GreenStreet: Mixed-Use Development At 1201 Fannin St.

[UtterlyUrban]

I agree Triton. That embassy suites belongs in The suburbs of Beaumont. It amazes me when someone builds something that's already dated looking before it's even finished. GRRRR.

That building is a shame. The building looks marginal but the use of that prime lot for a bunch of private surface parking essentially on discovery green is utterly foolish design. Opportunity lost.

[ArchFan]

I agree about the Embassy Suites ... a really wasted opportunity.   But, I imagine if the downtown hotel market is as tight as they say, the owners are probably doing quite well.  Frankly, I wouldn't expect them to give a hoot about our opinions on the design.

[Houston19514]

That building is a shame. The building looks marginal but the use of that prime lot for a bunch of private surface parking essentially on discovery green is utterly foolish design. Opportunity lost.

No opportunity has been lost in connection with the surface parking by the Embassy Suites. The opportunity is still there. (Embassy Suites does not own the parking lot.)

[lockmat]

I think the embassy suites is fine. Had we never seen the first rendering, people would have been fine with it. We just got our hopes built up to something better.

And as 19514 says, another development could easily cover up the backside.

[bobruss]

Never the less it is sad to see such a disappointing building on the edge of Discovery Green. Hopefully someone does come along soon and develop the other part of the block. Its efforts like this design by developers like these that makes me long for aesthetics police.

[j_cuevas713]

why do people in dallas be envious? They have a W hotel?

No, we are just killing them when it comes to downtown redevelopment. And they are trying with all their might to make "Uptown" Dallas the happening spot, when in reality, its pretty lame

[Subdude]

No, we are just killing them when it comes to downtown redevelopment. And they are trying with all their might to make "Uptown" Dallas the happening spot, when in reality, its pretty lame

 

Not that this topic has anything to do with Dallas. There is a Dallas subsection on the forum if that is what you want to discuss.

[H-Town Man]

I think the embassy suites is fine. Had we never seen the first rendering, people would have been fine with it. We just got our hopes built up to something better.

And as 19514 says, another development could easily cover up the backside.

 

It would be easy enough to put something on the east side of the block, either a hotel or residential tower, but to have it also wrap around the north side of the Embassy Suites would be very difficult for the full height of the building. Maybe if you just had a low-rise wing on the wrap around that would be connected to the main building or put the parking garage there, but the gap is too narrow for a tower to cover both sides without it being very costly. I think park goers will be looking at the north side of the Embassy Suites for as long as it stands there.

[Houston19514]

^ The gap at its narrowest point is what, about 50 feet?  And it is at its narrowest for literally only a point, and rather rapidly expands from that narrowest point.  Constructing a high-rise around that does not strike me as particularly difficult or costly.  I think we have at least one high-rise building tower in Houston that is only about 50 feet wide for its entire height.  Perhaps I am overestimating the size of the gap at the narrowest point.

[H-Town Man]

^ The gap at its narrowest point is what, about 50 feet?  And it is at its narrowest for literally only a point, and rather rapidly expands from that narrowest point.  Constructing a high-rise around that does not strike me as particularly difficult or costly.  I think we have at least one high-rise building tower in Houston that is only about 50 feet wide for its entire height.  Perhaps I am overestimating the size of the gap at the narrowest point.

 

Perhaps you are right, but that building is probably 50 feet wide and rectangular, rather than having to do some sort of odd curve. If you look at the footprint of this from an aerial view, it's a pretty odd shape, and building a highrise in that shape would add a lot to the cost. I think it's much more likely a developer would put a high rise on the eastern side of the block, either rectangular or trapezoidal in footprint, and use the northwest portion either for parking or low-rise amenities, or both.

[HoustonIsHome]

If lamar was less curly as it approached Crawford an L shaped building would easily go in there. Is it really that expensive to slightly rotate the piece along lamar slighly?

It looks like a harsh curve from satellite view but on Google earth it didn't really look that bad

[cloud713]

im really hoping Ritz decided that would be a good spot to build there new tower, and can build something unique/tall there to hide part of Embassy from view. heh

[HoustonIsHome]

Ritz and Embassy Suites wrapped around each other on a block? Not likely. I see the Ritz closer to Greenstreet than Embassy Suites

[cloud713]

Lol well yeah the ritz would obviously have it's back facing the embassy/be one sided, but you may be right. I'm just going off of the location they were supposably scouting. Since it seems like international tower isn't going to happen I would love to see a ritz right there on market square. I think a hotel would be a nice component to that area.

[UtterlyUrban]

No opportunity has been lost in connection with the surface parking by the Embassy Suites. The opportunity is still there. (Embassy Suites does not own the parking lot.)

Wow! That is great news! I didn't know that the parking lot was under different ownership! That holds hope that something terrific could be put there!

Thanks!

[cloud713]

Wow! That is great news! I didn't know that the parking lot was under different ownership! That holds hope that something terrific could be put there!

Thanks!

