shasta Posted April 29, 2005 Share Posted April 29, 2005 None of the designs for the Bank of the SW ever did anything for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UrbaNerd Posted April 29, 2005 Author Share Posted April 29, 2005 IMO, The Block256 looks like a mix between 1100 Louisiana, and, the Wells Fargo Tower. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arche_757 Posted April 30, 2005 Share Posted April 30, 2005 You know it would be "cool" if Houston had a supertall 'sky-rise' but to be honest Id rather have about 3-4 30-40 floor buildings that look nice than an overgrown monolith poking out of the urban core. In theory they look nice but when built they look bad!!!!Just look at the Sears Tower - a monster in a sea of beautiful buildings - its so bad It makes the skyline sick!Just my opinion - hope there arent any Chicagoins offended by my post, but if there are - they need only to look at our new courthouse and they will rejoice nothing in there town looks that bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbigtex56 Posted May 1, 2005 Share Posted May 1, 2005 You know it would be "cool" if Houston had a supertall 'sky-rise' but to be honest Id rather have about 3-4 30-40 floor buildings that look nice than an overgrown monolith poking out of the urban core. In theory they look nice but when built they look bad!!!!Just look at the Sears Tower - a monster in a sea of beautiful buildings - its so bad It makes the skyline sick!Just my opinion - hope there arent any Chicagoins offended by my post, but if there are - they need only to look at our new courthouse and they will rejoice nothing in there town looks that bad.<{POST_SNAPBACK}>WHEW! So it's not just me. I think the Sears Tower is about as attractive as a leg brace (and I hope no leg-brace wearers are offended). To take it a step further, it's pig ugly. The only redeeming things about Sears Tower is that it's an engineering feat, and it's tall; what a circus freak of a building.That being said, I still think Chicago has the best skyscrapers in America, but not necessarily the best skyline. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbigtex56 Posted May 1, 2005 Share Posted May 1, 2005 Yeah, it was one of the runners-up in the Bank of the Southwest competition by Skidmore, Owings, & Merrill. There are a lot of photos in a book that was written about the competition. The dome thing on top would have held an observation deck.<{POST_SNAPBACK}>Subdude is correct. Older residents of Houston might recall that there was a 20-something story building which used to occupy that lot which was demolished (circa 1983), built circa 1962. I was shocked when I first moved to Houston to see such a modern building demolished. Unfortunately, the mid-80's bust doomed the site; it still is a surface parking lot. Such is the pattern of Houston development. There was a particularly offensive piece of statuary which used to 'grace' the site; a semi-nude female bronze, straight out of a Frankie Avalon movie. It's been relocated downtown, somewhere; mercifully, I forget where. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arche_757 Posted May 1, 2005 Share Posted May 1, 2005 The only decent Supertalls of late are the Petronas Towers. Cesar Pelli really did well on those, but nothing can compare to the grace and style of New Yorks: Chrysler, 40 Wall Street, and (crapy old) Empire State. The late 1920's were and still are the glory days of the highrise. I only hope that modern designs can age well.... which brings up another topic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted May 4, 2005 Share Posted May 4, 2005 Arche 757 and dbigtex! It's like HAIF old home week! That skyscraper that was demolished for the unbuilt Bank of the SW tower was on the southeast corner of the block. That's why the sidewalks along that corner are brick, while along the rest of the block they are regular concrete. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arche_757 Posted May 7, 2005 Share Posted May 7, 2005 I was flipping through a KPF book @ Half-Price Books, and it had one building proposed and designed by KPF but never built in the mid 1980's. Being KPF the design was quite nice (if my memory serves me right) had a resemblance to 311 South Wracker in Chicago.Cant remember the name though... since we were on the topic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UrbaNerd Posted May 8, 2005 Author Share Posted May 8, 2005 I think that's the Block 256. BTW, I think I have that book! KPF Projects 1976-1986. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arche_757 Posted May 8, 2005 Share Posted May 8, 2005 If Block 256 is a supertall (whatever...) then thats not the one Im refering to.There is another one, unless its the P. Johnson and Burgee book? could have beenbut the 1976-1986 sounds convincing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dominax Posted June 23, 2005 Share Posted June 23, 2005 The Bank Of The Southwest Tower was never built what darn alll mann WHAT! why Tallest non building of the west of the Mississippi River Info of the BLOCK 265 Tower http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=138414 http://www.skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=8783 Photo image of the tower in Person http://skyscraperpage.com/gallery/showphot...&papass=&sort=1 Info of this mainly tower of Houston Bank of the SW Tower http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=103046 Photo image of this Bank of the SW Tower! http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v707/dom...thwestTower.gif Downtown views of this tower and the BLOCK 265 TOWER! http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v707/dom...tonDowntown.bmp http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v707/dominax2004/A.bmp 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LTAWACS Posted June 23, 2005 Share Posted June 23, 2005 The Bank Of The Southwest Towerwas never built what darn alll mann WHAT! why Tallest non building of the west of the Mississippi River Photo image of this Tower! http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v707/dom...thwestTower.gif Downtown view of this tower and the BLOCK 265 TOWER! http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v707/dom...tonDowntown.bmp <{POST_SNAPBACK}> And it's all your fault! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidtownCoog Posted June 23, 2005 Share Posted June 23, 2005 They sure live in a dump now. The Southwest Texas Bank building (5 Post Oak Plaza) is a MAJOR dump.Entire elevator banks have been out of service for months.It now goes by Amegy Bank Building. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hokieone Posted June 23, 2005 Share Posted June 23, 2005 I don't know if I would say major dump (seeing as I work in the building), the elevator banks do suck, but they've actually been replacing them and the lobby was redone recently. From the exterior, I would agree its nothing fancy nor is the inside super luxurious, but its a serviceable, standard office building. I was in the Pennzoil Building this last week, and yes the lobby area is nice, as is the well documented exterior, but the rest of the floors were nothing special. