COMMENT OF THE DAY: WHAT’S STILL MISSING FROM THE TOP OF THE CENTRAL SQUARE PLAZA REDO 
“After all the beautiful exterior enhancements, does Claremont plan to update and restore functionality of the enormous electronic retro clock on top of the building? The building now looks so nice. I can’t believe the clock sitting on top has not been restored, paint peeling off and not turned on, especially when it completes the whole retro-mod feel of the entire project.” [Unsure About This, commenting on Midtown’s Redone Central Square Plaza Looking To Lure Tenants to Its Empty Ground Floor] Photo of former Central Square Plaza clock: meltedplastic [license]
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The sheet metal façade backed by an assortment of shipping-container parts is now gone, and mountains of stuff have been removed from the longtime junk emporium at 317 W. 19th St. in the Heights, perhaps better known as the open-air building with a front but no roof that lent the shopping district its perhaps now diminished air of funk. The photo at top, sent Swamplot’s way by a flabbergasted reader, shows the now-vacant lot with everything removed. Below it, a rare aerial view from a few years ago reveals secret stashes maintained behind the lot’s corrugated streetfront.
But perhaps what you remember of this lot is different: a mysterious supply house behind whose shiny gate backdrops for hundreds of street scenes emerged over the years? Or a backdrop for fashion shoots?
Junked
The teeth, eyes, and . . . uh, overall shape of the new shopping center Braun Enterprises is planning for N. Shepherd and 24th St. can be considered taken care of, now that Lovett Dental, Eyes on the Heights Optometry, and Club Pilates have each signed leases for space in the development. That leaves 11,555 sq. ft. still available in 3 separate end-cap spots for any nail salon, podiatrist, or dermatology clinic that wants to fill out the theming for the complex, which would go on the block catty-corner to the H-E-B Heights Market currently under construction.
This would fit in with N. Shepherd’s ongoing transformation: Braun plans to demolish the Miller’s Auto Body Repair Experts facility (as of now still open for business) as well a building formerly occupied by Auto Electric Service on the site in order to construct the 24,000-sq.-ft. shopping center, which includes structured parking as well as a parking lot on the roof of one of the 2 buildings.
A full human-body-part-focused buildout for this planned complex at 2401 N. Shepherd Dr. isn’t so far-fetched: the latest renderings released for the development include generic signage for both a nail salon and a fitness club:
Body Shop to Body Shopping
Swamplot today is brought to you by the 2-story home at 306 Sylvester Rd. in Northside Village, designed by Martin Lide. We appreciate the support!
What can you expect in a home designed by Houston architect Martin Lide? An Inner Loop location, high windows, sharply pitched roofs, bright-colored exteriors, and primarily monochromatic interiors with room for art on the walls and cool porcelain-tile floors in the main spaces — all favored for their practicality and suitability for Houston homebuyers (and the particular climate they find themselves in here). You’ll find these features and more in his latest modern design: a 3-bedroom, 2-and-a-half-bath home located just west of Lindale Park.
The main living space in this home, created by Lide’s firm Sculpturesque and pictured above, looks onto a deep fenced back yard. All bedrooms are on the second floor. The master bedroom, master bath, and walk-in closet are at the back of the home; the second bedroom is situated so that it could alternately serve as a den, office, or crib room.
This stretch of Sylvester Rd. is the westward extension (past Fulton St.) of Lindale Park’s Avenue of Oaks. The home is about a 7-minute walk from the Lindale Park light-rail station (4 blocks to the south) on Houston’s Red Line. It’s a 5-minute drive from the famed Airline Farmers Market — soon to be remade as the Houston Farmers Market.
You can find additional photos of this home on the property website, and more details — including floor plans — on the property page of Martin Lide’s website. This property is being offered for sale by Boulevard Realty agent Star Massing.
Swamplot readers appreciate Swamplot sponsors! Here’s how to become one.
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SWAMPLOT’S HOTEL ALESSANDRA DOWNTOWN GETAWAY GIVEAWAY: WE HAVE A WINNER! 
Congratulations to Swamplot reader Jesus Torres, whose entry was chosen at random as the winner of the Downtown getaway giveaway Swamplot ran last week. He’ll be receiving a free overnight stay at the Hotel Alessandra — Downtown’s newest hotel — with valet parking, a spa-upgrade voucher, and discount certificates for Lucky Strike and III Forks in nearby GreenStreet included. Did you miss out on entering — or just want a rematch? Stick around — we’ll have another giveaway coming up soon!
Today we thank Houston’s own Central Bank — our Sponsor of the Day! Swamplot appreciates the continuing support.
Central Bank has 4 (central) Houston branches available to meet your business or personal needs: in Midtown, the Heights, West Houston, and Post Oak Place.
Central Bank believes that change is essential to its success; the company actively pursues the latest in service, technology, and products. Central Bank aims to know its customers personally and to be their primary business and personal financial resource. The bank’s staff values relationships and strives to be available when you need them.
To learn more about how Central Bank can meet your banking needs, please call any of the following Senior Vice Presidents: Kenny Beard, at 832.485.2376; Bonnie Purvis, at 832.485.2354; Carlos Alvarez, at 832.485.2372; or Ryan Tillman, at 832.485.2307. You can also find out more on the bank’s website.