Yep.. It would be the perfect payback for embassy suites ruining the disco green skyline by putting the ass end of an even taller Ritz blocking all of the embassy's east facing rooms views.

Edited April 10, 2014 by cloud713

[Naviguessor]

I'm fairly sure that ES turned it's back on DG because they knew that they did not own the view and knew that they'd loose the view sooner or later. It'll happen.

[lockmat]

I'm fairly sure that ES turned it's back on DG because they knew that they did not own the view and knew that they'd loose the view sooner or later. It'll happen.

Exactly! Can you please repeat that in all caps?

[monarch]

"greenstreet" now with it's proposition as per "hotel alessandra" just cannot leave my mindset.  i simply feel that, if "midway cos" proceeds upon the same first class fashion, that they have openly demonstrated as per their highly successful "city centre" development...  this much anticipated "greenstreet" concept, shall conform into a gold mine.  

 

"greenstreet" if infused with the appropriate form of retail vs restaurants, etc..  could very well kick start the new wave of retail activity, that has been long awaited as per the entire downtown region.   the concept, "hotel alessandra" shall indeed become the leading catalyst as per this growth prospect.  simple words alone, shall not describe the open potential that this particular project shall offer downtown houston.

 

"greenstreet" once it's completed, shall become the new essential.

[Naviguessor]

It's similar per English. Only differential.

[fernz]

Naviguessor, succinct, yet to "the point".

[scarface]

Wow! That is great news! I didn't know that the parking lot was under different ownership! That holds hope that something terrific could be put there!

Thanks!

 

I was just at the ES site and the remaining parking lot space behind the hotel is very small. To hold hope that something other than a patch of grass or a flowerbed could be put in there is wishful thinking at best.

 

Sorry ES won this round.

[fatesdisastr]

I was just at the ES site and the remaining parking lot space behind the hotel is very small. To hold hope that something other than a patch of grass or a flowerbed could be put in there is wishful thinking at best.

 

Sorry ES won this round.

 

You must have not have seen the very limited amount of space Astoria is being built on or the proposed building on block 98   

[shasta]

You must have not have seen the very limited amount of space Astoria is being built on or the proposed building on block 98   

 

So we've confirmed that the owners of ES do NOt own the parking lot near their hotel?

If they are planning on throwing up a 30+ building on that small part of block 98 then they can definitely make something work next to ES

[scarface]

I'm no construction worker or engineer, but the space is so small that it would bump up against the ES building during the groundbreaking process alone. The Astoria situation is a little bit different, it isn't literally 10 feet away from the other development.

 

 

[Montrose1100]

I'm no construction worker or engineer, but the space is so small that it would bump up against the ES building during the groundbreaking process alone. The Astoria situation is a little bit different, it isn't literally 10 feet away from the other development.

Take a look at the lot on Google Earth, and then the size of the block that the Residential Tower is going on the "Block 98" project.

[arche_757]

Retail infill would be better than a Ritz here.  Put the Ritz some other place.  Why is this being discussed, is this a real option?  Is the Ritz possibly coming to this site?

[fernz]

So we've confirmed that the owners of ES do NOt own the parking lot near their hotel?

If they are planning on throwing up a 30+ building on that small part of block 98 then they can definitely make something work next to ES

They don't need to own the lot to control it, there are other ways to make sure they keep the parking and/or the views. They can have a long-term lease, or even own the air rights.

[Triton]

Raising Fannin.

 

Edited April 22, 2014 by Triton

[Urbannizer]

A few more details on the hotel:

 

http://www.archpaper.com/news/articles.asp?id=7309

 

“Iconic” is the word that design architect Kap Malik of Gensler emphasized while describing Hotel Alessandra, the latest luxury accommodation set to rise in downtown Houston. Developer Midway

 

Companies commissioned the 25-story, 225-room hotel, which will also feature retail, residential, and entertainment space. Slated for completion in time for Superbowl LI in 2017, the project’s sleek design “looks toward the future,” said Malik.

Client check-in is in a 24th-floor sky lobby. A wine bar, pool deck with a retractable roof, and fine dining restaurant on the 25th floor immerse guests in both luxury and a panoramic view of the city. The ground floor boasts conference facilities. Malik designed the hotel with “something on every level” and each room will be decked out with the latest technology.

Glass ceilings permit guests in the lobby to see through to the top floor restaurant. Visual continuity is a motif that Malik incorporated throughout the design, most noticeably with the use of the “eyebrow,” a unifying design element that stretches from the top of the hotel to the bottom. The swooping line, highlighted at night by LEDs, seeks to communicate elegance and luxury.

Malik’s use of exterior materials dovetails with the eyebrow’s profile, with rough textures graduating to more delicate surfaces up the elevation. The base of the building incorporates stone, glass, and metal, while the tower skin features dichroic glass that emits colored hues when struck by light. The result is a unique pattern that changes throughout the course of each day—a kaleidoscopic effect that offers a uniform brilliance to the whole design.