Favorite Houston Buildings And Places

[Deut28Thirteen]

That being said, I don't think the Williams Tower is much of a Houston icon, despite being a nice skyscraper and all. I mean, I'm an outsider and I had never heard of it before I moved here. Yet I know all about the Sears Tower and the Golden Gate Bridge and I've never been to Chicago or San Francisco.

Unfortunately, I didn't know much of anything about Houston before I read about it in Wikipedia (just before I decided to apply to Rice), besides the fact that the Katrina evacuees live here. I have to say, I was more impressed with Houston from what I learned on Wikipedia than I expected to be. Houston seriously needs to have a better world image, and I think a landmark icon would be a great start, it's just that I have no idea what it could be.

Your right its not that well know out side of Texas I think its only because they have not been here to see the light from diffrent parts of Houston if they were they will know its coming from Williams Tower. When I was kid playng outside at night I always saw the light and I knew it was coming from their. I think your right we need something that will improve our image, I dont know where it would be either. What did you think about Houston before Wikipedia?

[sevfiv]

houston icons - hmm - harder than i thought

most definitely the Astrodome, but reliant stadium shat all over it

i have never been a fan of the Transco Tower, but most love it

maybe pennzoil place? it's got the oil thing going on

[marc]

I agree, the inside is awesome! Cool and calming, yet stunning and inspiring...

The museum address is: 1515 Sul Ross

which is located within Alabama, Richmond, Montrose, and Shepherd.

Here is a link to the site:

http://www.menil.org/

Cool. I will check it out in a couple of months.

Thanks.

[marc]

Good thoughts all. Reading all of these, i wonder if it is maybe time for a new landmark.

With the exception of NASA and the Astrodome, i tend to agree. Outside of Houston, maybe TX and definately stretching it to say the US, many of our beloved Houston icons are just not known world-wide.

I know this is stating the obvious, but here is what i mean....bare with me.

NY- Empire St. Building, Statue of Liberty

Chicago- Sears Tower, John Hancock Tower

LA- Hollywood Sign, Rodeo Drive, Disneyland

Dallas- Reunion Tower (the thing with the ball on top)

San Fran- The Golden Gate Bridge

Toronto- The Tower

London- Big Ben (new one, Swiss Re Tower)

Paris- Eiffel Tower

Moscow- St. Basil's Cathedral, The Kremlin

Rome- St. Peter's; Colliseum

Sydney- Opera House

Get my drift?? I think many people worldwide would see these ICONS and immediately think of the city that houses them.

OR give them the name of the city, and they would immediately think of the icons. Make sense?

To me, either Houston needs to market herself better OR build a new icon.

Keep the ideas coming!!

[Highway6]

Dallas- Reunion Tower (the thing with the ball on top)

Yeah.. don't agree with this. Nobody outside Texas is going to know about or care about Reunion Tower.

And the fact that you had to describe which building you were referring to just proves its not worthy of being a city icon.

[marc]

Yeah.. don't agree with this. Nobody outside Texas is going to know about or care about Reunion Tower.

And the fact that you had to describe which building you were referring to just proves its not worthy of being a city icon.

ummmm, yeah. Let's not turn this into a bash Dallas forum. If you look at my prior posts, i don't really get into all of that ridiculousness. You get my point, Highway6. No need to split hairs.

Keeping in mind, that people in Japan and Europe still watch old "Dallas" reruns, i guarantee you they recognize the city more often than they recognize Houston (unfortunately, which is why i started this thread in the first place)

I work for 3-4 months out of the year at a political institute (which incorporates all nationalities) in Europe (Sometimes in London, sometimes in Paris) and when the show begins in the conference room (it runs during the lunch hour) not only do my colleagues hum along with the theme song, they also yell, "DALLAS!" when the skyline appears. I have had some of them visit me here in the States, and when i brought them to TX, they wanted to know; where is that building with the ball on top? Of course, i had to swallow my Houston pride, grimaced, and said, sort of under my breath, uhhh, we're in Houston. That's in Dallas. To which they would reply......then let's go!

So, alas, i was speaking from my own experience. Sorry to hit a Dallas nerve.

m.

[Highway6]

ummmm, yeah. Let's not turn this into a bash Dallas forum. If you look at my prior posts, i don't really get into all of that ridiculousness. You get my point, Highway6. No need to split hairs.

Pretty frickan presumptuous of you...There was no Dallas bashing in my response... I was bashing inclusion of Reunion Tower on your famous icon list.

I would just equate how Dallasites see Reunion Tower probably to how Houstonians see Williams Tower.. maybe a little more well known but not by much...... but I just can't see you asking someone in SanFran, NewYork or any of those other cities you mentioned what they think the icon building or structure of Dallas is and getting Reunion Tower as an answer... i imagine the majority wouldnt have an answer.

