kbates2 Posted March 17, 2017 Share Posted March 17, 2017 The city needs to do something about every block of downtown turning into parking garages. Cue Ross. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avossos Posted March 17, 2017 Share Posted March 17, 2017 2 hours ago, Howard Huge said: Sorry guys, my friend got the job as the crane op on this project. He says theyre just expanding the parking garage, making it even more massive. I think they just want to generate more parking revenue. OK - I will be that guy... Are you serious? 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CREguy13 Posted March 17, 2017 Share Posted March 17, 2017 Keep in mind that the plan from the start was once construction on the tower was to commence, they would first finish the remaining portion of the garage. I find it hard to believe they would finish the garage, then once again deconstruct the crane. If they are putting the crane up, then this is moving forward and Bank of America or another large tenant inked a deal. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H-Town Man Posted March 17, 2017 Share Posted March 17, 2017 7 minutes ago, CREguy13 said: Keep in mind that the plan from the start was once construction on the tower was to commence, they would first finish the remaining portion of the garage. I find it hard to believe they would finish the garage, then once again deconstruct the crane. If they are putting the crane up, then this is moving forward and Bank of America or another large tenant inked a deal. Don't you/didn't you have some connection to the people leasing this thing? Please PM if you can't reveal publicly... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lockmat Posted March 17, 2017 Share Posted March 17, 2017 What else on the garage needs finishing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post mollusk Posted March 17, 2017 Popular Post Share Posted March 17, 2017 6 minutes ago, lockmat said: What else on the garage needs finishing? The tower. 13 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mollusk Posted March 17, 2017 Share Posted March 17, 2017 According to http://www.capitoltowerhouston.com/parking.asp, there are 10 planned floors for parking (2-11), ultimately covering the entire building footprint. We currently have the south half in place, IIRC at its full height (or danged close), serving Those Whose Parking Shall Not Be Disturbed. It doesn't look like they fill the joint. If they build out the full garage that will add to their parking revenue (as noted above). It'll also make it possible to finish out the tunnel and ground levels with their retail space, bringing back reasonable tunnel access for 600 / 601 Travis and 711 Texas in the process. Still, is that enough reason by itself? Flip side, unless Skanska's somehow recovered the lost Swedish art of levitation, they'll have to finish the garage (at least structurally) before they can build the tower, making the "we're doing the garage" comment accurate no matter what the ultimate scope is. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross Posted March 18, 2017 Share Posted March 18, 2017 21 hours ago, kbates2 said: The city needs to do something about every block of downtown turning into parking garages. Cue Ross. If that's what the owners of the properties want, I'm OK with it. As a benefit, the various taxing authorities would get more revenue than the vacant lots with surface parking provide. The garages would likely go away as new buildings become economic. I do doubt, though, that parking garages are going to sprout up all over the place, given the cost to build, and the low probability that, other than for special events, there will be enough customers to make a profit. And, it seems like more companies are leaving Downtown for cheaper, or owned property elsewhere in the city, which makes random parking garage construction less likely. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobruss Posted March 18, 2017 Share Posted March 18, 2017 (edited) First of all this isn't a random parking lot. This is the planned garage portion of a planned 35 story office building that I do believe will eventually get built. One good thing that might come out of this is the first street level entrance to the tunnel system. Now I hope what this will do is actually get the moles out on the streets. Hopefully when they see beautiful blue skies they'll decide to come out from their burroughs and get a glimpse of sunlight and a little vitamin D. I don't like the fact that this is just a garage but I have to hope that Skanska will fulfill their development plans culminating in a bright shiny new tower on top of this garage eventually. Edited March 18, 2017 by bobruss 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H-Town Man Posted March 19, 2017 Share Posted March 19, 2017 Can anyone confirm whether a crane is going up? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post hindesky Posted March 19, 2017 Popular Post Share Posted March 19, 2017 18 hours ago, H-Town Man said: Can anyone confirm whether a crane is going up? Yes, the first tower crane is going up and according to a rigger and some Skanska workers, 2 more tower cranes will be going up in the next couple of weeks. The office portion is going up too!!! They are going to add 5 more floors to the existing parking garage and several more parking floors in the rest of the area with a ground level lobby and the office portion above that. I asked if the rumor was true that BOA was the new tenant but they said that was privileged info but the new tenant would be announced in a couple weeks. Keep an eye on the Houston Business Journal for news. 30 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post H-Town Man Posted March 19, 2017 Popular Post Share Posted March 19, 2017 18 minutes ago, hindesky said: Yes, the first tower crane is going up and according to a rigger and some Skanska workers, 2 more tower cranes will be going up in the next couple of weeks. The office portion is going up too!!! They are going to add 5 more floors to the existing parking garage and several more parking floors in the rest of the area with a ground level lobby and the office portion above that. I asked if the rumor was true that BOA was the new tenant but they said that was privileged info but the new tenant would be announced in a couple weeks. Keep an eye on the Houston Business Journal for news. Helluva post, hombre. I am privileged to be the first to like it. Good work! 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KinkaidAlum Posted March 19, 2017 Share Posted March 19, 2017 Whew. It would have been horrible to have this garage standing like this for a few years. 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
