H-E-B has announced the “winner” of the dress-up design contest for its new supermarket on the corner of West Alabama and Dunlavy — the site of the former Wilshire Village apartments. The top vote-getting entry, named “The Pavilion,” is easily distinguished from the other 2 proposals from San Antonio architects Lake Flato: It’s the one where the roof isn’t jaggedy and isn’t curvy. We’ll have more details shortly.
- Wilshire Village coverage [Swamplot]
View of Pavilion design from Dunlavy driveway: Lake Flato
19 Comments
Awesome! Their food will taste better now.
Isn’t this the cheepest to build as well?
Damn. I was hoping “the wave” was gonna win. It had a retro verve vibe about it.
Wow, when Swamplot revealed the choices, nobody voted for this one. Someone actually said it was “the worst.”
So much for Swamplot readers speaking on behalf of the neighborhood.
Well, who said it wasn’t a done deal from the beginning? They could have just dumped the votes and declared a “winner”.
So mundane and ordinary wins out again.
I don’t know why HEB prez Scott McClellan (dude, lose the stupid eyeglass frames-you look like a friggin’ turtle in them)went through the charade of wanting our input. The “stilted” building design was never a real option (don’t lie to us, turtle), and this design(the pavilion)is basically the twin of the Buffalo Speedway store. Cookie-cutter architecture…just drag the old plans out and dust them off.
What a farce….turtle must think we’re oblivious/stupid.
I like it. Simple, clean lines.
Classic divide and conquer. Offer one pedestrian design,and two more interesting designs. Watch as 60% of the people split between waves and sawteeth, and the flat roof walks away a 40% winner. Doh!
Hopefully this one will have the same “oblivious people in your way” and “super efficient 3-foot wide aisles” features as the Buffalo Speedway HEB.
From jb3:
‘Hopefully this one will have the same “oblivious people in your way” and “super efficient 3-foot wide aisles” features as the Buffalo Speedway HEB.’
And those aisles are the reason I don’t shop there.
Very interesting. I was there Saturday and none of the attendees I spoke with liked the pavilion design. I personally voted for the sawtooth design.
Glad to finally see that the mist is clearing and people are finally realizing that HEB have about as much interest in their feedback as Walmart does.
The pavilion an understated design, better than the other two. Not a radically innovative design, but better than the whimsical swoopy one or the aggressive sawtooth.
Personally, I love HEB. I moved here from elsewhere, and for the dollar it’s definitely the second-best grocery store I’ve ever been to (the first being Trader Joe’s.)
I look forward to having it in the neighborhood.
I also love HEB. I grew up in San Antonio and have shopped at an HEB forever. But I to don’t shop at the Buffalo Speedway store. Bad parking and worse store lay out. HEB please your lessons about what not to do. Pease do not redo anything from the Buffalo Speedway store.
HEB is like the grocery johnny-come-lately corporate parasite in the neighborhood.
And the HEB prez all over the TV is starting to wear like Mattress Mack.
This is just like every other “community input” vote – it really doesn’t matter the outcome….the deal is done when community input doesn’t legally bind.
The “pavillion” design is probably already into 50% construction docs. It is also the least expensive first cost design. Go figure.
Shame – I worked on the flagship WholeFoods in Austin at 6th and Lamar. The first cost investment is worth it. People go out of their way to shop at your store and SPEND MONEY. In the investment ROI calculations, inner city integration and destination design has a significant payback. I guess they think Houstonians will spend their money wherever they build a store and whatever the he&% they erect. Big Shame.
I noticed a few of you are quick to take a jab at Scott, I am willing to bet he does more for our community (personally and via HEB) by the end of January than you do in a year or lifetime. Scott is a fixture at the Houston Food Bank giving his time to help others while you sit at your keyboards poking fun. I don’t work at HEB but shop there.
yeah, because it’s not like any of us slave away day in and day out at our companies to help them make big profits so they can afford to send some bigwigs making a few million around on high-profile community service events…or actually perform community service on our own. i’ll agree with you that it’s a lot easier to do good work when you’re filthy rich though.
it’s just you say it as if all the large grocery store chains in houston don’t give back to the community because they all have specific budget/profit percentages that are used for community service. it’s all part of brand maintenance/marketing.
let the market do it’s work and just shop wherever you get the best price.