500 Crawford: Multifamily At 500 Crawford St.

[LarryDierker]

but after gut bursting beers and a hot dog, maybe some nachos followed by more beers, I'm in no mood for Italian. The games are long so not eating is not an option. And it's baseball so not drinking is not an option .

 

Ever since Jackson St. BBQ opened (they have a stand in MMP now but it's more expensive) I stuff my face there before almost every game I attend. And get a head start on my buzz. It's usually filling enough to hold me through a game unless I have to show up early for a bobblehead.

[Nate99]

DT needed a diner. This makes my stomach happy.

[Gator Purify]

It makes absolute sense to put an upscale Italian restaurant and upscale diner at 500 Crawford.  Rents in those apartments will not be cheap.  Rents in Catalyst, across the street, will not be cheap.  The Marriott Marquis will be the finest hotel in that half of downtown and will offer a steady stream of conventioneers, tourists, and businessmen with money to blow.  Vic & Anthony's is the only upscale dining option in that whole area. 

 

I want the Wrigley Field vibe as much as anyone, but cheap eats and dive bars are best suited for the north side of the ballpark, near Jackson Street BBQ.  Let's not forget that residential is going up over there, too.

Edited September 22, 2015 by Gator Purify

[bobruss]

Good points Gator.

Also the area behind the ball park is rapidly filling up with the types of game day places you might want to hit before a ball game.

[Angostura]

"Upscale diner"

"High end Italian"

"Extravagant"

Welp, so much for the gfr catering to the baseball crowd to fit in with MMP. I guess Marvy forgot he built these apartments right next door to a baseball stadium. Seems like he's designed this to be it's own little "super upscale, high end" island all to itself.

And people wonder why One Park Places ground floor retail right across from Discovery Green has still never been leased out.

 

There are 81 baseball games per year at MMP. A restaurant nearby needs to have a plan to be successful on those days, but if they don't have a plan for the other 284 days, they won't survive.

 

The places that have been successful downtown tend to fit into one of two categories: either cater to people already DT for other reasons (like most places around the theater district or the myriad of places that are closed on weekends and weekdays after 2PM), or be a destination unto themselves (Vic and Anthony's, for example). I'd argue that the cluster of bars and restaurants around the 300 block of Main qualify as the latter category.

 

What counts against this site is that, even though it's only a 5-block walk to the bars on Main, there isn't much street life (at least not the kind you want to be walking past) on those five blocks at night. 

[bobruss]

It won't be long once all of these units that are being built right now fill up with tenants who will create a need for all kinds of

goods and services. Once that happens the fabric of the neighborhoods will develop and necessitate more types of stores and service

related options that you readily find everywhere in the burbs. As I walked the three major neighborhoods developing in downtown,

yesterday , (The ball park),(Market Square) and (the village along Main St.), around the Sky Houses and east towards Toyota Center, I

could sense the way these neighborhoods are beginning to develop. You begin to notice the small one and two story buildings that are

either vacant or house various businesses that seem to have past their prime and will give way to new hip retail and service oriented businesses that will give the neighborhood its street vibe with shops and service oriented businesses and restaurants popping up all

around the new construction. The infill will happen fairly quick as the needs develop. This is going to be a really good time for

service related businesses to step into this area and open cleaners, florists, salons, dentist and doctors offices, hardware and

grocery stores. I'm sure young entrepreneurs are scouring the east side of

Main for their location in the old buildings, next to one of these bustling rapidly developing neighborhoods.

[monarch]

 

Houston’s Finest New Restaurant? Showstopping Spot to Open in Marvy Finger’s Luxe Mid-Rise

 

Apartment buildings are almost like hot days in Houston: Every time you turn around, there’s another one.

With cranes in the sky across the city, it’s becoming more and more difficult to stand out in the Houston rental arena. Marvy Finger, the legendary developer behind such city-changing projects as One Park Place, may have found a way to make one of his new developments unforgettable, though.

500 Crawford — the soon-to-open, seven-floor mid-rise that overlooks Minute Maid Park — will include two new restaurants, including an absolute showstopper.

