Drewery Place: Multifamily High-Rise At 2850 Fannin St.

[houstontexasjack]

I count 48 stories on the tower, though I struggle with counts for stories on garage podiums.  It's a nice looking tower. 

[wxman]

Well, time to change my britches...

[Fortune]

The design reminds me of The Allen Thompson Hotel/condo project on Allen Parkway.

[TheSirDingle]

Hot damn this looks as good as the BBQ at Willows! 

 

Love the curves, and honestly the overall design is phenomenal. Makes me want to see more of this project, not later but now. I can see those placeholders in the background lookin rather sneaky, wonder what they're going to look like; especially with the bar this tower has set. 

 

Insane it took an international developer to put something like this in midtown, they'rent playing any games. Some of these local developers need to hurry their pace, or they're gonna get left behind in terms of design.

[dbigtex56]

Moderators: Although this is part of a grouping of buildings, it deserves to have a thread of its own.

[Luminare]

4 minutes ago, dbigtex56 said:

Moderators: Although this is part of a grouping of buildings, it deserves to have a thread of its own.

 

I would agree, but precedent thus far has dictated that this would stay together as a whole. Its been the same with other "urban core" projects like The Allen, Lower Heights, etc...

[Triton]

29 minutes ago, Luminare said:

 

I would agree, but precedent thus far has dictated that this would stay together as a whole. Its been the same with other "urban core" projects like The Allen, Lower Heights, etc...

Correct. This thread will remain intact since this is part of Caydon's overall phases here.

[wxman]

How prone is Caydon to value engineering? The Allen looked promising but it too became scaled down to a degree after the initial renderings. While I love the design of the building and the curves, I'm not sure how I feel about the brown. Anybody?

Edited October 4, 2019 by wxman

[lockmat]

10 hours ago, htownbro said:

A game changer for Mid-town!!!  Start construction now!

 

Not just midtown, but Houston!

[Luminare]

3 hours ago, wxman said:

How prone is Caydon to value engineering? The Allen looked promising but it too became scaled down to a degree after the initial renderings. While I love the design of the building and the curves, I'm not sure how I feel about the brown. Anybody?

 

Every project by every firm goes through "value engineering". Its a necessary part of the process. Value engineering when done the right way can actually make a project better and bring in an outside perspective to a project to either make it more efficient or make an architect's vision buildable...but this can also be the downside. Its a double edge sword. You want to know if its prone to the bad kind. I would look at a render of Drewery Place and then compare that to the final product. Its pretty comparable. I really don't see a difference. Maybe they switched a material or two, but its basically the render as advertised (which is really hard to do btw). I will say that while I like Drewery Place it isn't pushing the envelope architecturally. I would even say that for a foreign company this last project was the best possible entry that was safe aesthetically, but at the same time is very presentable. It was also a good project to figure out what trades can do in the area, or what trades they can pull into town from afar to do the work. This next project is definitely starting to push it further aesthetically. With that being said, professionally, I don't see anything in that render that screams "can't be built", or "yeah I know thats not going to happen! They will probably have to do it this way." I didn't really see anything like that. I already see where they might switch out some materials if costs run high, but I think thats where they will cut costs. Aesthetically its nothing crazy. This isn't a Frank Gehry building or Calatrava. The wild card for me is that I don't know much about Kimpton Hotels and what they like aesthetically. If they are a client that likes high end and this is suppose to be a flagship then they will throw money at this. If this were a Holiday Inn, well there are plenty of those so they will save a buck where they can. I imagine this is a one time build Kimpton in Houston, and so they will drop money on it. I really wouldn't worry about the "bad side" of "value engineering" in a special case like this. Its not a spec building, but a crafted building for a specific client.

[BeerNut]

6 hours ago, Luminare said:

 

The wild card for me is that I don't know much about Kimpton Hotels and what they like aesthetically. If they are a client that likes high end and this is suppose to be a flagship then they will throw money at this. If this were a Holiday Inn, well there are plenty of those so they will save a buck where they can. I imagine this is a one time build Kimpton in Houston, and so they will drop money on it. 

 

I'm not too worried about Kimpton being value engineered as Kimpton was a highly regarded boutique hotel brand before being acquired by IHG.  They still remain highly rated and people rave about their hotel stays.

Here's a shot of the pool area at Kimpton Hotel Van Zandt in Austin.

[Twinsanity02]

Is this hotel part of the "five highrises" Caydon has planned?  Anyone know approximately when groundbreaking is to occur.

[thatguysly]

19 minutes ago, Twinsanity02 said:

Is this hotel part of the "five highrises" Caydon has planned?  Anyone know approximately when groundbreaking is to occur.

 

Yes. I think 1Q 2020

[West Timer]

 

I just wanted to see these photos on this page. LOVE IT!

Edited October 5, 2019 by West Timer

[BeerNut]

@gclass Both of those are under the Marriott brand.  W was nice under SPG from a loyalty perspective.   I'm surprised you didn't mention Mandarin Oriental.

