Specwriter

For those who may not be aware this building still exists at the western edge of the Hobby Airport property. It can be accessed off of Travelair Street. It opened in 1940 and has been "refurbished" (I won't say restored) and now serves as the 1940 Air Terminal Museum. Look it up 1940 Air Terminal Museum and Special Event Venue . It speaks to an important time in the city's air transportation history.

That image is a little later than the 1930s. The lead automobile looks like a 1964 Pontiac. The TENNECO building on the right of the image was completed in 1963 IIFC. Great shot though. Where are you finding these, hindesky?

13 hours ago, hindesky said:

I wonder if this is the one on Milam that is currently a museum?

 

Could be. The automobile is a 1974 or slightly later Ford Mustang II if that helps establish a date for the image.

On 10/1/2021 at 7:23 PM, downtownian said:

 

I think it’s strangely beautiful 

In that lighting I agree.

On 10/1/2021 at 1:19 PM, Houston19514 said:

FWIW, Texas Tower's mat was reported as being 12 feet thick

Taller building, thicker mat. That's a lot of concrete!

Foundations for tall buildings in Houston are thick (like eight feet or so) slabs of concrete which "float" on our gumbo soil and act something like a keel on a sail boat for the rest of the building. It is amazing to think about.

If Houston ever experienced and earthquake (not to worry the chances are infinitesimal) the buildings would sink into the ground like a marble on top of a bowl of sand that was being vibrated.

Midway has partnered with GrayStreet Partners, the San Antonio-based investment group specializing in urban commercial real estate, to transform the former Lone Star Brewery site into San Antonio’s newest up-and-coming lifestyle destination—Lone Star District. Complementing its unique setting in the heart of the local arts scene, amidst historic neighborhoods, unique landmarks and walkable public spaces, the project’s 32acres of carefully designed, multi-phase, mixed-use development will revitalize the site into an authentic community gathering space, welcoming a wide variety of tenants, local residents, workers and visitors of all ages and diverse cultures. Just 1.5 miles south of downtown, Lone Star District is located within San Antonio’s Southtown Arts District. Known for its vibrant art and restaurant scene including Blue Star, the area is also one of the most desirable residential areas in the city, with five neighborhoods including King William, Lavaca, Lone Star, Collins Garden and Roosevelt. The site borders the San Antonio River, boasting over a quarter mile of river frontage on the Mission Reach, and is adjacent to Roosevelt Park. ‍‍

https://www.midway.team/places/lone-star

15 hours ago, tangledwoods said:

not to be that annoying person but as an FYI the green board stuff on the outside of the building is called sheathing.  In this case is it Zip sheathing with an integrated air barrier.

I know I am being more annoying but the sheathing does have a gypsum board core (thus "drywall") is not totally inaccurate. The integrated air barrier works great too as long as the joints and penetrations are properly sealed.

Yes, don't confuse this sheathing product with the old green board used for a long time, and still occasionally, as a tile backer in bathrooms, etc. The paper facing was treated to resist moisture but is really not as effective as cement board or glass mat-faced gypsum board for that purpose.

There, was that annoying enough. 🙂 Back on topic, these building does blend in with the surroundings such as they are currently. I do hope the windows facing the viaduct keep out some of the traffic noise. Hopefully, traffic is light overnight when people are probably trying to sleep.

I just had a thought problematic though it may be: If a driver runs a red light then parks his or her car and turns the engine off the car will not restart for 24 hours. That should teach them a lesson.

Not really related but some enthusiasts will be aware that a certain alloy wheel available on certain Porsche 911s are termed "Fuchs wheels" and pronounced "fox" by Porsche aficionados. Yet, Mr. Fuchs works for the ABC affiliate. 🙂

Ooooh! Look at the image - monorails and VTOL aircraft [sarcasm in case it wasn't obvious]. Did we get in a time machine and go back to 1955?

Here is a quote from the architect (not necessarily regarding this project):

I'm not sure who the 'they' is other than another form of the pronoun 'them.' I attended one of his presentations/lectures a few years ago. He is definitely a 'blue sky' guy.

2 minutes ago, Subdude said:

Looks like very preliminary renderings.

Really just a massing model.

5 hours ago, Tumbleweed_Tx said:

Houston is a business town, not a flashy tourist trap town.

One can always go to Times Square in New York, The Ginza in Tokyo, or the Myeongdong (the name means bright cave) in Seoul for a "flashy fix."

The flashiest thing this city had for a while was that Enron E.

Don't forget the giant Gulf sign from years past but I would have traded that for Dallas' Pegasus any day of the week and twice on Sunday. 😀 

There must not be too many moves-up from Houston but LA and New York definitely qualify. If Mr. Yanez and Conflenti have a rapport similar to that of the late Ron Stone and Doug Johnson it will surely be missed by the viewers. Stone and Johnson were great.

