Right ... like Timothy McVeigh ...

You took the words right out of my mouth. I was at the airport in Norfolk, VA and was running late and they pulled me aside for "extra security check"...which happens to me all the damn time. I said angerly, "do I look like a terrorist to you?!", and that security guy said, "did Timothy McVeigh?" That shut me up.

Wow, okay.

All i want to do is take a picture...

:shrug:

The method that has worked for me is to take as many pictures I can as fast as I can before I get stopped.

Oh yes, Crescent. They owned Austin's Chase Bank Tower up until last year. A building that is 1/3 the height of Wells Fargo Plaza in Houston. I remember once a friend and I cut through the lobby of the building during the summer because we were parked on the other side of the building. We both had cameras. We had been out taking pictures around downtown during a forum meet. Well, the woman at the front desk quickly jumped up and told us "No photos inside the building!" We said we were just passing through, which we were of course. Luckily now, Crescent sold every Austin property they owned last year including several high rises.

With Austin pushing for more residential in downtown and trying to bring more retail to the street level, I don't see how they can develop that atmosphere of openness and welcomeness to pedestrians with property owners treating everyone that walks through their doors as a potential suspect. Even in New York, even now after 9/11 they don't act that way. Of course there are certain buildings where there is plenty of security, checks and whatnot, but for the most part it remains open to all.

It's not just terrorists but also people who just flat out lose their minds and "go postal".

Fing if I was a terrorist, I think id be a little more undercover. I very much doubt that a terrorist would be carrying around pro camera equipment like I do. I mean like having pro camera equipement and a tripod makes you a freakin terrorist. WTF, I get so pissed when Im out taking photos and just cause I have a tripod they tell me to go away or theyll call the cops. If a terrorist wanted to take photos I think that they would use a small camera and take plenty of high def photos. Freakin morons piss me off.

Let them call the cops. It's just a scare tactic.

anyone think the spire on the new memorial-herman building in memorial city is flat out ugly? i got a good look at it today. first, it's not even centered on the building (closer to the front) and second, it's too small in relation with the rest of the building.

I agree with you on this. It seems to me this is typical sprawl architecture designed to trick suburbanites into thinking it's a showcase piece.

IMO It's pretty low grade.

Replace "suburbanites" with "Memorial Hermann Healthcare System" and you're correct.

They're the ones this design was aimed at wooing (which it apparently did since the thing was built) and representing the new face of their venture. I'm no fan of the design since I think their Medical Plaza in the TMC does a good job of representing them as-is. I don't worry about this building though. I just have a feeling something is going to be built around it within the next 10years that will cancel out the effect it has. Hopefully the Westin offsets the building to some extent in the interim.

I think when you look at just the building itself, it doesn't look too appealing. However, when you take into account when the projects are built up, it could look/blend in well. Who knows what this thing will look like at night; it could have bad ass looking lighting effect coming out of the crown and on the building. Who knows? Personally, I think this thing will turn out decent looking when all is said and done.

I love the juxtaposition of the plain building and the garishness of the crown. I just wish the crown would have been made bigger so that it would be centered to the whole build (not just the front/north side of the building).

I like the building. You can see it from Katy now, too (on the Westpark Tollway).

That building is fugly. I don't care if it wears neon at night.

Here is a rendering that I haven't seen before for the 23 story Methodist Hospital Outpatient Care Center that is rising in the Texas Medical Center. This is the view looking westward towards Greenway/Uptown. Hey, look, it isn't a flat roof! This thing is MASSIVE...

http://www.whrarchitects.com/_fileli...hodist_002.jpg

I don't like the way the building looks but I do like how from the beltway/290 interchange, it just looks massive.

Wow that is great rendering very kewl...

As for the robot building, as i have read it being called all over the place, i really dont know what to think of it. But i do agree, it reminds me or a robot...

:shrug:

Perhaps there's more than meats the eye?

Houstons skyline is just massive, it goes on forever, I lived there for 8 years but everytime I went downtown I just couldnt believe how many skyscrapers there were. From afar Houstons skyline almost looks as big as Chicagos, one could argue.

http://www.whrarchitects.com/_fileli...hodist_002.jpg

This is outstanding.

You know, looking at that rendering of the Outpatient Center, I just realized that the side facing Fannin is a bit wider than the one facing Main. Haven't really paid that much attention when driving by, but I take it a portion of the base was built around a pre-existing building that has frontage along Main.

It always kinda surprises me to see how long projects in the TMC take to rise just from the excavation site. Since they cleared the garage levels though, it's shot up like a weed and I can't wait to see the rooftop start forming.

Wow... wait. This isn't an April Fools joke?

The site's been under construction for the past 2 years or so. :)

The Outpatient Center is being built around a current building on Main. It's about a 8-12 story beige/non-descript thing that it will tower over and around.

Transwestern broke gorund this past week on a new tower in West Houston.

http://cll.bizjournals.com/story_ima...00-0.jpg?rev=2

Project name: Eldridge Oaks

Project size: 14 floors above ground, 350,000 sq feet

Project location: nw corner of Eldridge Parkway and Enclave Parkway, approximately 1 mile South of I-10 adjacent to Hershey Park

Building is not preleased and is being built on spec since Class A space in that submarket is 97% occupied. If things go well, a second twin tower will be added to the project.

Awesome tower Shasta. Thanks for the info. :)

You consider that a awesome tower? This looks just like the same banal stuff that has dominated a large chunk of Houston architectural designs in it's recent history. Mediocre and blah is the tone that is set in Houston right now.