[HNathoo]

RevPAR (revenue per available room) has been pretty awful in Houston since the last oil bust. We added a ton of supply since then, and demand hasn’t picked up enough to offset it. 

 

These boutique brands are probably relying heavily on a condo concept to bring in enough money to offset the relatively low hotel revenue they might generate. 

 

Austin is a hotel market that can frankly never get enough rooms. The demand there is unbelievable, especially in the urban areas. 

[H-Town Man]

9 minutes ago, HNathoo said:

RevPAR (revenue per available room) has been pretty awful in Houston since the last oil bust. We added a ton of supply since then, and demand hasn’t picked up enough to offset it. 

 

These boutique brands are probably relying heavily on a condo concept to bring in enough money to offset the relatively low hotel revenue they might generate. 

 

Austin is a hotel market that can frankly never get enough rooms. The demand there is unbelievable, especially in the urban areas. 

 

We just need to build a tourism industry. Downtown is drawing people from the suburbs for staycations, Astros games with an overnight stay, etc., but word has not gotten around the state yet. Actually I have met some couples here in Austin who like going to Houston for things; they are not originally from Texas and so haven't been infected with the anti-Houston mentality. We need to keep building up the local draw and then work our way outwards.

[BeerNut]

38 minutes ago, H-Town Man said:

 

We just need to build a tourism industry. Downtown is drawing people from the suburbs for staycations, Astros games with an overnight stay, etc., but word has not gotten around the state yet. Actually I have met some couples here in Austin who like going to Houston for things; they are not originally from Texas and so haven't been infected with the anti-Houston mentality. We need to keep building up the local draw and then work our way outwards.

 

What is Houston lacking to make it a tourist destination?  From my perspective the things that are the biggest draw for tourist areas Houston will never have.  We don't have the right geography, historical pedigree, or cultural significance that other tourist dominated destinations have.  Houston should focus on it's strengths which are food, museum district, and performing arts.  I did see Mayor Turner mention bringing an amusement park to Houston on Twitter.

[MarathonMan]

11 minutes ago, BeerNut said:

 

What is Houston lacking to make it a tourist destination?  From my perspective the things that are the biggest draw for tourist areas Houston will never have.  We don't have the right geography, historical pedigree, or cultural significance that other tourist dominated destinations have.  Houston should focus on it's strengths which are food, museum district, and performing arts.  I did see Mayor Turner mention bringing an amusement park to Houston on Twitter.

 

I agree that we don’t have the right geography, historical pedigree, or cultural significance compared to other tourist-dominated destinations.  However, I would assert that we could create something significant that would draw people to our city, but we don’t think big.  I’ve always thought that Houston could do something really grand — something comparable to the Eiffel Tower in its time — that could define the city and make people see us.  Architecture is a great way to build an identity.  It just seems that nobody here wants to stick their neck out to be bold.

 

I agree that Houston has great food, museums and arts, but those are hard to sell to outsiders all by themselves.

[nonenadazilch]

11 hours ago, H-Town Man said:

 

We just need to build a tourism industry. Downtown is drawing people from the suburbs for staycations, Astros games with an overnight stay, etc., but word has not gotten around the state yet. Actually I have met some couples here in Austin who like going to Houston for things; they are not originally from Texas and so haven't been infected with the anti-Houston mentality. We need to keep building up the local draw and then work our way outwards.

 

The perception of the strong association between Republican politics and the dominant industry in Houston is a bitter pill for younger, conscientious generations to swallow.  Though it's still a powerful economic driver, O&G saddles Houston with an image neither Austin (nor dallas) suffer from.  Conversely, those two towns benefit from the allure that people associate with the tech industry which - for the time being - is virtually absent along the Gulf Coast. 

Edited October 6, 2019 by nonenadazilch

[H-Town Man]

18 hours ago, BeerNut said:

 

What is Houston lacking to make it a tourist destination?  From my perspective the things that are the biggest draw for tourist areas Houston will never have.  We don't have the right geography, historical pedigree, or cultural significance that other tourist dominated destinations have.  Houston should focus on it's strengths which are food, museum district, and performing arts.  I did see Mayor Turner mention bringing an amusement park to Houston on Twitter.

 

It doesn't take world class, UNESCO-type landmarks, most younger people are just hungry for an urban environment, a place where they can be outside of their car for an extended period and experience an authentic, active, historic place (not a phony town center built for shopping). We really aren't lacking much. With the vibrancy downtown plus the best museums in the South a train ride away and the green amenities of Hermann Park and the bayou, we are turning the corner on having a great urban core. We just need to make it all connect and cohere a little better. I still meet people who visited and thought that "Houston didn't have much of a downtown" because they ended up on the wrong side of downtown, etc.

 

We are really close. Remove some more warts, add in some more nice infill, and GET THE WORD OUT! 

[Subdude]

Deleted a sidebar conversation.  As long as posts are on-topic and don't violate HAIF rules, we've never told members not to post unless they have new information, and we're not planning to start.  Likewise, there's no policy about excessive gifs, but recognize that some people find them annoying so I wouldn't overdo it with them.  

