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07/14/16 4:45pm

Half-Masked Double-Wide Shipping Container House Up for Sale in Fifth Ward

by Christine Gerbode

Fifth Ward, Homes for Sale

Much of the front of container-composed 1709 Dan St. still sports that distinctive shipping container crimp, though the actual entrance to the 2-box structure has been partiallyÂ camouflaged behindÂ siding and a gabled-roof-sporting porch.Â The misalignment between the 2 boxesÂ makes room for a matching patio space in the back of the home, which sits aboutÂ a block and a half north of the intersection with Lyons St. in Fifth Ward. The house was put together by container enthusiastÂ Build-a-Box (whose websiteÂ says it’s also working up a 50-unit shipping container apartment complex for the neighborhood).

All the sections of theÂ 2-bedroom, 2-bath structure add up to about 1,228 sq.ft.; the house went on sale last month forÂ $189,995.Â The crimping has been completely masked on the inside of the house:

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Building With Boxes

77020, Fifth Ward, Home Listings, Homes for Sale, Shipping-Containers

07/14/16 1:00pm

Time for Thai Moving In on Prince’s Tunnel Territory Near Departed High Tower Deli

by Christine Gerbode

Time for Thai, 930 Main St., Downtown Tunnels, Houston, 77002

Swamplot’s anonymousÂ tunnel correspondent sends the following deep-Downtown restaurant updates (and a few other subterranean readers send along photos to illustrate):

The location formerly occupied by Prince’s at 930 Main St., [beneath the] McKinney Place Garage (unoccupied since early March) will soon be home to Time for Thai, whose sign says that they are an offshoot of Thai Cottage:

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Coming Up Downtown

77002, Downtown, Openings and Closings, Restaurants, Tunnel Correspondent, Tunnels

07/14/16 11:30am

Fifties Mod Condos Slated for Midrise Swapout on Revere St.

by Christine Gerbode

River Oaks Manor Condos, 2325 Welch St., River Oaks, Houston, 77019

The above corner of Welch and Revere streets, which currently holds the 2-storyÂ River Oaks ManorÂ condo complex, looks to be trading up forÂ a much taller occupant: a 9-story condo midrise going by the name The Revere at River Oaks. A 6-story condo midrise project called Revere Park was previously planned at the corner of Mimosa and Revere, one block to the south; that project was denied several variance requests by the city last year, with objecting residents claiming the area couldn’t handle increased density.

River Oaks Manor (which is itself outside the boundaries of River Oaks) sits on a narrow rhomboidal lot to the southeast of the intersection; the building footprint’s slightly acute and obtuse angles are complemented by sets of triangular windows on several corner units. Kirksey Architecture’s design for the proposed midrise structure seems to stick more firmly rectilinear shapes, however:

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Avalon Place

77019, Condos, Mid-Century Modern, Midrises, Proposed Developments, River Oaks

07/13/16 4:00pm

Blondie’s Up for Sale After Years of Refusing To Shut Down in La Porte

by Christine Gerbode

Blondie's Bar, 1026 S. 8th St., La Porte, TX 77571

After more thanÂ 40 on-and-off yearsÂ underÂ its current name, and 37 years since housewife-turned-electrician Margaret Lindsay got involved with the place,Â Blondie’sÂ on the corner of S. 8th St. and Fairmont Pkwy. off SH 146, is once againÂ listed for sale.Â A previous Houston Press articleÂ details Lindsay’s account ofÂ some of the bar’s fraught history since 1980 — from the banned and reinstated lingerie shows, complex permitting and loan tangles, and 11th-hour financial saviors and sugar daddies,Â toÂ the alleged police harassment and an eventual lawsuit filed against the city of La Porte.

