Houston Chronicle Building At 4747 Southwest Fwy.

[august948]

Got it.  Thanks for clarifying.  I had always assumed it was a single building that replaced any number of older buildings.

 

If some developer can clean it up properly - could make for an interesting project.  The old printing spaces on the north side of the building could presumably be replaced by a parking structure?  Will have to see.

 

I'm going to bet that it gets torn down and replaced with something else.  You are right, there could be some interesting spaces in there, but you might have to tear down the 1960's rennovations and uncover the original older buildings.  That would cost a pretty penny compared to just bulldozing it and building something new.

 

[IronTiger]

I'm going to bet that it gets torn down and replaced with something else.  You are right, there could be some interesting spaces in there, but you might have to tear down the 1960's rennovations and uncover the original older buildings.  That would cost a pretty penny compared to just bulldozing it and building something new.

Even if they wanted to restore the facade, there's no telling if the 1960s facade irreparably damaged the originals (see 806 Main).

[Houston19514]

I just hope their outrageously ugly parking garage bites the dust in a hurry.  One of the biggest remaining eyesores downtown.

[cloud713]

Even if they wanted to restore the facade, there's no telling if the 1960s facade irreparably damaged the originals (see 806 Main).

This unfortunately. Granted it's not as old/historic as the 806 Main facade.

I agree, the combination of buildings could make for a neat little mixed use community or something. Different purposes for each building.

I like the quirkyness of the different buildings making up one block instead of just a podium or plaza for a single tower taking up a whole block.

[mollusk]

Not that long ago, they took literally years reworking the marble facade.  I suspect 806 Main would be a cake walk in comparison.

[arche_757]

This is not a new campus...  This is an expanded campus, and if anything it is nothing more than a new building or two, or at the very least just a renovation of existing spaces for the old Houston Post site.

 

Anyone want to raise their hands if they think this location is better for the propsed 40 floor Int'l Tower proposed by Stream/Essex (isn't that who is proposing that tower).

 

And I'll bet Skanska is kicking themselves, this is probably a much easier demo than the Houston Club.

[Subdude]

I didn't read it as any new buildings, just updating and remodeling the existing structure.  

 

This would have been a better location for Stream/Essex, since the Houston Club building was imo much more deserving of preservation than the Houston Chronicle.  

 

 

 

 

I agree, the combination of buildings could make for a neat little mixed use community or something. Different purposes for each building. 
I like the quirkyness of the different buildings making up one block instead of just a podium or plaza for a single tower taking up a whole block. 

 

I have a wee picture of the complex before the facade was added in 1967.  "Quirky" would have been apt, especially regarding the Milam Building which made an inverted "L" next to and over the old Majestic Theater building.  Although it would make an interesting addition to downtown if it still existed, I don't think it had the architectural value of 806 Main which made the latter worth saving.  I wish I could go back in time to the 1960s and stop them from "modernizing" all of those buildings!  

 

Btw, although I'm not a big fan of Brutalism, the Houston Post / Chronicle building really isn't a bad example.  

 

 

[cloud713]

This is not a new campus... This is an expanded campus, and if anything it is nothing more than a new building or two, or at the very least just a renovation of existing spaces for the old Houston Post site.

Anyone want to raise their hands if they think this location is better for the propsed 40 floor Int'l Tower proposed by Stream/Essex (isn't that who is proposing that tower).

And I'll bet Skanska is kicking themselves, this is probably a much easier demo than the Houston Club.

I think International Tower would look better on this block too. It's unfortunate the Historic District doesn't encompass the I.T. Block like every other block around Market Square. I'm afraid an all glass skyscraper with color changing LEDs would ruin the historic vibe of market square.

I doubt Skanska is kicking themselves though.. The Houston Club is right in between the green/purple light rail lines.. Pretty prime location.

Edited July 22, 2014 by cloud713

[mkultra25]

There are actually three buildings beneath the facade, one of which was originally the Majestic Theater.  Next to that was the Milam building, which was at some point expanded over the top of the theater.  The facade over all three buildings dates from the 1960s.

(image from Cinema Treasures)

 

 

It would be interesting to see what, if any, traces of the Majestic remain inside the building. 

[Subdude]

It would be interesting to see what, if any, traces of the Majestic remain inside the building. 

 

Likely very little.  I think I read that the theater had been gutted and remodeled years before the facade was put on.  My guess is that from the inside the only indication is thick interior walls.

[Subdude]

What lies beneath..

 

 

 

 

photo from Rice Design Alliance.

 

 

[native_Houstonian]

Another tidbit of history about the Chronicle building on 59 and the loop.   In the 40's, my mother's family rented that plot of land for their cow pasture.   She would walk the cows down Westpark, a rough gravel road, and over the railroad tracks to Westmoreland Dairy to be milked.  The dairy was on the land that Sam's Club sits today.

