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Midtown Skyline Update


themidtownguy

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It's great to see that area shaping up. As with most revitalized areas, some buildings are saved, some are sacrificed and it's nice to see those Main St. ones in safe hands. I'm taking it that Spanish style block is original, 20s or 30s, right? It's gorgeous, I love that style. The new residential buildings are very eclectic stylistically, but I guess that's turn-of-the-21st Century residential townhouse architecture for you. Do we have dominant style at this point in time ? It really doesn't seem like we do, or is that just a case of not seeing the forest for the trees? It would be nice if that area turned into a sort of sidewalk cafe district, gradually blending into the Museum district, combining to form a beautiful buffer of leisurely living between the mostly serious, business-oriented Downtown and the also, serious Medical Center. That butt-ugly office box sure stands out like a pimple waiting to be popped. Very 60s looking, and along with that condo tower on Main near the Pierce elevated, since they're both on the far side (for the near future anyway) of the path of commercial progress, they may linger long enough to be cool. It seems that any architectural style ends up being admired, no matter how ugly, once enough time has passed. Will Midtown be a spot in 2030 where people go to admire some of the few remaining examples of campy, 60s style architecture?

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Those pictures answered my question as to any current style that is likely to architecturally mark this era; those steel-sided townhouses. I wonder if that's a local, national or international style right now. Have we come up with an official name for it yet? Tin Can Chic? I don't mean that in a negative way. Are there any interior features in any of those homes that have the same look ? I suppose the stainless appliances would almost be related. The art-deco styling carried over into interiors nicely since it was based on geometric forms.

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Actually I would argue that the apartment complexes in the photos are very much representative of current "turn of the century" style, at least for residential and commercial uses. The fake stucco facades, the pastel colors, and the somewhat heavy-handed detailing seem to reoccur over and over in current architecture. Take a drive through Sugar Land, or look at the new condos on Post Oak, and you'll see the strong stylistic continuity. Personally I much prefer the steel townhouses, but at the same time I don't think they're as representative of mainstream commercial/residential design.

That's an interesting analogy with the stainless steel applicances. I think you are right that they are related. There tend to be design elements in cultures at any given time that show up in different manners, and the stainless steel "high-tech" look is one of them. In automobiles it shows up in that for several years the most popular color has been silver, and the adoption of (fake) metallic trim on dashboards. And another popular color for cars? Beige, just like new apartments and strip centers.

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That butt-ugly office box sure stands out like a pimple waiting to be popped. Very 60s looking, and along with that condo tower on Main near the Pierce elevated, since they're both on the far side (for the near future anyway) of the path of commercial progress, they may linger long enough to be cool. It seems that any architectural style ends up being admired, no matter how ugly, once enough time has passed. Will Midtown be a spot in 2030 where people go to admire some of the few remaining examples of campy, 60s style architecture?

I don't know, but I won't have to wait until 2030, I can appreciate those styles right now... That HCCS tower is a favorite Midtown building of mine, along with the Century building... along with plenty of other buildings from the 50s-70s... There's one small commerical building on Elgin at San Jacinto with a funky angular roofline that I really like.

I agree that Spanish style building is really cool too... and it looks not unlike a La Quinta Inn :P

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Most of these pics make me wanna barf! I cant wait for some good stuff to come along! At least "THE EDGE" will be half decent!

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  • 3 months later...

Over a year ago there was fire that wiped out Up to Date Cleaners on West Grey between Montrose and Taft. They have poked around for what seems an eternity and have finally started re-building.

I use to use them for all my cleaning needs for years. Needless to say I was very suprised when I showed up one morning to get my cleaning and the place was gone. They had zero insurance and offered nothing for the clothing that was lost. Granted they lost their business, building and their livliehood so I did not make a big fuss over a few hundred worth of clothing, but I am wondering if they plan on offering anything to their long time customers who got screwed when the fired destroyed everything.

I was wondering if anyone else on this board also lost property and if they have heard anything from the owners or the attorney representing them.

What irks me is that the owner (big muscular guy) is driving around in a brand new 7 series BMW. Those are not cheap.

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  • The title was changed to Up To Date Cleaners
  • The title was changed to Midtown Skyline Update

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