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Downtown Real Estate


cr186783

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Has anyone visited St. Germain lofts since Randall Davis began selling them off?  The website is www.stgermainlofts.com, which seems to be pretty well done.  It needs floorplans, but pretty cool.  I have not been in for a tour.  Anyone?

TNJ

I live in the St. Germain. They are a little high on the prices, $289/sqft for my place. But the lofts that have been upgraded look really nice. I think the prices may come down some. They have sold about 12 to 15 so far.

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Dec. 27, 2004, 9:48PM

To top the whole thing off ...

Ornamental pinnacle will cap 20-year effort to restore courthouse

By JOE STINEBAKER

Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle

What is now the Civil Courts Building was constructed early in the last century to serve as Harris County's main courthouse. Some facts:

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  • 2 weeks later...

That does seem a bit high. Is your place less than 1,000 sq. ft.? I had heard that the prices were mostly in the $200K range.

Thanks for the info.

TNJ

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Just under 1,000. One of the reasons for the price is that it is on an upper floor facing Main. The corner place is around 1500 sq ft and $308/sq ft, because of the view.

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I'm glad it's back downtown, the Reliant Center parking lot was a horrible choice.

The Reliant Center parking lot should be used for ........... parking, not a festival.

Downtown is an amazing location for this fest, in the midst of our fair city's skyscrapers, this should be the only location for this festival.

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The Reliant Center parking lot should be used for ........... parking, not a festival.

Downtown is an amazing location for this fest, in the midst of our fair city's skyscrapers, this should be the only location for this festival.

Good news. If you want to have an "international" festival why not place it in the heart of the city? Come on, a parking lot??

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Im glad it returned to downtown. I take a fair being held in a parking lot as an insult somehow. Also this could help people decide if they want to live downtown, because it just adds another activity for the downtown residents to enjoy. And if we're lucky it could bring out a slightly positive effect.

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Very good news. What in the world were they thinking last year. I know there was a vendor fight with the city, but PHULEEEZE.

They nearly killed the event.

I am also excited about this year's coutry.

Celebrating the cultures of the remaining members of the Axis of Evil - Iran and North Korea.

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Now the question is -- will it actually be an "international festival" or will it be the same crappy art vendors and the same crappy food vendors selling the same stuff they sell at every festival?

I stopped going after the year it was supposed to be a French theme. There was virtually nothing French there. I think there was an Eiffel Tower made out of sand and a place where you could sample som wine. Otherwise, it was the same stupid art vendors selling non-French art and the same food wagons selling Mexican food. All Houston festivals look the same these days.

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Now the question is -- will it actually be an "international festival" or will it be the same crappy art vendors and the same crappy food vendors selling the same stuff they sell at every festival?

I stopped going after the year it was supposed to be a French theme.  There was virtually nothing French there.  I think there was an Eiffel Tower made out of sand and a place where you could sample som wine.  Otherwise, it was the same stupid art vendors selling non-French art and the same food wagons selling Mexican food.  All Houston festivals look the same these days.

yeah, i stopped going for the same reason. i was excited about the italian themed one back a few years ago but was sorely dissapointed becuase it was pure cheese. the italian food was just papa johns pizza and not REAL italian food.

for a supposed international city, we can do much better...

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The festival returns

Organizers should return some of event's early charm

Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle

In its youth, the 34-year-old Houston International Festival, or iFest, provided city dwellers and visitors with both a much-needed spring fling and an introduction for many to what was then a largely deserted weekend downtown. Before 1995 it was a free event, without the miles of fencing and other barriers that would later provoke complaints from pedestrians and the eventual decision of the city to charge a rental of 10 percent of festival proceeds.

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The growth of the festival eventually brought a confrontation with the city over those rental fees. Rather than fork over 15 percent of the gate and 10 percent of concessions, last year iFest officials relocated to Reliant Park. The sterile parking lot environment around the stadium and some hefty April showers combined to create one soggy, money-losing run.

Now the festival is coming back downtown, after the city and festival organizers agreed to maintain its old rental charge of 10 percent of the gate plus about 4 percent of the revenue from food and drinks. As in the past, iFest will focus on a single country as its theme, with India in the spotlight this year.

The festival's return is a welcome development, because of the long tradition of the event downtown and the obvious unsuitability of the Reliant Park setting. As iFest foundation chair Robert Sakowitz correctly noted, "part of the identity of the festival came from the urban feel of the city."

City Councilwoman and Mayor Pro Tem Carol Alvarado led the effort last year to squeeze more money out of festival organizers. "They blamed me for running them out of downtown," Alvarado said, "but I feel much better about this contract and welcome them back."

There is another part of the festival identity, namely spontaneity and spirit, that was partially lost because of those fences, the paid admission and the pricey food. There's no way to downsize the event to the scale of its early days, but planners should consider a free concluding concert and even an ungated whole day to introduce a new generation to both the iFest and the redesigned downtown.

An iFest spokesperson says that while sponsors may cover the costs of some noon events on weekdays during the festival run from April 23 to May 1, there are no plans for free access on weekends.

Alvarado likes the idea of a free festival day or event, but allows that since the iFest took a bath at Reliant Park, it may not be in the best financial shape to foot the bill. If the festival is to truly represent all Houstonians and showcase the new downtown, city officials should consider plowing back some of those enhanced rental fees paid by

iFest to open up the gates for at least one major free event.

As a promotion for both iFest and the city, it would be money well-spent. As a generator of civic spirit and fun, it would be priceless.

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