George R. Brown Convention Center Redevelopment, Office Building & W Hotel

[bobruss]

Nice selfie Hindesky!

[hindesky]

Rustic

 

[UtterlyUrban]

Good to see Rustic starting!

[monarch]

 

^^^ what a GORGEOUS place to visit downtown during the holidays.  wow!

[j_cuevas713]

That's huge news! Stuff like this has a ripple effect to draw even more cool things. 

[Nole23]

This is awesome! 

[hindesky]

fullsizeoutput_217e by David, on Flickr

 

fullsizeoutput_217f by David, on Flickr

[nate4l1f3]

I hope I’m wrong but I just don’t  see how this will be successful.  What do you guys think? The location stinks for something like this. 

[UtterlyUrban]

6 hours ago, nate4l1f3 said:

I hope I’m wrong but I just don’t  see how this will be successful.  What do you guys think? The location stinks for something like this. 

I have similar concerns but I think that convention goers will flock to the place.  If the theme is as described above, the place seems to me to be designed as a caricature of what Houston might have been like at one time (but never really was?).  However, that image is in the collective imagination.  As such, I think that many conventioneers will flock there to experience a “Texas Honky Tonk”........

 

i also think that it will attract the before and after sports event crowds and also the before concert crowds (imagine a Country western act at Toyota...... this place will be packed to the gills before the curtain).

 

is the enough to prosper?  I don’t know.  But I am glad it’s coming.  

[nate4l1f3]

We’re on the same page. I’m super excited to have it as well, but I’m conerned about Monday-Thursday.  Also, you can literally be walking out of GRB and have no clue this thing even exist unless told about it.  I hope they have great signage!!

[CREguy13]

Personally, I think this will do extremely well.  There isn't a venue like this downtown (that I know of), and it will pull residents from South downtown and Eado, along with the expected business travelers/concertgoers.  While this may not be the ideal use of downtown land in the long term, I think it will be great in the near term - especially considering the success that the Astros and Rockets are currently having.

[intencity77]

I’m not sold on this “honky tonk” venue either. It seems massively out of place next to the hulking convention center, Hilton/garage. But hey that’s Houston right? It’s definitely not there for the long term as this and two other abutting blocks have been designated for future convention center expansion. 

[kdog08]

On 12/31/2017 at 0:54 AM, nate4l1f3 said:

I hope I’m wrong but I just don’t  see how this will be successful.  What do you guys think? The location stinks for something like this. 

 

I share your pessimism regarding this. It's just not in a good location considering the frequency of conventions and sporting events. Downtown needs to consolidate and improve on its activity centers instead of creating new ones. If they were so hell bent on creating a new area then why not along the rail nearby, primarily at the Convention Center stop. 

Edited January 2, 2018 by kdog08

[bobruss]

I don't understand the concerns. It was a vacant lot that will now attract more people downtown. I won't be going but Houston is full of rednecks and country western fans. I hear the one in Dallas does well so let them fill an empty space for a while, draw more people downtown , generate more foot traffic and revenue while the convention center makes plans for the future. It sure cant hurt anything. Im sure restaurants, hotels and parking lots will be happy to have the extra business. It might surprise you how well they will do.

[kbates2]

Agreed with bobruss.  I wish more of our surface lots would get cheaper infill for now.  It seems like we can't get a skyscraper, we normally just go with surface lot.

[tigereye]

I’m all for the Rustic but question the location for a totally different reason.

 

It seems pretty clear GRBCC will eventually expand southward with a new expo hall in the future. Why build the Rustic (and the parking garage) on these sites if the plan is to eventually expand the GRBCC here? 

 

My preferred location wouldve been the CenterPoint substation site, sandwiched in between Hilton Americas, The Grove, Discovery Green & Toyota Center. Plenty of visibility and a much better use of prime site then what currently there today.

[corbs315]

On 8/24/2017 at 2:45 PM, monarch said:

^^^ another EASY, BREEZY, BEAUTIFUL day of quiet and color at AVENIDA HOUSTON.......

 

Hate to interrupt, but I just noticed the timestamp on this post and laughed out loud.

 

[nate4l1f3]

17 hours ago, tigereye said:

I’m all for the Rustic but question the location for a totally different reason.

 

It seems pretty clear GRBCC will eventually expand southward with a new expo hall in the future. Why build the Rustic (and the parking garage) on these sites if the plan is to eventually expand the GRBCC here? 

 

My preferred location wouldve been the CenterPoint substation site, sandwiched in between Hilton Americas, The Grove, Discovery Green & Toyota Center. Plenty of visibility and a much better use of prime site then what currently there today.

The other half of the embassy hotel site would work as well. Although, I still have dreams of something really tall going there and blocking that waste of a building. 

