Central Square At 2100 Travis St.

[Specwriter]

now taking bets on how long it will be before some worthless POS who hangs in the area tags the brick....

 

Metal panels would clean right up with some Varsol.    Seriously, there are some anti-graffiti coatings that can be put on masonry and they are fairly effective. Unfortunately, they need to be reapplied periodically and after each time the graffiti is removed. Given the probability of tagging, I hope someone thought to add this to the brick.

Edited August 1, 2015 by Specwriter

[phillip_white]

Please don't rush to excitement, but can someone confirm whether or not the clock has been blasted or perhaps repainted a dark grey?  I drove by on 45 around 8 this evening and the paint looked a lot darker.  It may have been the lighting but it was enough to get me hopeful.

[Specwriter]

Please don't rush to excitement, but can someone confirm whether or not the clock has been blasted or perhaps repainted a dark grey?  I drove by on 45 around 8 this evening and the paint looked a lot darker.  It may have been the lighting but it was enough to get me hopeful.

 

I look forward to the return of the clock. Why do we need a clock on top of a building when we have every other means of telling time? Heck, my car has both an analog clock face on the instrument panel and a digital read out of the time in the corner of the 'info-tainment" screen. Surprisingly they remain synchronized!

 

This is why we need a highly visible clock: Even something as anachronistic as a sundial, is a good reminder that life is cyclic. Morning,  evening, days, weeks, months, years, decades, centuries, epochs, eras, what-have-you; things that measure time keep us mindful of the rhythms that influence our lives.

 

In Seabrook a round-about was created when Lakeside Drive was extended to intersect Repsdorph Road. Just last week a four-faced, Victorian style clock appeared in the center of the round-about. It hasn't been hooked up to a power source yet (it has shown 1:30 since I first noticed it last week) but it looks grand and goes well with the newly installed 'cast iron' street lights. I assume the faces will be back lit when power is turned on.

 

It will be a nice addition to the street scape, at least until some yutz mows it down with an automobile. One of the street lights on the outside of the round-about met an early demise that way less than a month after the round-about was opened.

 

[rsb320]

I say bring back the "Weather Ball" that used to be up there.

[mollusk]

^^^^ Agree on the Weather Ball.  It was always a wonderful source of confusion when we were driving across town back when, since nobody could remember what the different colors were supposed to mean.

[KinkaidAlum]

Steady Blue, Clear View

Flashing Blue, Clouds Due

Steady Red, Rain Ahead

Flashing Red, Snow Instead (*unless Red Sox season and flashing red means game is cancelled)

 

The old Hancock weather vane poem.

[Purdueenginerd]

Drove by it after work yesterday, I didnt notice any difference in the clock. But I was on 45, so perhaps I didnt get a solid look. 

 

 

[phillip_white]

Drove by it after work yesterday, I didnt notice any difference in the clock. But I was on 45, so perhaps I didnt get a solid look. 

 

Yeah, walked by today and the clock looks the same. I usually see it from the ground, so maybe it was being on 45 that made it look different.  I did notice however that they added some Central Square decals on the ground-level windows.

[Triton]

Central Bank Revitalization by Marc longoria, on Flickr

 

Central Bank Revitalization by Marc longoria, on Flickr

 

Central Bank Revitalization by Marc longoria, on Flickr

 

Central Bank Revitalization by Marc longoria, on Flickr

[monarch]

^^^ simply gorgeous place!  great job triton.....

[phillip_white]

It looks like they're missing some bricks on the top right side of the corner column.  I was there when they laid the bricks and didn't notice that before.

[djrage]

Wow... just.. wow. The place looks amazing

[bobruss]

This should win all kinds of gold brick awards. It goes to show that an old junk heap can actually turn into an affective

repurposed building. They've done an outstanding job of turning this place around.

I just wish the city would make the owners of the Days Inn get rid of all of the shredded curtains and maybe put a fresh coat of paint on. Its a shame to have this one building make such an negative impact on the southern skyline.

Isn't there something the city can do with the owners.

[rsb320]

I like how they've encased the fire escape on the Milam side, with possibly, teak wood slats.

[j_cuevas713]

Ok not trying to nit pick but why the heck do we need that strip of grass and those trees as landscaping? Like wouldn't it be cleaner and better maintenance to just have the sidewalk hit the street for better pedestrian access? Just seems like more to maintain with all that grass

[Houston19514]

Ok not trying to nit pick but why the heck do we need that strip of grass and those trees as landscaping? Like wouldn't it be cleaner and better maintenance to just have the sidewalk hit the street for better pedestrian access? Just seems like more to maintain with all that grass

 

Glad you're not trying to nit pick.  ;-)

[phillip_white]

This is the equivalent of a homeless lady getting transformed into a super model and you're complaining about her shoes?!?!?!  But honestly, it does kinda bug me now that you pointed it out.  Her shoes are hideous.
 

