YMCA Downtown At 1600 Louisiana St.

[sevfiv]

if it comes down, that would be a shame. it is one of Franzheim's interesting smaller-scale buildings, imo

[musicman]

Landmark YMCA facility to soon face demolition

Chevron to buy downtown block; nonprofit to get a greener home

Downtown's landmark YMCA building will be demolished and the land sold as the nonprofit community organization develops a new facility after more than six decades in its current home.

Chevron, one of downtown's largest corporate residents, will buy the block on which the building has sat for 67 years in a deal that's expected to close in 2011.

full article

[lockmat]

...the YMCA will break ground this month on the new Tellepsen Family YMCA at 808 Pease in downtown Houston.

The existing YMCA facility at 1600 Louisiana will remain open until the Tellepsen YMCA is completed.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nb/eas...ws/6185507.html

[photolitherland]

Photos I took from last Friday and Thursday of the site. I cant believe they are tearing down that beautiful building. I just cant believe it, what an fn shame. Terrible, absolutely terrible. So we are losing one great old building and trading it in for a just ok looking modern box. Awesome! Yet another building lost to the ravages of neglect. All you have to do to destroy history is just to neglect it and the problem is taken care of. Tear it down and turn it into a parking garage, great idea.

The ground breaking ceremony with the tents in the back. If I would have known they were tearing down that old building I would have had some questions to ask them but oh well.

The new site is located across the street from the Houston Press or whatever its called

What a shame, hasnt enough history been lost already downtown? uhg

Everyone needs to contact the houston historic commission now in order to possibly save this gem.

[dbigtex56]

Everyone needs to contact the houston historic commission now in order to possibly save this gem.

Wish that would do some good; however, this is Houston.

From Nancy Sarnoff's column in the Chron (Jan. 10, '09):

As big real estate projects across the city hit the skids, the new downtown YMCA is still on track.

The 120,000-square-foot Tellepsen Family YMCA broke ground last week on a parcel of land at 808 Pease.

The new building will replace the 67-year-old facility at 1600 Louisiana, a couple of blocks away.

Chevron, which operates out of the old Enron buildings adjacent to the existing Y, plans to buy the block that houses aging structure after it

[photolitherland]

Yeah, and one more historic structure gone. Not much of a trade off if you ask me.

[Jax]

I like the old YMCA building, and I understand that the Y wants a new building, and it's great that they are building it on a parking lot.

Too bad the new owners can't find a way to use the old building rather than tearing it down. Hopefully it won't become a surface lot or sit around empty like the Savoy and Days Inn and Central Bank buildings...

[MyEvilTwin]

There have been several responses in this thread by individuals wanting to save this "historic" building. All along I've been a little baffled by them -- my impression of the downtown Y has always been that it's basically an eyesore.

But I think that's my impression because I work at the Continental Center I building, facing the Y on the Smith Street side.

In reality, I think the the distinctive, somewhat attractive portion of the Y is really just a tiny sliver of the building -- facing Louisiana. For those who pass by it every day on that side, it's pretty nice. But look at it from Smith or Pease and it's just windowless, plain brick blocks. This dreariness is apparent from the picture I took below, from the Smith/Pease corner (my apologies for the picture quality -- it's just a camera phone, and the photo was taken through a glass window).

My point is... The people who want to save this historic building... do they really just want to save that sliver along Louisiana?

If so... and I know this will never happen, but... Would it be cool if Chevron just knocked down the plain rectangular blocks and left that thin sliver facing Louisiana standing, eventually to make it the lower facade of whatever tower they build on the spot?

Is this idea completely absurd? I have to admit it's a little difficult for me to imagine a skyscraper that would integrate neatly with this architecture, and I'm sure there are economic and structural problems with it... but I'm just a fan, not an architect.

In either case, after they knock this building down and before they put something up in its place, that's going to be one HUGE front lawn for the Chevron tower.

[sheeats]

There have been several responses in this thread by individuals wanting to save this "historic" building. All along I've been a little baffled by them -- my impression of the downtown Y has always been that it's basically an eyesore.

But I think that's my impression because I work at the Continental Center I building, facing the Y on the Smith Street side.

In reality, I think the the distinctive, somewhat attractive portion of the Y is really just a tiny sliver of the building -- facing Louisiana. For those who pass by it every day on that side, it's pretty nice. But look at it from Smith or Pease and it's just windowless, plain brick blocks. This dreariness is apparent from the picture I took below, from the Smith/Pease corner (my apologies for the picture quality -- it's just a camera phone, and the photo was taken through a glass window).

My point is... The people who want to save this historic building... do they really just want to save that sliver along Louisiana?

If so... and I know this will never happen, but... Would it be cool if Chevron just knocked down the plain rectangular blocks and left that thin sliver facing Louisiana standing, eventually to make it the lower facade of whatever tower they build on the spot?

Is this idea completely absurd? I have to admit it's a little difficult for me to imagine a skyscraper that would integrate neatly with this architecture, and I'm sure there are economic and structural problems with it... but I'm just a fan, not an architect.

In either case, after they knock this building down and before they put something up in its place, that's going to be one HUGE front lawn for the Chevron tower.

Dreariness is in the eye of the beholder.

I like the entire building, back to front, top to bottom.

