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Market Square Park At 301 Milam St.

TheNiche

By TheNiche
in Downtown

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Market Square  

69 members have voted

  1. 1. Do you think Market Square is attractive in its current state?

    • Yes
      27
    • No
      38
    • Don't Know
      5

  2. 2. Do you think that it could reasonably be improved upon?

    • Yes
      65
    • No
      3
    • Don't Know
      2

  3. 3. If you responded 'Yes' to question #2, how would you improve it?

    • Add more trees/shrubs
      32
    • Add more benches
      30
    • Add picnic tables
      19
    • Allow a few concession stands
      36
    • Add a small restaurant with window orders (similar to Champ Burger or Someburger)
      31
    • Add a playground
      11
    • Add a dog trot
      13
    • Add a pond
      13
    • Add one or multiple small fountains
      21
    • Add one central large fountain
      30
    • Other, please explain
      11

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infinite_jim

infinite_jim

Posted
Posted

Another suggestion. Discovery Green and Market Square Park have both been updated with great success. What downtown public space should be next?

Downtown:

Tranquility Park - is a bit stale in design, could sell off half the parcel to a developer with planning restrictions

The park by Antioch Church, including the Smith Fountain - I'd suggest another public/private project, a lot of people walking around at lunch despite the weather.

Quebedeaux Park - most people don't even know this is a park, that's a problem IMO

Midtown:

Midtown Park - should be sold to developer with planning restrictions

Glover Park - anything would help this vacant lot at this point

Peggy Park - the triangulated portion of the park along Alameda could use a redesign.

Midtown Superblock - sell the land to a developer with restrictions, use money to develop linear park over future demo of Pierce Elevated :lol:

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brian0123

brian0123

Posted
Posted

Midtown Park - should be sold to developer with planning restrictions

Part of the Bagby street reconstruction will enhance this along w/ other enhancements later. I saw a rendering w/ a small kiosk/coffee type place on the corner facing Cyclone Anaya's w/ outdoor seating.

Glover Park - anything would help this vacant lot at this point

Being redeveloped by Midtown. Last I heard plans are at the city for approval, and they are targeting full approval end of second quarter. Will have a dog park w/ a plaza.

Peggy Park - the triangulated portion of the park along Alameda could use a redesign.

Outside of Midtown's borders, not sure what plans are for it.

Midtown Superblock - sell the land to a developer with restrictions, use money to develop linear park over future demo of Pierce Elevated :lol:

Camden owns half already, Midtown the other (for future park).

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Houston19514

Houston19514

Posted
Posted

I think Tranquility is likely to stay much the same. I'm sure that the people running City Hall and the federal detention center across the street like the enhanced visibility a park provides.

There is no federal detention center across the street from Tranquility Park. I presume you are referring to the Federal Court House.

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infinite_jim

infinite_jim

Posted
Posted (edited)

Since I work in western downtown, it was never a lunch option for me, but in the evening it was typical for me and my wife to spend around $50-70 for the two of us. We only went twice in the year it was open. Never been to Azuma either thou..

Another park I was thinking was a slice of sadness is Peggy's Point Plaza. I have no immediate ideas what to do for that one..

All the other parks not previously mentioned are quite nice:

Sesquicentennial Park/Buffalo Bayou Park

Brown Park (aka Discovery Green)

Root Memorial Square

Market Square

Hermann Square

Main Street Square

Sisters of Charity

The private mini 1/4 block park at the Houston Club bldg(soon to be gone)

My thought with Tranquility park is that it becomes a redundant park in probably the only part of town with too many parks, too closely located to one another, and without having an design relationship to the other parks or connectivity. It's really a glorified parking garage; cloistered, oblique, and it's aloofness comes off as selfishness. The land value and improvement alone is worth selling it off to a private developer with restrictions.

I really get that it's a park for Houston's space legacy, but I think that that vision was lost in the design execution at the time of it's construction and now by time's patina. Hard to believe this was the most public place folks can legally protest stuff at in Houston.

