lockmat

I've been wondering the same thing about the sales center. This building has a tiny footprint. 

Love that. Hope they build 8 more of them on that block.

1 hour ago, BigBlueContractor said:

It still could change again. The renderings show still density, but not as large of buildings. I would also state that it looks less "plain"  than the rendering from ZCA. The right group is leading the project, it will be better than the lot that is vacant!

You have seen updated renderings?

not in love with the base, but the rest is pretty cool. looks a lot like the proposed Galleria tower.

If you haven't heard yet, Nancy and Erin have a new real estate podcast. It has been good so far. Check out the tweet below!!!

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Looped In podcast listeners: We&#39;re talking to the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Ashbyhighrise?src=hash">#Ashbyhighrise</a> developers tomorrow. Got any questions for them? <a href="https://t.co/AU9I3elV8b">https://t.co/AU9I3elV8b</a></p>&mdash; Nancy Sarnoff (@nsarnoff) <a href="https://twitter.com/nsarnoff/status/753706438665482241">July 14, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

I don't know how to embed a tweet, so here's Nancy's tweet today:

Looped In podcast listeners: We're talking to the #Ashbyhighrise developers tomorrow. Got any questions for them?

6 hours ago, H-Town Man said:

I'm more interested in the development of walkability and continuity of neighborhoods. A long string of residential highrises won't make a very impressive skyline - Dallas' Uptown has a huge cluster of residential towers and it's not much of a skyline. But to have a Main St. where someone can walk from the bayou to Hermann Park and it be an interesting walk the whole way: that is a dream.

 

Couldn't agree more. Houston needs to decide. Do we just want to be a skyline city or are we also going to consider the pedestrian. It can be both. Right now we're still focusing on what the top of the building looks like instead of the first one or two floors.

I still feel like for the most part however we're still building a drive-by-and-gawk-at-the-skyline city. I would actually like to dedicate a thread to this topic. There might be one I forgot about it.

1 hour ago, Triton said:

The plan is to build an underground parking garage at Hermann Park either way. 

About time. Is there anything publicly available with any details on that?

5 hours ago, CrockpotandGravel said:

The link has been taken down. Guys please when you share pdf links, either reup it using your files or archive it on Internet Archive. I'm saying this because the link is no longer available. It's probably annoying as hell when I post archive links and upload pages from pdf files that other people post links to but this is why I do it. Did anybody download it or extract images from this?

Its still working for me

Funny how we have two buildings going up with similarly sliced tops.

18 hours ago, Urbannizer said:

 

How so? Landscaping wise?

11 hours ago, Texasota said:

curvy streets, narrow sidewalks and grass strips.

 

I appreciate the bump-outs though, but ultimately the buildings will determine just how suburban this ends up seeming.

Basically what he said. I don't hate landscaping so much. For me, it's mainly the small sidewalks. Too much grass.

suburban-like

I think for now, the plan to turn this into an underground parking garage is a great idea. 

It it keeps the Dome upright, functional, buys time for a bigger plan and (hopefully) will turn a profit. All while not taxing local residents - although I wish the tax plan they have would expire once it's not needed anymore.

Pretty much all the pie in the sky ideas are still feasible with this garage plan.

While Houston's tallest tower closes its observation deck, LA's tallest does this:

Is Cali really out can-doing us?

They installed min-blinds on the western tower and they look like the cheap metal kind. Those should look nice in a few years

Although it's not extremely dramatic, it's kind of cool to see a tower without right angles going up in Houston.

This has exceeded my expectations. Looks much better than the rendering and in person. I haven't walked or driven by it so I can't say how it is from a pedestrians pov.

It says the 40-story will be phase II. We've seen renderings, but nobody has confirmed the one we've seen will be the one for phase II>

5 hours ago, Sunstar said:

 

Isn't that what's there now?

If you look at the top, you can see the old structure. It's also for the year the photo was taken.

31 minutes ago, Sunstar said:

There it is peeking out in the back right:

 

http://digital.lib.uh.edu/collection/p15195coll2/item/186

Thanks for sharing, but can you one from 1966 or newer?

1 hour ago, Sunstar said:

This is a very interesting article. The developer is claiming that the old facade was heavily compromised when they put up the current cladding 50 years ago, and there wouldn't be much left to restore. Then the Texas Historical Commission establishes a guideline that a building must be at least 50 years old to be considered historic, which I assume would help the developer apply for the redevelopment grant. 

 

I have an issue with taking the developers word for it, since not doing the full restoration and still getting the grant probably helps their business case quite a bit. 

I think the article states the developer went to the Texas Historical Commissikn and the State is the one who said that and recommended only restoring it to the 1966 look, not the other way around.

so the blame goes to the state. I guess the developer doesn't want to do what the JW Marriot did. "Restoring" it like JW did is probably more expensive than pulling the new facade off and just touching up the original, even though the 1966 look is awful, even if it is a "period piece"

I can't find a "vintage" photo of the 1966 version. What are they gonna do, put polish on it? Use soap and water on the windows?

If potential customers consider the outside of a building, I can't imagine anyone WANTING to stay there if they have other options and money isn't a significant consideration.

Unless this "restoration" is significantly better than what it is now, I'm curious what is going through this developers head.

Maybe I'm wrong and most hotel guests don't care about architecture that much.

They removed the glass from a lot of the windows.

On 6/5/2016 at 10:54 AM, HoustonMidtown said:

Love the photos and arrangement. Well worth quoting them for another peek. 

are those chromosomes?

18 hours ago, tigereye said:

 

Found a pic from the 20's, 723 Main is on the right (left foreground is now JWM)

 

http://digital.lib.uh.edu/collection/p15195coll2/item/171

<img src="http://digital.lib.uh.edu/contentdm/image/standard/p15195coll2/171/393/500/6.2212268259301/0/0/0/0" alt="" />

When the Galleria announced their project, Ralph Bivins guessed it would be a Ritz. Here are some excerpts for his argument as to why it could be.

Quote

 

HOUSTON – Simon Property Group says it will move ahead with its plan to build a 30-story hotel and condo tower, probably similar to a Ritz-Carlton hotel/condo tower, in The Galleria in Houston.

...

 

With its upscale demographics, The Galleria, has a tremendous draw with affluent shoppers from Mexico and other well-heeled tourists, so affiliating with the high-end hotel flags, such as Ritz-Carlton, creates a solid narrative for the proposed new tower.

 

...

 

However, the density of existing hotels around the Simon hotel site is significant with Westin, J.W. Marriott and Hyatt all within 1,000 feet.

Within the Galleria complex itself are two operating hotels – the 406-room Westin Oaks and the 487-room Westin Galleria. The Westins are directly tied into the Galleria as retail and hotel space merge under the Galleria roof.

Across the street from the Simon hotel site are two new Hyatt properties. The Hyatt Regency Houston Galleria, a 325-room, full-service hotel last October and the 12-story, 157-room, select-service Hyatt Place Houston Galleria next door opened in January.

 

http://realtynewsreport.com/2016/04/07/a-ritz-carlton-perhaps-simon-plans-30-story-hotelcondo-tower-in-the-galleria-complex/

The galleria hotel will also have condos on top, which our HAIF source has confirmed the Ritz will have.