“There’s going to be a very extravagant Italian restaurant in the building,” Finger tells PaperCity in an exclusive interview. “With the amount of money spent with an investor, it will be the finest Italian restaurant in Houston. I’m talking finish-wise. It is going to be a stunning space, really unlike anything we’ve had in Houston before.

“Now, hopefully we’ll sign someone to make the food live up to the setting. It has a chance to be really special.”

When the 79-year-old Finger is this excited about something, it’s best to pay attention, because Marvy Finger is not given to hyperbole. Despite all his successes, Finger gets nervous every time one of his new buildings opens, and he takes nothing for granted. He doesn’t do gushing. Yet, when it comes to this forthcoming Italian restaurant at 500 Crawford, Finger narly waxes poetic. While the chef hasn’t been signed yet, it’s apparent this is going to be an ultra-serious kitchen with grand ambitions.

The high-end Italian spot’s going to have company, as well. The building will also house an “upscale diner” that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner and a bar that stays open late. Finger believes this more casual, utilitarian spot will be a major bonus for residents of the mid-rise.

Even before Finger told us about the restaurant plans, 500 Crawford promised to be heavy on perk, including its fitness center, a massive 3,000-square-foot retreat. “The athletic facilities are extensive,” Finger says. “It has a chance to be the finest gym in this part of the country.”

The fine-dining Italian restaurant figures to garner the most attention, though. It’s the kind of showcase spot that will have movers and shakers who aren’t in the market for an apartment taking notice of 500 Crawford. It also will be something different — and much more high end — for the neighborhood around Minute Maid and BBVA Compass Stadium.

For more on Finger and real estate in Houston, check out the complete 16-page special section in the October issue of PaperCity Magazine. It hits newsstands on October 1.

Edited September 23, 2015 by monarch

[Montrose1100]

Houston’s Finest New Restaurant? Showstopping Spot to Open in Marvy Finger’s Luxe Mid-Rise

Apartment buildings are almost like hot days in Houston: Every time you turn around, there’s another one.

With cranes in the sky across the city, it’s becoming more and more difficult to stand out in the Houston rental arena. Marvy Finger, the legendary developer behind such city-changing projects as One Park Place, may have found a way to make one of his new developments unforgettable, though.

500 Crawford — the soon-to-open, seven-floor mid-rise that overlooks Minute Maid Park — will include two new restaurants, including an absolute showstopper.

“There’s going to be a very extravagant Italian restaurant in the building,” Finger tells PaperCity in an exclusive interview. “With the amount of money spent with an investor, it will be the finest Italian restaurant in Houston. I’m talking finish-wise. It is going to be a stunning space, really unlike anything we’ve had in Houston before.

“Now, hopefully we’ll sign someone to make the food live up to the setting. It has a chance to be really special.”

When the 79-year-old Finger is this excited about something, it’s best to pay attention, because Marvy Finger is not given to hyperbole. Despite all his successes, Finger gets nervous every time one of his new buildings opens, and he takes nothing for granted. He doesn’t do gushing. Yet, when it comes to this forthcoming Italian restaurant at 500 Crawford, Finger narly waxes poetic. While the chef hasn’t been signed yet, it’s apparent this is going to be an ultra-serious kitchen with grand ambitions.

The high-end Italian spot’s going to have company, as well. The building will also house an “upscale diner” that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner and a bar that stays open late. Finger believes this more casual, utilitarian spot will be a major bonus for residents of the mid-rise.

Even before Finger told us about the restaurant plans, 500 Crawford promised to be heavy on perk, including its fitness center, a massive 3,000-square-foot retreat. “The athletic facilities are extensive,” Finger says. “It has a chance to be the finest gym in this part of the country.”

The fine-dining Italian restaurant figures to garner the most attention, though. It’s the kind of showcase spot that will have movers and shakers who aren’t in the market for an apartment taking notice of 500 Crawford. It also will be something different — and much more high end — for the neighborhood around Minute Maid and BBVA Compass Stadium.

For more on Finger and real estate in Houston, check out the complete 16-page special section in the October issue of PaperCity Magazine. It hits newsstands on October 1.

PaperCity should change their name to CringeCity. "West Alabama Design District" - GTFO.

[Triton]

After the Astros win

 

500 Crawford by Marc longoria, on Flickr

[hindesky]

 

[monarch]

go stros!