[Subdude]

There have been several responses in this thread by individuals wanting to save this "historic" building. All along I've been a little baffled by them -- my impression of the downtown Y has always been that it's basically an eyesore.

But I think that's my impression because I work at the Continental Center I building, facing the Y on the Smith Street side.

In reality, I think the the distinctive, somewhat attractive portion of the Y is really just a tiny sliver of the building -- facing Louisiana. For those who pass by it every day on that side, it's pretty nice. But look at it from Smith or Pease and it's just windowless, plain brick blocks. This dreariness is apparent from the picture I took below, from the Smith/Pease corner (my apologies for the picture quality -- it's just a camera phone, and the photo was taken through a glass window).

My point is... The people who want to save this historic building... do they really just want to save that sliver along Louisiana?

If so... and I know this will never happen, but... Would it be cool if Chevron just knocked down the plain rectangular blocks and left that thin sliver facing Louisiana standing, eventually to make it the lower facade of whatever tower they build on the spot?

Is this idea completely absurd? I have to admit it's a little difficult for me to imagine a skyscraper that would integrate neatly with this architecture, and I'm sure there are economic and structural problems with it... but I'm just a fan, not an architect.

In either case, after they knock this building down and before they put something up in its place, that's going to be one HUGE front lawn for the Chevron tower.

Not a bad point. The section facing Smith was a later addition and it doesn't seem to have the architectural merit of the original structure on Louisiana. I don't care what they do with the new wing, but it would be nice to save the old section.

[gnu]

a picture of the Y (in the background) in June 1960 from jb4647 (great pix, thanks).

It's from the Humble Bldg thread (http://www.houstonarchitecture.info/haif/i...mp;#entry309287).

[photolitherland]

Terrible building and I just cant believe they are tearing down the Franzheim Building. I swear, I love Houston but damn some of the shit they do here just pisses me off so much.

[NenaE]

I prefer the old YMCA, of course. That new design is too plain.

[bgiangmanman]

sometimes i think houston cant save all its building gems. Oh and YMCA dodododododod YMCA

[gardener06]

I've been a member of the Downtown Y for about eight years and I'm really sad to see them building a new one and leaving the old one. They did surveys asking members what they were looking for from the Y, and they also did look at revamping the old building, but eventually decided to go with the new one. I remember when they made the big announcement and put up the posters. Sad day.

I agree with the other posters about the new building. It looks nice enough, and would probably be fine in a suburban area, but it just looks all wrong for downtown. It does looks big and loud and echo-y. The big entryway area seems like wasted space to me. Maybe it's just the drawings, but I don't like the feel of it. Also, the pool seems small. It does look like they'll have some separate pools for other things - kids, maybe, or aquatic exercise classes perhaps - so maybe they won't need as many lanes for lap swimmers since they won't all be competing for the same space. But it looks small from what I've seen.

I hope they can find a way to save the old building, or even just the facade, as someone else suggested. It's a really gorgeous building. I might have to take some photos before it closes too.

[Howard Huge]

Terrible building and I just cant believe they are tearing down the Franzheim Building. I swear, I love Houston but damn some of the shit they do here just pisses me off so much.

You're telling me.

Tearing down Franzheim should be a crime. I cannot think of why they would do that.

[ig2ba]

I just heard that there will be construction (deconstruction?) starting next week at the old YMCA site. Has anyone heard what the latest plan or schedule is for this site?

[Zippy]

Don't know the schedule, but Cherry Demo posted signs two days ago.. I suspect it is coming down soon..

[LegacyTree]

Today it looked like the bomb squad was getting some practice b/c they had Smith St. cordoned off with yellow crime scene tape. Also before the Cherry signs went up, the top floor windows were taken out. Now black plastic sways in the breeze from the upper floors. Any day now...

[jgriff]

Shot taken on April 22nd.

[DrLan34]

A guy from Chevron told me last night that they might put a midrise at this site to host the Chevron executives.

[jgriff]

Heavy equipment has been on site since yesterday. The walls on the South side are starting to come down. They've got a big excavator smashing everything that comes out of the building; looks like a fun job.

[fatesdisastr]

Really sad to see the old Y be torn down. A lot of great years.

[infinite_jim]

[infinite_jim]

[KinkaidAlum]

Sad. Another piece of history bites the dust.

I can see the old Prudential (Main Bldg at MD Anderson) Building being taken down slowly from my balcony this week too. The newer buildings on that campus are so cheap looking (tunnel form?) compared to the old beauty. Haven't seen the plans for what's planned for that HUGE lot but I am not too excited. Methodist and Texas Children's new buildings are so much nicer than MD Anderson's.

[wernicke]

Having been inside the Prudential building, I can say it was just unworkable. Very narrow hallways, small rooms, small bathrooms, low ceilings, funny odor. And, personally, I didn't find the exterior very beautiful either.

I'm not a huge fan of all the pink-hues of MDA. I would like to see something modern and tall in that location.

I did like the architecture of the old YMCA though.

[infinite_jim]

[photolitherland]

Photos by me.

I didnt know this was being torn down now until I drove past yesterday. I got inside the building too. This makes me so damned pissed, that new Y building is craptastic architecture. So much for progress. Disgusting.,,

[infinite_jim]