htownboy Posted March 19, 2017 Share Posted March 19, 2017 I remember seeing cranes on this thing back in December of 2015. They've finally returned! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate99 Posted March 20, 2017 Share Posted March 20, 2017 Drove by it this morning and said out loud, "Ha, look at that, they're back!" I was skeptical, good to see this one fill out the block. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArtNsf Posted March 20, 2017 Share Posted March 20, 2017 22 hours ago, hindesky said: Yes, the first tower crane is going up and according to a rigger and some Skanska workers, 2 more tower cranes will be going up in the next couple of weeks. The office portion is going up too!!! They are going to add 5 more floors to the existing parking garage and several more parking floors in the rest of the area with a ground level lobby and the office portion above that. I asked if the rumor was true that BOA was the new tenant but they said that was privileged info but the new tenant would be announced in a couple weeks. Keep an eye on the Houston Business Journal for news. This is awesome news if it's true and so far, it does look that way ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate99 Posted March 20, 2017 Share Posted March 20, 2017 (edited) I would not think that a tower crane installation and rental is something you set up without a plan to use. Someone is cutting checks to vendors, which is the surest sign that a green light has been lit. I don’t know if they are planning to use the other former crane position as well, but I assume they would given that those things require their own special foundation/footing. I recall that a third crane base that was unused in the garage build was installed close to the Travis/Capitol corner. Edited March 20, 2017 by Nate99 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j_cuevas713 Posted March 20, 2017 Share Posted March 20, 2017 Man we really needed this with the Chronicle building coming down. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sanjorade Posted March 20, 2017 Share Posted March 20, 2017 http://www.chron.com/business/real-estate/article/New-crane-at-Capitol-Tower-signals-Skanska-s-11014566.php 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cspwal Posted March 20, 2017 Share Posted March 20, 2017 Will they use the current tower crane to construct the other two tower cranes? If not, why not? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hindesky Posted March 20, 2017 Share Posted March 20, 2017 They never took out the tower base on the northeast portion next to the parking garage, I didn't know they already have a base for the 3rd crane but the workers told me it was already there. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate99 Posted March 21, 2017 Share Posted March 21, 2017 They're re-closing the Milam side sidewalk. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tumbleweed_Tx Posted March 21, 2017 Share Posted March 21, 2017 *now* the topic title can change (i told y'all this was going up 20 pages ago, ye of little faith...LOL) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samagon Posted March 21, 2017 Share Posted March 21, 2017 On 3/20/2017 at 2:47 PM, cspwal said: Will they use the current tower crane to construct the other two tower cranes? If not, why not? the crane boom doesn't look like it's long enough to reach where the other cranes would go to be able to install them. That's just my guess from looking out the window at the crane, and where the other cranes will go. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArtNsf Posted March 21, 2017 Share Posted March 21, 2017 now, if we could only get that International Tower or Theater Tower going up at 50 plus stories, I could stop asking so many questions like "are we there yet, are we there yet ?" LOL. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cspwal Posted March 21, 2017 Share Posted March 21, 2017 1 hour ago, samagon said: the crane boom doesn't look like it's long enough to reach where the other cranes would go to be able to install them. That's just my guess from looking out the window at the crane, and where the other cranes will go. Ah that makes sense. And it wouldn't make too much sense to have the boom be long enough to do so since the only use would be installing the new crane. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tigereye Posted March 21, 2017 Share Posted March 21, 2017 Anyone know if this could mean a closure of the tunnels again? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Howard Huge Posted March 21, 2017 Share Posted March 21, 2017 Its called a jib (if its a tower crane), not a boom And since they don't like to build jibs in the air one section at a time, they normally put the entire jib together on the ground and install it in one lift, as seen in the pictures above. A tower crane isn't strong enough to fly the entire jib to the top of another tower crane, much less the counterweights, it would be out of chart. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate99 Posted March 22, 2017 Share Posted March 22, 2017 (edited) On the Rusk side by the mural... Edited March 22, 2017 by Nate99 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mollusk Posted March 22, 2017 Share Posted March 22, 2017 18 hours ago, tigereye said: Anyone know if this could mean a closure of the tunnels again? I'm in 700 Louisiana and haven't seen any building memos to that effect yet - and we get memos about road closures in the burbs from them on a regular basis . 2 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.