 

 

[Subdude]

I think International Tower would look better on this block too. It's unfortunate the Historic District doesn't encompass the I.T. Block like every other block around Market Square. I'm afraid an all glass skyscraper with color changing LEDs would ruin the historic vibe of market square.

I doubt Skanska is kicking themselves though.. The Houston Club is right in between the green/purple light rail lines.. Pretty prime location.

 

What will really tick me off is if International Tower gets built, filling up a full block of surface parking, and then the Chronicle Building is demolished and the site used for surface parking.  

[arche_757]

^agreed, but the Chronicle site won't likely stay empty for long.  If anything I can see it being bought FOR a parking garage.  Lots of workers in that immediate area and not too many good parking spots (compared to the central and southern parts of downtown).

[H-Town Man]

and there is pretty much no evidence of the Chronicle ever targeting top journalism talent.

 

Besides the evidence I posted above?  I agree with your usual criticisms of the Chronicle and its journalistic failings, but it has tried (and sometimes succeeded) to bring journalistic talent to town.

[H-Town Man]

Swamplot had a good read on this - it's not a local decision to leave downtown, but rather the Hearst Corporation selling off an asset while the market is high.  Another sad pitfall of out-of-town ownership, though not as bad as what happened with Astroworld.

 

[Houston19514]

Besides the evidence I posted above?  I agree with your usual criticisms of the Chronicle and its journalistic failings, but it has tried (and sometimes succeeded) to bring journalistic talent to town.

 

Yeah, besides that evidence.  If that's the extent of the evidence, I rest my case.  Transferring a guy from a Hearst newspaper in a smaller market doesn't really impress me as making much of an effort to bring journalistic talent to town.  The proof is in the pudding. 

 

The primary newspaper in the largest metro areas of the country have been awarded the Pullitzer Prize the number of times shown next to their name:

 

New York Times      -- 112

Los Angeles Times --   41

Chicago Tribune     --   25

Dallas M News        --    9

Houston Chronicle -- 0

Philadelphia Inquirer -- 19

Washington Post    --   47

Miami Herald          --    20

Denver Post            --   8

Atlanta J-C              --  11

Boston Globe          --   23

San Fran Chronicle  --   6

Edited July 23, 2014 by Houston19514

[arche_757]

It takes only 45 seconds of scanning the chron.com homepage to see just how shabby a paper it is.

 

I mean "win a pizza date with JJ Watt" is one of the primary articles, or was yesterday!

 

Of course the most clicked or read articles are usually also about the Texans, so... know thy audience.

[Houston19514]

It takes only 45 seconds of scanning the chron.com homepage to see just how shabby a paper it is.

 

I mean "win a pizza date with JJ Watt" is one of the primary articles, or was yesterday!

 

Of course the most clicked or read articles are usually also about the Texans, so... know thy audience.

 

You get the audience you earn.  I don't even waste my time going to their site any more and dropped my print subscription 20 years ago.

[H-Town Man]

Yeah, besides that evidence.  If that's the extent of the evidence, I rest my case.  Transferring a guy from a Hearst newspaper in a smaller market doesn't really impress me as making much of an effort to bring journalistic talent to town.  The proof is in the pudding. 

 

The primary newspaper in the largest metro areas of the country have been awarded the Pullitzer Prize the number of times shown next to their name:

 

New York Times      -- 112

Los Angeles Times --   41

Chicago Tribune     --   25

Dallas M News        --    9

Houston Chronicle -- 0

Philadelphia Inquirer -- 19

Washington Post    --   47

Miami Herald          --    20

Denver Post            --   8

Atlanta J-C              --  11

Boston Globe          --   23

San Fran Chronicle  --   6

 

Like I said, they don't have a great journalistic tradition, but they've made efforts to improve it, and at times they have lured talent from other papers, even if it hasn't resulted in a Pulitzer.  That's kind of like saying that if a university has never had a professor win a Nobel prize, it must mean they aren't in the business of trying to attract talent. The Chronicle, like any other paper, tries to attract talent.

 

When Jeff Cohen came here, one of his stated goals was to improve on the Chronicle's tradition as a newspaper of the establishment, and to make it one of the papers in the country that are must-reads for the intelligentsia. Translation: we aren't a good paper now, but we're going to use our resources to try to become one. To do that, you have to attract top talent.

 

[H-Town Man]

It takes only 45 seconds of scanning the chron.com homepage to see just how shabby a paper it is.

 

I mean "win a pizza date with JJ Watt" is one of the primary articles, or was yesterday!

 

Of course the most clicked or read articles are usually also about the Texans, so... know thy audience.

 

The chron.com homepage is more targeted to low-brow web traffic to generate ad revenue, while houstonchronicle.com is presented as more of a serious newspaper.

[arche_757]

Yes I figured as such.  They should just charge and be done with it.  Why have two e-format papers?

 

Besides, if I were a prospective chronicle subscriber I may visit that free homepage first and decide it wasn't really worth it.

