And So It Goes...

[pineda]

COLLEGE STATION PASSES DESIGN STANDARDS

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (The Eagle)

[ricco67]

That's one way to keep the city looking good. of course, the real proof of how it goes won't be seen for years (or a major tornado) as construction replaces current structures (or again..a tornado).

I wouldn't mind something along those lines here in Houston.

Ricco

[H-Town Man]

College Station was given a tough hand when it comes to natural beauty, and they have to work very hard to maximize their appearance. This is vitally important when you consider that students are choosing between here and Austin to go to school! They have gone overboard in a few cases, like with the overpasses on Hwy. 6 which look silly, but much of their effort is paying off.

That said, you pay a certain price for all these regulations, and that price is that much of College Station, while pleasant, also looks very sterile. Rows of trees planted alongside roadways in some cases only accentuates this sterility. If Houston were to do this, it would lose so much of its grittiness and charm. For all of our aesthetic problems, there's still a certain honesty about it all. If you can somehow encourage people to freely choose beautiful designs, you may not get them all, but the ones you do get will have come naturally, and you will appreciate them so much more.

I'm all for landscaping certain streets, taking down billboards, and encouraging urban development in certain areas, but when you say "every building in the entire city must be done in one of these colors and have 25% stone or brick," wow, that really imposes some narrow boundaries on what people can do. What if some architect came up with an ingenious design... but it didn't have 25% stone or brick?

[Subdude]

I'm all for zoning and development restrictions, but specifying colors and materials just goes too far. You can't legislate design and get anything but sterility. They may think it is "tasteful" today, but styles and tastes change. In another few years it might just look dated. Sometimes I think you need to liven things up with some garishness and exuberance to let architecture progress. Of course, I have a huge love of 1950s Googie architecture and the turquoise-accented buildings from the same period.

[ricco67]

You bring up a very good point, Subdude; but it's that very change in taste that occurs over the years that we look back upon with awe (or ugh!). Look at how the facades are alot of bulidings were changed because it wasn't "stylish" for the time.

Ricco

[Subdude]

Good point. Look at all the buildings downtown that were covered (or are still covered) in facades, or all the Victorian-style houses around the country that were knocked down or remodeled because they weren't modern. You look at now, and you wonder "What were they thinking?"

[NYC Texan2]

I would add that Santa Fe, the ultimate model in building style guidelines, is pretty cool. And people don't move to the Heights for the variety. If every neighborhood is a mishmash of styles, you end up with nothing special . . . which is largely Houston outside the Loop.

I think it would be really interesting to have the city divided into zones with styles, i.e., the area around Waugh and Allen Parkway with Spanish tile roofs, something European, etc. Needs some work, but could give neighborhoods some identity that don't have much.

That said, the College Station guidelines don't sound very strict compared to what you see in Santa Fe.

[Subdude]

I think it would be really interesting to have the city divided into zones with styles, i.e., the area around Waugh and Allen Parkway with Spanish tile roofs, something European, etc. Needs some work, but could give neighborhoods some identity that don't have much.

When Buffalo Dr/Allen Parkway was first developed there was an effort to have a consistent Spanish colonial style as you mention. The problem was that there was no way to enforce it. Still, it's an interesting idea to define neighborhoods by architectural style.

[2112]

I have always loved the white stucko and spanish tile look, especially the tiled roofs. Only problem is the expense!

[MidtownCoog]

Even the Communists used more colors than that.

[MidtownCoog]

I have always loved the white stucko and spanish tile look, especially the tiled roofs. Only problem is the expense!

That is a great look. Channelview, of all places, has done a good job with this them. I think San Jac North had a lot to do with it.

Pretty cool buildings on that campus.