale requirement of 40 units.
Has anyone ever heard of this type of sales method before?
This is not unusual at all, just not common in Houston.
An auction is just a way to get things done faster. Selling an entire building is not unlike selling every house in a neighborhood - it doesn't usually happen in just a couple of months. Randall Davis has several major new construction projects under development in Houston, Galveston, and Las Vegas. Word has it that he may sell all of his rental properties if the St. Germain sale works out as hoped.
Two friends are purchasing units in St.Germain and others are considering it. It's a fantastic location, and the as-is units are a very competitively priced per sq. ft. Alas, the best deals were two months ago before prices went up on the more popular one-bedroom units. The auction may offer a chance for a great deal or two, but it's an auction so you never know.
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I prefer quality over quantity. Could you or someone provide a ranking of home builders in Houston area, ranked according to the design and building quality? I wrote off Perry and KB from my list the moment I walked into one of their models. So far, the following builders are in my list:
David Powers
David Weekely
Newmark
Trendmaker
Plantation
Conventary (sp?)
I wasnt too impressed with Emerald and Beazer but they are certainly better than KB and the like. These are just those builders whose models I have seen.
Those are all primarily suburban builders who build in sections of master planned communities all around Houston. I'm familiar with reasonably good reputations for all those you list except for Conventry - never heard of them. I'm far more familiar with builders who build primarily inside the loop.
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Hard to say KZ.
Many on this board may tell you to just buy a 900 sf dump and be happy with it.
Why? Becuae it's a quality dump.
I can't think of anyone on this board who would tell someone to buy a 900 sf dump and be happy with it.
Do you ever have anything constructive, positive, or useful to add?
Maybe you don't get it, but despite the incredibly wide variety of topics on this forum, it IS the Houston ARCHITECTURE Info Forum, not the developers forum, not the business forum, not the social interaction forum, not a partisan political forum.
Some of us try to respond to the topics in some way that relates to architecture. That's not always possible, but it often is. If the issue is Perry's "architecture", there have been some very strong opinions voiced for months in that regard. If the issue is; is Perry a good business investment?, then this forum is probably not the best place for answers although obviously many posters have strong opinions on that too.
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Well, yeah. They wouldn't be an alt-weekly if they didn't
Brilliant.
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Houston Press has their own agenda, to be sure.
Thank goodness, some media in this developer-controlled city has the guts to disclose issues that others will not. The Houston Press's agenda is disclosure at the very least. I suppose that people who have invested money in Perry Homes will surely want to find fault with the message and the messenger of the story that this topic is about.
I stated earlier that no one I know would buy a Perry Home. Wrong. I good friend announced this weekend that he was planning to purchase a Perry Home, despite all he's read and heard, especially from me. His reason; he can get 2000 sq. ft. for the same price as other builders in the area charge for only 1600-1800 sq. ft.
This brings up other subjects, such as Americans obsession with size, but I can't argue with that particular fact. Perry provides more quantity than some other builders for the dollar. The question many of us are posing is the degree of quality that is provided. Everyone has different values and different needs. Perry clearly meets the needs of many buyers.
Those of us who dream of a time and place when consumers value quality over quantity in buildings can only keep trying to educate those that we can. Afterall why does my single friend with no children, and no plans for children - ever, believe that he needs 2000+ sq. ft. of space in his residence.
Architecture has the responsibilty of educating consumers of design and construction to understand that a properly designed facility can meet their needs and desires in ways other than forever increasing the size of the space.
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Funny thing though, every ward left neglected all these years, and people careless what happens to the inner city neighborhood. suddenly after develpers get their hands on these lands and start redevelopment, people cares? OMG.squaking about historical significance. I see nothing historical before when left neglected and uncared for. you see streets full of trash, roads ruined, homes falling apart. Give me a break.
You see nothing historical because you don't have any knowledge of this history of the area. You probably don't know how developers got thier hands on so much property in the area. You probably don'y know the scandals that resulted from the waste (theft) of millions of dollars of tax-dollars to agencies that were tasked with rebuilding and preserving key parts of the area in the 70's and 80's. I'm not going to give you a history lesson, but before you declare that some of us who do know the history, who were there, are just "squaking", you should educate yourself on the subject matter.
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As a graduate of UH's Hines College of Architecture, I was not at all suprised by the comments of the instructers that were interviewed. What Perry builds is the antithesis of EVERYTHING students are taught at the college. Perry's products are and have always been substandard. Perry sells amentities (granite countertops, whirlpool tubs), not design, and definitely not architecture. It's all so incredibly poorly designed and built, I do not know anyone who would buy one.
As a partner in the community, Perry has for years been the enemy. Thier developments all over Montrose have desecrated entire blocks. It took them more than 10 years to "discover" that a garage doors didn't have to line the streetscape.
I used to pity people who bought Perry Homes, people who moved into Montrose in townhouses behind "security gates" as if they needed protection from us -thier neighbors, people who still are trying to recreate the suburbs inside the loop. I no longer pity these people. A home is the biggest investment most people make and it wouldn't take much research to uncover the questionable history of Perry in Neartown.
A realtor took me to see a particular townhome a few weeks ago. It sounded good, but upon arrival I immediately recognized it as a Perry product and told the realtor that I was not interested. She remarked that I was not the first client to refuse to view a Perry resale.
Perry's political patronage is just another reason for me not to even consider the purchase of one of his products. Furthermore, I agree that his developments, because they are so poorly designed and lack any "community" value are destined to be the slums of tomorrow. Drive around Sutton Place, where Perry overbuilt to such a degree that there is practically no greenspace, no street parking (driveways negate most street space), and what seems like thousands of utility poles and wires. Perhaps Perry thinks the poles are a good substitute for trees. Ugly and depressing are the two most applicable terms that come to mind.
Townhouses vs. homes is not the issue. Lovett, City Construction, mgdi, and others build more responsibly, more genuinely, and better designed townhouses that are certainly better investments for the homebuyer and for the community than Perry's.
The New I-10
in Traffic and Transportation
Posted
TXDOT is the master of wasting space, concrete and billions of dollars. Perhaps one day, Houstonians - those who actually live in the city - will finally revolt against the constant destruction of our city for no reason other than to make the travel of non-Houstonians "through" Houston more convenient.
Perhaps we will revolt at the voting booths against the billions of dollars of our tax dollars that are spent to subsidize the total living expenses of all those suburbanites who work in Houston, but live outside of the city. What do I mean? I choose to live in the city, inside the loop. My housing cost is more than twice that of some suburbanites, per sq. ft. I'm willing to pay that cost in part for the convenience of living "in the city". The suburbanites should pay the cost of choosing to live 40 miles from "life", not me. They want a 4000 sq. ft. house for $300K, fine, they should suffer the consequences, not me.
The price to pay for living outside the beltway is giving up one-two hours of your life everyday to traffic. The billions being spent on the I-10 and others is meant to ease the pain and inconvenience (and therefore to subsidize the lifestyles) of those who already benefit from far cheaper housing costs in the suburbs and of course to greatly increase the property values of developers of those far-reaching subdivisions.
The price Houstonians pay is the never-ending destruction of our neighborhoods, trees, and hundreds of businesses and homes - just so John and Betty Jo Suburbanite can shave a few minutes off thier commute for a couple of years - before the freeways are clogged again from all of the new and newer development that will sprout from the new freeways. This pattern is not new. The results have always been the same. Suburbanites Win. Developers Win. The Concrete Roadbuilders Win. Houstonians Lose.