Ok not trying to nit pick but why the heck do we need that strip of grass and those trees as landscaping? Like wouldn't it be cleaner and better maintenance to just have the sidewalk hit the street for better pedestrian access? Just seems like more to maintain with all that grass

 

[cspwal]

Ok not trying to nit pick but why the heck do we need that strip of grass and those trees as landscaping? Like wouldn't it be cleaner and better maintenance to just have the sidewalk hit the street for better pedestrian access? Just seems like more to maintain with all that grass

Midtown seems to have more of the sidewalk/greenery/street pattern than downtown. I'm also thinking of on McGowen and Gray street.

[DrLan34]

I agree, Midtown has some pretty good sidewalks in certain areas but I'm a little confused why this is not all sidewalk and landscaping (without grass).  Seems like an incremental cost when compared to the total redo.

 

However, building is top notch. 

Edited September 3, 2015 by DrLan34

[j_cuevas713]

I agree, Midtown has some pretty good sidewalks in certain areas but I'm a little confused why this is not all sidewalk and landscaping (without grass).  Seems like an incremental cost when compared to the total redo.

 

However, building is top notch. 

Exactly! I'm not against landscaping, but this is going to look awful when it isn't cut for a week or 2.

[j_cuevas713]

Midtown seems to have more of the sidewalk/greenery/street pattern than downtown. I'm also thinking of on McGowen and Gray street.

Yeah I totally get that, which is fine. It just seems unnecessary for this building. 

[rsb320]

It looks like they painted the clock.  I guess it's staying.

[cspwal]

Unless they painted it with explosive paint from a Bond film

[LarryDierker]

It wasn't painted as of Sunday, but there was a ladder leading up to the platform that the clock is on. I took pictures but forgot my camera.

[Purdueenginerd]

When will the turn it on!? The clock that is!?

[LarryDierker]

IMG_1810 by Not.Larry Dierker, on Flickr

 

IMG_1899 by Not.Larry Dierker, on Flickr

 

IMG_1894 by Not.Larry Dierker, on Flickr

[monarch]

^^^ cool illustrations larry!

[mollusk]

I wonder if the clock will also return to rotating.

[Gator Purify]

TRANSWESTERN RETAINED TO LEASE NEWLY REDEVELOPED CENTRAL SQUARE PLAZA
9/11/2015

 

​HOUSTON – Transwestern's Houston headquarters today announces it has been selected by Claremont Property Co. to lease 2100 Travis St., known as Central Square Plaza. The property occupies the entire city block bordered by Travis, Milam, Gray and Webster streets in the booming Midtown submarket. The new construction-quality redevelopment of the now Class A, 280,000-square-foot office building with more than 20,000 square feet of first-floor retail is nearly complete. Central Square Plaza will be ready for occupancy by January 1, 2016. Transwestern Executive Vice President David Baker and Associate Vice President Evelyn Ward are providing leasing services for the office space.

“The Midtown submarket is currently experiencing robust development activity, including nine multifamily projects, art and theater projects, a Whole Foods, newly created park space and retail projects,” said Baker. “Central Square Plaza offers an attractive alternative to downtown office space. With 20,000-square-foot floorplates and great views of downtown or the Medical Center, we are confident we can draw interest from a variety of businesses looking to lease office space. Central Square Plaza can accommodate tenants ranging from 2,500 to 280,000 square feet.”

First-class upgrades to the property, including a new floor-to-ceiling, high-performance curtain wall exterior, five high-speed elevators and mechanical systems, make Central Square Plaza nearly equivalent to ground-up new construction. The building will feature on-site management, a tenant conference center holding up to 40 people, structured parking and 24-hour security.

“When we purchased the building, we believed that it is a perfect space for medium-sized owner-operated businesses as well as possibly back office space for a large medical or engineering user,” said Keeley Megarity, owner of Claremont. 

The building features modern finishes for both common areas and tenant spaces and is conveniently accessible from all mass transit options, including METRORail, METRO Park & Ride and local city bus stops, with the building itself featuring on-site bicycle racks and shower facilities.

[bobruss]

In clarification to someones earlier statement about getting the weather ball back on this building I don't believe that this was the

site of the weather ball that glowed different colors for different weather conditions. It was on top of the old Conoco building that was close to the southern central downtown and if I remember correctly it was a fairly modern style green building maybe 25 stories

tall. This was back in the early sixties and I'm not sure when it was torn down but I think it might have been

imploded. It was located in the area of where Allen Center was developed.

Edited September 16, 2015 by bobruss