houstontexasjack Posted April 9, 2019 Share Posted April 9, 2019 The property at 212 Milam St., presently occupied by the more-or-less abandoned Chase Motor Bank across the street to the north from Market Square Tower, has recently been listed for sale: https://www.loopnet.com/Listing/212-Milam-St-Houston-TX/15558588/ Here's hoping for some nice redevelopment to extend the skyline further north. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H-Town Man Posted April 9, 2019 Share Posted April 9, 2019 It was for sale back in 2014 or 2015 but must have been pulled off the market during the downturn. Guess this signals they feel favorable market conditions are back. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate99 Posted April 9, 2019 Share Posted April 9, 2019 Isn't a significant chunk of that block held up by piers in the river [bayou] bank as part of the bridges over the bayou? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H-Town Man Posted April 10, 2019 Share Posted April 10, 2019 (edited) Offers due May 7th. I didn't realize prime land sales often had limited exposure like this, like a residential house. This lot floods and I hope does not become a garage. Edited April 10, 2019 by H-Town Man 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post dbigtex56 Posted April 10, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted April 10, 2019 (edited) This is the bank that was featured in the 1984 movie "Paris, Texas". edit: Here's a scene showing the bank (and glimpses of downtown's 1983 skyline and randomly cut together freeway sequences). Edited April 10, 2019 by dbigtex56 11 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate99 Posted April 10, 2019 Share Posted April 10, 2019 6 hours ago, dbigtex56 said: This is the bank that was featured in the 1984 movie "Paris, Texas". edit: Here's a scene showing the bank (and glimpses of downtown's 1983 skyline and randomly cut together freeway sequences). That's a hell of a time capsule. The "Get Mobyvated" 97 Rock billboard caught my eye. Getting on 59 Northbound coming out of the bank was a neat trick, but nothing compared to teleporting backwards by a couple of miles a minute or so later. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mollusk Posted April 10, 2019 Share Posted April 10, 2019 Funny thing is, the Katy was both the first and last freeway they were on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H-Town Man Posted April 10, 2019 Share Posted April 10, 2019 I found it really easy to miss the director's intentions because I was so busy identifying things. I would think, "Oh, that's the southwest freeway before 288 splits off," instead of "Oh, this overwhelming freeway with all these lanes is meant to evoke the overwhelming feelings of the situation." Or not noticing that the name "Paris, Texas," was meant to suggest the contrast between an ideal (Paris = happy family life) with a grim reality (Texas = emotional desolation). My interpretations, anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbigtex56 Posted April 10, 2019 Share Posted April 10, 2019 (edited) 6 hours ago, mollusk said: Funny thing is, the Katy was both the first and last freeway they were on. I had a cab driver who was supposed to take a friend and me from east Midtown to a bar on West Dallas. Somehow, we ended up in an industrial area east of the 610 Loop. The driver must have used this movie instead of Garmin to inform his choices. 4 hours ago, H-Town Man said: I found it really easy to miss the director's intentions because I was so busy identifying things. I would think, "Oh, that's the southwest freeway before 288 splits off," instead of "Oh, this overwhelming freeway with all these lanes is meant to evoke the overwhelming feelings of the situation." Or not noticing that the name "Paris, Texas," was meant to suggest the contrast between an ideal (Paris = happy family life) with a grim reality (Texas = emotional desolation). My interpretations, anyway. Same thing happens to me. For example, City Hall has stood in for Hermann Hospital and for a courthouse in other movies, and it always throws me for a loop. Your interpretations are in line with the filmmakers' intentions. It's the sort of movie (excuse me, film) that they go crazy over at Cannes - and they did: "At Cannes, the film won three prizes: the Palme d'Or, the FIPRESCI Prize, and the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury. The decision from the main jury on the Palme d'Or was unanimous." Aside from its film notoriety, I've always liked this building. Although many people may view it as hopelessly dated, it was considered cutting-edge when it went up. Did I mention that it's a 3/D International - I. M. Pei design? No wonder the French went crazy for it. Edited April 10, 2019 by dbigtex56 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mollusk Posted April 11, 2019 Share Posted April 11, 2019 Dated, perhaps, but it really uses the space efficiently. It's also the same granite as the tower, even though it's several blocks away, and curvy rather than angular. BTW, that was really the amount of traffic that was around at the time. We had perhaps half the population we do now. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H-Town Man Posted April 11, 2019 Share Posted April 11, 2019 I will not be sentimental about this building. It is akin to the drive-thru McDonald's that used to sit where 609 Main is now, I don't care who designed it (and I'll eat my hat if I.M. Pei was even aware of its existence, probably a junior junior partner). We will always have it on celluloid; hurry wrecking ball. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samagon Posted April 12, 2019 Share Posted April 12, 2019 On 4/9/2019 at 1:26 PM, Nate99 said: Isn't a significant chunk of that block held up by piers in the river [bayou] bank as part of the bridges over the bayou? no, there's even a triangle in the NW corner that is open to the bayou beneath. whoever buys this could capitalize on that access, no matter how small. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate99 Posted April 12, 2019 Share Posted April 12, 2019 1 hour ago, samagon said: no, there's even a triangle in the NW corner that is open to the bayou beneath. whoever buys this could capitalize on that access, no matter how small. It could be really interesting, so long as everything was really easy to hose out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urbanize713 Posted April 12, 2019 Share Posted April 12, 2019 If it turns out to be residential I can already hear it now. "We offer direct access to the bayou and have dedicated bike and kayak storage." 2 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