The suit was dismissed in 1999, as the named city official’s hadÂ immunity to Lindsay’s allegations that they had conspired to run herÂ out of town;Â 17 years later, the bar still standsÂ alongÂ the channelized banks of Little Cedar Bayou, between 2 Wells Fargo buildings and across Fairmont from the McDonald’s and the La Porte PostÂ Office.Â LoopNet lists the asking price as $1 millionÂ —Â kitchen equipment, alarm system, and all. Here are a few more of the listing shots, which show the bar still loosely decked out for Christmas:

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Looking Like a Million Bucks

77571, Bars and Restaurants, Businesses for Sale, La Porte, Lawsuits

07/13/16 1:00pm

Long-Empty Land by NRG Eyeing New Relationship Prospects Decades After Steakhouse Abandonment

by Christine Gerbode

Linkwood, Reliant Park

9330 Main St., NRG, Houston, 77025

9330 Main St., NRG, Houston, 77025 Here’s a recent viewÂ from the Buffalo Spdwy. side of the long-vacantÂ 12 acre propertyÂ at 9330 Main St., now listed as under contract by broker HFF. Â The land — aÂ set of parcelsÂ outlined in the above aerial photo from HFFÂ listing flierÂ — appears to have never held much in the way of built structures, save for the section at 9403 Buffalo Spdwy. (which sportedÂ a branch of Oklahoma-rooted Lebanese steakhouse Jamil’sÂ in the 1970s).

A reader notes that someone has been at work on what appears to be soil testing for the site, which faces Main between the new Holiday Inn Express & Suites and the Public Storage facility, with Prime Storage across the street. The Buffalo Spdwy. frontage is flanked by Â some David Weekley homes to the south, andÂ theÂ Pemberton Park townhomes to the north (visible on the left below:)

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Stirrings on S. Main

77025, Land Sales, NRG Park

07/12/16 4:15pm

Newly Sold McGowen Cleaners Building Getting Liquored Up on Fairview St.

by Christine Gerbode

Vermont Commons

1931 Fairview St., Vermont Commons, Houston, 77019

TABC Notice at 1931 Fairview, July 2016 A different kind ofÂ sign hasÂ popped up at the corner of Fairview Ave. and Morse St., notes a reader — the 1961 building that formerly housed McGowen Cleaners (shown above earlier this year decked out in NewQuest Properties sales banners) now sports a notice that the new owners have applied for a handful of food, beverage, and mixed drink permits from the TABC. The sign names Vibrant Living LLC as the applicant for the licenses; an entity by the same name (headquartered in the address of office and retailÂ developer Barnhart Interests)Â purchased the 3 adjacent lots at the corner from former Cleaners owner and operator George Groschke in May.

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What’s Cooking in Montrose

77019, Adaptive Reuse, Alcohol Licenses, Dry Cleaners, Redevelopment, Restaurants, Retail, TABC, Vermont Commons

07/12/16 1:30pm

Asbestos-Laden Mod Code Enforcement Office Now Getting Swapped for Mixed Use Highrise on Main St.

by Christine Gerbode

The 1967 occupant of 3300 Main St., which previously housed theÂ city code enforcement office, is currently getting its asbestos removed in anticipation of its impending demolition, according to a reader involved in the work. The structure and its parking lot grounds were bought from the city in 2011 by the Midtown Redevelopment Authority, who started trying to sell it in 2014; PM RealtyÂ (the developers of the glass-petticoated apartment tower at 2929 Weslayan, who are also currentlyÂ working on the less-is-more-brandedÂ Ivy Lofts tiny condo complex in East Downtown) put the property under contract that year.

What’s going to take the code building’s place,Â between the new MATCH box theater collection and the Houston Community College buildings to the north on Main St.? The involved reader confirms thatÂ the rendering below shows the current design in placeÂ along theÂ light rail line; materials from AECOM (a partner in the project) say the highrise should hold 336 apartments and 14,390 sq.ft. of retail space:

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Trading Up in Midtown

77002, Asbestos, Demolition, Highrises, Mid-Century Modern, Midtown, Proposed Developments

07/12/16 10:45am

Canadian Moxie’s Looks To Take New Territory South, East of Uptown Spot

by Christine Gerbode

The torches along the stairway to the former Canyon Cafe space at 5000 Post Oak Blvd. are not part of the plan for the southwestern grill’s northern replacement, Dallas hockey owner Tom Gaglardi’s Canadian fusion chain Moxie’s. Renderings of a potential remodel for the spaceÂ (submitted as part of a variance request for Post Oak Centre)Â showÂ the whole staircaseÂ missing, and depict the restaurant’s footprint spreading out as it adds part of the ground floor of the shopping center to the original restaurant space. The drawings depictÂ an entrance canopy to the south of the development, and a new 2-story covered patio to the eastern side of theÂ building, edging close toÂ Post Oak Blvd.:

