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  #1  
Old Posted Mar 22, 2008, 7:18 AM
Schertz1 Schertz1 is offline
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  #2  
Old Posted Mar 22, 2008, 7:36 AM
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sirkingwilliam sirkingwilliam is offline
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Awesome stuff!

If I may, some commentary.


What I wouldn't give for the Grey Hound station and the blocks east (above) of it were built on with office or residential high-rises. With Greyhound eventually relocating their station to the west side multi modal transit station, the opportunity is there.





The owner of that site needs to get off their lazy ass and develop it. I can't believe they once had a potential development that would have featured both a Ritz-Carlton and Four Seasons but was eventually killed by the pathetic owner of that land.



Looks like it's on the 17th floor. The twin will look twice as nice!



For those wondering, this is looking towards the East side. That's the at&t center about 3 miles east of downtown. I like this picture because it shows the Dignowity Hill neighborhood and some of her homes. I commented about a year ago, maybe a little less than a year, about driving through there and being surprised at all the housing renovations being done and how nice all the homes were. A mini-King William if you will.



Love this building in Tobin Hill. I'm glad it has new owners that are in the process of renovating it and turning it into an apartment building. Should help spark some development in both Tobin Hill and Five Points.
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  #3  
Old Posted Mar 22, 2008, 5:09 PM
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Vidorra's looking great from a distance.

My favorites:



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  #4  
Old Posted Mar 23, 2008, 3:11 AM
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KevinFromTexas KevinFromTexas is offline
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Great pics! Thanks for going out and taking them. So I take it you went up in the Crown Plaza Hotel? Is there like a hallway or something with a window? Vidorra looks awesome there.

Thanks for the info on the AT&T Center, sirkingwilliam. I was puzzled for a minute. I guess the Freeman Coliseum is shorter than I thought.

Great old building.
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Old Posted Mar 23, 2008, 11:31 PM
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I really feel those pics....Bravo man those are great.
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  #6  
Old Posted Mar 24, 2008, 4:01 AM
matttwentyeight matttwentyeight is offline
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Originally Posted by KevinFromTexas View Post
Great pics! Thanks for going out and taking them. So I take it you went up in the Crown Plaza Hotel? Is there like a hallway or something with a window? Vidorra looks awesome there.

Thanks for the info on the AT&T Center, sirkingwilliam. I was puzzled for a minute. I guess the Freeman Coliseum is shorter than I thought.

Great old building.
that old building is currently apartments, but there was this article about it some time ago... take a look

Developer buys historic former hotel with big plans for renewing it.
Source: San Antonio Express-News (San Antonio, TX)
Publication Date: 24-OCT-07

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Developer buys historic former hotel with big plans for renewing it.

Byline: Creighton A. Welch

Oct. 24--Mitch Meyer may be just what the Aurora Apartments needs.

After years of neglect and out-of-town ownership, the San Antonio developer has purchased the historic 105-room apartment complex at Cypress and Howard streets.

"I really feel lucky to have gotten this building," Meyer said. "I've just admired it forever." Completed in 1930, the Aurora used to be San Antonio's premier hotel, where guests enjoyed rooftop views and gothic architecture. That aura eventually faded, which led to the hotel's demise.

It's now an affordable housing unit through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, where it serves a purpose, but not the purpose it was built to have.

Eventually, Meyer sees the Tobin Hill, Pearl Brewery and River North neighborhoods all becoming one large urban area, with his Aurora a key part of that small community created by people who want to live in an urban environment and not miles away from town.

"People are getting tired of living in their cars," Meyer said.

Meyer purchased the building from California-based Churchill Family Trust in late September.

The trust bought the apartments less than two years ago. Before the California business, a Dallas partnership had owned the Aurora since 1982. In 1982, there was a $2.7 million renovation, but little work has been done since.

Meyer is principal at Loopy Ltd., which owns six office and parking properties on adjacent blocks to the Aurora, according to county records.

Meyer grew up in San Antonio and has developed projects such as the La Cascada condominiums and Hippo's Grocery and Deli.

His local ties seem to give him more drive to revive the Aurora.

"The building is underutilized," Meyer said. "This has a lot of potential." Meyer hopes to unlock that potential -- literally.

An area that used to be a restaurant currently hides behind locked doors.

A 1937 menu found in a scrapbook offers sirloin steak ($1), spring chicken (75 cents), boiled ox tongue (60 cents) and peaches in cream (25 cents).

Meyer has dreams of reviving the restaurant.

The 10th floor could offer a panoramic view of the city. But it's also behind locked doors and is covered with air-conditioning units.

A large hall for elegant parties or dining has old books and bingo boards scattered throughout it.

The apartment complex hasn't been renovated in 25 years, and its colored tile floors yearn to be polished and danced on like at the elegant parties of decades ago. It has wooden phone booths, a carved fireplace and a panoramic rooftop view.

Even without any renovations, it still turns heads.

"There's a wow factor as it is," Meyer said. "People have always been mystified by it." He said he doesn't know exactly what renovations will take place, but insists that they will give the Aurora the beauty it deserves. Meyer said he will focus on a lot of the little things, such as new elevators, light fixtures and the intricate tile floors.

Despite the underused features, Meyer said there still is a waiting list for rooms. Meyer doesn't know whether the apartments still will be part of HUD.

"It will definitely be residential of some sort," Meyer said, perhaps half hotel and half apartments.

That's what the Aurora was when it first opened, with hotel rooms that rented for $3 to $4 a night, and apartments that came in suites with one to five bedrooms.

Meyer thinks the biggest challenge for his project will be getting approval for the updates.

"I'm sure because it's historic, remodeling will be tough," he said.

To see more of the San Antonio Express-News, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.mysanantonio.com.

Copyright (c) 2007, San Antonio Express-News

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.
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  #7  
Old Posted Mar 24, 2008, 7:11 AM
Schertz1 Schertz1 is offline
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Two recent panos: one from last month and one from 21 March.
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  #8  
Old Posted Mar 24, 2008, 8:12 AM
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KevinFromTexas KevinFromTexas is offline
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Sweet. In both of those, but especially in the first shot, downtown looks really impressive there.
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  #9  
Old Posted Mar 24, 2008, 3:47 PM
shane453 shane453 is offline
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I do like that Tobin Hill building, too... Very neat.

The new construction in downtown near the Marriott looks like a big wall from some angles.
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  #10  
Old Posted Mar 24, 2008, 8:39 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by KevinFromTexas View Post
Sweet. In both of those, but especially in the first shot, downtown looks really impressive there.
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