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SWAMPLOT’S HOTEL ALESSANDRA DOWNTOWN GETAWAY GIVEAWAY ENDS TODAY Today’s your very last day to enter to win an overnight stay at Downtown Houston’s Hotel Alessandra (plus some accompanying perks) in Swamplot’s latest giveaway. Maybe you’ve already signed up. But do you really want to win the prize? Maybe you’ve seen how you can earn a few extra “entries” (really, additional chances to win) by following Swamplot on social media after you sign up. But did you know at least one entrant has now accumulated more than 200 extra entries (and counting)? How do you do that? Easily: Just spread word about the giveaway on social media or in emails to friends, either by using the links on the confirmation page (there’s a link to that page in your confirmation email), or by using your special link code listed there. For each person who sees your post and then signs up for the giveaway after clicking on it, you’ll be credited with 10 additional entries. Yeah, wowza. But hurry — signups end tonight at midnight!
Our thanks go to Just Buyers Houston, the Houston real estate firm that represents buyers only. Thanks for being today’s Swamplot Sponsor of the Day!
If you’re thinking about jumping into the market for a new place — and are looking for an experienced, data-minded agent to represent you and guide you through the buying process of buying a highrise condo, a townhome, or a single-family home — contact Judy Thompson of Just Buyers Houston.
(And if you’re thinking about becoming a Swamplot Sponsor, contact us.)
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SWAMPLOT IS GIVING AWAY A FREE DOWNTOWN HOUSTON GETAWAY AT THE HOTEL ALESSANDRA One day left: Swamplot is giving away a free overnight stay at Downtown’s newest hotel — the Hotel Alessandra — plus a few accompanying perks. It’s easy to enter! And if you’ve already signed up, you can greatly improve your chances of winning the prize: Just post about it on social media (or send emails to your friends) and you’ll get credited with extra entries when people sign up as a result. To learn more about this giveaway or to sign up for it, click here.
SWAMPLOT GIVEAWAY: WIN A DOWNTOWN HOUSTON GETAWAY AT THE HOTEL ALESSANDRA Swamplot is giving away a free overnight stay at Downtown’s newest hotel — the Hotel Alessandra — plus a few accompanying perks. It’s easy to enter, and you can improve your chances of winning the prize by getting others to enter as well. To learn more about this giveaway or to sign up for it, click here.
Today our thanks go to Just Buyers Houston, the Houston real estate firm that represents buyers only. Thanks for sponsoring Swamplot!
The market condition pages for townhouses and highrises have just been updated on the Just Buyers Houston website. Take a look. “If you are a highrise buyer you will find the most favorable market condition for buyers in the city,” notes Just Buyers Houston’s Judy Thompson. Demand for these units, she notes, is “not nearly as strong as it is for single-family and townhouses. Townhouses are easier to buy than single-family properties — there is more to choose from and these units generally do not sell immediately.â€
You’ll find plenty more arrays of perusable stats for 21 popular neighborhoods on the Just Buyers Houston website. If you’re looking for an experienced, data-minded agent to guide you through the buying process for a highrise condo, a townhome, or a single-family home, give Judy Thompson a call.
Swamplot sponsorships are also easier to buy than a single-family home. Learn more about them here.
Sponsor of the Day
SWAMPLOT’S CHEF FEST 2018 GIVEAWAY: WE HAVE A WINNER! 
Congratulations to Nick Adams, whose entry was chosen at random today as the winner of the Chef Fest 2018 giveaway Swamplot ran last week. He’ll be receiving 2 free tickets to the food-and-drink event, which takes place March 4. Did you miss out on entering — or just want a rematch? Stick around — we’ll have another giveaway coming up this week.
SWAMPLOT GIVEAWAY: WIN FREE TICKETS TO CHEF FEST 2018 Swamplot is giving away a pair of tickets to this year’s Chef Fest, which takes place on March 4th on the grounds of the 12-acre Harvest Green Village Farm in Richmond. To learn more about the giveaway or to sign up for it, click here.
Today we’re thanking Houston’s own Central Bank for being our Sponsor of the Day. Swamplot appreciates the continuing support!
Central Bank has 4 (central) Houston branches available to meet your business or personal needs: in Midtown, the Heights, West Houston, and Post Oak Place.
Central Bank believes that change is essential to its success; the company actively pursues the latest in service, technology, and products. Central Bank aims to know its customers personally and to be their primary business and personal financial resource. The bank’s staff values relationships and strives to be available when you need them.
To learn more about how Central Bank can meet your banking needs, please call any of the following Senior Vice Presidents: Kenny Beard, at 832.485.2376; Bonnie Purvis, at 832.485.2354; Carlos Alvarez, at 832.485.2372; or Ryan Tillman, at 832.485.2307. You can also find out more on the bank’s website.
What do you have going on? Let Swamplot readers know about it — become a Sponsor of the Day.
Sponsor of the Day
Sponsoring Swamplot today: Just Buyers Houston, the Houston real estate firm that represents buyers only. Thanks for the support!
Just Buyers Houston’s Judy Thompson has been tracking gentrification: “I have always been sensitive to the neighborhood gentrification issue and would prefer that the original housing stock of neighborhoods be renovated rather than demolished and replaced by new construction,” she writes. “But gentrification seems to be an economic fact of life in Houston. I keep my eye on it and have created the chart shown here so you can too.”
The Just Buyers Houston gentrification page ranks 22 popular local Zip Codes by a statistic Thompson presents as a proxy for gentrification: the percentage of sales in a neighborhood in which the sold home is older than the average home in that neighborhood.
Do these numbers surprise you? Or confirm your sense of these local markets?
You’ll find plenty other perusable stats for these neighborhoods on the Just Buyers Houston website. If you’re looking for an experienced, data-minded agent to guide you through the buying process, give Judy Thompson a call.
All the cool people are moving to Swamplot sponsorships. Won’t you join them?
Sponsor of the Day
