Hilton Garden Inn Galleria Area Hotel At 3201 Sage Rd.

[citykid09]

You're kidding about having more buildings under construction and recently built than Atlanta I hope.

Since 2000, Atlanta has seen 39 go under construction. 23 of those have been over 20 stories tall.

Additonally, not one of them is nearly as Fugly as the Mercer and there isn't a single new building in Houston currently under construction as nice as Atlanta's Symphony Center Tower. S.C.T. will stand 650 feet tall and it incorporates residential, a new symphony hall, and retail. I would DIE for Houston to have a project like that one!

Currently UC in Atlanta

41 Symphony Center

28 The Spire

26 Twelve

22 Two Buckhead Plaza Residences

20 Midtown Plaza North Tower

20 Midtown Plaza South Tower

15 The Reynolds

12 Building 21 at the Center For Disease Control (Druid Hills suburb)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Houston is still a head of Atlanta, but Houston better watch out and except all of the highrise development it is offerd. Even if a building is ugly now it can always be remodeled.

If Houston residents would stop being so stubborn and let developers build then there would be no problem. They need to remember they're the ones that voted for no zoning.

So do you guys think metro's like Atlanta will ever pass Houston in Skyscrapers/population? Dallas is all ready ahead of Houston in metro population.

[kzseattle]

Houston is still a head of Atlanta, but Houston better watch out and except all of the highrise development it is offerd. Even if a building is ugly now it can always be remodeled.

If Houston residents would stop being so stubborn and let developers build then there would be no problem. They need to remember they're the ones that voted for no zoning.

So do you guys think metro's like Atlanta will ever pass Houston in Skyscrapers/population? Dallas is all ready ahead of Houston in metro population.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Why residents of Houston keep voting for no zoning is beyond me since, at the same time, there is opposition to developers building commercial structures in residential areas (as is shown by the residents of West U).

Lack of zoning is to be blamed since if we had zoning, developers wouldn

[N Judah]

But for the Mercers mabe they could paint giant murals on the back sides of them.

or when they build the 2nd one design the back side like the front side, and just fix the other building.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Maybe if they ever built the second one, they could build it with its back right up against the back of the first one. That way, the two ugly buildings would look like one normal building.

[N Judah]

This tendency to compare ourselves with other cities just creates envy, competitiveness etc. If we are "behind" for our size that's ok. We can observe other projects and take what works and use those ideas for ourselves. I really feel great about the direction we're going, this stuff just takes time. Probably not having zoning spooks some developers but this proposed "back door zoning" that was mentioned in another post might help.

Just think back to say, 1992 or so and look around town now.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Do you think the new Urban Guidelines (or whatever) will include some kind of height requirement? I don't have a problem with developers making ugly things, just as long as they aren't visible from 10 miles away. If developers along the rail line were limited to ~8-10 stories, that would be reasonable.

I say, if this *whole* time developers were required to kowtow to the automobile (through the 25' setback rule, probably intended for parking lots) and never complained, they shouldn't complain when they're forced, through height restrictions, to kowtow to aesthetic needs.

[N Judah]

Please don

[kjb434]

I like that Target pic.

New Orleans has the same thing in downtown and the vieux carre (french quarter).

Wal-greens and Wal-Mart both have stores in the area. The city just required them to restore the exterior of the buildings to its existing beauty and tone down any signs. It's really cool to have the convience of modern stores with the architecture fitting the surroundings.

By the way, commercial property can just spring where ever it wants in Houston. Yes, Houston does have lack of zoning, but it does have a planning commision and fairly complex platting rules. Most if not all commercial development in the suburbs have been built on land that was platted to be commercial development when the suburban houses were built.

If an area does not want the commercial development to just spring up, then can bring it up with the planning commission. The commission will often strike comprimises with all the parties involved. This often happens in the heights, and the power that the heights poses to developers is that the community is organized.

[citykid09]

Here are a few going up in Houston:

Orion Towers

Redstone Tower

The Shamrock

Riva Place

Palisade Palms

The Monaco

Kirby Condos

And many more.

[houstonsemipro]

Citykid, when you heard the Riva place being built?

[kjb434]

some of those are on early drawing boards, Kirby Condos is extreme early in development and I though Pallisade Palms was scratched

[citykid09]

Palisade Palms is still going up here is the website:http://www.palisadepalms.com/ They all so had a replica in the Galleria.

Kirby Conods I could not find a website for, but as far as I know there still building it.

Riva place I read an article about a while back. It said if they do well in Houston they will build similar ones like it in other cities.

The Monaco has a website, but I don't know what is taking so long on this project???? Can anyone help?

[tw2ntyse7en]

...

[citykid09]

I am sure that once the Orion Towers are built they will look nice.

