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arche_757

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Everything posted by arche_757

  1. arche_757
    But in 40 or so years this building will be as outdated as the one they're currently "gussying up" Don't doubt it. Its possible. And if the re-use is aimed at moving towards hotel or residential then its certainly a possibility. And... you really aren't sharing my optimism. And... you aren't really looking far enough into the future. The same people who glazzed/re-clad over some of the current crop of historic buildings (at that time they were not historic) are the type of people who push for buildings like 800 Bell and the Allen Center to be changed. Some preservationist in the future will bemoan those changes and push for a return to the original look. History repeats itself.
  2. arche_757
    Unlike a demolition this building will be saved and re-used. Perhaps in 20 or 40 years some other developer will wish to return it to its 1960s glory? That is possible, even after such a large renovation, but it would take quite an effort and some significant rebuilding.
  3. arche_757
    Well... Houston is the fastest growing major city in America thanks in part to the oil/energy boom happening all over the place due to the various shale oil finds. Houston is the center for almost all of those companies and as such its a place with a large amount of needed jobs. Besides that, the local economy wasn't as damaged by the recession and we've been attracting out of state workers by the truck-load. We're actually just starting to see the signs of large scale growth.
  4. arche_757
    OMG! I can't believe we're finally getting a Betty's Bakery!!! Wooo-Hooo! Seriously though, this thing is making near record time...makes one wonder why it takes so much longer for the other buildings around town?
  5. arche_757
    Back to the subject on hand... What is the status of this project? Still a go? Or has Hines jumped too far in front of this one too?
  6. arche_757
    Thanks for clearing that up. Any park space is good. I'm pleased Camden isn't just building oper everything.
  7. arche_757
    The upper portion looks dated. Like 1000 Main. Oh well. Not everything is a masterpiece. I am interested to see how they address the tunnel connections - that could be potentially big.
  8. arche_757
    I guess I'm just too dumb to understand what's going on here? So... "Super Block Park" is a no-go. We're getting another 7 floor wood framed over parking apartment tower with rents of 1,500+ for a studio apartment with maybe some ground floor stuff? And we're getting a small park space along Anita? I guess that's good at least?
  9. arche_757
    Is it a mid-rise? I was thinking this one qualifies as a high-rise due to the total building height? I do think this is an interesting building. But then Gensler designed it and its a bit like 2000 Avenue of the Stars in LA.
  10. arche_757
    ^I'm saying if Stewart/Sewal (whom ever) decides to move or build something new... Then I would like to see that building repurposed/renovated into something interesting.
  11. arche_757

    Ah, fall... when we assume our sneezing is due to the change in weather and not due to the proliferation of dust mites inside our homes!

