Here’s the sign that went up at the southwest corner of Anita and Milam in Midtown late last month — at the northern end of the block where the empty hull of Van Loc still sits, reminding you of bún gone by. It’s advertising a 16-story office tower on the full block, with 3 separate retail spaces on the ground floor and a 6-level parking garage above. Senterra Real Estate Group’s website for 3003 Louisiana first appeared online last October — just as the Midtown Vietnamese restaurant was closing up shop. The view shown in the rendering is taken from Anita St., to show off the north-facing Downtown views available from the structure’s 9 office floors.
- 3003 Louisiana [Senterra Real Estate Group]
- 3003 Louisiana: Midtown Office Mixed-Use [HAIF]
- Previously on Swamplot: Van Loc Has Run Out of Food Forever; Midtown’s Van Loc Will Lock Up for Good This Friday; Midtown Vietnamese Restaurant Van Loc Says It’s Closing Up Shop
Photo: Marco Hernandez
3003 Louisiana
I think it will add some vertical character to Midtown, which is becoming Midrisetown. The style is a kinda 1960s throwback/ ripoff on 2020 Main.
As if traffic was not bad enough. I like the density, but not sure I want to experience traffic like San Francisco, or New York in a semi-residential part of town. Of course, it is not that bad now, but neither were those two cities once upon a time.
6 level parking garage = Houston’s brand of urbanism in action. Parking requirements can’t get killed soon enough. Especially in areas like this with light rail access. Oh well, at least there’s ground floor retail…
I know its cliché on this site, but that building is ugly.
@ Christian: While I agree that onsite parking requirements should be ended, that doesn’t mean developers won’t still include parking. Look at Downtown, which doesn’t have any parking requirements – office developers still add expensive parking structures to improve marketability of the office space, albeit at total ratios lower than most suburban locations.
Next to the light rail and they still put in 6 levels of parking – nice.
@ Montrose Resident. By your comment, I think you must be a native.
of course they put parking even if it’s by light rail..they aren’t idiots..the light rail only runs up and down main st and out to the east and south and north into areas where no one goes anyway.
@chrisitan
You cannot lease office space in Houston Texas with out parking. There are a few buildings downtown that don’t have parking and they are at a major competitive disadvantage. Further, parking garages are a gold mine with you can charge $100-$200/space/month
The architecture in the bohemia of Houston tends to stretch from super tall all the way to young women claiming they plan on going to college. Okay, first a super tall gets built as an anchor. These can get built anywhere but mostly out in the suburbs. Next, around these tall buildings a lot of strip centers will then get built. Most of these tend to get built in this order: 1) A convenience store for being robbed, 2) abandoned shop where the homeless like to panhandle and congregate, 3) A church, 4) the world headquarters for the communist party, 5) a New Zealand restaurant specializing in Hobbit soup, and, finally, 6) a location of a strip joint where young women strippers can all deny their condition by claiming they plan on going to college.