*I'm in a terrible mood and may regret this post later.

I see they have a Toyota Tundra in there.

Now for some Skycraper updates.

It was such a nice day today, i went for a bike ride downtown. Enjoy...

Main Place

http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r...r7/MP0408a.jpg

http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r...r7/MP0408b.jpg

One Park Place

http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r...r7/OP0408c.jpg

http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r...r7/OP0408a.jpg

Discovery Tower

http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r...r7/OP0408b.jpg

http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r...r7/DT0408b.jpg

http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r...r7/DT0408a.jpg

2727 Kirby

They were raising the tower crane today... :banana:

http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r...er7/K0408a.jpg

http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r...er7/k0408b.jpg


Now i cant wait for the cranes to go up at Main Place and Discovery Tower...

:yes:

tell ya what.......the Kirby/Westheimer corner sure does look different with 2727 and the.............across the street (drawing a blank here).

Great pics. The weather today was beautiful across Texas. Perfect photography weather.

West Ave.


And, yeah, Kevin the weather was great yesterday. No real reason to stick around the hacienda other than maybe to watch the Final Four (even though Texas didn't make it).

I drove through that way earlier this afternoon and it looks like they've already moved some of the equipment onto the corner of the site. Interestingly enough, a number of the trees away from the densely wooded area are marked around with that orange netting, so it looks like they're going to save those.

Just up the road, there's now a fence up around that piece of land where Three Eldridge Place is going to be. Since there's one of those stormwater permit things attached to the fence, something should probably be happening soon... that's how things seem to work out most times it seems.

Didn't realize how many lowrise projects were going up in the Enclave either. Seemed like there was 4 or 5 I can remember right off the top of my head.

Just returned from my second visit to Houston. In January I stayed at the JW Marriott at the Galleria. This time I was across the street from One Park Place at the Four Seasons. It was a bit shocking to see the hugh power grid block across the street from the new Hilton. The sidewalks were as deserted this time downtown as they were in January. Not trying to diss the city, was just discouraged by what seemed like lots of fortress architecture. On another note, the downtown library interiors impress on a thoroughly original level.

That side of town never has any foot traffic or any traffic other then when theres a convention. But once DG is done and a few more towers appear in that area then there will be some, but there needs to be shopping in that area and residential buildings, but with One park place coming in, it will bring in some action to that area.

Perhaps there is something more we can do.

No one really lives in that area. People do live across the other side of 59, but there needs to be more shops and resaurants to bring people to that immediate area. I could image like a whole bunch of condo towers all over that area if only they would build them...

:yes:

yes, the park will only truly be successful if there is more dense living downtown. high rise condos are necessary around the park to increase traffic.

This photo is from 1988... unfortunately, after the boom in the early 80's, our skyline is different but not significantly so.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...om_freeway.jpg

002houston magazine has a good summary of some of the projects going on right now:
http://www.002mag.com/mag/current/pa...res%20(61).htm
http://www.002mag.com/mag/current/pa...res%20(62).htm
http://www.002mag.com/mag/current/pa...res%20(63).htm
http://www.002mag.com/mag/current/pa...res%20(64).htm

Why haven't I heard more about Americas Plaza?

It doesn't qualify as tall, but it's big news nonetheless. Especially as far as the airport goes...:banana:

http://images.chron.com/photos/2008/...ineGallery.jpg

$1.2 billion overhaul set for Bush Intercontinental

The city and Continental Airlines today announced a $1.2 billion overhaul of Terminal B at Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport, expected to take seven to 10 years.

The Houston Airport System and Continental Airlines will jointly pay to expand Terminal B from 360,000 square feet to 1.7 million square feet.

Continental will put up more than half the financing for Terminal B improvements through bonds, with the city doing the rest. A new $3 passenger facility fee, like one that is in place at Hobby Airport, also will help fund the makeover. No such fee is in place now at Intercontinental.

Continental is the terminal's sole tenant. Houston-based Continental Express, the airline's regional carrier largely operated by ExpressJet, occupies the facility.

The massive overhaul, which anticipates continued growth at Houston's largest airport, will include additional gates and a second Federal Inspection Services facility for U.S. Customs, indicating plans for international flights from the terminal.

The plans call for the number of gates to grow from some 40 to between 60 and 65.

"Houston's airport system is among the world's strongest and fastest-growing and this will help us keep it that way," Mayor Bill White said. "And as we prepare for the future, the city is happy to continue its strong partnership with Continental Airlines."

Intercontinental is the largest of the four hubs for Continental, which also concentrates operations in Cleveland, Newark, N.J., and Guam.

Continental operates 740 flights out of Houston to 179 nonstop destinations throughout the United States and internationally, and the airport is considered especially valuable as a gateway to Latin America...

@ rdavis4559, you can see the Reliant Energy Center before they added the crown.

then that pic is older than 1998...reliant energy got it's crown in 1994-1996 and judging by the cars (all 80's era cars), it looks more like 1988.

I said 1988. See above ^

Also, here is one of the Houston Pavilions skywalks. They've covered most of it in glass.
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...9/IMG00364.jpg

Very Nice.

Yeah this Americas Plaza is news to me...

:cool:

Nice pics. :)

Ah yes. Americas Plaza. This is the old Mercado Del Sol thing if I remember correctly...

And here are a few shots of OPP from the Park Shops
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...9/IMG00366.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...9/IMG00367.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...9/IMG00368.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...9/IMG00369.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...9/IMG00370.jpg

that you did. my bad.