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Post Oak Recentering

77056, Galleria, Restaurants, Uptown, Variances

07/11/16 1:15pm

Multistory DWI Law Office Complex Underway Across from New Brewpub on Washington Ave

by Christine Gerbode

Sawyer Heights, Washington Ave, Washington Corridor

Tyler Flood site, 2019 Washington Ave., Old Sixth Ward, Houston Meanwhile, catty- corner across White St. from the beer-and-haircut-related happenings to the east, work on DWI lawyer and billboard enthusiast Tyler Flood’s 3-story cafe law firm retail centerÂ at 2019 Washington Ave. is also ramping up. A reader sends the aboveÂ early-morning photo of recentÂ stirrings on the long and long-empty lot between White and Henderson;Â a demo permit was issued for the narrow stripÂ last Tuesday,Â with a building permit following hot on its heels 2 days later.

An 1,800-sq.-ft. ground floor retail spot (which Flood previously hoped would be inhabited by some sort of cafe) is currently listed for lease on LoopNet, along with some divisible office space. The listing includesÂ a look at the most recentÂ rendering for that building, which seems to have straightened up and gotten a little taller in places, compared toÂ the 2014 design (also shown below):

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Making Preparations

77007, New Construction, Office Space, Restaurants, Retail, Sawyer Heights, Washington Ave.

07/11/16 11:00am

Platypus and Friends Now Decorating Washington Ave Nesting Sites

by Christine Gerbode

Sawyer Heights, Washington Ave, Washington Corridor

Australo-Texan Platypus Brewing has been not-so-secretly secreting away a set of fermentation tanks in the back of the reforming nightclub complex at 1902 Washington AveÂ (at the corner with Silver St.). The brewpub is readying the northernmost segment of the structure; a tree-lined patio is planned at the corner of Silver and Center streets.Â Here’s the updated site plan from Lovett Commercial’s latest leasing flier, now with more details about other tenants filled in:

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Brewing on Silver St.

77007, Adaptive Reuse, Restaurants, Retail, Sawyer Heights, Washington Ave.

07/08/16 3:15pm

Drag Show Jumps Out of the Way of Bicycle-Themed Parking Garage as Meteor Lounge Shuts Down

by Christine Gerbode

East Montrose, Fairview, Openings and Closings

Fairview + Mason renderings

Meteor, 2306 Genesee St, Montrose, Houston So You Think You Can DragÂ hit the stage at Â South BeachÂ last night — a permanent move for the event in the wake of Â Wednesday‘s permanent closure of Meteor Lounge at 2306 Genesee St. The bar and semi-aquatic drag and dance venueÂ had been renting its spaceÂ back temporarily while developer Fred Sharifi worked on designs and permits for the redevelopment of the East Montrose neighborhood around Fairview Ave. and Mason St.; Adolfo Pesquera noted in early AprilÂ that the project (under the nameÂ Fairview + Mason) had been granted a variance request.

TheÂ application for thatÂ request included the drawing above of the 6-story parking garage that’s planned to replaceÂ Meteor; the exterior, perhaps followingÂ Rice University’s lead on parking garage modesty coverings, appears to be artfully encrusted with bicycles, with the words MONT and ROSE emblazoned beneath.

The variance request asked the city for permission to cross some building setback lines and to add some canopies along 2 different blocks on Fairview — the site plan below points them out, catty-cornered betweenÂ the block holding the Mason St. electrical substation and the block holding Max’s Wine Dive, Cuchara, and Flow:

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Farewell on Fairview

77006, Bars, Openings and Closings, Parking-Garages, Proposed Developments, Redevelopment

07/08/16 12:45pm

Skanska Will Get Out of the Tunnels, But Won’t Budge Upward on Capitol Tower Until Economy Goes First

by Christine Gerbode

Capitol Tower Tunnel Closures
The connections to the Downtown tunnel system beneath the planned future site ofÂ 35-story Capitol Tower at 811 Rusk St. should reopen by the end of the year, a Skanska representative tells Swamplot, though a hard date hasn’t been set yet.Â Â The developer told Cara SmithÂ of the HBJÂ last month that the bulk of theÂ projectÂ wouldn’t go forwardÂ until leasing conditions look better, regardless ofÂ theÂ explosive evictionÂ of the former Houston Club building from the site, and last August’s foundationÂ pour. The closures have cut off 601 Travis, the rebranding formerÂ Gulf Building, and all 3 of the buildings tangled up inÂ that Hines-Linbeck-Houston-Chronicle tunnel lawsuit from the rest of the system since work on the spot first started in 2014.Â Take a look atÂ the once-and-future underground crossroads in broader context:

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Under Downtown

77002, Downtown, Downtown Tunnel System, Highrises, New Construction, Proposed Developments, Skyscrapers

07/07/16 5:30pm

City: Telling Everybody About the Hazardous Chemicals Stored All Over Town Wouldn’t Be Safe

by Christine Gerbode

Spring Branch tributary after Laverne St. Fire

A Houston Chronicle attempt to get more info aboutÂ the surprise chemical warehouse fire that turnedÂ Spring Branch Creek blood red earlier this year has been denied by the city, writes Matt DempseyÂ this week.Â The city has reportedlyÂ appealed toÂ the stateÂ attorney general’s office to block the records request, as well asÂ the paper’s broader request for “the name and address of every facility that files a hazardous material inventory form.”

The early May fire spread from a residence on Laverne St.,Â ignitingÂ still-unquantifiedÂ amountsÂ of still-unnamed chemicals stored at the Custom Packaging & Filling warehouse behind it — a business that didn’t show up on the list of storage facilities the Chronicle was able to compile from local emergency planning groups, after the city and state blocked a previous request for similar info last year.Â The blazeÂ left some firefighters withÂ chemical burns and respiratory issues, and left stretches of nearby waterways decorated with festive biohazard signs and oil booms as the EPA did what they could about the mixture of pesticides and whatever else was killing the fish that drained from the site.

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Knowing Your Neighbors

Chemical Plants, Chemical Storage, Fires, Hazardous Materials, Pollution, Spring Branch Creek, Spring-Branch

07/07/16 1:00pm

Giorgetti-Themed Condo Midrise Planned For Vacated Kirby Court Apartments Land

by Christine Gerbode

Proposed Developments, Upper Kirby

Giorgetti Houston, 2710 Steel St., Upper Kirby, Houston, 77098

Signage up on Steel St. near the corner with Virginia is now advertising a planned 7-story condo midrise called Giorgetti Houston. The notice is standing on the northwestern section of the land vacated in 2015 by the Kirby Court Apartments; the project’s 2710 Steel St. address isÂ immediately west ofÂ the land previously tagged for a planned restaurant-footed apartment highrise complex from Hanover (a project which spentÂ most of 2015Â in investmentÂ limbo).

The would-be-nextdoor condo midrise, which is touting interiors furnished by Italian designer Giorgetti to match the name, appears to beÂ backed by Stolz Partners (which last MayÂ announced aÂ differentÂ 7-storyÂ condo project called The Sophie at Bayou Bend).Â Here’s a clearer look at the rendering, direct from the project’s fledgling sales website:

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Styling Steel St.

77030, Condos, Midrises, Proposed Developments, Redevelopment, Upper Kirby

07/07/16 10:30am

For $2.6 Million, You Could Be the Newest Owner of the Oldest Home on Braeswood Ct.

by Christine Gerbode

Homes for Sale, Interiors, Old Braeswood, Uncategorized

2330 N. Braeswood Blvd, Old Braeswood, Houston, 77030

2330 N. Braeswood Blvd, Old Braeswood, Houston, 77030

Per historian Steven Fox’s telling, the 1933 home at what’s now 2330 N. Braeswood Blvd.Â is the work of architect Joseph FingerÂ (a few years after the Lancaster Hotel was built, andÂ a few years before Finger went on to design City Hall). The 4-bedroom house sits on 1.13 acres and was the first one built along Braeswood Ct. (which loops off of N. Braeswood just west of S. Main St.). The exterior railings shown above are copper, andÂ the enthusiastically tropical painted tile mural on the chimney reportedly dates back to the 1930s as well.

The Old Braeswood Property Owners Association traces the house’s Houston-history-heavy ownership record in a 2013 newsletter; the article follows the trail from a mysterious associate of Spindletop oilman T.P. Lee,Â to friends of future Texas governor Ross Sterling, to the son of Meyerland namesake Frank Meyer and beyond.

Want to add your name to the list? The current asking price is $2.6 million. Look around below:

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77030, Architecture, Home Listings, Homes for Sale, Houston History, Old Braeswood

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