It shouldnt be on a list of iconic images on par with Sears Tower, Empire State Building, Golden Gate etc.... thats all I'm saying.

I don't remember the TV show too well, so someone else tell me how often the skyline with Reunion Tower was included...

Anyways... I was not bashing Dallas at all. We can let others chime in if they think Reunion Tower belongs on your City Icons list.

[Jax]

Coming from Canada I didn't know of the Dallas ball tower (or whatever) or the Williams tower before coming here. Yet all of you guys probably know the CN tower. So you definitely need something more than just a big tower to be able to call it a landmark or an icon. Or maybe if you make it big enough that's all it takes (the CN tower is huge!).

Montreal has a more subtle icon than Toronto, which I think is the mountain in the center of the city with the big lit up cross on top. I wonder what else could be a Montreal icon? The funky olympic stadium (it has a sort of tower). What do you guys think is a Montreal icon, just out of curiosity? Or Vancouver for that matter... sorry if I'm getting off topic, but maybe by exploring what makes an icon an icon, we could come up with some good ideas for Houston.

By the way, yes - I think Dallas is more well known internationally just because of that stupid TV show.

[Vertigo58]

Good thoughts all. Reading all of these, i wonder if it is maybe time for a new landmark.

With the exception of NASA and the Astrodome, i tend to agree. Outside of Houston, maybe TX and definately stretching it to say the US, many of our beloved Houston icons are just not known world-wide.

I know this is stating the obvious, but here is what i mean....bare with me.

NY- Empire St. Building, Statue of Liberty

Chicago- Sears Tower, John Hancock Tower

LA- Hollywood Sign, Rodeo Drive, Disneyland

Dallas- Reunion Tower (the thing with the ball on top)

San Fran- The Golden Gate Bridge

Toronto- The Tower

London- Big Ben (new one, Swiss Re Tower)

Paris- Eiffel Tower

Moscow- St. Basil's Cathedral, The Kremlin

Rome- St. Peter's; Colliseum

Sydney- Opera House

Get my drift?? I think many people worldwide would see these ICONS and immediately think of the city that houses them.

OR give them the name of the city, and they would immediately think of the icons. Make sense?

To me, either Houston needs to market herself better OR build a new icon.

Keep the ideas coming!!

I say this was a perfect synopsis of the point your trying to get across. Everyone should ask people from other countries (there are Intn'l forums out there you know) and they pretty much say the same.

Houston - Cowboys, Texas twang, windmills, cows, Lonestar beer, everyone listens to KIKK & drives pickups, chew skoal, etc.

Its been pretty much stereotyped in itself.

There have been numerous topics about how the city image needs major overhaul.

As far as an Icon, speechless. prego!

[marc]

Pretty frickan presumptuous of you...There was no Dallas bashing in my response... I was bashing inclusion of Reunion Tower on your famous icon list.

I would just equate how Dallasites see Reunion Tower probably to how Houstonians see Williams Tower.. maybe a little more well known but not by much...... but I just can't see you asking someone in SanFran, NewYork or any of those other cities you mentioned what they think the icon building or structure of Dallas is and getting Reunion Tower as an answer... i imagine the majority wouldnt have an answer.

It shouldnt be on a list of iconic images on par with Sears Tower, Empire State Building, Golden Gate etc.... thats all I'm saying.

I don't remember the TV show too well, so someone else tell me how often the skyline with Reunion Tower was included...

Anyways... I was not bashing Dallas at all. We can let others chime in if they think Reunion Tower belongs on your City Icons list.

Hey, they also get into "Babewatch" with the Hoff.........so, i don't really give them TOO much credit. I suppose it may go back to what some of you have said, "Houston's skyline may be its ICON". Certainly, several buildings or monuments uncluded in a skyline contribute to its familiarity.

Like, i didn't know about the mountain with a cross in the middle of Montreal. BUT, i do know about the CN Tower because it is so frigging big and is always being compared to modern skyscrapers on forums like Skyscrapercity and Skyscraperpage.

Which of course, brings us back to square one. Does Houston have an ICON which is recognized outside of the immediate region? If yes, how is it or could it be marketed (i do really like the Williams Tower ideas)? If not, what would be a good ICON to build which would reflect Houston's character?

Highway6, my apologies. It just seemed like out of all of those, you singled out the Reunion Tower. Don't get me wrong, i certainly don't put it in the category of say, Big Ben or the Eiffel Tower etc. i was just talking about familiarity when looking at the ICON and associating it with a certain city.

*** Just an addition; like Rio has the Sugar Loaf Mountain with the huge statue of Christ. SO, i suppose, as said before, ICONs do not have to be just towers or skyscrapers.

m.

