Vertigo58 Posted May 21, 2007 Share Posted May 21, 2007 I have to admit that when I first moved here I thought that building was some kind of huge day-care, youth facility, or community center. I never would have thought it was the Federal Reserve Bank. Glad to hear that it is much nicer on the inside though. I agree with everyone. I was repulsed by the curb appeal. Appears as one of my completed LEGO buildings as a child. I wanted to emphasize how beautiful it is inside though. The views from the balconies (on all sides of the building) are fantastic! The place is somewhat of a Fort Knox as security is quite serious. I imagine because of the loot that's stored within. Ok better stop I've revealed too much! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrfootball Posted May 29, 2007 Share Posted May 29, 2007 Anyone know the history of the "Federal" Reserve system? Quite interesting. Some would even say criminal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricco67 Posted May 29, 2007 Share Posted May 29, 2007 I know quite a bit about the history, the why, and the controversy about it, but I don't think I'd know enough to give a proper explanation about it, though. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reefmonkey Posted June 12, 2007 Share Posted June 12, 2007 It looks like a cartoon reinterpretation of a Beaux-Arts government building. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vertigo58 Posted June 13, 2007 Share Posted June 13, 2007 It looks like a cartoon reinterpretation of a Beaux-Arts government building. I was going to get out my old Legos and build a miniature. What I think is hilarious is this is under Crater Houston as if someone would actually demolish this building. That's a riot! Must have cost a fortune. I doubt they would even consider just because the public disagrees with the look. I'm afraid we will just have to shut our eyes as we drive past. Pass out the Maalox. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moni Posted June 14, 2007 Share Posted June 14, 2007 Oh well, I really love the colors and it is Quirky, just like Houston. Yes I love this thing. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SirTonk Posted October 15, 2007 Share Posted October 15, 2007 (edited) I agree with everyone. I was repulsed by the curb appeal. Appears as one of my completed LEGO buildings as a child. I wanted to emphasize how beautiful it is inside though. The views from the balconies (on all sides of the building) are fantastic! The place is somewhat of a Fort Knox as security is quite serious. I imagine because of the loot that's stored within. Ok better stop I've revealed too much! Yeah, the blue lines in the brick remind me of Duplo blocks. And damn if it doesn't really stand out every time I drive down Allen parkway. I thought that residential complex next to the old Sears was obnoxious, but this place (with the huge eagle) is really in-your-face. I'm glad we got a Fed building and all, but I still think it's odd that they chose to put it on Allen Parkway and not in downtown where everything else is. Or hell, put it in the Galleria. edit Someone should find a way to sneak some red LEDs into the eagle's eyes. Now that would be awesome. Edited October 15, 2007 by SirTonk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texas911 Posted October 15, 2007 Share Posted October 15, 2007 I have always said I love the Fed Bank. Some people in Houston has such tacky taste. I'm sure the people who hate it would probably love a spanish colonial with fake arches and a red tile roof. Here Houston gets a bona-fide piece of Architecture and they don't like it? Maybe they should have hired a draftsman to design it! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gto250us Posted October 15, 2007 Share Posted October 15, 2007 I have always said I love the Fed Bank. Some people in Houston has such tacky taste. I'm sure the people who hate it would probably love a spanish colonial with fake arches and a red tile roof. Here Houston gets a bona-fide piece of Architecture and they don't like it? Maybe they should have hired a draftsman to design it!Can the public go in that place? Like, to cash a check or something. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vertigo58 Posted October 15, 2007 Share Posted October 15, 2007 Can the public go in that place? Like, to cash a check or something. The red LED lights in the eagles eyes comment craked me up by the way. This place is hard core security. I do not think its open to the public as the norm. I was lucky enough to be there for a gala several months ago, otherwise I probably wouldnt have set foot inside of the place. As I mentionend earlier, the inside of this building is beautiful and offers excellent views all around. Would be great for photographers to do pics of models with skyline in background. Serious. On a brighter note, I was encouraged to come for scheduled tours they do offer. No liguid items please. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desirous Posted November 4, 2007 Share Posted November 4, 2007 Does anybody remember the bright, colorful lights when the Federal Reserve building first finished? Did neighborhood complaints make the bank shut them off? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highrise Tower Posted December 6, 2020 Share Posted December 6, 2020 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texasota Posted December 6, 2020 Share Posted December 6, 2020 Michael Graves never should have been allowed to practice architecture. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Specwriter Posted December 6, 2020 Share Posted December 6, 2020 11 hours ago, Texasota said: Michael Graves never should have been allowed to practice architecture. I wonder what is going on at the Federal Reserve Bank with the brick being removed. Michael Graves, at that point in his career, was a design architect. Like Robert Venturi and Philip Johnson he came up with the concept and image. It was left to others to work out the details. This is why Philip Johnson, for example, teamed up with the office of John Burgee on many projects. Some designers understand enough about the "nuts and bolts" of actual construction to avoid working against the reality of what can be reasonably accomplished. Other times the technical architects and engineers are pushed into a very tight situation that manifest in latent problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zaphod Posted December 6, 2020 Share Posted December 6, 2020 That building honestly looks like a greatly scaled up version of the elementary school I attended in the early 1990s. IMO that sort of architecture is sort of okay when it's obvious that the goal is to turn a utilitarian building(like a public school) into something that's at least somewhat architecturally pleasing. Like with post modernism, you could take a box with square windows, then add some brick and awnings or whatever and change the window tint color and voila now its "architecture". But its just weird to design a monumental structure like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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