[monarch]

^^^ uummm, don't ask.   i just grabbed the illustration.  i know huh, YIKES!

Edited January 4, 2018 by monarch

[samagon]

On 12/31/2017 at 0:54 AM, nate4l1f3 said:

I hope I’m wrong but I just don’t  see how this will be successful.  What do you guys think? The location stinks for something like this. 

 

nah, it'll work out just fine.

 

it works very well with conventions, many of the 3 day business conferences I've been to have a 'party night' where they take everyone somewhere. This will be a perfect venue for these kinds of appreciation events.

[H-Town Man]

On 1/4/2018 at 2:26 PM, nate4l1f3 said:

The other half of the embassy hotel site would work as well. Although, I still have dreams of something really tall going there and blocking that waste of a building. 

 

There is no way The Rustic could have afforded the land on either of those sites, or on the rail line. It is in a nonvisible location in the back of everything because that is where land is cheap enough for something like this. All the visible blocks have some sort of high rise as their highest and best use. We should be happy that a use was found for one of these back corner blocks other than parking. The Rustic is kind of a destination place that doesn't rely on casual passersby like a normal bar or restaurant.

[nate4l1f3]

1 hour ago, H-Town Man said:

 

There is no way The Rustic could have afforded the land on either of those sites, or on the rail line. It is in a nonvisible location in the back of everything because that is where land is cheap enough for something like this. All the visible blocks have some sort of high rise as their highest and best use. We should be happy that a use was found for one of these back corner blocks other than parking. The Rustic is kind of a destination place that doesn't rely on casual passersby like a normal bar or restaurant.

You ain’t gotta go around using logic and stuff smh

[j_cuevas713]

13 hours ago, H-Town Man said:

 

There is no way The Rustic could have afforded the land on either of those sites, or on the rail line. It is in a nonvisible location in the back of everything because that is where land is cheap enough for something like this. All the visible blocks have some sort of high rise as their highest and best use. We should be happy that a use was found for one of these back corner blocks other than parking. The Rustic is kind of a destination place that doesn't rely on casual passersby like a normal bar or restaurant.

I actually like how this place has the ability to help begin connecting DT and the East End. Once the freeway cap happens I doubt this location will seem "nonvisible." The fact it feels like a destination place is a good thing. And if this is a live venue for music then the location makes sense. 

[samagon]

On 1/14/2018 at 0:48 AM, j_cuevas713 said:

I actually like how this place has the ability to help begin connecting DT and the East End. Once the freeway cap happens I doubt this location will seem "nonvisible." The fact it feels like a destination place is a good thing. And if this is a live venue for music then the location makes sense. 

 

Unfortunately, when they do their freeway expansion (and if they do the cap) the cap will only extend as far as Lamar street. Furthermore, Polk street will no longer cross the freeway. 

 

This will not be a gateway to anywhere. If anything, the freeway expansion will serve to make this location even less desirable as it will be even more isolated from the east end than it is now.

[Texasota]

My understanding is that the plan is for Polk to stay connected. That said, you are correct that the freeway cap will not extend that far, so it will look pretty similar to how it does now, except the freeway will be wider.

[swtsig]

i've also heard that polk will stay connected.

[rechlin]

The most recent plan on IH-45 North and More doesn't show Polk being connected, but maybe they've changed things since May?

 

[samagon]

Thanks Rechlin.

 

Having Polk remain as a connection would be a huge win for the east end, as it is a major thoroughfare, but unless there is another source of information other than the official website, Polk is going away.

[j_cuevas713]

On 1/15/2018 at 9:00 AM, samagon said:

 

Unfortunately, when they do their freeway expansion (and if they do the cap) the cap will only extend as far as Lamar street. Furthermore, Polk street will no longer cross the freeway. 

 

This will not be a gateway to anywhere. If anything, the freeway expansion will serve to make this location even less desirable as it will be even more isolated from the east end than it is now.

I know that, my point is that there will be more foot traffic in the area because of the cap. I highly doubt that side of downtown is just going to become this desolate island all by itself. This side is already developing and coming in to it's own. A live music venue, a few apartments are in the area now, I believe First Baptist is renovating a building for a downtown location. 

[samagon]

On 1/18/2018 at 1:20 PM, j_cuevas713 said:

I know that, my point is that there will be more foot traffic in the area because of the cap. I highly doubt that side of downtown is just going to become this desolate island all by itself. This side is already developing and coming in to it's own. A live music venue, a few apartments are in the area now, I believe First Baptist is renovating a building for a downtown location. 

 

I think you're right, if they do the cap, there will be more foot traffic, but there's two things. The cap isn't a sure thing, and the cap will only promote growth on the north side of the convention center. having more than a football field of freeway and no way to cross over it will be a detriment to east/west pedestrian traffic.