bobruss

Bistro Menil to open on October 1st. I walked over and went in Bistro Menil at lunch today and spoke with Greg Martin

the chef Proprietor of the Bistro and he said the restaurant was shooting for the 1st of October. The place looks very nice and they are now working on the bookstore. The parking lot is open again. They're still doing some work on it but it's open. Once the plantings take and put on a years growth its going to look really nice.

I think everyone is being a little critical of this building and I don't understand why.

It will be a nice new shape on the skyline probably from the southeast and south views.

No its not a supertall and it doesn't fill up the block to the sidewalks, but its interesting shape will be a nice fit for downtown and break up the monotony of boxes and rectangles. All buildings built downtown don't need to be supertalls or even 50 story building to have an impact. Look at the Pennzoil.

It's 13 stories taller than the building it replaced so that's a positive gain. hopefully they will come up with an engaging plaza that will work well in creating a nice public space.

James Turrell would do something very interesting, but since we already have three spaces that are accessible to the public I would like to see them commission Mineko Grimmer to do something reminiscent of her piece that was on display at the Menil from September 2001 to February 2002. It featured water dripping from frozen ice and rock stalactite shapes into pools of water with brass rods strung above the water and below the melting Rocky icicles. They would make chimes as the rocks fell from the frozen icicles and the lights that shown on the water reflected onto the walls creating beautiful patterns as the ripples moved. this to me would be the perfect kind of meditative piece

Featuring water since that is what this space was built for. Holding water. I hope some of you will remember the exhibit or understand what I'm trying to explain. It was a great exhibit and had an incredible audience. I always thought the piece should maybe move into the old Byzantine chapel under the black box.

I know the bank of the southwest tower was a real competition, which I think helmut jahn won.

The economy went south and the tower went away. I remember the article about the 500 story structure. I think I still have it. It was more a discussion about what it would take to build a tower that tall. I think it was more of a charette type of study if I remember. I'll need to go through my collection of old news articles about architecture I saved. It was never meant as a real project for Houston.

I think it also discussed Frank Lloyd Wrights mile high tower.

I know the bank of the southwest tower was a real competition, which I think helmut jahn won.

The economy went south and the tower went away. I remember the article in fact I still have it. It was more a discussion about

What it would take to buils tower that tall. I think it was more of a charette type of study if I remember. I'll need to go through my collection of old news articles about architecture I saved.

There is so much potential between mmp and the bayou. As a matter of fact that is probably the least developed area and there is still frontage on the bayou for several block. I always hoped for a Calatrava type replacement for the Elysian viaduct. It would look amazing coming into town from I 10 east or 59 north!

My point, it's not Metros' job to plan and build and maintain roads. There main function is in transporting people from

one place to another. Look I'm not an apologist for metro. They have not done a very good job in putting together a plan that could be defended and promoted and maybe thats why they're in this position.

As far as the sidewalks not being ADA compliant, then what I don't understand is why that wasn't brought up in all of the public meetings that were held all over the city in the planning stages for these lines. I attended meetings for the Richmond line several years ago and they had engineers and other representatives with maps, diagrams, drawings, and literature explaining the plan. They were there for input and to answer any questions that people had and I heard some serious grilling going on about several different issues.

It seems if this had been an important issue that would  affect people with disabilities, someone with a voice for those causes should have been making more noise. I'm sorry if this is indeed true but for the life of me I can't understand with all of the meetings held that this was not addressed.

I believe that the lines that Metro has either completed or are in the slow process of finishing, they have rebuilt the streets haven't they? I was speaking to the subject of Metro paying for more street and sidewalk repair. That's not their duty.

I think that the 25% the city extracts from Metro is more than a fair amount and therefore I think most of the burden should be on the city.

Its a damn shame that when this city was in the position to plan for wider sidewalks and mass transit options, the city fathers decided instead to forego the public realm and put all of their chips in for more freeways, beltways, toll ways, and grand parkways, but very little if any thought or money into public transportation or  pedestrians and cyclists.

Pardon me, but I didn't go back to the beginning of this argument, but it seems to me that Metro has been hamstrung in many ways by backwards politicians, vigilante neighborhood groups (Afton Oaks), a city with no zoning and relatively no planning.

They have also been their own worst enemies in poor management and waste.

However to blame Metro for the city streets is unfair. I think the duty of Metro is to provide transportation for citizens in need of alternative forms of mobility.

Many years ago the city took 25% of Metro's funding to pay for street repair and I believe even police pay, for a short time.

Street building and maintenance are part of the cities job.

Metro is not responsible for maintaining streets. They have coordinated efforts with the city to help in some projects.

As far as telephone poles in the middle of the sidewalks, that happen to be along Metros new rail lines when you only have so much right of way you are sometimes forced to deal with it the best way you can. Unfortunately Metros budget to build these rail lines didn't include putting all power lines underground. That would have been cost prohibitive.

You should look to the city  for answers to why so many sidewalks are blocked by power poles, fire hydrants, intersection stop light control boxes, and many other objects, or why they are so narrow two people can't pass one another on the same sidewalk. Houston never put any thought into the pedestrian and unfortunately not until recently with the new street design and consideration  of the public realm became the new mantra in the urbanism of Houston.

