The new owner of the floody Spaghetti Warehouse building downtown has cooked up a novel idea for how to deal with its proximity to Buffalo Bayou: crack open its lower stories and fill them with a floodable dining area that sits below an upper-story bar. Renderings from Diamond Development show how they’re hoping to pull it all off by removing several doors and windows from the back of the 15,000-sq.-ft. building (which an application to Houston’s historic commission notes will be stored away for potential future use) and adding louvers to the building’s east side.
The slats would go in place of the parking-lot-fronting wall shown missing part of its face during Harvey:
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It’s since received some new artwork, pictured below:
On the west side of things — shown below — 2 new entrance portals for delivery vehicles, food trucks, and trash pick-up will be punched in along Travis St.:
An existing awning spanning that full facade will cut off midway to make room for the new openings:
You can see some kind of mobile vendor peeking out of the entryway on the left in this rendering of the building’s north side along Commerce:
The front facade would remain mostly unaltered except for some renovations to fix up walls and columns that were damaged by floodwaters.
A first floor plan shows a pair of food trucks (indicated by white rectangles) pulled all the way into the ground level, where they separate 2 sets of seating. On the far right, a long white strip indicates a shuffleboard court that could accompany the dining amenities:
Upstairs, a mezzanine terrace looks out on the eating area below and bridges the gap to a separate staircase leading to the top floor:
That’s where the yet-to-be named bar will hole up:
After Harvey, the Dallas-based restaurant chain auctioned off everything it could recover from the decades-old building it had occupied since 1973.
- Downtown’s Spaghetti Warehouse building, flooded and reportedly haunted, has been sold [Houston Chronicle ($)]
- Previously on Swamplot: Flood-Damaged Buildings Downtown: The List So Far
Photos: Houston Archaeological and Historical Commission (post-Harvey); Kelsie H. Dos Santos (during Harvey). Renderings and floor plans: Houston Archaeological and Historical Commission
Interesting concept …. I wish them well on this venture, and will visit when it opens (as long as it isn’t too hot)
Me Likey!! I’m glad it can be saved and hope as much of the front can stay the way it is.
Love this concept. They just need to relocate the homeless camp from below the bridge there and I would feel safe going there at night.
Love it!
Offering customers cocktails in a choice of canoes, rowboats, or kayaks?
I think The Spaghetti Warehouse will eventually come back to Houston, but not at this location in Downtown.
I think another win for the area would be to convert the old parking lot below the structure into part of the bayou park. It would be a perfect fit for the area and mix well with the adjacent Buffalo Bayou Partnership building.
another insensitive comment complaining about the homeless. grow up
I def want to meet the guy who boldly buys a building that is the hat trick of red flags:
1) floods
2) haunted
3) inexplicably underpriced
I would imagine he is kin to the collective owners of retail properties along Westheimer Road from about Chimney Rock to Highway 6. Gross.
I wasn’t going to comment, but Mr.Clean 19 made the sort of typical ignorance based comment often heard from folks who love to complain but have no interest in the actual issue or the steps taken to fix the issue. He should actually visit downtown before he speaks. I’m certain Houston first, The Downtown District and The Buffalo Bayou Partnership would be happy to show him the INTENSIVE work they’ve been doing there for the last decade.
The “homeless camp under the bridge” hasn’t been there in roughly five years. There are a slew of ordinances designed specifically to prevent something like that from occurring in the District. In addition to the ordinances, there are actual agencies out in force to enforce them. Among those: Metro Police, Precinct. 1 Constables, HPD and HPD Special Ops as well as the incredibly effective group of on foot “Safety Guides” deployed throughout downtown 7 days a week 7am until 11pm.
Downtown is anything but unsafe. Check the crime statistics. Then, come out as visit any of the vibrant areas of downtown: Discovery Green, The Avineda, Market Square, Main Street Square, EaDo…….. The folks who have been putting in literally blood, sweat and tears over the last decade to make Downtown Houston a viable destination would greatly appreciate your visit, so you’ll have actual facts you use the next time you comment.