HeightsGuy Posted May 13, 2005 Share Posted May 13, 2005 My office window looks out on this building, and I just noticed that construction elevators and curtains are going up around the 1st few floors.Does anyone know the details? Is it cosmetic, or are they going to put a new skin on the place?Please say it won't be changed. Love it or hate it, I think it's a shining example of early 60's Houston. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greystone08(returns) Posted May 13, 2005 Share Posted May 13, 2005 please! that building not only needs to be changed but could stand to be knocked down and rebuilt all over again from scratch. This building looks so rusty and dirty, it's nasty to look at. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidtownCoog Posted May 13, 2005 Share Posted May 13, 2005 Like they say, you can't judge a book by its cover, and you can't judge architecture solely from the outside. I used to lunch in the basement in this building. I like it. And it's a functional design as well all know. I have not worked downtown for close to month, but they always seemed to be doing work on the first few floors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jm1fd Posted May 13, 2005 Share Posted May 13, 2005 please! that building not only needs to be changed but could stand to be knocked down and rebuilt all over again from scratch. This building looks so rusty and dirty, it's nasty to look at.<{POST_SNAPBACK}>What's wrong with a good cleaning/restoration? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greystone08(returns) Posted May 13, 2005 Share Posted May 13, 2005 What's wrong with a good cleaning/restoration?<{POST_SNAPBACK}>that would even be good!! But SOMETHING does need to be done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lowbrow Posted May 13, 2005 Share Posted May 13, 2005 Which Exxon building are we talking about? they have 4 campuses around town that I am aware of. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
houstonfella Posted May 13, 2005 Share Posted May 13, 2005 Which Exxon building are we talking about? they have 4 campuses around town that I am aware of.<{POST_SNAPBACK}>I think the downtown one. You know, a lot of people hate that building. But it takes me back to 1972 when I moved to Houston. That building was 44 stories tall and from a small town young man, the skyline was awesome and that building will always remind me of Houston. Something about it made the skyline, at that time, distinctive. At any rate, a nice makeover will be good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidtownCoog Posted May 13, 2005 Share Posted May 13, 2005 There is only one Exxon Building in Houston. Some say it also used to be called the Humble Oil Building, but they are wrong. This is the Humble Oil Building. Now a Courtyard by Marriott. The Humble Oil & Refining Company commissioned its design in 1921 from the New York architectural firm of Clinton and Russell. With a 17-story tower added in the 1930s and subsequent additions, it reached its current 472,000 square foot form by the mid1940s. Both beat the Exxon Building in NYC: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lowbrow Posted May 13, 2005 Share Posted May 13, 2005 Ah you all are talking skyscrapers... I should look at what sub-forum I am in. My problem is that I never navigate the forums I just keep hitting "View New Posts". I'm so lazy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kjb434 Posted May 13, 2005 Share Posted May 13, 2005 I love the Exxon building. This style is quite common in Brazil. I love the cage exterior. Something about the modern design just really appeals to me. I've seen many houses that use this type of architecture. Some or the Mods we talk about on this forum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LTAWACS Posted May 14, 2005 Share Posted May 14, 2005 Ah you all are talking skyscrapers... I should look at what sub-forum I am in. My problem is that I never navigate the forums I just keep hitting "View New Posts". I'm so lazy. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Join the club Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LTAWACS Posted May 14, 2005 Share Posted May 14, 2005 hey MidtownCoog, how tall is that exxon in NYC? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YakuzaIce Posted May 14, 2005 Share Posted May 14, 2005 750 ft. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted May 14, 2005 Share Posted May 14, 2005 Some say it also used to be called the Humble Oil Building, but they are wrong.According to the 1972 AIA Houston Architectural Guide, what is now the Exxon Building on Bell was originally named the Humble Building. The Exxon name wasn't adopted until some time in the 1970s. The original Humble building on Main if I'm not mistaken was called The Main Building. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texasdago Posted June 20, 2005 Share Posted June 20, 2005 The Exxon Building is a landmark building designed by Welton Becket & Associates of Los Angeles (also known for the Capital Records Building). Clean it up, sure... but don't damage it by messing with the design. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeightsGuy Posted June 30, 2005 Author Share Posted June 30, 2005 Wanted to bump this back to the top. Does anyone know what is being done? Looking out my window, the construction curtain is up on the first six floors after the lobby floor, and elevators go up to the 12th.I'm still hoping for a good cleaning/restoration and not a wholesale change. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texasboy Posted June 30, 2005 Share Posted June 30, 2005 i actually like this building as ugly as it is. they are actually building a condo tower in miami similar to it right now. Here is a picture courtesy of MontroseNeighborhood at SSP. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeightsGuy Posted June 30, 2005 Author Share Posted June 30, 2005 Wow, what a picture. That captures the best angle to admire the structure. How someone can take the most basic of shapes and make it dazzling is still beyond me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedScare Posted June 30, 2005 Share Posted June 30, 2005 Just got off the phone with my brother, who works for Exxon. The scaffolding is there for exterior maintenance, nothing more. No changes to the facade. He seemed to remember something about old caulking being replaced. This project has been going on for a few years, since they do a few floors at a time.Exxon remodeled their foyer several years back, but that's as big as it got. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texasboy Posted June 30, 2005 Share Posted June 30, 2005 Wow, what a picture. That captures the best angle to admire the structure. How someone can take the most basic of shapes and make it dazzling is still beyond me.<{POST_SNAPBACK}>yeah, MontroseNeighborhood is real good with doing that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heights2Bastrop Posted June 30, 2005 Share Posted June 30, 2005 The Exxon Building most certainly was called the Humble (silent Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kjb434 Posted June 30, 2005 Share Posted June 30, 2005 great to see them maintaining this building. Hope it lasts another 45 years Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidtownCoog Posted July 1, 2005 Share Posted July 1, 2005 I walked over there this morning. Looks like scafolding and burlap for some window work. FYI - The cafeteria in the basement of this place is pretty good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Great Hizzy! Posted July 1, 2005 Share Posted July 1, 2005 ^^^ Indeed it is, although I don't care for their salads. I've had better downtown. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon Posted August 6, 2005 Share Posted August 6, 2005 They are in the process of removing the original marble column covers and replacing them with a similar colored aluminum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidtownCoog Posted August 11, 2005 Share Posted August 11, 2005 I was walking south this morning as the sun was hitting the top of this building.I finally realized the top vertical pieces of metal are a slight faded green. A patina gone bad.Fix that, and I bet this building will look 100% better.Wonder what color they were to begin with? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pineda Posted August 24, 2005 Share Posted August 24, 2005 (this was just sent to me via e-mail, interesting idea, but would it really work?)Do you have a spark of rebellion in you? Would you like to start a modern day Boston Tea Party?THEN JOIN the RESISTANCE!!!!I hear we are going to hit close to $3.00 a gallon by the end of summer and it might go higher!!Want gasoline prices to come down? We need to take some intelligent, united action.Phillip Hollsworth, offered this good idea:This makes MUCH MORE SENSE than the "don't buy gas on a certain day" campaign that was going around last April or May!The oil companies just laughed at that because they knew we wouldn't continue to "hurt" ourselves by refusing to buy gas.It was more of an inconvenience to us than it was a problem for them.BUT, whoever thought of this idea, has come up with a plan that can really work. Please read it and join with us! By now you're probably thinking gasoline priced at ! about $1.50 is super cheap. Me too! It is currently $2.43 for regular unleaded in my town. Now that the oil companies and the OPEC nations have conditioned us to think that the cost of a gallon of gas is CHEAP at $1.50- $1.75, we need to take aggressive action to teach them that BUYERS control the market place.... not sellers. With the price of gasoline going up more each day, we consumers need to take action. The only way we are going to see the price of gas come down is if we hit someone in the pocketbook by not purchasing their gas! And we can do that WITHOUT hurting ourselves.HOW?Since we all rely on our cars, we can't just stop buying gas. But we CAN have an impact on gas prices if we all act together to force a price war.Here's the idea:For the rest of this year, DON'T purchase ANY gasoline from the TWO BIGGEST COMPANIES (which now are one), EXXON and MOBIL. If they are not selling any gas, they will be inclined to reduce their prices. If they reduce their prices, the other companies will have to follow suit.But to have an impact, we need to reach literally millions of Exxon and Mobil gas buyers.It's really simple to do!!Now, don't wimp out on me at this point... keep reading and I'll explain how simple it is to reach millions of people!!I am sending this note to about thirty people. If each of you send it to at least ten more (30 x 10 = 300) ... and those 300 send it to at least ten more (300 x 10 = 3,000)... and so on, by the time the message reaches the sixth generation of people, we will have reached over THREE MILLION consumers. If those three million get excited and pass this on to ten friends each, then 30 million people will have been contacted!If it goes one level further, you guessed it..... THREE HUNDRED MILLION PEOPLE!!! Again, all You have to do is send this to 10 people. That's all.How long would all that take? If each of us ! sends this e-mail out to ten more people within one day of receipt, al l 300 MILLION people could conceivably be contacted within the next 8 days!!! I'll bet you didn't think you and I had that much potential, did you! Acting together we can make a difference.If this makes sense to you, please pass this message on.PLEASE HOLD OUT UNTIL THEY LOWER THEIR PRICES TO THE $1.30 RANGE AND KEEP THEM DOWN.THIS CAN REALLY WORK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CDeb Posted August 24, 2005 Share Posted August 24, 2005 How mind-numbingly stupid.Not you, pineda, the author of this "piece." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kjb434 Posted August 24, 2005 Share Posted August 24, 2005 Yeah, what a load of crap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lowbrow Posted August 24, 2005 Share Posted August 24, 2005 I'll bet you didn't think you and I had that much potential, did you! This offends me. I actually like most of the impacts seen from the rising cost of fuel. More interest in alternative fuels/hybrid technology (I know 3 people that just bought Prius'), new mpg standards for future vehicles, potential to upgrade existing archaic petrochemical industries (cleaner and more efficient), and fewer people clogging up 2222 on weekends if I want to take a spin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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