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidtownCoog Posted June 23, 2005 Share Posted June 23, 2005 Yep, I am in that building quite often.I actually like it from the outside. Are they still treating the granite? Some floors (10th) are nice. It all depends how they want to build out the floors. I am currently in 1100 Louisana. Some floors are state of the art, while other are stuck in the 80s. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted June 23, 2005 Share Posted June 23, 2005 The Southwest Texas Bank you are referring to doesn't really have anything to do with the Bank of the Southwest that had planned to build this tower. The original Bank of the Southwest went through a number of acquisitions and name changes and is now part of JP Morgan Chase. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NCB Posted June 23, 2005 Share Posted June 23, 2005 a few skyscraper and real estate sites are saying that developers are trying to bring this building back,and that the area where it was designed to be built is still a street level parking lot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tigereye Posted June 23, 2005 Share Posted June 23, 2005 a few skyscraper and real estate sites are saying that developers are trying to bring this building back,and that the area where it was designed to be built is still a street level parking lot<{POST_SNAPBACK}>Are you for real....This is the building that would have given Houston its signature tower. But why would they do this, especially given the lack of demand in the current office market, which still has vacancies. If they do this though, I imagine they would have to redo the design, as the original Helmut Jahn desgin ended up being the precursor to the Philly's Liberty Place Towers, which ended up becoming that city's signature in its skyline. Building the Jahn designed tower now would be viewed nationaly as an attempt to copy Liberty Place in Philly. I would love for this to be true, but I just can see it happening for those two reasons.EDIT: Dominax, Thanks for the photoshopped pic of our skyline with the two main tower its missing and sadley were never built. I have forever tried to imagine what our skyline would have looked like today with these two buildings included. This really helps me...Anyone else have anymore photoshops of what this dream skyline could have looked like today, especially the famous views from the north and west of Downtown? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedScare Posted June 24, 2005 Share Posted June 24, 2005 I was SO fired up for them to build that building back in the 80s. Of all the things that crashed in Houston back then, I believe this project hurt the most. It just seemed to represent the 'cajones' of Houston so well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
houstonfella Posted June 29, 2005 Share Posted June 29, 2005 I don't know if I would say major dump (seeing as I work in the building), the elevator banks do suck, but they've actually been replacing them and the lobby was redone recently. From the exterior, I would agree its nothing fancy nor is the inside super luxurious, but its a serviceable, standard office building. I was in the Pennzoil Building this last week, and yes the lobby area is nice, as is the well documented exterior, but the rest of the floors were nothing special.<{POST_SNAPBACK}>Obviously you haven't visited Bracewell & Giuliani LLP in South Tower Pennzoil Place, 23rd floor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidtownCoog Posted June 29, 2005 Share Posted June 29, 2005 With all those bankers, 5 Post Oak Plaza smells like an empty bottle of Old Spice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashikaga Posted July 6, 2006 Share Posted July 6, 2006 Other runner-up by Kohn-Pederson-Fox Competition winner by Murphy/Jahn What could have been.. I'd be too afraid to take a job as the window washer for this building. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kennyc05 Posted August 29, 2006 Share Posted August 29, 2006 does anyone think theres a chance this can still be built Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Great Hizzy! Posted August 29, 2006 Share Posted August 29, 2006 In today's economy and office market, no. American firms are become more leery about building massive high rises so the number of firms who would do so are limited. But even if willing, the market has to bare it, and in most U.S. Cities, the market simply isn't there to absorb the space a tower like BotSW would present. Even with the positive turn in the DT office market, Houston is one of those cities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNiche Posted August 29, 2006 Share Posted August 29, 2006 does anyone think theres a chance this can still be builtAbsolutely not. Hizzy is essentially correct. Supertalls simply aren't viable without either 1) subsidy, 2) a big tenant that has agreed to lease a substantial chunk of the building so that it isn't all speculative, and 3) the perception of an economic boom with long-term sustainability.Houston has none of these going for it...although I'd personally like to see Exxon consolidate its offices throughout the region into such a building. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H-Town Man Posted August 30, 2006 Share Posted August 30, 2006 Plus, where would people park? That's the biggest thing holding back the downtown office market... that and the traffic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenc Posted August 31, 2006 Share Posted August 31, 2006 Plus, where would people park? That's the biggest thing holding back the downtown office market... that and the traffic.Parking is underground.Grow up and take the train into Downtown. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houston1stWordOnTheMoon Posted August 31, 2006 Share Posted August 31, 2006 They can have underground parking. I wonder if companies that build tall or super tall buildings ever considered having a mixed use building. Offices and apartments/condos for workers or whomever........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNiche Posted August 31, 2006 Share Posted August 31, 2006 They can have underground parking. I wonder if companies that build tall or super tall buildings ever considered having a mixed use building. Offices and apartments/condos for workers or whomever........The recommended parking ratio for most investment-grade office buildings is 3.0 spaces per thousand square feet of leasable space. In Central Business Districts with excellent mass transit access and privately-owned offsite parking garages/lots, you can usually get away with about 2.0 spaces. Still, if that were a 3 million square foot building, you'd need 6,000 spaces. That need can typically be reduced by incorporating apartments or condos into the mix, but it'd still require one space per bedroom as per City code.To give you an relative measure of how large the parking garage would need to be, the new 14-level garage owned by Cambridge Development just south of the Fannin/Knight Street split has a 1,200-vehicle capacity. There just gets to be a point where people become severely inconvenienced by higher and higher parking garages. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kennyc05 Posted August 31, 2006 Share Posted August 31, 2006 one day it will be built Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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