[musicman]

Coming from Canada I didn't know of the Dallas ball tower (or whatever) or the Williams tower before coming here. Yet all of you guys probably know the CN tower. So you definitely need something more than just a big tower to be able to call it a landmark or an icon. Or maybe if you make it big enough that's all it takes (the CN tower is huge!).

CN tower? now that i look at a pic, i've seen it but didn't know the name nor what city it was in.

[musicman]

I say this was a perfect synopsis of the point your trying to get across. Everyone should ask people from other countries (there are Intn'l forums out there you know) and they pretty much say the same.

Houston - Cowboys, Texas twang, windmills, cows, Lonestar beer, everyone listens to KIKK & drives pickups, chew skoal, etc.

where do you go vert? i think these stereotypes are mostly US ones not international ones.

[marc]

^^^^ Having been out of Houston for awhile ( i mean only coming to visit once or twice a year), i noticed over the past few years that certain buildings, strip centers, malls, freeways etc. are including the Lone Star on their facades.

I wonder if the Lone Star as an ICON for TX is more nationally or globally known than it is for Houston.

I also noticed that Austin has started putting those on their facades as well. Is this going to be a TX thing??

Does anyone know about other cities: Dallas? San Antonio? El Paso? etc.?

Also, is the Rodeo celebrated every year only a Houston thing? or do other cities in TX have this? Not really being into the Rodeo scene, i never knew. Could the Rodeo be an ICON?

m.

[TJones]

All the old oil derricks and pumps out in Baytown, because that is what made Houston what it is.

[KinkaidAlum]

Coming from Canada I didn't know of the Dallas ball tower (or whatever) or the Williams tower before coming here. Yet all of you guys probably know the CN tower. So you definitely need something more than just a big tower to be able to call it a landmark or an icon. Or maybe if you make it big enough that's all it takes (the CN tower is huge!).

Montreal has a more subtle icon than Toronto, which I think is the mountain in the center of the city with the big lit up cross on top. I wonder what else could be a Montreal icon? The funky olympic stadium (it has a sort of tower). What do you guys think is a Montreal icon, just out of curiosity? Or Vancouver for that matter... sorry if I'm getting off topic, but maybe by exploring what makes an icon an icon, we could come up with some good ideas for Houston.

Most residents of the U.S.A. could not only not tell you the name of the CN Tower or the city it resides in. For that matter, most probably couldn't even point to Canada on a map!

Canadian icons for me (or, what I think of when i think of these places)...

Vancouver- the natural setting and condo towers

Calgary- oil, the saddledome, and Stampede Days

Edmonton- cold

Toronto- BIG, Skydome, the lake

Montreal- Olympics, Expos, French, McGill

Quebec City- the wall

Regina, Saskatoon, and Winnipeg- cold prairie

Halifax- Hub of the Atlantic Region, lobster, funny accents

Niagara Falls- the nicer side of the border

[Subdude]

I don't think the Williams Tower is well-known enough to be considered a Houston icon. To me, more than anything it is the downtown skyline that defines Houston.

[Jax]

Montreal- Olympics, Expos, French, McGill

It's cool that you know McGill - it's my alma matter. You know a lot about Canada!

[KinkaidAlum]

I went to college outside of Rochester, NY so I spent quite a few weekends in Niagara Falls (19 drinking age and cheap hotel rooms in the winter) and as I got older, Toronto. I love Toronto. Really cool city.

I almost went to St. Lawrence which would have made weekends in Montreal a monthly event!

[nmainguy]

What could be an icon is this

standing up on Allen Parkway

commemerating this

instead of it just lying there in Webster rusting away.

[Highway6]

What could be an icon is this

standing up on Allen Parkway

instead of it just lying there in Webster rusting away.

How tall would it be... i havent been down there in a least a decade... how big is the Nasa rocket ?

That not a bad idea though.. giving it a make-over, then placing it somewhere much more prominent and central.

Better yet... lets just stick a retired Space Shuttle down at Elenor Tinsley Park... Doesnt the Galveston Flight Musuem have one...

EDIT: I was Wrong... STS Enterprise is at Dulles' National Air and Space Musuem..

Still ... the 3 remaining Shuttle are set to be retired in 2010.... I wonder how feasible is would be for NASA to have a sattelite tourist attraction with one of the shuttles somewhere very visible and accessible intown.

Though... they're not as tall as I expected.. only 150 ft.

[marc]

All the old oil derricks and pumps out in Baytown, because that is what made Houston what it is.

True, BUT then that becomes dated because of diversification to alternative fuel......and of course, The Houston Oilers are no more!

I don't think the Williams Tower is well-known enough to be considered a Houston icon. To me, more than anything it is the downtown skyline that defines Houston.

Williams Tower would make a good icon, but you have a point. It just doesn't seem to be marketed nationally or globally.