[Diaspora]

Genuinely curious as to what “side” of downtown is regarded as  “wrong” by residents or considered “wrong” by visitors, and more importantly, why. 

[H-Town Man]

1 hour ago, Diaspora said:

Genuinely curious as to what “side” of downtown is regarded as  “wrong” by residents or considered “wrong” by visitors, and more importantly, why. 

 

Don't read more into the line than is there, no part of it is "wrong" in any absolute sense, but if you were in Houston for the first time and came upon the south side of downtown instead of the north, you probably wouldn't have a great impression. Why? Because it's mostly parking lots and garages, along with a giant rotting building and very little historic or pedestrian-oriented.

Edited October 6, 2019 by H-Town Man

[bobruss]

lus the north end has most of the history and older buildings that are important to the fabric of downtown.

It used to be that people thought that set of main was not good but as you can see it is now the hotbed of

activity both in stadiums parks, convention center and most of the new hotels.

It's also developing quite a neighborhood feel with all of the residential.

Historic and arts districts are right there with all of it's venues and gateway to Buffalo Bayou.

[102IAHexpress]

On 10/5/2019 at 3:25 PM, BeerNut said:

 

What is Houston lacking to make it a tourist destination?  From my perspective the things that are the biggest draw for tourist areas Houston will never have.  We don't have the right geography, historical pedigree, or cultural significance that other tourist dominated destinations have.  Houston should focus on it's strengths which are food, museum district, and performing arts.  I did see Mayor Turner mention bringing an amusement park to Houston on Twitter.

 

Houston already is a tourist destination. Keep in mind, the second largest inbound market to the US is Mexico (behind Canada). A large chunk of the Mexico tourist market goes to California, New York, and Houston. https://www.ustravel.org/system/files/media_root/document/Research_Country-Profile_Mexico.pdf

 

Now, does Houston get a lot of European tourists, like New York, Chicago and San Francisco do? No. Does Houston get domestic tourists like, Orlando, New York and Las Vegas do? No.

But Houston -does- get tourists from Central and South America. Admittedly, this group is a relatively small slice of the overall US tourist market. However, it is just factually wrong to suggest that Houston is not a tourist destination. I personally have met many Mexicans who have told me they were in town visiting Houston, just to go shopping at the Galleria. 

 

Don't get stuck trying to hammer a square into a round tourist hole. Tourism can take many forms and colors. 

[htownbro]

On 10/5/2019 at 3:25 PM, BeerNut said:

 

What is Houston lacking to make it a tourist destination?  From my perspective the things that are the biggest draw for tourist areas Houston will never have.  We don't have the right geography, historical pedigree, or cultural significance that other tourist dominated destinations have.  Houston should focus on it's strengths which are food, museum district, and performing arts.  I did see Mayor Turner mention bringing an amusement park to Houston on Twitter.

Astroworld 2.0!!  He said announcement in 6-8 weeks!  Back to Caydon.  So are there renderings of other phases yet?

[H-Town Man]

12 hours ago, 102IAHexpress said:

 

Houston already is a tourist destination. Keep in mind, the second largest inbound market to the US is Mexico (behind Canada). A large chunk of the Mexico tourist market goes to California, New York, and Houston. https://www.ustravel.org/system/files/media_root/document/Research_Country-Profile_Mexico.pdf

 

Now, does Houston get a lot of European tourists, like New York, Chicago and San Francisco do? No. Does Houston get domestic tourists like, Orlando, New York and Las Vegas do? No.

But Houston -does- get tourists from Central and South America. Admittedly, this group is a relatively small slice of the overall US tourist market. However, it is just factually wrong to suggest that Houston is not a tourist destination. I personally have met many Mexicans who have told me they were in town visiting Houston, just to go shopping at the Galleria. 

 

Don't get stuck trying to hammer a square into a round tourist hole. Tourism can take many forms and colors. 

 

Point taken. But the context of the discussion was our poor hotel performance since the oil bust. Also I believe I read in the past year or so that the highest revenue night for downtown hotels is still Wednesday rather than Friday or Saturday, indicating primarily business clientele. So while we may have some tourism, it is not enough to fill our hotels, and we lag significantly behind Austin, San Antonio, and DFW.

 

[EllenOlenska]

On 5/2/2016 at 7:38 AM, Urbannizer said:

Drewery Place, Phase I:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Phase II (now known as Laneways Midtown)

:

https://skyrisecities.com/database/projects/district

 

How innocent I was when I thought this was all I wanted. 

[ArtNsf]

On 10/5/2019 at 1:29 PM, H-Town Man said:

 

We just need to build a tourism industry. Downtown is drawing people from the suburbs for staycations, Astros games with an overnight stay, etc., but word has not gotten around the state yet. Actually I have met some couples here in Austin who like going to Houston for things; they are not originally from Texas and so haven't been infected with the anti-Houston mentality. We need to keep building up the local draw and then work our way outwards.

Amen !  I've been saying something similar to this for decades on this forum.  Mostly, I get a beating down by a few posters about "not being mean to" fill in the blank ....  other cities, etc... which imho is a bunch of full on b.s. !