19 hours ago, samagon said:

pardon me, but I've always heard that the stars at night are very big and bright, so we shouldn't need to extinguish lights on downtown buildings.

Well, the stars would be bigger and brighter if more thought was given to how buildings in particular, and landscape in general, is lit at night and were not washed out by poorly designed lighting. Downtown is urban by definition and is (or one would hope should be) active after dark.

Scarface asks a legitimate question: Why is the night-time skyline bland? IMO, for the longest time downtown was a place almost everybody left between 5:00 and 6:00 pm. No one really cared what it looked like at 11:00 pm. That has changed.

Without becoming lighting Nazis the city could create some lighting guidelines for downtown. There are requirements for the amount of light that must illuminate sidewalks (probably not always followed) for example. There could be rules for lighting the exterior of buildings without spilling it into the night sky or adjacent neighborhoods where it is not desirable.

But the real solution is for building owners to demand that the designers of their buildings make the effort to use exterior lighting in an effective and environmentally sensitive way to enhance their designs. We certainly expect our buildings to be attractive in the daylight, why not a night too. The technology exists to achieve this. It just takes a willingness on the part of an owner and the design team to make it happen. Frankly, I'm a bit surprised it hasn't happened yet to a greater extent.

Also, I'll go on the record stating that outlining the skyline in neon or cold cathode lighting (old school and painfully out-of-date) or even with modern LEDs is not the answer. Think, highlighting the notable architectural features of a building like the tempietto on top of the Niels Esperson building or the ziggurat on top of Heritage Plaza if the latter was actually attractive. 🤢

So we can see the stars in the sky and preserve habitats for nocturnal creatures Dark Sky Initiative – A bright solution to light pollution not to mention saving energy, except it's not really working. ☹️

Way back when my mother worked at the then Hermann Professional Building one could travel from downtown to the medical center along Fannin and make all the lights if 19 mph +/- was maintained. It seems slow but it was no slower than stopping and starting every few blocks and preferable to stirring the gearbox. Automatic transmissions were available then but optional on almost every vehicle except maybe Cadillacs and the like. Mother had a Nash Rambler with a recalcitrant 3-speed manual so she was more than happy to maintain the slower speed and avoid all the shifting. Of course, there will always be some jackass who stomps the throttle at every green light and crams on the brakes two blocks later (again and again) not to mention the jerks who simply run red lights. There should be a special place in Hell for them because they will probably get there eventually.

On 8/14/2021 at 5:10 PM, hindesky said:

I'm sure some wag will say it looks like the building is sticking its tongue out at the city. But you won't hear that from me. 🙂

17 hours ago, Tumbleweed_Tx said:

it's not as bad as this, but it's comparable. This is the Dresden Museum Of Military History.

It looks like a giant shard of glass was dropped into the building from high above.

It's more likely TMC will take over Alvin Community College. 😃 Seriously, I believe there is still room for TMC to grow south as mentioned earlier.

9 hours ago, Fortune said:

No. It will expand South and South East like it currently is.

This is true but TMC and Rice have worked together with the Bioscience Research Collaborative. It is on the southwest corner of the intersection of Main Street and University Boulevard. Yes, Rice does own the land.

13 hours ago, hindesky said:

That's a pretty good likeness of the 36th president. Johnson did play a major role in bring in the Manned Spacecraft Center to Houston (Clear Lake) but it began before he became vice president (while still in the Senate) and don't forget the assistance from Congressman Albert Thomas and house speaker Sam Rayburn. By the way, Johnson did not live all that long ago. I saw him speak at Sam Houston High School in November of 1964*. He was making a campaign speech for Ralph Yarborough, probably one of the most liberal members of congress ever elected from Texas.

*Just so you don't think I am ready for the boneyard, I was not old enough to go to elementary school in 1964 but the and crowd made an impression on me.

42 minutes ago, samagon said:

considering that's my go-to for 31 flavors of ice cream, it would be a tragedy.

my only solace would be the ability to watch River Oaks erupt in a hail of fury and malice the likes of which even Ashby has never seen.

Not to mention State of Grace is a pretty good restaurant. At least, I enjoy it.

10 minutes ago, Nate99 said:

Montrose and Bridge City are like craft cocktails and Natural Light. 

Or Texas Pride. I mean no aspersions to my relatives in that area. They are fine, hard-working, fun-loving, and generous people. The Cajun culture is one of camaraderie and celebration of life with conversation, music, and food. Oh, the food!

Bridge City is an interesting name since it is also the name of an industrial town near Port Arthur in Orange County, Texas. It's original name sake bridge is a somewhat awesome construction and the newer one is also.

Obviously this is an old thread but for anyone currently considering a move almost anywhere in Texas I had a really good experience this past June with Square Cow Movers.