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Buffalo Bayou Master Plan


houstonfella

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pardon my ignorance, but what is the difference?

A jail is used for temporary detention. A prison is used for people serving long term sentences. There's certainly an advantage to having the jail so close to the courthouse, but I would think that, as others have noted, the value of the land is going to get high enough at some point, that it's going to make sense to move it.

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A jail is used for temporary detention. A prison is used for people serving long term sentences. There's certainly an advantage to having the jail so close to the courthouse, but I would think that, as others have noted, the value of the land is going to get high enough at some point, that it's going to make sense to move it.

Thanks for clarifying. I would assume that as long as the courthouses remain in downtown, so will the jail.

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Small update

 

This is south side of Eleanor Tinsley.

 

UbCYJcZ.jpg

 

AyE3FIZ.jpg

 

I know I've posted this a few times before (at least I think I have on HAIF but I'm too lazy to check) but this bridge connecting to the Police Officer Memorial is really nice and I just can't imagine what this will all look like in the spring and summer.

 

ppJmz2Q.jpg

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Lots of cities have jails downtown. Where would you put it? The way Houston is built the jail will be surrounded by high priced property just about anywhere you put it in the core.

NY county jail is right smack in the middle of lower Manhattan in the financial district.

Edited by HoustonIsHome
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  • 2 weeks later...

Amazing how much it has changed in 15 years. I remember the Waugh bridge was the scariest to ride on with a bike as a kid because it felt like you could slip riding down and go straight into the water. I'm sure I'll re-post this thought in a 100 years in Houston History.

 

Great pictures and thanks for the update.

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When might we know what they'll do to it?  Thought it reminded me of the overpasses and underpasses with there multitude of columns and arches. Seems pretty Houstonian to me  ;)

It reminds me of a photo I've seen of the abandoned subways of Rochester. What could one do with it?

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Those last two ideas are the best i've heard.

 I disagree - those might destroy the essance of what this is / the vibe...

 

James Turrell could go wild with it and turn it into another one of his art installations. or they could turn it into a laser tag or paintball venue?

 

Would these really be feasable? I think there would be a risk to the safety of those in there if they were running around / all that might hurt the integrity of the structure or something.

 

It reminds me of a photo I've seen of the abandoned subways of Rochester. What could one do with it?

 

The could do installations there / keep it a spiritual place / a place to go for those seeking a spiritual escape. let people in and allow them to use it the way they see  fit.

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I disagree - those might destroy the essance of what this is / the vibe...

Would these really be feasable? I think there would be a risk to the safety of those in there if they were running around / all that might hurt the integrity of the structure or something.

The could do installations there / keep it a spiritual place / a place to go for those seeking a spiritual escape. let people in and allow them to use it the way they see fit.

The essence? Turn it into a haunted house? "Keep" it a spiritual place? I think we have enough churches in this town, it should utilized for out door activity, like paint balling. That's what parks are for. And the Budweiser amphitheater is goin up on the other side of the bayou.
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 I disagree - those might destroy the essance of what this is / the vibe...

 

 

Would these really be feasable? I think there would be a risk to the safety of those in there if they were running around / all that might hurt the integrity of the structure or something.

 

 

The could do installations there / keep it a spiritual place / a place to go for those seeking a spiritual escape. let people in and allow them to use it the way they see  fit.

is there really an essence/vibe to a place if no one is ever in there to experience it? 

what do you think would be more popular, an underground cistern, or an underground paintball field in the middle of the city? the underground cistern open to the public as is may be popular with certain crowds.. but they probably arent the crowds you want to attract (homeless people, drug dealers, ect). 

people running around shooting paintballs (or lasers) might hurt the integrity of the structure? of course the concrete poles would be covered, which brings me to my next point. the place would be completely shielded from the paintballs/protected to protect any "essence/vibe" or w/e they may want to eventually bring back.

James Turrells places can be pretty spiritual.. have him cut out a bunch of holes in the roof (filled in with thick glass panels so people could walk on top of it/use the performance lawn space above) letting light in through certain points, ect, setting an ambience to the place.. just do what he does best.

