GreenStreet: Mixed-Use Development At 1201 Fannin St.

[gene]

i keep on thinking the same thing...its almost like they said they wont be open in time for Super Bowl to relieve some of the stress and pressure in case they aren't...but secretly they are trying to be open by then

 

Edited September 2, 2016 by gene

[Nole23]

I was thinking the exact same thing. The Super Bowl is still 5 months away...

[HoustonIsHome]

I don't think it's ugly or nice.  It just blends in with the surroundings. Does not stand out in a bad or good way. 

 

Just nondescript. 

[bobruss]

Thats the problem. If you look at the image that Urbanizer posted on page 65 taken at a distance from the east you have a hard time even noticing the building. It blends in better than Waldo. I just keep thinking of what should have been there. Would someone remind us what we missed out on with a fresh look at the original plans for what would definitely have been a building that would have made a lot of people very happy. I don't know how to do it or I would have posted it here. Thanks

[rechlin]

For the benefit of bobruss and everyone else, here's a quote of Urbannizer's original announcement of what we should have gotten instead:

 

On 3/26/2014 at 8:29 AM, Urbannizer said:

This is amazing. 7,000 sq ft of retail, demolition work begins in June.

http://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/retail/article/Luxury-project-is-latest-hotel-planned-for-5350301.php

 

[Sellanious Caesar]

It had a very sleek transparent design. 

 

I love how it looked like a video gaming desktop computer

[Timoric]

-

Edited July 11, 2019 by Timoric

[Twinsanity02]

I think for happiness and sanity sake it is best to forget that drawing. Reality is what it is.

[Gator Purify]

This is basically Hotel Sorella CityCentre 2.0.  I guess we shouldn't be surprised.  That's Midway's frame of reference.

 

 

Edited September 2, 2016 by Gator Purify

[HoustonIsHome]

Has anyone else notices the new street lights going up along Dallas?

[monarch]

1 hour ago, HoustonIsHome said:

Has anyone else notices the new street lights going up along Dallas?

^^^ @HoustonIsHome are they different than the new ones that they have just place on dallas a few months ago right before the NCAA finals?  have any pics?  would love to see these.... 

[HoustonIsHome]

Might be the same ones and I just didn't notice them until now.  They are sorta curved. 

 

https://www.downtownhouston.org/development/project/dallas-street-improvements/

Edited September 2, 2016 by HoustonIsHome

[tigereye]

 

[cloud713]

Those were installed sometime back in the spring. Between the trees and the streetlights, this corridor is starting to create its own identity..

[cloud713]

Agreed Tiger.. I had hoped they might do that, given the green space shown in the initial conceptual renderings. All of the barren flat roof tops in our urban areas are so much wasted potential.

 

On September 13, 2013 at 9:23 AM, Urbannizer said:

 

 

 

http://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/real-estate/article/Plan-calls-for-tax-dollars-to-help-create-4810595.php?cmpid=atfpm

 

[tigereye]

 

[monarch]

^^^ @tigereye really cool job here my pal!  referencing these illustrations can only highlight just how very subtle and elegant MIDWAY is constructing and integrating this hotel facility into this entertainment complex.... almost seamlessly.  the beautiful palm trees only add to the vitality that all of this will bring once completed.  this is going to be one gorgeous place.... wow!

[tigereye]

1 hour ago, monarch said:

^^^ @tigereye really cool job here my pal!  referencing these illustrations can only highlight just how very subtle and elegant MIDWAY is constructing and integrating this hotel facility into this entertainment complex.... almost seamlessly.  the beautiful palm trees only add to the vitality that all of this will bring once completed.  this is going to be one gorgeous place.... wow!

 

I agree @monarch. The design is consistent with existing complex and will fit in quite nicely when complete. 

 

Now if only Midway would open up entrances with patio seating along the Dallas St side (along with that rooftop park atop Forever 21)

[H-Town Man]

On ‎9‎/‎2‎/‎2016 at 0:38 PM, Timoric said:

 

I think we all have to admit that the new buildings in Houston this cycle save a few major exceptions like 609 are very pedestrian. But....that is ok...if...later we get some signature buildings and these are just fill-in that helped get us to the tipping point we all hope for.  If Houston is doing the hard and not sexy work of getting transportation, downtown living initiatves, better parks and better roads done to usher in the right conditions and it will pay off in the future, this is just the transition happening.

 

The main potential for better design I think lies in property types such as downtown retail, hospitality, and mixed use, where lack of an established demand base or low outside perceptions limits the amount that investors are willing to risk. With downtown office, since it is so established, we are much closer to being maxed out. Although if there is a big increase in downtown office demand as the baby boomers fade out and downtown residential grows, that could lead to better office designs.

 

Suburban design is probably as good as it's going to get. There is no foreseeable increase in the appeal of the suburbs. Inner loop apartment midrise architecture is probably also maxed out, although things could get more interesting in places like Midtown or along Buffalo Bayou as developments cluster and synergize. To take Dallas' McKinney Ave. corridor as an example, from about 2000 to 2010 you had density being developed, but it was pretty bland, being a frontier area. Since 2010, development has become higher quality because the neighborhood is established and risk is lower. Midtown is a step or two behind, but starting to make this transition.

 

The ultimate thing would be if Houston could somehow make the leap to becoming a tourist destination, led by downtown/Midtown/Museum District forming an attractive, exciting urban core that is unique in the southern U.S. Such a change would absolutely raise the bar on development throughout the city. Even if we only manage to neutralize our current abysmal reputation among other regional cities, that would make a big difference.

Edited September 9, 2016 by H-Town Man

[htownproud]

Embassy Suites is happy to see this hotel completed.  It makes it look good.  

[Sunstar]

1 hour ago, htownproud said:

Embassy Suites is happy to see this hotel completed.  It makes it look good.  

 

Just say no to beige!

[jmitch94]

15 hours ago, H-Town Man said:

Even if we only manage to neutralize our current abysmal reputation among other regional cities, that would make a big difference.

Hopefully Anthony Bourdain's Parts Unknown featuring Houston, which is set to come out soon will help our image on a national level. 

[hindesky]

[tigereye]

Pool activity. Guess Alessandra felt left out with all the focus on Aloft's pool. 

 

 

[monarch]

^^^ @tigereye for real?  i have never referenced a BLACK pool deck area on a hotel.... wow!  this is quite unique, chic, and smooth.....

[BeerNut]

I'm sure it will be haf in the summer time.

[cloud713]

6 hours ago, BeerNut said:

I'm sure it will be haf in the summer time.

Yeah, I too was thinking a black pool deck would get hot. Maybe they are covering that surface with something else?

Does the lobby section of the hotel jut out into the courtyard any? Or is the courtyard really just that narrow through there? Looking at it while driving by on Fannin it looks like the new lobby area juts out into the courtyard. Maybe its just more narrow than i remember/im getting it confused with the width of the wider middle segment?

[tigereye]

18 hours ago, monarch said:

^^^ @tigereye for real?  i have never referenced a BLACK pool deck area on a hotel.... wow!  this is quite unique, chic, and smooth.....

 

Still black at the moment. I kinda like the nickname "Blackwater Bay" lol

 

 

[Twinsanity02]

Be able to fry an egg during the summer while swimming in 100 degree water as it is currently displayed.  I'm sure they are going to either change the color or add shade covering. 

[txtiger]

I suspect the black-colored coating is a waterproof sealant onto which concrete pavers will be set.  You can tell a little bit by the raised door thresholds as well, leading out to this area... ...they should eventually be flush w/ whatever final finish is applied.  Unsure how the rest of the pool will pan out, but bet there's a bunch more to come on this deck...