The Great Hizzy!

I believe that there has been some level of "work" being done to that building, even before the recent transaction, just nothing of any major note (mostly removing recyclable scraps and that sort of stuff). But to actually--finall--be doing some legitimate interior breakdowns is very intriguing.

For the innerloopers. Just drive E TC Jester heading north from 11th street or south from 18th street and you'll see a baseball field in a detention basin.

I'm not an Inner-looper but I've seen the baseball field on several occasions. Would this be the same case for TC Jester Park outside the loop and just south of W. 43rd?

I think more to the point is that it is clear that asthetics is subjective and the more one group demands to be pleased in one fashion, another groups revolts against them.

It's kind of like politics.

The lanes are narrow, and speeding on a wet road that is an older asphalt is never a good idea.

They can't get rid of the Dunlavy turn lane, and they are only going to need it more once all of this gets built. I still haven't seen anywhere in the design that proposes any changes to the current set up, has something new come out maybe? They could always dig it and make it a double underpass to Dunlavy, with easy service road type access just continuing from the Waugh intersection. Someone needs to figure that out, otherwise it'll just end up less safe than now.

Has anyone see visible progress? It's been a couple weeks since I drove by but it looked like nothing but cleared spaces. Are they waiting on something?

I do agree that the lanes are a bit narrow but nothing as extreme as what's on Westheimer. And while they're repaving

Allen Parkway, they can do the same for Memorial.

It's best assets, geographically speaking, are that it's only a block away from the DT Transit Center rail station and that it's a reasonable walk to Midtown's more burgeoning area.

Regardless, it'll be nice to no longer see that big eyesore dominating the southern end of DT's skyline.

Well, there are four official bedrooms and then other rooms that could serve as a bedroom if the occupants so choose. There's also a guest quarters aside from the official bedrooms.

Still, 9 bathrooms are really something.

So essentially it can serve as a park, although it would be off limits to people.

The problem you run into is how much of it is speculative? A lot of the new condos that went up in Miami between 2004 and 2007 were bought by foreigners who were merely speculating. They drove the market price up until they priced longterm buyers out, causing the market to burst. Now you have fancy new highrises that are only a 1/3 filled (or even less).

I realize that Houston's high-rise construction isn't that extreme but still...

rsb320 owns himself!

LOL!

j/k

I actually didn't realize the relationship between the two terms either--at least, as far as construction goes.

I like the design and the fact that it appears to face the intersection of Alabama and Main. Also, given that it's only a block or south of the HCC / Ensemble station, there's a chance to bring a bit more pedestrian life to that area of Midtown.

...is expected to open in October 2008. This after initially skepticism about it ever coming to fruition, mainly because, apparently, Houston has a history of not building anything. It will include a variety of retail, though apparently not enough to be successful because of several reasons:

a.) No residential component included in the final design

b.) Not enough of the storefronts face the street

c.) There aren't enough total floors

d.) The commercial office space isn't leased up four months prior to its scheduled opening.

e.) Downtown has too many restaurants already (unless you're a sportswriter from another state, then apparently it doesn't have any)

f.) It won't include <your favorite store inserted here> as part of the retail lineup

They have quite a few projects worldwide that they're working on. And, yes, they still do have the first rendering of the 60-story tower up.

Praise the lord!

Gee, seems the only thing this building is missing a large block letter 'S' surrounded by a shield placed smack dab in the middle of the building's facade.

That and a cape. Can't forget the cape.

I'm trying to think of the potential clientelle of a hotel at that location. You have the Crown a few blocks to the west on Smith but that's it for the immediate vicinity. OTOH, there's not that much of an attractor in the immediate area--or at least not compared to other areas of DT.

LOL @ Hobby Lobby.

http://www.discoverytowerhouston.com/image...ry/Render_5.jpg

Here's an outstanding shot. With the garage, you get two blocks knocked off with one project. Combine that with Disco G and OOP and that's a lot of real estate transformed in what used to be a dormant part of downtown.

Now I look for someone to come along to rehab the old Days Inn on the south end to help spur redevelopment own there. Once upon a time, that looked like it might have been an Ed Wulfe special but alas...

So the last known rendering for the rumored Ritz (found in Swamplot, I believe five or six months ago) was included in this updated image for Blvd Place? That definitely is a good omen, in my mind.

Didn't one of the parcels in that building once house a job opportunity center/rehabilitation center of some kind?

Construction should start at some point in the third quarter (July/Aug/Sept). It'll be a six- to eight-story midrise, the ground floor will likely have retail space or artists' studios.

Do you have any idea of the number of residential units and/or the amount of square footage dedicated to ground floor retail? I'm going to assume that it won't stray too far from the original design, if this does come to fruition.

It certainly seems to be the most ambitious. Sort of like Hardy Yard, except a bit further out and without the need for hazardous site abatement and that sort of thing.

This project will never get off the ground!

It will be nothing but a parking lot and it will look nothing like the renderings and will be a total architectural disappointment.

Did I miss anything?

Well, played, sir.

I agree with Subdude, however. There comes a point when mixed-use needs to be very community specific. When the retailers don't match the residents' demographics (or at least reaches a point where much of it doesn't match the demographics) then you begin to lose some of the project's original focus. Will it truly be an urban neighborhood if a greater mix of the clientelle ends up driving in from elsewhere?

And so on.

So far, it seems West Ave, in this respect, seems to be off to a good start. Then again, it's slated to be a smaller project overall.

That does look very large in scope. In fact, more ambituous than what the site plans convey. I wonder how long build out will take once they actually do start construction? It seems that West Ave is taking in the area of about 18-months or so.

Misty fans... maybe not a bad idea. They've already got water-spraying gizmos and whatnot. Then again, we also have to consider this first year's run as trial & error. Hopefully, the city will build off of what's been a big success so far and not drop the ball down the line.