[Houston19514]

Like I said, they don't have a great journalistic tradition, but they've made efforts to improve it, and at times they have lured talent from other papers, even if it hasn't resulted in a Pulitzer.  That's kind of like saying that if a university has never had a professor win a Nobel prize, it must mean they aren't in the business of trying to attract talent. The Chronicle, like any other paper, tries to attract talent.

 

When Jeff Cohen came here, one of his stated goals was to improve on the Chronicle's tradition as a newspaper of the establishment, and to make it one of the papers in the country that are must-reads for the intelligentsia. Translation: we aren't a good paper now, but we're going to use our resources to try to become one. To do that, you have to attract top talent.

 

They may be trying, but their efforts have been a miserable failure.  It doesn't matter if their stated goal is to win every Pulitzer prize offered.  The product they are producing is horrible and seems to be getting worse.  Cohen joined the paper in 2002.  Can anyone seriously suggest they are closer now than they were 12 years ago to being one of the papers in the country that are must-reads for the country's intelligentsia?  It's hard to even type the question without laughing.

 

[arche_757]

If you ask me the Chronicle pre-Cohen was better.  I can think that their best writers have left in the past 5+/- years... and honestly their best writers were sports writers (which again figures).

[H-Town Man]

They may be trying, but their efforts have been a miserable failure.  It doesn't matter if their stated goal is to win every Pulitzer prize offered.  The product they are producing is horrible and seems to be getting worse.  Cohen joined the paper in 2002.  Can anyone seriously suggest they are closer now than they were 12 years ago to being one of the papers in the country that are must-reads for the country's intelligentsia?  It's hard to even type the question without laughing.

 

 

This has been a rough 12 years to try to improve a major metro newspaper, considering what the industry is going through. It may be a testament to their efforts that the paper has not declined more than it may or may not have, considering the drops in ad revenue and subscriber base.  Doesn't mean that they aren't trying to attract top talent, or that having a downtown location vs. a freeway interchange wouldn't help such efforts down the road when times may be better.

[H-Town Man]

Yes I figured as such.  They should just charge and be done with it.  Why have two e-format papers?

 

Besides, if I were a prospective chronicle subscriber I may visit that free homepage first and decide it wasn't really worth it.

 

It seems like another attempt to solve a puzzle that I don't think any major paper has successfully solved - how to have a profitable business on an online platform.

 

 

If you ask me the Chronicle pre-Cohen was better.  I can think that their best writers have left in the past 5+/- years... and honestly their best writers were sports writers (which again figures).

 

I think it was better in the 90's (and even better in the 80's) because the format was wider, the print was smaller, the articles were longer, and iirc they had more staff. But this is an industry-wide change.

[Houston19514]

This has been a rough 12 years to try to improve a major metro newspaper, considering what the industry is going through. It may be a testament to their efforts that the paper has not declined more than it may or may not have, considering the drops in ad revenue and subscriber base.  Doesn't mean that they aren't trying to attract top talent, or that having a downtown location vs. a freeway interchange wouldn't help such efforts down the road when times may be better.

 

So I guess because they are in business we are to assume, ipso facto, that they are trying to attract top talent.  In some sense I suppose every business at least thinks it is "trying to attract top talent."  The problem is, there is scant evidence of any significant commitment to such an endeavor on the part of the Chronicle.  And more importantly for this city that is saddled with an embarrassment of a newspaper,  even if they are in some way "trying to attract top talent", they have clearly been unable to get the job done.

[H-Town Man]

So I guess because they are in business we are to assume, ipso facto, that they are trying to attract top talent.  In some sense I suppose every business at least thinks it is "trying to attract top talent."  The problem is, there is scant evidence of any significant commitment to such an endeavor on the part of the Chronicle.  And more importantly for this city that is saddled with an embarrassment of a newspaper,  even if they are in some way "trying to attract top talent", they have clearly been unable to get the job done.

 

 

I've given you evidence, with names, of journalists they've recruited from out of town. Your only evidence that they aren't trying to recruit talent is that they haven't won any Pulitzers. I guess you don't think the Texans are trying to recruit talent since they haven't won any Super Bowls or MVP's. You can continue to send rhetorical fireworks at the Chronicle, and I will stand by my original statement:

 

"I would think [a downtown location] would be a bigger draw for recruiting journalism talent than the southeast corner of 59 and 610."

[Nate99]

LINK

 

They own the garage across the Prairie/Milam intersection too.

 

Can't see it being repurposed as it sits, but I lack imagination in such things. It does have a tunnel connection.

Edited July 23, 2014 by Nate99

[Sparrow]

This will be a good move all around. A block and a half of prime downtown real estate will become available--not for very long I would imagine. Redevelopment of the parking garage would further enhance the Market Square area. Even as to the new campus to the southwest, this will be a good move for the Chronicle. What a prime location just south of Uptown! None of the local TV stations are downtown, probably about time the local newspaper followed suit.