[Lowbrow]

I only care for the Kirby Condos out of those youve shown. (and I really really like it) But, I have nothing big against any of the others. It is really hard to get a real feel from these kinds of renderings.

The only info I've ever seen on the Kirby Condos is at the architects sight: http://www.zieglercooper.com/LIVING_featured%20projects.htm

[houstonsemipro]

Do orion have their website up?

[tw2ntyse7en]

...

[Guest danax]

I think my first impression rankings would be;

1) Riva Place. That jutting angle looks art-deco ish. The lines just look clean and cool.

2) Kirby Towers. Very 50s-60s looking.

3) Orion: A little over-the-top glitzy, kind of almost comic-book fantasy/futuristic with art-deco influences.

4) Palisades Palms. Hard to really know what they'll look like in black and white but I like the oriental look.

5) Shamrock. Just ok. Standard current style

6) The Monaco & Redstone. Even more standard/bland.

[citykid09]

I think my first impression rankings would be;

1) Riva Place. That jutting angle looks art-deco ish. The lines just look clean and cool.

2) Kirby Towers. Very 50s-60s looking.

3) Orion: A little over-the-top glitzy, kind of almost comic-book fantasy/futuristic with art-deco influences.

4) Palisades Palms. Hard to really know what they'll look like in black and white but I like the oriental look.

5) Shamrock. Just ok. Standard current style

6) The Monaco & Redstone. Even more standard/bland.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Of all of these do you think they will all get built?

I don't think any will get built except for one of the Orions, The Shamrock, and mabe one of the Palisade Palms.

Becuse developers always lie.

[kjb434]

The Monaco has a website, but I don't know what is taking so long on this project???? Can anyone help?

The monaco is moving foward. They restructed the floorplans avaible because there original price point was too high. You can check this out in a forum that discuss the Monaco

Bummer - The Monaco

[Subdude]

I think my first impression rankings would be;

1) Riva Place. That jutting angle looks art-deco ish. The lines just look clean and cool.

2) Kirby Towers. Very 50s-60s looking.

3) Orion: A little over-the-top glitzy, kind of almost comic-book fantasy/futuristic with art-deco influences.

4) Palisades Palms. Hard to really know what they'll look like in black and white but I like the oriental look.

5) Shamrock. Just ok. Standard current style

6) The Monaco & Redstone. Even more standard/bland.

I would probably agree with your comments.

Good catch on the Kirby Tower design. It was to be converted from the old Paige-Parks building on Kirby that dates from that era. The perforated brick around the garage and the relatively narrow proportions of the building give it away.

[gwilson]

I really want to see more stuff on the Orion (it does look a bit gaudy or even garish) and the Riva.

The Riva looks like something I'd expect to see on Las Vegas Blvd. honestly. Any info people have on that, let me know.

The Redstone looks nice too.

[gwilson]

anyone else notice that all of these renderings have nothing but trees surrounding them even though we know there are tons of buildings around them (like the Kirby building). I always thought that was funny.

[kjb434]

Typically the architect is trying to focus all the attention onto the building of interest. I've only seen a few renderings in which some consideration of the other buildings was given by showing them. The monaco is on example. The trees behind the monaco's rendering is Memorial Park.

[citykid09]

Has any one heard of this building?

The Westheimer

Houston, TX

http://www.mathisgroup.com/html-docs/07-pr...esidential.html

[UrbaNerd]

Whoa, that looks pretty funky..and ..somewhat Riparian, lol.

[kzseattle]

Does anyone know what is being built on Sage to the left of The Mens Club?  There are large concrete pillars comming up from the ground.  Just curious!!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yesterday, I was in Galleria area and noticed a new strip mall under construction on Sage and Alabama. It looks like the same old generic retail center with a large parking lot in front. Too bad a developer couldnt think of something better for a such a prime spot! At least they could have tried to make it look more upscale as some of the other retail centers in that area.

[houston-development]

Has any one heard of this building?

The Westheimer

Houston, TX

that deal was going to be funded by money mortgage. they went belly up post 9/11:

MORTGAGE INVESTMENT COMPANY UNDER INVESTIGATION

HOUSTON (HoustonChronicle.com)

[N Judah]

Actually, an urban-style Target/Best Buy (like they have near Northgate Mall in Seattle, at what was one point supposed to be the terminus of a light rail line) wouldn't be so bad along the rail line.

http://www.wpastudio.com/northgate75.html

http://www.theseattlesun.com/1999news/9910...touchstone.html

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Also, here's a picture of a Costco that will be completed in downtown Vancouver BC in 2006:

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/ABPub/200.../2002161665.jpg

[Urbangeek]

some renderings, kind of bland....

Homewood Suites

[Highrise Tower]

I stopped by the Hilton Garden Inn Galleria Area Hotel today.

Photos I took: