Is it Houston’s own temporary Flatiron building? Or just a bunch of soon-to-be-flattened steel? Readers passing by the continuing takedown of the 61-year-old 10-story office building across from Kroger at the corner of Montrose Blvd. and Hawthorne St. that used to house Scott Gertner’s Skybar have been sending Swamplot their photo impressions of the scene, which has been changing — and disappearing — daily.
Here’s a bit of what a few Swamplot readers have seen and captured over the past week or 2:
***
Hanover Company plans to build a 30-story apartment tower on the site once demolition is complete.
- Previously on Swamplot: Demolition of 3400 Montrose Building Reaches the Skybar Removal Phase; A Deck Pool, but No ‘Skybar,’ for the new 3400 Montrose; New 30-Story 3400 Montrose Tower Will Face Kroger, Show Montrose Blvd. Its Garage and Drive-Thru; Apartment Developer Buying Montrose Blvd. ‘Skybar’ Building; What 3400 Montrose Looks Like Inside; Redo Plans for the Office Building at 3400 Montrose Blvd.; Will 3400 Montrose Rise from the Dead?; Stone Panel Leaps to Montrose Blvd. Sidewalk from Former Skybar Balcony; Everybody Out: The Ghost Town at 3400 Montrose; Comment of the Day: A 3400 Montrose Blvd. Inspection Report; Why Scott Gertner’s Skybar Is Leaving the Montrose Sky; Scott Gertner’s Skybar Closing, May Take the Whole Building with It
Photos: Bob Pando (first and third); Graeme Campbell (second); ThirdCoastRyan (bottom); Swamplot inbox (fourth)
Skybar Takeaway
What’s with the reference to “Scott Gertner’s Sky Bar” any time that this buidling is mentioned on Swamplot? I think we got it by now, some dude named Scott had a bar in the building at one point. I’ve never heard of the dude or the bar except on this site. Is Gus Allen actually Scott Gertner?
Disco Kroger on Montrose is my go-to store. Since Hawthorne and one lane of Montrose are blocked off, getting out of the parking lot is a trial, especially on weekends and during rush hour. I wonder if the streets/lane will be closed during construction as well?
It looks like Disney’s Hollywood Hotel Tower of Terror.
Can anyone in the demo and recycling business explain the reasons for picking apart a building versus imploding? The old Houston Club building and the old Sterling building downtown are being carefully picked apart. I know that most anything that goes “clang” when hit with a hammer is worth recycling these days due to raw material costs. But does it really make a difference whether it is in a pile of rubble after an implosion or whether it gets carefully sliced out in a floor by floor tear down? And are some building just not candidates for implosion (too strong?)?
Old School, It depends on what is in the building and how close it is to other structures. 3400 had asbestos and sits within a few feet of other buildings. It is not a candidate.
Saw that toxic cloud of dust floating all around the neighborhood.
@Bama, it was a really cool bar, with some incredible views, too bad the building owners let the place rot……
This building could have been imploded as well. It is mainly up to the Contractor. Everyone sees things differently. There was enough room to implode once the garage was demolished to drop the building in. There was consideration due to the Boutique Hotel next door and some residences around it, my choice would have been to implode. The method the Contractor performing the work was fine, just more intrusive to the neighbors over a longer duration of time.
You missed this one.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/j-a-x/14118989164/#
@Bama, that was the name of the bar–“Scott Gertner’s Sky Bar.” (I thought it sounded ridiculous.)
@artfox, the same thing is happening with the former Macy’s downtown. One lane has been blocked off on either side of the site during demolition and construction. I think it’s really annoying. We’re all taxpayers and should all have access to the streets. I doubt I could get permission to block off a section of the street in front of my house for months/years for use in my personal projects. But these developers are probably getting tax rebates or something on top of free monopolies on public streets.
I saw (and heard) the group Destiny’s Child at the bar on top of this building many years ago. I think it was called Cody’s back then. I remember one of my friends telling me, “You’ve got to come and see this group. They’re almost as good as En Vogue.”
So sad… So so sad…
.
(Yes, the new building going up is awesome and 100x better than what was there… Just sayin’)
in the early 70’s it was a very cool gay bar called THE PALACE with mirrors and chrome adn white fuffy carpet that made you want to roll around in naked..there was a staircase to a pool room below. Later it became Cody’s in which was started by two brothers who owned the Texas Opry House on Richmond now deemed the Menil Annex. I sewed all the table cloths for Cody’s in exchange for a new sewing machine I wanted. Kirk Whalem and Paul English were the fantastic jazz house band…Scott did not compare. Nothing personal.
It is a shame someone didnt time lapse this.