houstontexasjack Posted April 13, 2019 Author Share Posted April 13, 2019 16 hours ago, samagon said: no, there's even a triangle in the NW corner that is open to the bayou beneath. whoever buys this could capitalize on that access, no matter how small. There’s a guy who takes his lunch on the sidewalk under that corner by the bayou. I’ve seen him on lunchtime walks. The area’s quite good for feeding ducks. I’d think bayou access could be a nice selling point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Urbannizer Posted April 30, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted April 30, 2019 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twinsanity02 Posted April 30, 2019 Share Posted April 30, 2019 2 hours ago, Urbannizer said: This is choice real estate. Proximity to the Bayou, the Theater District, Restaurants, Park, Other high rise apartments, and walking distance to the rail and Minute Maid Park. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nate4l1f3 Posted April 30, 2019 Share Posted April 30, 2019 Wouldn’t expect a major skyscraper here (i know nothing) but if it’s anything significant it has a chance to extend our skyline further than ever. I so excite! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mollusk Posted April 30, 2019 Share Posted April 30, 2019 This block is one of the first places to flood, so any development is going to have to somehow accommodate that. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cspwal Posted April 30, 2019 Share Posted April 30, 2019 8 hours ago, Urbannizer said: This is a really nice video but 2 things: It says there's 67,000 residents in 6,000 units? That's almost 11 people in each apartment Why didn't they show underneath the deck on the bayou side? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houston19514 Posted April 30, 2019 Share Posted April 30, 2019 (edited) 24 minutes ago, cspwal said: This is a really nice video but 2 things: It says there's 67,000 residents in 6,000 units? That's almost 11 people in each apartment LOL I noticed that too. Drives me crazy when lazy/sloppy developers/promoters/journalists mix up downtown numbers with greater downtown area numbers without clarifying. In this case it really makes all their numbers look suspect. Edited April 30, 2019 by Houston19514 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mkultra25 Posted April 30, 2019 Share Posted April 30, 2019 6 hours ago, nate4l1f3 said: Wouldn’t expect a major skyscraper here (i know nothing) but if it’s anything significant it has a chance to extend our skyline further than ever. I so excite! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate99 Posted May 1, 2019 Share Posted May 1, 2019 15 hours ago, cspwal said: This is a really nice video but 2 things: It says there's 67,000 residents in 6,000 units? That's almost 11 people in each apartment Why didn't they show underneath the deck on the bayou side? Now that's density. You'd have a vibrant street life just by people wanting to get away from their roommates/family. 1 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbigtex56 Posted May 1, 2019 Share Posted May 1, 2019 3 hours ago, Nate99 said: Now that's density. You'd have a vibrant street life just by people wanting to get away from their roommates/family. You've just described a significant portion of NYC's population. With a roommate or two, those 150 sq ft apartments are even cozier than their real estate broker descriptions suggest. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luminare Posted May 1, 2019 Share Posted May 1, 2019 For some reason I thought I was play CitySkylines while watching this. If only they made the video in a way where everything looks like miniatures. That would have been really fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arche_757 Posted May 7, 2019 Share Posted May 7, 2019 (edited) UH D should buy that land... They’ve probably looked at it, but the entity that owns it most likely wants $$$! Is Transwestern the owner, or just representing the owner? Edited May 7, 2019 by arche_757 Clarification 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H-Town Man Posted May 7, 2019 Share Posted May 7, 2019 (edited) 12 hours ago, arche_757 said: UH D should buy that land... They’ve probably looked at it, but the entity that owns it most likely wants $$$! Is Transwestern the owner, or just representing the owner? If they can afford that land, downtown has not progressed as much as I think it has. I imagine that block will sell for $15-20 million. Edited May 7, 2019 by H-Town Man Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EllenOlenska Posted May 7, 2019 Share Posted May 7, 2019 14 hours ago, arche_757 said: UH D should buy that land... They’ve probably looked at it, but the entity that owns it most likely wants $$$! Is Transwestern the owner, or just representing the owner? Another Pittsburgh Cathedral of Learning, eh? Would be nice. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arche_757 Posted May 7, 2019 Share Posted May 7, 2019 3 hours ago, H-Town Man said: If they can afford that land, downtown has not progressed as much as I think it has. I imagine that block will sell for $15-20 million. Probably so. Would be somewhat separated from the rest of the campus, but perhaps a chance at a distinctive structure? Not that they are necessarily lacking. I imagine a high rise residential project will ultimately end up at that property... ? Which is good I suppose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H-Town Man Posted May 7, 2019 Share Posted May 7, 2019 19 minutes ago, arche_757 said: Probably so. Would be somewhat separated from the rest of the campus, but perhaps a chance at a distinctive structure? Not that they are necessarily lacking. I imagine a high rise residential project will ultimately end up at that property... ? Which is good I suppose. I think that is the highest and best use, with ground floor retail as long as they can work around the flood issue. Someone may buy it to hold as parking until the residential market is better, or may put a parking garage on part of the site. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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