cloud713 Posted December 9, 2013 Share Posted December 9, 2013 heres a few examples i sketched up of what they could do with the space..downtown sports complexsome free soccer fields and tennis courts for the public, anchored by a TopGolfa mixed use development 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cloud713 Posted December 10, 2013 Share Posted December 10, 2013 The footprint of GRB is over 14 acres. The Top Golf in Spring is on just over 10 acres (counting the surface parking lot).. you could easily fit a TopGolf on one half of the roof, leaving the rest of the space for the public sports complex, and possibly a miniature golf course at the TopGolf (i think that would be something neat/touristy to do in downtown to help with the "destination" image). The new expansion to GRB will add another 8 or so acres (my guesstimate.. its 4 square blocks and the connecting section across Polk though) to the footprint, for even more sports/entertainment facilities on the roof.I wasnt sure if this would be possible at first without structural reinforcement, but when i was looking through the GRB 2025 master plan PDF i noticed a few key bits of information. When considering the new expansion, one option was to add another floor of convention space on the roof. Another option called for a roof top parking lot. Surely the weight of another entire floor of convention space, or hundreds/possibly thousands of multi-ton vehicles on the roof of the building is much greater than a TopGolf facility and a few soccer fields, tennis courts, and a baseball field, ect.(am i the only one that has this enthusiasm for one day smashing golf balls on the roof of the GRB while getting hammered with my buddies, overlooking Discovery Green and the downtown skyline? i think it would be an even more popular location than the ones in the suburbs.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted December 10, 2013 Share Posted December 10, 2013 I'm sure they're not contemplating ground floor retail for the convention center. Just for my education, are these Top Golf places outdoor driving ranges with nets to catch the balls? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cloud713 Posted December 10, 2013 Share Posted December 10, 2013 (edited) Yes. Driving ranges with targets in the ground. They have bars and a restaurant too and sometimes batting cages and putt putt golf. They are very popular so it would serve as an anchor to turn the area into a destination. The public sports complex is just icing on the cake for local residents.http://topgolf.com/houstonnorth/ Edited December 10, 2013 by cloud713 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoustonIsHome Posted December 10, 2013 Share Posted December 10, 2013 Awesome idea Cloud.Its ideas life this we need to draw people/ give people a reason to go downtown. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houston19514 Posted December 11, 2013 Share Posted December 11, 2013 I'm sure they're not contemplating ground floor retail for the convention center. Just for my education, are these Top Golf places outdoor driving ranges with nets to catch the balls?Actually, they are very much contemplating/exploring adding some ground floor retail to tbe front of the GRB. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houston19514 Posted December 11, 2013 Share Posted December 11, 2013 I wasnt sure if this would be possible at first without structural reinforcement, but when i was looking through the GRB 2025 master plan PDF i noticed a few key bits of information. When considering the new expansion, one option was to add another floor of convention space on the roof. Another option called for a roof top parking lot. Surely the weight of another entire floor of convention space, or hundreds/possibly thousands of multi-ton vehicles on the roof of the building is much greater than a TopGolf facility and a few soccer fields, tennis courts, and a baseball field, ect. I believe those options arose during the "brain-storming" phase and apparently were fairly quickly dismissed. One suspects they were dismissed early on because they were not actually feasible. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cloud713 Posted December 11, 2013 Share Posted December 11, 2013 I believe those options arose during the "brain-storming" phase and apparently were fairly quickly dismissed. One suspects they were dismissed early on because they were not actually feasible.True. I figured it had more to do with them wanting the exhibition space on the ground floor, not 4 stories up. And a ramp for cars to get 100' up just to park on the roof seems a little impractical. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mab Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 Quote Houston may be getting more than a Super Bowl by the time 2017 comes around. Representatives of Houston First Corp. are proposing to transform the George R. Brown Convention Center and adjacent Discovery Green into a landscaped and more pedestrian-friendly city center, with more retail and less car traffic. The renovation would bring more restaurants and a coffeehouse to the area and significantly curtail the street in front of the convention center to create a larger walkable area. It would be the area's biggest makeover since Discovery Green opened five years ago and leave its mark on the eastern edge of downtown long after the Super Bowl LI teams and their fans have departed for home. The project would be completed in spring 2016. It would be funded entirely by Houston First, said Ric Campo, who chairs the quasi-governmental agency that manages the convention center and other city-owned buildings in the area. He also is chairman of the Super Bowl 2017 host committee. The street in front of the convention center, Avenida de las Americas, would go to about three lanes, from eight, and all lanes would close for special events. The eliminated lanes would be transformed into a landscaped pedestrian area with a row of trees and tables for sidewalk dining. On the block north of the convention center would be a 2,000-car parking garage and office space. Above it, a pad site would be built for a future hotel. The redesigned convention center would get a front entrance offering more transparency including panoramic views of downtown, said Marie Hoke, principal at WHR Architects, the project's lead architect. Houston First initiated the proposal. Campo said the project is still in the concept stage and no price tag has been determined. He said the Houston First board of directors has sole authority to approve or reject the project. http://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/real-estate/article/Big-changes-could-be-coming-to-downtown-5190503.php#/1 Webcam: http://oxblue.com/open/HoustonFirst/GeorgeRBrownConventionCenter 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houston19514 Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 ^ Very exciting. Knew this was coming. Exciting to see some preliminary renderings. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xsatyr Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Montrose1100 Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 Glad to see they are keeping some of the elements of the original design. Looks amazing! Only complaint is the mini big tex. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aarosurf Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 Looks great, wish we could bury part of 59 to connect EADO and this area. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moore713 Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 While I feel its a little victory parkish , I like the overall idea, but if they are serious about doing this they will need to move fast.. The last thing we need is for a project of this scale to fall behind so close to the super bowl... that would be more embrassing that Dallas storm...Could you image the streets tore up , The convention center tore up and then Hundreds of thousands of people from out of town flooding in.. Houston would never live it down 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houston19514 Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 While I feel its a little victory parkish , I like the overall idea, but if they are serious about doing this they will need to move fast.. The last thing we need is for a project of this scale to fall behind so close to the super bowl... that would be more embrassing that Dallas storm...Could you image the streets tore up , The convention center tore up and then Hundreds of thousands of people from out of town flooding in.. Houston would never live it down There is simply NO WAY that will happen.Glad to see they are keeping some of the elements of the original design. Looks amazing! Only complaint is the mini big tex. LOL Hadn't noticed the mini big tex. That's a seriously bad idea and needs to be eliminated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
downtownian Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 I hope they budgeted $55mm for the Jeff Koons Balloon Dog in the first picture. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClutchCity Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 (edited) Some very interesting information regarding the parking garage north of the convention center in the article, "On the block north of the convention center would be a 2,000-car parking garage and office space. Above it, a pad site would be built for a future hotel."While it will probably only be enough office space for Houston First Corp to house some of their operations, it is nice that the included it in the plan. Icing on the cake that they are going to build it to accommodate a hotel addition once the market dictates we need hotels completely encompassing GRB. Interesting that TC didn't do something similar with the 16 story parking garage they're currently constructing. Regardless, the Convention District is the most exciting part of downtown with new development popping up almost every week it seems! Edited January 31, 2014 by ClutchCity Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moore713 Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 There is simply NO WAY that will happen. LOL Hadn't noticed the mini big tex. That's a seriously bad idea and needs to be eliminated. Thuink the biig Tex is just one of those artist things that get thrown in Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lockmat Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 Very cool, I like it a lot. I'm glad they didn't change the character of the GRB because I actually do like it. Hope this happens...soon. It's be nice if they could fit it into the final four plans at least. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nole23 Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 Oh wow this is awesome. Can't wait! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H-Town Man Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 Did the article mention anything about the hotel being on track? It looks like the Chronicle has figured out a way to elude my google searches. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moore713 Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 Did the article mention anything about the hotel being on track? It looks like the Chronicle has figured out a way to elude my google searches. Yes, they will set aside a track of land for a future hotel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triton Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 Besides the large transformation for Avenida de las Americas that this Houston Chron article mentioned, it would appear that we are getting a bit more: On the block north of the convention center would be a 2,000-car parking garage and office space. Above it, a pad site would be built for a future hotel. I think we knew about that parking garage... but we didn't know about the future office and hotel, right? Highrise shown in this photo: Thread for discussion of convention center transformation: http://www.houstonarchitecture.com/haif/topic/29618-big-changes-could-be-coming-to-downtown-convention-center/ Feel free to merge this thread if need be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moore713 Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 The GRB 2025 plan called for a another hotel but this was across the highway and would have been linled the the center via a sky bridge wonder if they changed their mind on that 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lockmat Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 Applications for this project are due tomorrow. This is run by private company men. It will be done by the final four.Also, the hotel is planned to be 14-20 stories and the garage part facing the street will look like an office building, not a garage.http://www.houstonfirst.com/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=XpmDYlgGQj0%3d&tabid=373&mid=1174 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lockmat Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 Yep, the hotel on the garage site is new. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Urbannizer Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 Threads merged. Since the project does include a hotel, I've pulled this one into the Going Up section. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H-Town Man Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 Did the article mention anything about the hotel being on track? It looks like the Chronicle has figured out a way to elude my google searches. I mean, did the article say anything about the RIDA hotel? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houston19514 Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 (edited) I mean, did the article say anything about the RIDA hotel? I haven't been able to see the whole article either, so I have no idea if it mentioned the RIDA hotel (Marriott Marquis), but it is definitely on track. (The full article will probably be available tomorrow via Google.) Edited January 31, 2014 by Houston19514 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triton Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 (edited) Currently, buses and cabs pull up to the front of convention center along Avenida de las Americas. But with the proposed project, buses would pull up to parking areas on the north and south ends of the convention centers and cabs would pick up and drop off in front of the Hilton Americas and the Marriott Marquis to be built nearby.Big league TV screensThe Marriott Marquis will have a street-level sports bar with some of the largest TV screens for sports viewing in the city, said Ira Mitzner, president of RIDA Development Corp., the hotel's developer.Mitzner described the overall plan as "transformational" that "will create a great friendly walking district" that intersperses event and hotel space with parks, sporting venues, retail and, eventually, the Nau Center for Texas Cultural Heritage. Edit: That is the only mention of RIDA in the article. Edited January 31, 2014 by Triton 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.