[monarch]

^^^ sensational illustrations triton!

[Purdueenginerd]

http://www.khou.com/story/news/local/2015/10/16/rescue-underway-after-scaffolding-collapse/74053066/

Scaffolding collapse downtown, not sure if its this structure. 

Live Feed

http://www.khou.com/videos/news/local/2015/07/24/12651418/

[cspwal]

It is definitely 500 Crawford - you can see the building in the aerial pictures.  This looks massive - what could cause so much of the scaffolding to collapse?

 

http://www.khou.com/picture-gallery/news/local/2015/10/16/aerial-views-scaffold-collapse-near-minute-maid-park/74053718/

 

Edited October 16, 2015 by cspwal

[Purdueenginerd]

A lot of things cause scaffold collapses. Poor Construction, Poor engineering, poor connection details to the edifice, overloading, etc. there will an investigation, but at this point aside from hypothesis's we dont really know.  Recall that I called out this construction project site a few months ago for utilizing shoring posts the incorrect way. 

 

Lets hope no one died. According to the live feed, they've pulled out 3 people and one was moving. 

[UtterlyUrban]

Terrible news. Sirens have been blaring for the last 30 minutes as emergency responders move to the scene

[Purdueenginerd]

I'm looking through some pictures of the scaffolding people have posted here. The only thing i've seen wrong with the scaffolding is a lack of toe-boards.

 

Its a medium/light duty scaffolding though and at that height it should be anchored to the building for lateral stability. 

[BigFootsSocks]

I see a couple of TV helicopters circling over that area

[ANTHONYHTOWN]

oh no there are reports that several people got hurt, hopefully nothing really bad.

[Purdueenginerd]

The local news reported that a witness saw a car hit the scaffold, but the fire department said there didnt appear to be any cars underneath the rubble. 

 

 

Edited October 16, 2015 by Purdueenginerd

[Purdueenginerd]

http://www.chron.com/houston/article/Workers-trapped-as-scaffolding-collapses-downtown-6574175.php#item-38488
 

"Coworkers told her they saw a black car clip the side of the scaffolding, causing the collapse, before driving off. Neither HFD nor HPD have confirmed that incident."

 

jeeeez
 

[brijonmang]

Wow that's really bad.  Hopefully they catch the person driving if that is indeed what happened.  Hoping everyone involved can make a full recovery quickly as well.  

[Twinsanity02]

This is sickening. Their families are in hell itself right now. My heart and my prayers are with them.

[PD_1]

http://www.chron.com/houston/article/Workers-trapped-as-scaffolding-collapses-downtown-6574175.php

 

 

[rechlin]

Saw a giant cloud of dust rising from the building about 11:07. It was pure white, almost like steam or smoke. It dissipated within a couple minutes; by 11:09 everything was clear. Couldn't figure out what it was, but then I saw a bunch of workers on the roof running so I knew something bad had happened. Checked HFD/HPD active incidents but nothing was there. So sad to hear that this is what it was. Hope the construction workers all recover.

[tangledwoods]

There is a sky track buried in the ruble.  My money is that the fork lift driver was loading a square of brick or block on the scaffold and knocked it down.

[cspwal]

It looks like they rescued 6 workers trapped - no life threatening injuries thankfully.

 

 

 

Six workers have been rescued after a huge scaffolding collapse at an apartment complex under construction on Crawford at Congress.

 

http://www.khou.com/story/news/local/2015/10/16/rescue-underway-after-scaffolding-collapse/74053066/

[j_cuevas713]

If the story is true that some idiot hit the scaffolding and drove off, I hope they nail that person.

[monarch]

^^^ many prayers to the workers and their respective families.  

[phillip_white]

Keep in mind that a scaffolding set-up is an interconnected structure. If one piece fails, especially toward the bottom, the rest of the structure has to compensate. Sure these are built with a safety factor, but if a critical structural element is removed you've got a domino effect that will take out the whole scaffolding.  Strangely enough there is a video of this collapse (shot by tourists) that shows how it fails.

It is definitely 500 Crawford - you can see the building in the aerial pictures.  This looks massive - what could cause so much of the scaffolding to collapse?