This was the scene of almost-complete destruction on the Museum District block surrounded by Caroline, Southmore, Oakdale, and San Jacinto late last week, as crews from Cherry Demolition finished tearing down the gaggle of structures in the way of Hines’s 25-story apartment project, which it’s calling the Southmore. All the homes on that block are being torn down — save the one shown in the background of this photo, at the corner of Caroline and Southmore, where the owner did not sell to the developer:
***
You can see it in better light here:
The tower will stand back from Southmore Blvd., leaving room for the house and a park-like space directly west of it, fronting the light-rail line:
- Previously on Swamplot: The 25-Story Apartment Tower Hines Plans To Build in the Museum District; The First Look at That 25-Story Residential Highrise Hines Might Build in the Museum District, Around the Museum District Block Hines Likes for a 22-Story Apartment Highrise, Hines Buying Up Museum District Property To Build Highrise Apartments
Photos: Swamplot inbox. Renderings: Hines Residential
Gorgeous house! Can see why owner wouldn’t sell. Why would Hines want to tear this down?
Those were some neat buildings. But the new high rise is pretty cool, too.
Love the holdout; too funny. I’m happy overall with the redevelopment of Midtown, but I’m not thrilled than they’re now tearing down cool old houses. I suppose this building was inevitable, but there are so many empty lots in Midtown, couldn’t Hines have chosen one of them and not had had to rip down quality houses? I’m addition, the view of downtown from the south sucks.
GO SOUTHMORE!
My guess is they’d rather buy an empty lot. No demo cost and you’d assume less purchase cost. So the fact they bought land with a structure suggests whoever has those empty lots wanted too much.
we have apartments on this same street, literally a mile or so away, that rent for $500. The inner loop is NOT overpriced. Only small areas are.
That’s all so sad…the character of this area is being irrevocably altered. Upscale, for sure, but better?
loooove that house! the other homes that used to sit on this block were pretty amazing too. the new hines building IS pretty nice though..
I’m usually emotionally indifferent to development like this, which is essentially providing housing as a commodity. However, in this case I really root for Hines and actually want to see neat old houses torn down in this neighborhood. I don’t know why. It doesn’t make any sense that I should feel that way, or that I should feel any way at all about this project. Perhaps it is a symptom of a new malady, call it: Chronic Ashby Fatigue.
It is a great old house being left behind. It’s use as a single-family residence will be severely cramped by having a high rise in the backyard, but conversion to a restaurant would be a promising alternative use for it. Close to upper income residents and built-in character.
I applaud the holdout but I wonder if six months into construction he’s going to have the same foundation/wall issues as the RO-adjacent renter who fled to Pearland (at the expense of the developer) because of damage to the home he was living in.
Well, the last of the buildings on Caroline was demolished today. My son enjoyed watching the excavator go to town on it. A construction worker even gave him a construction hat. As for the owners of the lone holdout, I imagine it will be a long 18 months as the tower is being built.
Uh Fernando, air pollution investigators were onsite. Not a place for kids. Unless you want to get rid of them.
Whoknows, last time I checked Houston is surrounded by refineries, petrochemical plants, etc. Walking in my neighborhood by a construction is the least of my concerns.