Search Results: skybar

Montrose, Nightlife, Office Buildings, Redevelopment

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Demolition of Office Building at 3400 Montrose Blvd., Montrose, Houston

If it doesn’t look like much of the 10-story building at 3400 Montrose Blvd. has been taken down yet, that’s because you’re looking at it (in the above photo, at least) from the front. Come around to the back side of the boulevard-facing office tower that featured Cody’s and later Scott Gertner’s Skybar on its top floor to see how far the demo has come along:

From the Rear

77006, Apartments, Demolitions, Montrose, Nightlife, Office Buildings, Proposed Developments, Redevelopment

Apartments

01/16/14 10:15am

A Deck Pool, but no ‘Skybar,’ for the New 3400 Montrose

Highrises, Montrose, Proposed Developments, Quicklink, Redevelopment

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A DECK POOL, BUT NO ‘SKYBAR,’ FOR THE NEW 3400 MONTROSE Rendering of Montrose Facade of Proposed 3400 Montrose Highrise, Montrose, Houston Nancy Sarnoff collects a few more details on Hanover’s plans for the 30-story tower to replace the vacant ‘Skybar’ building the apartment developer bought just south of Kroger on Montrose Blvd.. The new 3400 Montrose will contain a total of 330 apartments, the smallest of which will be 500 sq. ft. (keeping them out of the “micro-unit” category). The Montrose-facing driveway will serve as a garage entrance as well as an exit. On the ninth-floor open-air deck above the parking garage (just out of view in the rendering above of the Montrose Blvd. view) there’ll be “a swimming pool with private cabanas, grilling areas and a green lawn.” If downtown views from that level are blocked by the tower, they’ll be available from the Hawthorne St. balcony overhang Hanover hopes to gain approval for in its variance hearing next week. The company expects to take about 2 years to build the Montrose highrise, but hasn’t announced a start date for construction. [Houston Chronicle ($); previously on Swamplot] Rendering: Solomon Cordwell Buenz

77006, Apartments, Highrises, Proposed Developments, Redevelopment

Buying and Selling

11/18/13 11:46am

Apartment Developer Buying Montrose Blvd. ‘Skybar’ Building

Commercial Real Estate, Montrose, Office Buildings, Redevelopment

19 Comments

3400 Montrose Office Building, Montrose, Houston Snooping around county records, HBJ reporter Shaina Zucker discovers that apartment developer Hanover Company has placed the long-vacant 10-story office building at 3400 Montrose Blvd. under contract. The developer wouldn’t respond to Zucker’s questions, but an officer of the Montrose Management District hints strongly that Hanover plans to tear down the structure across Hawthorne St. from Kroger and build — surprise! — “luxury apartments” in its place: â€œThereâ€™s no way they could remodel.â€ Scott Gertner’s Skybar — and Cody’s before it — once occupied the building’s top floor.

Photo: Swamplot inbox

3400 Montrose

77006, Apartments, Buying and Selling, Commercial Real Estate, Montrose, Office Buildings, Redevelopment

Construction Materials

11/14/11 10:46am

Stone Panel Leaps to Montrose Blvd. Sidewalk from Former Skybar Balcony

Hazards, Montrose, Office Buildings, Public Safety

36 Comments

A stone panel from the 9th floor of the vacant 10-story 3400 Montrose office building crashed to the sidewalk over the weekend, according to a reader report. “Was at Starbucks [Saturday] morning and all was good. An hour later things had fallen apart,” Swamplot’s informant writes. One of the submitted photos shows a policeman looking up at the jumping-off point: a now blank dark space where a panel had been mounted, in the top left corner of the building’s Montrose Blvd. facade.

77006, Construction Materials, Hazards, Montrose, Office Buildings, Public Safety

Downtown

12/02/10 1:45pm

Successor to Scott Gertner’s Skybar Coming to Houston Pavilions

Leasing, Nightlife, Openings and Closings

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Skybar owner Scott Gertner has found a new space for his jazz club. It’ll be on the 3rd floor of Houston Pavilions — one block west of the House of Blues and Lucky Strike, and directly across the open-air mall from “swing space” originally planned for retail but now being leased as office space by an energy company. Scott Gertner’s Skybar, on the 10th floor of the office building at 3400 Montrose, closed over the summer, after Gertner tired of dealing with building maintenance issues left unaddressed by a new owner.

Houston Pavilions’ 3rd floor is pretty high up there, but Gertner says the new venue will drop the SkyBar name for the multi-level space (it’ll just be called Scott Gertner’s). At 13,000 sq. ft. (and a capacity of 700), it’ll be slightly larger than the old club too. He tells Chronicle reporter Joey Guerra the new interior, designed by Uptown Sushi architect Isaac Preminger, will feature 3 outdoor patios, an “arena-style” stage, and a full kitchen. Directly downstairs from the club, at the corner of Dallas and Fannin: BCBGMaxAzria and McCormick & Schmick’s, shown above.