I'm sorry, I just noticed that the color rendering is one hotel. I thought originally that was both hotels wrapped around a central lobby.

I now see that there is the massing for the other hotel behind it. Now I understand why the rendering didn't change.

So do you think the developers are shopping this concept to another hotel chain?

Is this an early rendering because I thought one these had dropped out.

Like we were there!

Montrose 1100 I actually like the photo just the way it is. It reminds me of old postcards from the 40's and 50"s,

before they came up with the new technology.

if you look at that image of Houston, actually the place with the most bang, would be the south east corner south of Toyota center.

I know logistically it doesn't work and its not on the tunnel grid but just speaking to the massing issue southeast would really spread the downtown to all four corners and be a connector to midtown.

Could this have anything to do with Franks project. Could it involve plumbing, water lines or anything like that.

I hope it's preliminary work for the Hines project.

Swtsig, it is amazing and even though there may have been a larger impact on downtown in the late 70's early 80's boom,

this boom is doing so much more on a much wider basis including every part of the city and also many more segments of the overall quality of life issues, with both Buffalo Bayou park, Herman park, MATCH, the rail lines, the museums which are going to be starting sometime soon and the Medical Center. All of the Universities are seeing large expansion projects and the petrochemical industry and port of Houston are seeing huge growth and expansion. Hobby airport is adding international flights and terminals and United is helping to remodel terminal D at Intercontinental. I think in many ways this boom is much more important for the city. This boom is definitely the game changer! I can't wait to see what people say who come to the Superbowl in 2017,  after coming to the one in 2004. This is a whole new city

I called the downtown district and spoke with the person involved with the southern section of downtown.

He said they are looking at a possible half block or even quarter block park. Maximum if lucky would be a full block but sounded doubtful. He said that there were some wonderful small parks in other cities that work very well. He said they do have someone looking for a site.

I count six cranes in that picture!

It's unfortunate that metros plan for light rail on post oak and the university line were halted by one person. For the life of me I don't know how one person can affect so many millions. A travesty!

It was two blocks. I think a downtown sculpture garden would be a great idea, but only if it was somehow administered and curated by the M.F.A., or perhaps arts alliance.

Thanks, I would be very interested in seeing that. With as many residents as are planned for that area, we need another market square type park.

No that area will really need something larger than 1 block with all of the residential going in around there. Hopefully the city and the downtown district ,who really runs downtown, will think bigger.

I'd like to see at least two blocks but 4 would be awesome. Then there could be room for some fields ,

or a lawn where people could lay out in good weather and get some sun, or just have a picnic maybe. Some sand volleyball  courts,  and a dogpark . I live across the street from Menil park and I can tell you that park is one of the most popular places in the city per sq. foot. You name it and it happens there,

By the way every other Sunday at about 3 or 4 they have been having huge water balloon fights with people bringing ice chests, baskets and trash cans full of balloons. The last fight I even saw a chauffeur get out of a town car and get two large shopping bags full of balloons out of his trunk and carry them over to the park for two girls who were so excited to be going to their first water balloon fight. That's what they need downtown. Next fight should be this Sunday if they are still having them.

Its crazy.

I think its really important for the city to move on a park for southern downtown, before all of the blocks are spoken for and the

property escalates any more. We've seen with Discovery Green what a well planned park can do for development, and the area will be densely populated.

Does the city actually own any property in the southern zone?

There was a study prepared by Community Development Strategies for Houston Downtown Management District, in Feb. 2013, which specified a park possibly on the old Days Inn/ Holiday Inn site before the property changed hands again. I  pulled up the study but unfortunately all that is in my file is the cover sheet and I have lost the 122 page report. I'm sure someone else can reference this report. This should have happened yesterday. The longer they wait the less opportunities there will be to find a good property that is more the size of Discovery Green than Market Square. There will be many more people living in that area

The sooner the better.

When I ran Cabo's at night downtown, when it first opened Randall Davis would come over to complain that his tenants were complaining about the trash being thrown out late at night. Lots of beer and liquor bottles hitting those metal dumpsters make a lot of noise. I would imagine that these new towers will have better windows for sound absorption. I think I might have made that word up but I'm sticking with it. Also I'll mention it again , I did get a call from hines office yesterday. I had called to find out from them about this project. The guy called back and said it was a definite go. They just got final drawings and now have a contractor. My brother lives next to a hines exec and I asked him to ask about their projects. He said that both the Market Square and Caroline museum district towers would be going up before December.

I had called the Hines office a few weeks ago to ask them the status. Yesterday a Hines official called me and I told him I wanted to find out if the project had been delayed or still on. He said they should be starting very soon just got final drawings and have lined up a contractor and were getting ready to start. He said they would be rental units and I should consider a unit. So we have another high rise residential tower going up on Market Square. This is really going to be exciting. Market Square is going to come alive with people. Day and especially night. With these two towers along with the rice, the lofts on Franklin and Travis the density level might spur new street level retail in the old existing empty buildings around the area. It will be a great place to live with the theater district and all of the sporting venues downtown. Plus with the rail you'll have access to med center nag and Herman park and all of the museums.