  12. arche_757
    ^The perhaps you should use that as an excuse to start the weekend a little early. And boy, the folks who own a condo on the northern side of the finished Randall Davis place (can't think of the name right now) are going to really get a great view of just what BHP Billiton folks desks look like when they aren't working! Sucks for them.
  13. arche_757
    Didn't know there was such a thing in town. Makes perfect sense. When walking around campus at UH I used to love the smell from the coffee plant just upwind during the colder months of the year. Good stuff.
  14. arche_757
    I've always liked that old building. Warehouses/industrial spaces just ain't made the way they used to be these days, and Sewell Cadillac has a pretty nice little building. I do think that they will need to maximize their space like the Audi dealership at 59 at some point in the future. Probably sooner than later? I'd love to see that existing building re-puposed for something mixed-use. If that park ever happens it would be really nice offices overlooking the northern edge (but I'm not clear if that park is a go - or if developers are going to build apartments atop that land?)? Someone else can perhaps fill us in on that?
  15. arche_757
    ^Unfortunately. They'll spend the same amount of money on new buildings elsewhere... I think the biggest problem with the Dome is the location - right in the middle of the Reliant Park complex. If it had better street access and/or the Reliant Park users (aka Rodeo Houston) weren't such er..jerks... then the Dome may have had a chance. Oh well.
  16. arche_757
    ^Most likely we will. I think the Houston Super Bowl was quite sucessful and a reasonable money maker for the NFL, the additions of the new Marriot Marquis de Sade is huge. With the space downtown dedicated to the NFL and NFL Experience along with media it makes things very easy for them. Besides Houston has money connections with probably just about all of the owners. MMP though I don't see changing for many years. I think we'd get an extensive modernization and renovation before the need arrose to replace that structure.
  17. arche_757
    Minute Maid Park is a grand place to watch a ball game... and will age well I believe (it is almost 15). Reliant, while larger and more modern at the time already seems dated and old to me. I think it will continue to age poorly and will be outdated in a decade or so. I mean what else can be done to "update" it? Those adverti....er... "Video" boards aren't really anything impressive. If this board is still around we'll be debating not what to do with Reliant but how much a new stadium should cost and how many seats it needs. Reliant will meet the wrecking ball with far less fanfair than the Dome. ***And guess where the new stadium will go? That's right. Where the current Astrodome is. I'll bet there is a long...long range plan that has this figured out somewhere in the filing system of the Harris County Sports Authority (which ought to be shut down since there is no other reason for it to exist any longer).***
  18. arche_757
    I think the greater concern is the material used for construction. If they are really going to use wooden members for structural support then that is a concern. Obviously we're talking about a fully sprinklered building. I still don't like that. I'm all for smaller scale buildings in this part of downtown. Anything to fill in the sea of empty lots. Parking is going to start being more of a premium than it was now.
  19. arche_757
    Ah, I'm not talking about sporting structures... I ws talking about far more important domed buildings. Never mind. You guys go ahead and tear down whatever floats your boat - its the Houston way. Sad really. Funny though, the Dome is a sort of ageless shape and form. Reliant will look bad in 20 more years - to me it already looks rather ungainly and mashed together. It is if anything far from being a beauty. It is certainly lacking in historical importance.
  20. arche_757
    And those buildings are still standing... And considered world wide architectural marvels. Perhaps they were not as grand as the buildings that came after them (in the minds of the generations that lived while they were still young buildings) but we flock to them today and marvel at their ingenuity - even if it is rudimentary by today's standards.
  21. arche_757
    There are ways to make just about anything economically viable... that said Foley's was empty. Not in use. There is no need to make sure it remained open during construction. Again, just playing devils advocate. It can be done - but won't be. So no need to further concern our selves about it.
  22. arche_757
    I think with Macy's it is more about re-using the building without a huge change to what it is. With the Astrodome it is about re-using the building for something much more than it is. At least that is my opinion. I want to see the Dome saved and re-used to help people and not necessarily as a convention center... As with re-using anything old change is certain, but not all change is bad. There is certainly plenty of bad change that can happen. Macy's/Foley's could have been re-used as retail with a tower above. It would not have required a drastic alteration of the building on the exterior and would have given the architects a lot of space on the interior to do something with.
  23. arche_757
    You are correct... though it does depend on the state of the building. Something in utter disrepair is of course going to be much more costly than something that has been kept up through the years. Renovation can be cost effective if the space is equal to what you propose to do - again provided that the building is in good (reasonable) shape. The problem with renovation of anything "historic" is that you really must have competant architects, engineers and contractors. Hiring people who have zero knowledge of how to work within a historic structure really causes a lot of headache. With the right crew its possible to convert just about anything. To me Foley's was unique in that it afforded a huge chunk of square footage in central downtown that could have been reworked given that it was a working store just a couple years before. Like you said - and what I hinted at: At least the replacement we're getting is quality. Could have certainly been much worse.
  24. arche_757
    The growth in the Cruise business is due to the limited capacity at the Galveston Cruise basin. Believe me if Galveston had 1-2 more slips available the Bayport Terminal wouldn't get any business. The cruise industry really loves the 20 minutes from port to international waters where they can allow gambling from Galveston, versus the 1 hour to international waters from Bayport. I do think though that Bayport isn't quite as susceptible fog as Galveston? Boliver pass is still quite foggy, but I think less so than the port of Galveston.
  25. arche_757
    At the end of the day Foley's is gone (both as a company and the building). In its place is a 100 year building, so there is at least that. Thankful that what is getting built is better than a parking garage or just a vacant lot on Main Street. I'm also glad Hilcorp decided to build in Downtown rather than the suburbs. I'm not complaining, just playing devils advocate - so please don't take offense swtsig.
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