Brava: Multifamily High-Rise At 414 Milam St.

[j.33]

There is also a connection to the tunnels at the basement of the garage....just opened a few weeks ago ;). I take that as a good sign! 

 

[H-Town Man]

As much as I like Hines, I'm not sure we need more blue glass in this neighborhood. Not that I trust Linbeck to do better.

 

[j_cuevas713]

It would be cool to see that block become something smaller. Like 2 buildings roughly this size/style with a courtyard in the middle with NO PARKING

[arche_757]

13 minutes ago, j_cuevas713 said:

It would be cool to see that block become something smaller. Like 2 buildings roughly this size/style with a courtyard in the middle with NO PARKING

I like your train of thought, but feel it ought to be at least double that size or else it’s a 7 floor building with 45, 46 and 34floor buildings on 3-sides.  But yes, something that allows a little more human scale to the neighborhood so Market Square isn’t surrounded by shade inducing towers…though in August that’s not a terrible thing.

[zaphod]

Agree with the points above. These days a huge "trophy" building wouldn't do as much as something residential/hotel to bring in foot traffic that has nice lower floors to make the street level atmosphere more appealing.

Edited August 3, 2021 by zaphod

[arche_757]

I wonder if it would ever be too much to hope the city would close either Preston and Congress just at the block bordering Market Square?  I know it’s absurd to ponder closing a street to vehicular traffic in Houston, but it would allow Market Square to really become more connected to the surrounding blocks by eliminating thru-vehicles.

[Big E]

4 hours ago, j_cuevas713 said:

It would be cool to see that block become something smaller. Like 2 buildings roughly this size/style with a courtyard in the middle with NO PARKING

 

3 hours ago, zaphod said:

Agree with the points above. These days a huge "trophy" building wouldn't do as much as something residential/hotel to bring in foot traffic that has nice lower floors to make the street level atmosphere more appealing.

While I find these nice sentiments, nobody buys a large lot like that, with the almost certain astronomical price tag is demanded, to build something like that. This is downtown Houston: big trophy towers are the name of the game and the only reason you even look to build down there. Otherwise, you could literally build that building in the picture anywhere else in the city, where its cheaper. Everything is big in Texas, and in Houston, the biggest city of them all, you go big or you go home. There will be a landmark tower on that lot, mark my words.

[arche_757]

Do we know the cost of this land when purchased?

[phillip_white]

10 hours ago, Big E said:

While I find these nice sentiments, nobody buys a large lot like that, with the almost certain astronomical price tag is demanded, to build something like that. This is downtown Houston: big trophy towers are the name of the game and the only reason you even look to build down there. Otherwise, you could literally build that building in the picture anywhere else in the city, where its cheaper. Everything is big in Texas, and in Houston, the biggest city of them all, you go big or you go home. There will be a landmark tower on that lot, mark my words.

Agreed. That is what Midtown, Montrose, East End, and all of the peripheral downtown neighborhoods are supposed to look like. Cut it out with the townhouses and build some real density.

[H-Town Man]

19 hours ago, arche_757 said:

Do we know the cost of this land when purchased?

They probably paid about $10 million and it's probably now worth about $30 million, higher if not for the pandemic and oil collapse. But if they could sell the block for $30 million, that's the opportunity cost for developing it. So whatever they build there is going to have to be worth enough to pay for the cost of construction as well as the land and a suitable profit of 15%-25%. So it's going to be tall.

 

[hindesky]

[Highrise Tower]

Nice view.

[hindesky]

[Highrise Tower]

[hindesky]

[Highrise Tower]

Topping out beam signing.

[hindesky]

 

[MidCenturyMoldy]

 

The vertical panorama function on my drone comes in handy in Houston. 

Edited August 25, 2021 by MidCenturyMoldy

[Urbannizer]

Houst-OOOO-Rama! by bill barfield, on Flickr

Droning Over Downtown by bill barfield, on Flickr

[hindesky]

[hindesky]

Why even have a clock tower if the time isn't ever right? Seems like a huge waste of money to have this for what, to lie to people? I rode by at 10:30 am and this clock is either 2 hours ahead or 10 hrs behind.

 

[kbates2]

Aren’t all of these buildings past their tax free period? Seems like we get very little from the TIRZ relative to the size of the tax base. If somebody breaks a bottle or drops deuce outside somewhere, it will be there for a week at a minimum. Broken things like this clock tower seem like a given.

[samagon]

On 9/5/2021 at 3:43 PM, hindesky said:

Why even have a clock tower if the time isn't ever right? Seems like a huge waste of money to have this for what, to lie to people? I rode by at 10:30 am and this clock is either 2 hours ahead or 10 hrs behind.

 

 

is that clock actually running? I always imagined that clock has 2 moments each day that build up in anticipation. should you come back at 30 minutes after midnight, or half an hour to 1pm, there would be celebrating in the streets as the bell chimes to remind everyone within hearing distance that indeed, it is either half past 12, or half past 12. it would be an exclamation in ecstasy: behold, I am right now!

unless it's actually running and is 2/14 hours fast, in which case, whoever set the clock must have family in Halifax, or Tokyo.

Edited September 7, 2021 by samagon

[Tumbleweed_Tx]

6 hours ago, samagon said:

 

unless it's actually running and is 2/14 hours fast, in which case, whoever set the clock must have family in Halifax, or Tokyo.

Blame Canada, eh

[ATH]

The same talented people who keep our downtown street lights synchronized also keep the clock on time.

[ATH]

1 hour ago, ATH said:

The same talented people who keep our downtown street lights synchronized also keep the clock on time.

I meant to say our downtown traffic lights........

[samagon]

it could be that person, or the person in charge of making the skyline not dark and bland at night.

I hope it's not the same person in charge of all 3 items. I know I'd feel bad if it is one person in charge of all 3 items. multitasking at that level can be cumbersome. 

Edited September 8, 2021 by samagon

[hindesky]

[BeerNut]

[hindesky]