 

Settling for paintball, which I love, is just selling the place short. A place that aesthetically appealing deserves more respect than that.

selling the place short? its an old underground reservoir... i didnt realize it was very aesthetically appealing. like i mentioned, the place would likely be completely covered in padding/w.e to protect the people from injuring themselves, and that would shield the structure from any "damage", preserving it in its original state.

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is there really an essence/vibe to a place if no one is ever in there to experience it?

what do you think would be more popular, an underground cistern, or an underground paintball field in the middle of the city? the underground cistern open to the public as is may be popular with certain crowds.. but they probably arent the crowds you want to attract (homeless people, drug dealers, ect).

people running around shooting paintballs (or lasers) might hurt the integrity of the structure? of course the concrete poles would be covered, which brings me to my next point. the place would be completely shielded from the paintballs/protected to protect any "essence/vibe" or w/e they may want to eventually bring back.

James Turrells places can be pretty spiritual.. have him cut out a bunch of holes in the roof (filled in with thick glass panels so people could walk on top of it/use the performance lawn space above) letting light in through certain points, ect, setting an ambience to the place.. just do what he does best.

selling the place short? its an old underground reservoir... i didnt realize it was very aesthetically appealing. like i mentioned, the place would likely be completely covered in padding/w.e to protect the people from injuring themselves, and that would shield the structure from any "damage", preserving it in its original state.

Or a night club. But I agree opening a dark underground space to the general public might attract undesirables. (It would be the drug dealers, not the homeless I'm worried about).

I thought there were ideas floating around. I really like the paintball idea. You have to go to the far flung suburbs for that.

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You have to go to the far flung suburbs for that.

yep.. one of the same reasons i want a TopGolf (and a public sports complex for the downtown residents because there would still be quite a good chunk of room left, and there currently is only one basketball court and a few private tennis courts downtown), on the roof of the convention center (all that wasted space downtown [rooftop or not, its a massive area that could be utilized] could be put to use for more entertainment for the local residents and to draw people in/help make downtown a destination). 

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is there really an essence/vibe to a place if no one is ever in there to experience it? 

what do you think would be more popular, an underground cistern, or an underground paintball field in the middle of the city? the underground cistern open to the public as is may be popular with certain crowds.. but they probably arent the crowds you want to attract (homeless people, drug dealers, ect). 

 

selling the place short? its an old underground reservoir... i didnt realize it was very aesthetically appealing. like i mentioned, the place would likely be completely covered in padding/w.e to protect the people from injuring themselves, and that would shield the structure from any "damage", preserving it in its original state.

 

This is one of the top tourist destinations in Istanbul:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g293974-d294555-Reviews-Basilica_Cistern-Istanbul.html

 

Ok, ours isn't 1500 years old and probably doesn't compare, but I paid to get in just to walk through (small fee) and they hold benefits and concerts down there all the time.

 

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This is one of the top tourist destinations in Istanbul:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g293974-d294555-Reviews-Basilica_Cistern-Istanbul.html

 

Ok, ours isn't 1500 years old and probably doesn't compare, but I paid to get in just to walk through (small fee) and they hold benefits and concerts down there all the time.

 

 

Wish we had more architecture like that here.

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Very cool.  A Turkish geophysicist I know told me about discovering a similar cistern under the Hagia Sofia in Istanbul (which started out as an Eastern Orthodox Church before it became a mosque).  

 

Our cistern isn't in that class, but it would be nice to preserve it in whatever way we can.  We've already lost so much physical evidence of the community Houston was in its early years.  Even we locals tend to assume nothing ever happened here, but from time to time I read about unexpected events and things that are worth remembering.

Edited by ArchFan
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Very cool. A Turkish geophysicist I know told me about discovering a similar cistern under the Hagia Sofia in Istanbul (which started out as an Eastern Orthodox Church before it became a mosque).

Our cistern isn't in that class, but it would be nice to preserve it in whatever way we can. We've already lost so much physical evidence of the community Houston was in its early years. Even we locals tend to assume nothing ever happened here, but from time to time I read about unexpected events and things that are worth remembering.

It's still a Greek church if you ask me, or any orthodox person. It is disgusting to see what they did to those icons

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