I do agree though, Houston has one of the most recognizable skylines in America. Maybe it really comes to that: Houston's skyline (i am assuming you mean coming from the West Side) IS its icon.

[marc]

Still ... the 3 remaining Shuttle are set to be retired in 2010.... I wonder how feasible is would be for NASA to have a sattelite tourist attraction with one of the shuttles somewhere very visible and accessible intown.

Though... they're not as tall as I expected.. only 150 ft.

Now THAT'S a good idea! I wonder if a group of people could get together and call the Houston Tourism Board and see how feasible it would be.

The Ronald Reagan Library was pretty popular; but now that it includes Air Force One as an attraction, it is ALWAYS packed.

That would be really cool if it would happen. SO, where would you put it? And then there is the matter of; would we want it standing upright for many to see from different directions OR would you place it horizontally so people could tour inside of it?

By the by, do you know why (with the Gulf of Mexico being so close) Cape Canaveral was chosen as the launching site, instead of somewhere closer to Houston, i.e. Mission Control?

m.

[Highway6]

By the by, do you know why (with the Gulf of Mexico being so close) Cape Canaveral was chosen as the launching site, instead of somewhere closer to Houston, i.e. Mission Control?

m.

I believe it mostly has to do with because of the earth's orbit, you wanna launch on the East Coast so in case it explodes on liftoff, it crashes over the ocean.... and same with the external boosters being jettisoned .. over water.

[marc]

^^^^ Makes sense. I didn't even think of that.

m.

[musicman]

I believe it mostly has to do with because of the earth's orbit, you wanna launch on the East Coast so in case it explodes on liftoff, it crashes over the ocean.... and same with the external boosters being jettisoned .. over water.

they use the Earth's rotation to help propel them, which means less propellant is needed (which means less weight)

[Saddleman]

The city could buy the transco tower, and then make the new cityhall. Then it would probably be the tallest cityhall in the country if not the world. I bet that would raise it's profile. Won't happen, but fun to think about.

[VelvetJ]

Now THAT'S a good idea! I wonder if a group of people could get together and call the Houston Tourism Board and see how feasible it would be.

The Ronald Reagan Library was pretty popular; but now that it includes Air Force One as an attraction, it is ALWAYS packed.

That would be really cool if it would happen. SO, where would you put it? And then there is the matter of; would we want it standing upright for many to see from different directions OR would you place it horizontally so people could tour inside of it?

By the by, do you know why (with the Gulf of Mexico being so close) Cape Canaveral was chosen as the launching site, instead of somewhere closer to Houston, i.e. Mission Control?

m.

I also think it is a good idea to have one of the Shuttles in Houston. IMO, Houston has never really taken advantage of it's relationship to America's Space program. The city just seem to have pat itself on the back and settled on NASA being located here and nothing else. I say scream it to the world! MAKE room for one of those shuttles on JFK Boulevard in and out of IAH Airport. Build one of those giant Sam Houstonesque type Monuments of a Astronaut in one of those Empty fields on the Gulf Freeway near the Nasa Parkway exit. Make Johnson Space center more exciting. That new $60 million ride that is about to open at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, should be opening at JSC here in Houston instead of the same traveling automated dinosaur exibit every other year. How about trying to lure one of those Star Wars or Star Trek conventions to "Space City" (40,000 people attended this last one two weeks ago in L.A.). How about name the next toll road after something space related? How about a giant mural of somthing NASA related on a wall in downtown someplace? How about trying to turn "Houston, We Have A Problem" to our advantage?

Despite what some here would say, there are many people who associate NASA and the American Space Program to Florida. We know the reason for that, however Houston is the heart of the whole thing and we should be proud.

Space flight is definitely a Houston icon and the city should shine the spotlight on it more.

[Jax]

That would be pretty awesome. I totally agree that they should exploit the fact that they have a space center here and park some space equipment (shuttle, rockets, whatever) in a highly viewable location instead of hidden away somewhere near Clear Lake, which is so far away from downtown that it's practically not in Houston anymore. I don't think the average person who visits Houston gets to see any real connection to the space program since NASA is so far away. I know I haven't, and I've lived here for over a year.

[nmainguy]

How tall would it be...

363'

[Subdude]

I thought launches were from Florida as a kind of political decision made back then to split the work, but it does make sense about letting the boosters fall into the ocean. The new spaceport is in New Mexico.

To me the space connection isn't all that engaging (although the Astros, Rockets and Comets might disagree). It seems to have somewhat of a dated feel to it, since the heyday of manned flight was back in the 1960s-1970s. That said, if we have it we should take advantage of it. It would be cool to have the shuttles around.

I still say the ultimate Houston icon would be a resurrected Bubba the neon cockroach.