Scott Gertner comes downtown [29-95]
Houston Pavilions Coverage [Swamplot]
Previously on Swamplot: Why Scott Gertnerâ€™s Skybar Is Leaving the Montrose Sky, Scott Gertnerâ€™s Skybar Closing, May Take the Whole Building with It

Photo: Flickr user sabotai

77002, Bars and Clubs, Downtown, Houston Architects, Houston Pavilions, Leasing, Malls, Nightlife, Openings and Closings

Montrose

07/01/10 10:57am

Why Scott Gertner’s Skybar Is Leaving the Montrose Sky

Nightlife, Openings and Closings, Quicklink

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WHY SCOTT GERTNER’S SKYBAR IS LEAVING THE MONTROSE SKY Gertner says he’s now interested in opening up a new club somewhere near the Galleria. A company out of Waco called FH Properties bought the 10-story office building at 3400 Montrose that serves as a podium for the Skybar in February. After that, the bar owner and Grammy nominee tells the Chronicle‘s Joey Guerra, everything went downhill: “About five months ago, the building was purchased in auction. We tried over the past months to work out a new lease, but they kept putting me off saying they didn’t know what they were going to do. I started to see that the building was being neglected — even to the point that my staff would walk the entire four-story parking garage and lobby to clean it ourselves after the nightclub was closed — wipe the windows, clean the elevators, everything that my prior lease included that was the responsibility of the landlord. Big, orange, neon City of Houston stickers started to appear on all doors listing the permits were outdated. We had several visits from the fire marshal about the building and even thought they were going to shut it down two weeks ago. Nothing like closing us down on the second biggest holiday of the year. Skybar was always one of the best venues to view fireworks on the fourth of July.” [Peep; previously on Swamplot]

77006, Bars and Clubs, Maintenance, Montrose, Nightlife, Openings and Closings

Montrose

06/30/10 6:11pm

Scott Gertner’s Skybar Closing, May Take the Whole Building with It

Office Buildings, Openings and Closings, Public Safety

18 Comments

Note: Story updated below.

News comes from a reader that Scott Gertner’s Skybar, on the top floor of 3400 Montrose, will be closing for good this Saturday — “due to the building closing its doors.” We don’t have further information about why the entire 10-story office building across Hawthorne from the Montrose Kroger might be shutting down, but a Twitter-fed rumor is that it’s for “safety concerns.”

Scott Gertner’s Sports Bar, safely ensconced on the ground- (and only) floor of a parking-lot site on Fountainview just north of Richmond, is apparently in no danger of collapse, and will remain open. The complete message passed onto us from Gertner after the jump:

77006, Montrose, Office Buildings, Openings and Closings, Public Safety

Art

12/27/16 3:30pm

Still Life of Downtown Chronicle Building Rubble, and Other Masterworks of Deconstruction

Demolitions

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Painting by Ken Mazzu

Artist Ken Mazzu’s been back at the easel and back on theÂ Houston demolition beat lately, finishing up some new works to be featured in next month’s building-themed art show at the William Reaves / Sarah Foltz Fine Art Gallery at 2143 Westheimer Rd.. The show will feature someÂ of Mazzu’s paintings of ’round-town teardowns, along with works of 2 other Houston-focused artists (late photographer Jim Culberson and living painter Richard Stout). The gallery will even host Houston archi-historian Dr. Stephen FoxÂ for a talk about The Changing City on the 14th.

Mazzu’s had a lot of subjects to choose from since a set of hisÂ demo-themed canvases went on display back in 2013; he sends over some previews of new pieces,Â including the scene above commemorating the disassembly of the former Downtown headquarters of the Houston Chronicle.Â Other recentÂ worksÂ feature newly-parking-lotified 509 Louisiana St., the dissolution of the octagonal Solvay mid-rise, a pile of post-blow-upÂ downtown Foley’s debris,Â and more:

New Works Retrospective

Art, Demolitions, Events

An Orange and Silver Welcome to Hanover Montrose from the Disco Kroger Parking Lot

WAMM

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The Hawthorne-facingÂ apartment highrise at 3400 Montrose is now open for general business, as theÂ orange sign recently added over the door declares in all-caps. Across the street at the edge of the Disco Kroger parking lot, another orange sign is also directing folks toward the entrance, a reader notes —Â as of yesterday evening, the decked-out flag man above wasÂ set up across from the tower’s main entrance as some heavy equipmentÂ work wrapped up in the street behind it. Here’s a close-up portrait:

Hawthorne St. Style

77006, Apartments, Construction Sites, Highrises, Openings and Closings, WAMM

Apartments

06/22/16 11:00am

Hanover Montrose Looking Increasingly Pale as Opening Nears

Highrises, WAMM

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Hanover Montrose, 3400 Montrose Blvd., WAMM, Houston, 77006

Rendering of Proposed 30-Story Hanover Apartment Tower at 3400 Montrose, Montrose, Houston The eastern face of 3400 Montrose Blvd. appears to be losing color this week as the building’s mid-AugustÂ opening looms ever closer. A reader sendsÂ the above over-the-Walgreens shot of the Skybar-replacing apartment towerÂ (which now looks to have most of its balcony railings in place as well), capturing part of the building’sÂ patch-by-patch transition this week from concrete gray to previous-rendering white.

And anyone jonesing forÂ someÂ up-in-the-air viewsÂ following the closure of the Chase Tower Sky Lobby can get a half-strengthÂ fix from this shot of Downtown, taken by the tipster earlier this spring from a ledge on the building’s 28th floor:

Almost Showtime by Disco Kroger

77006, Apartments, Construction Sites, Highrises, Paint Colors, WAMM

Former Gaslamp Spot Turns Into 360, 90 Degrees To the Left

Midtown

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360 Skybar Patio, 500 McIlhenny St., Midtown, Houston, 77006

Some things haveÂ changed in the last few months at the corner of Brazos and McIlhenny streets in Midtown, where scandal-embroiled nightclub Gaslamp appears toÂ haveÂ shut downÂ to make way forÂ a newly-opened bar called 360. The Gaslamp sign is gone, and the building’s newÂ Facebook page also lists it as located at Google-baggage-free 500 McIlhenny instead of 2400 Brazos (though the number 2400 was still in place over the doorÂ as ofÂ last week).

The former second-floor club-within-a-club Elysium space upstairs appears to have been redecorated as well, and to have picked up the name The Hamptons. Other things remain the same, however — for example, the photo posted last week of 360’s rooftop patio (above) is remarkably similar to a view from the rooftop previously posted toÂ Gaslamp’s webpageÂ (below):

Midtown Makeover

77006, Bars and Clubs, Midtown, Openings and Closings

Wrapping Up Hanover’s 30-Story Montrose Tower

WAMM

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3400 Montrose, WAMM, Houston, 77006

Windows are in on the Montrose side of Hanover’s 30-ft. Kroger-facing residential highrise at the corner with Hawthorne St.Â Those 2Â rows of empty spotsÂ in the grid just belowÂ theÂ former elevation of SkybarÂ have been leftÂ intentionally blank and belong to the complex’s garage-topping poolÂ deck, which looks to have its north-facing balcony already hangingÂ out over Hawthorne.

The development’s leasing websiteÂ listsÂ August 1st as the planned dateÂ for the first round of move-ins, which leaves 3 and a half months to wrap upÂ the majority of construction.Â TheÂ parking garage has yet to get its full modesty covering, per previous renderings from the Montrose side:

High on Hawthorne St.

Construction, Hanover, Highrises, Leasing, WAMM

Awards

12/30/14 11:00am

The Swamplot Awards for Houston Real Estate, 2014: The Winners!

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And here it is — the grand finale of the seventh annual Swamplot Awards for Houston Real Estate.Â It’s time to announce the winners of this year’s competition.

This final unveiling caps an almost month-long process that began with calls for nominations in 7 separate award categories. Official ballots were assembled from reader nominations. Then voting was opened up — to everyone.

The award winners of the 2014 Swampies deserve to be recognized for their unique contributions to this city. It takes something special to stand out in Houstonâ€™s real estate landscape. Award winners: Houston real-estate fans have noticed you!

Also worthy of recognition: the many Swamplot readers who took time to nominate, evaluate, vote, and comment on competitors in each category. Your judgments, your descriptions, and your observations are featured below.

Does this honor roll of award winners — along with the list of runners up — provide an accurate snapshot of the year in Houston real estate? The lineup was determined by reader votes. It’s too late to vote, but do let everyone know how you think it all turned out!

The winners of the 2014 Swamplot Awards for Houston Real Estate are . . .

Swamplot Awards, Swamplot Awards 2014, Swamplot Awards 2014 Winners

The 2014 Swampies

Awards

12/12/14 5:15pm

Best Demolition: The Official 2014 Ballot

by Meredith Deliso

26 Comments

What an embarrassment of riches! For Best Demolition, the second category of the 2014 Swamplot Awards for Houston Real Estate, we had far too many contenders than available places on the ballot. So several valiant contenders for the title got knocked out of the running.

Thanks to your help, a terrific slate of candidates for this award remains, however. And with some additional help — in the form of your votes — we’ll all pick the winner. What qualifies a nominee to be declared Best Demolition of the year? Does it refer to the best act of demolition, the removal that produced the best results, or the best building that happened to be torn down? That’s up to you!

The voting rules for this yearâ€™s Swampies, which includes a slight tweak to our previous rules, are posted here. You can still vote in this category through each of 4 methods: in a comment below, in an email to Swamplot, on Twitter, or on Swamplotâ€™s Facebook page. This go-around, however, weâ€™ll only be counting votes submitted through the first 2 methods from voters whoâ€™ve signed up for the Swamplot email list. (If you havenâ€™t done so already, you can through this link or the box at the top left of this page.) When you cast your vote(s), please try to explainÂ why you’re voting for that particular nominee, so we’ll have plenty of entertaining comments to include in our roundup of the winners and runners-up.

And here they are! Or rather, here they were! The official nominees for Best Demolition of 2014: