Toyota Center At 1510 Polk St.

[Montrose1100]

The Toyota center may seem not so big on the outside, but people don't realize is that it sinks into the ground like the Astrodome and the Compaq Center. Thats why the Astrodome isn't so tall as the Reliant Stadium.

I think its a real good idea with the Hilton putting pedestrian bridges across to the convention center and the arena. I wonder what someone will do with the patch of grass next to it? I hope somone builds a little pond/reflecting pool/park there.

[CincoRanch-HoustonResident]

That would be a good idea. A lake would be the best choice to me.

[Talbot]

it would be cool to have a little park with benches and a fountain in it.

[GovernorAggie]

Anyone remember when the city supposedly wasn't gonna allow Toyota's logo on the top of the building? Well we see how much teeth the city has. A nice big red Toyota 'T' on the roof now, and IMO it looks cool!

[h-townrep]

It also would be nice if the Arena would hold a basketball championship every year like the Big 12. Like Atlanta holds the SEC championship, even though there isn't an SEC team in Atlanta. Or a big game. I wonder when we are going to get the final four?

[GovernorAggie]

The Final Four is in 2011 in Reliant

[HOUCAJUN]

Does anyone have pics of the rooftop of the Toyota Center that shows the lit Toyota logo at night?

[texasboy]

Does anyone have pics of the rooftop of the Toyota Center that shows the lit Toyota logo at night?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Here is a pic I took, but it is not at night.

[GovernorAggie]

Looking closely, you can see the neon tubing around each of the letters and the logo. Of course, the neon lighting is red.

[jookyhc]

I really enjoy this building. Honestly I enjoy all 3 of the sports venues.

However, the thing I love about Toyota Center is that you go down to the cheap seats, instead of climbing up. Since you go further away, and then come down to your seats, the perception -- and obviously the reality-- is that you are moving in closer to the action.

That, and my wife and I are big fans of Clutch the Rockets Bear.

[skwatra]

this isn't the best picture, took it after the game monday from i think fannin and clay. gives you an idea though:

[skwatra]

That, and my wife and I are big fans of Clutch the Rockets Bear.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

we love clutch, have you ever read his fan email? it's hilarious

ask clutch

[jookyhc]

I read Clutch's mail every time he posts it. I've sent him a few things, and "he" always replies, but it's never anything that's worth posting. It's usually more along the lines of "Did David Stern know you were going to take his shoe last night, or was that an impromptu thing?"

[jmancuso]

yeh, i just noticed the neon light tonite on the way home from class. gives those guys haning out in the space station something to look at.

i was on the design team of this arena and still have CAD drawings to all the levels somewhere on my hard-drive. oh...when you there and you're in the bathroom, think of me, i helped with their layouts.

[skwatra]

neon lights at night, taken from sky lounge balcony-

[texasboy]

i like it.

[LTAWACS]

oh...when you there and you're in the bathroom, think of me, i helped with their layouts.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That's a... comforting thought.

[ricco67]

taking a whiz and thinking of the wiz that did the potty's.

[HOUCAJUN]

neon lights at night, taken from sky lounge balcony-

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

great picture, just wonder why they didn't have the roof lit during the playoffs.

[Kam]

If I recall, I remember game three and six being in the daytime.

[MidtownCoog]

Here's an old pic that I found while clening my PC:

[Trae]

Downtown even looks different from that photo.

[MidtownCoog]

Yep. 5 Houston was still being built and I don't think STCL had finished their expansion.

I can't belive how many pictures I have found on my hard drive that I forgot about.

I like the truck in the bottom of the pic.

[Trae]

That truck looks so small.

[lockmat]

Pretty sweet...

http://www.chron.com/content/chronicle/spe...tid=22861974001

[cottonmather0]

I saw that yesterday, too. It is cool.

One question: Do they change out the seat cushions or whole seats themselves for Aeros games? They look to be a different color when the ice is out.

[hadooga]

I saw that yesterday, too. It is cool.

One question: Do they change out the seat cushions or whole seats themselves for Aeros games? They look to be a different color when the ice is out.

Yeah I noticed the color change, too. We have season tickets for the Aeros, but I've never been to a Rockets game in TC. Does it just appear that the color changes because they actually go row by row & lift up/put down all seat cushions before a Rockets game? I have no idea, but I'm sure they do a lot more to get the place 'nice' for the Rockets games than they do for the Aeros. They don't seem to like us hockey fans too much (most likely because there are so few of us) so I honestly wouldn't be surprised if they completely changed cushions. That does seem like a lot of work, though.

[qwerty]

I think the color change in the seats you are seeing in the video is when the Rockets put free red T-shirts for the club seats during the playoffs. The free shirts are bright red while the seats are dark red.

[hadooga]

Thanks for the reply. I was thinking nobody knew!

[tigereye]

http://houston.culturemap.com/news/city-life/10-08-18-toyota-center-turns-15-houston-rockets-tilman-fertitta-tad-davis-houston-astros-jim-crane/

 

“When you move into a building, you immediately realize you could have done things better,” says Rockets CEO Tad Brown. They have retrofitted a number of areas and plan to continue making upgrades including what Fertitta calls a “major overhaul” in the next five years. “We have a lot of ideas and a lot of plans on what we are going to be doing,” Brown says.

 

What would you like to see done with the arena during the major overhaul?!? 

 

For me, I would like to see rooftop bar spaces for the upper deck sections and SRO with a view of the event floor below. This has been a trend with venues lately (MSG Skybridge, Fiserv Forum’s Panaroma Club, etc). IMO this could be added to Toyota Center at the top of each of the 4 structural roof support structures at the corners of the arena. Previously, the roof support columns have been a dead area of the venue. In recent years, they’ve been backlit by LED lighting so clearly they’re trying to do something with this dead area (see Astros CF renovation) 

 

An example: T-Mobile Arena’s rooftop bars.