I wouldn't mind if the city wanted to sell/demo 411 Walker either :P j/k

Edited by infinite_jim
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rsb320

rsb320

Posted
Posted

My thought with Tranquility park is that it becomes a redundant park in probably the only part of town with too many parks, too closely located to one another, and without having an design relationship to the other parks or connectivity. It's really a glorified parking garage; cloistered, oblique, and it's aloofness comes off as selfishness. The land value and improvement alone is worth selling it off to a private developer with restrictions.

"Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed." Yeah, let's just sell it, since it has no meaning to this city. :unsure:

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Houston19514

Houston19514

Posted
Posted (edited)

I love Tranquility Park. It could use a few revisions to make it more accessible/used. Like take down the walls blocking it from the street view. Put in some table and chairs maybe, so people could sit down for lunch?

I especially love the fact that it IS a parking garage and that fountains incoroporate the vent stacks providing ventilation to the parking garage.

Edited by Houston19514
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infinite_jim

infinite_jim

Posted
Posted (edited)

"Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed." Yeah, let's just sell it, since it has no meaning to this city. :unsure:

READ IT AGAIN

My thought with Tranquility park is that it becomes a redundant park in probably the only part of town with too many parks, too closely located to one another, and without having an design relationship to the other parks or connectivity. It's really a glorified parking garage; cloistered, oblique, and it's aloofness comes off as selfishness. The land value and improvement alone is worth selling it off to a private developer with restrictions.

I think Tranquility is likely to stay much the same. I'm sure that the people running City Hall and the federal detention center across the street like the enhanced visibility a park provides.

Yes, only the people running city hall get to decide. Edited by infinite_jim
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infinite_jim

infinite_jim

Posted
Posted (edited)

^What's to stop you from using Hermann Square, Sesquicentennial, Buffalo Bayou, Tinsely, Heritage, the Public Library Plaza, Antioch Park, the Fountain Park in front of the Crown Plaza, Market Square, Allen's Landing, Main Street Square, Quebedeaux, "Jury Assembly" park, James Bute, Root Memorial, Brown park, etc etc etc. ???

That's just in downtown, why not meet up in Montrose/Rice Military/Heights/East End/Midtown/Museum/3rd ward/Freedmen's town/Neartown/Near Northside/etc etc etc? I'm jus sayin' there's parks in those nabs too (although much more spread out and sucky).

Seriously, how many parks are just a waste of space in exactly the right place for nobody to ever use them? Does anybody not see the ridiculous redundancy! It's like the tunnel system's choice of eateries except as parks. Hey here's an idea, let's sell a park to get "a better positioned in the urban/social fabric" park (WATERWALL anybody?).

Edited by infinite_jim
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kylejack

kylejack

Posted
Posted

Well, I guess you and I just have different opinions about the appearance of Tranquility. I like the water features and the bridges over them. I love the walls around part of the perimeter. I love that it's visible from across the street at the Hobby Center. I love the continuous park space it creates with Hermann Square (Great for festivals, such as the Bayou City Art Festival). I love that a scene from Reality Bites was filmed there.

Nothing stops me from using those other parks, and when they are appropriate for my purpose, I do. I do agree, though, that it's time to get rid of the Spirit of the Confederacy statue in Sam Houston Park.

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fatesdisastr

fatesdisastr

Posted
Posted

http://blog.chron.com/primeproperty/2012/07/popular-restaurant-to-give-downtown-a-go/

The restaurant is taking the old Convey sushi space at the northeast corner of Milam and Congress for what will be its fifth location. The cafe is tentatively scheduled to open in August, said owner Jeff Gale.

I do love Barnaby's. Good addition to this area of downtown.

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arrodiii

arrodiii

Posted
Posted

Was that an El Tiempo? I remeber Grass Hopper and I remember the tex-mex place that was were Jefe was, but I could have sworn it was more of a night-club/bar thing more than anything else since I remember girls dancing on the tables and never eating there....

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