Upper Kirby

Commercial Real Estate
03/23/10 8:15am

Weingarten Plans an Alabama Theater Demolition. Is Staples Moving In?

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Historic Preservation, Leasing, Openings and Closings, Retail, Shopping Centers, Strip Centers, Upper Kirby
78 Comments

It looks like the former Alabama Theater — known since the early eighties as the Alabama Bookstop, and since last fall as that big vacant space for lease in Weingarten Realty’s Alabama Shepherd Shopping Center — is about to be gutted. A local construction company is currently taking bids from subcontractors for a rather complete interior demolition. The plans, prepared by Heights Venture Architects, show major alterations to the floor, walls, and ceilings.

The theater’s original sloped floor will be buried under a new concrete slab; wood floors inserted during the 1983 bookstore conversion will be removed. For now, the balcony will remain.

Here’s a little before and after to demonstrate:

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Condos
03/15/10 10:15am

A 2727 Kirby Occupancy Update

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Condos for Sale, Highrises, Upper Kirby
10 Comments

If our math holds, 10 or 11 condos have sold or otherwise gained occupants over the last 5 months at 2727 Kirby. Last October, the developers of the new 30-story highrise near Westheimer reported that 20 units in the tower were occupied.

Now the Chronicle‘s Nancy Sarnoff reports that the building’s owners have turned over management of the building to a separate agency:

The group has hired Houston-based Association Management to take over now that the building has more residents, said Sherri Atlas, who owns the unsold units in the high-rise with another investor. Fortress is the lender on the project.

Atlas said occupancy is at about 40 percent in the building, which has 77 high-end units.

Photo: Ziegler Cooper Architects

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Condos
01/29/10 11:01am

Another Pedigreed Condo in The Huntingdon Readies for Sale

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Condos for Sale, Crime, Upper Kirby
7 Comments

That condo in The Huntingdon belonging to Ken and Linda Lay may soon have company on the market. Randi Stanford, daughter of alleged swindler Robert Allen Stanford — who’s lived in a 2,803-sq.-ft. condo in the same highrise at 2121 Kirby for the last 3 years — has agreed to vacate her unit by the end of March.

The agreement ends a longstanding dispute. The court-appointed receiver for the assets of the Stanford Financial Group will put the unit up for sale.

According to HCAD records, Unit 16NE is owned by an LLC whose address is listed as 5050 Westheimer Rd. — the former headquarters of Stanford Financial Group. Writes the Chronicle‘s Mary Flood:

A report by an accountant working for the receiver showed that Allen Stanford paid for the condo with
 $1.3 million in early 2006. It shows that at least $44,000 paid for condo maintenance came directly from company funds, and that $34,000 of that came from the certificates of deposits issued by Stanford’s bank in Antigua that are at the heart of the alleged fraud.

Photo of The Huntingdon: HAR

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Condos for Sale
01/27/10 10:36am

A Look Inside Ken and Linda Lay’s Lonely Highrise Castle Retreat

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Houston Architects, Interiors, Price Reductions, Upper Kirby
34 Comments

Now that photos have been posted — and the asking price has been chopped a full 7 percent — the whole world gets to peek inside the full-floor condo in The Huntingdon that belonged to Enron founder and CEO Ken Lay and his wife Linda. The buildout on the 33rd floor of 2121 Kirby Dr. was designed in the late nineties by Houston architect Leslie Barry Davidson, who’s proven herself versatile in many historical styles that pre-date highrise construction. But the listing photos show what looks like a glum castle retreat for a king and queen who’ve lost their jester.

Oh, but those 360-degree skyline views of Houston! And really, with angry investors and Californians likely to approach from any direction, you’d maybe want a hideout with 4 good corner balconies, just so you can assess the risks:

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Green Design and Development
12/16/09 3:35pm

Haven Is Open: Modern Texas Cuisine, Algerian Way

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Openings and Closings, Restaurants, Upper Kirby
4 Comments

Opened yesterday across from the Taco Cabana drive-thru at 2502 Algerian Way, just north of the intersection of Kirby and 59: Randy Evans’s Haven. Evans, who last ran the kitchen at Brennan’s, teamed up with investors Debbie Jaramillo and Rhea Wheeler to produce a certified green restaurant, allowing fans of fine local food to dine on seasonal “farm-to-market” cuisine without having to visit either.

The 5,200-sq.-ft. restaurant was designed by Jim Herd, Geoffrey Brune, and Melanie Pereira of Collaborative Projects, who employed their own menu of environmentally conscious building strategies, including open ceilings, minimal finishes, and refurbished scratch-and-dent kitchen equipment. There’s a raised-bed chef’s garden on site, as well as a parking lot on a raised surface of concrete.

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Attractions
11/11/09 6:50pm

Openings and Closings: That Flood of New Establishments

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Baytown, Downtown, East Montrose, Galveston, Houston Heights, Hyde Park, Montrose, Openings and Closings, Restaurants, Retail, Shopping Centers, Spring Branch, Strip Centers, Upper Kirby, Washington Corridor, West End
2 Comments

So much new stuff going on it’s impossible to keep track of it all!

  • Opening Soon? A new “Houston Ave. Bar” at the site of the former Farmers Coffee Shop on the corner of Houston Ave. and White Oak. Here’s the evidence: A permit for a “2 story addition” to the property was approved by the city last month. The corner is already a popular gathering place for floodwaters — several commenters on HAIF have posted photos of the intersection after Hurricane Ike (see above) and Tropical Storm Allison.
  • Moved: The Central City Co-op Wednesday market, from that Ecclesia space next to the Taft St. Coffee House to new digs at the Grace Lutheran Church at 2515 Waugh, just north of Missouri St. Sunday markets are still at Discovery Green. Next up for the co-op crew: Selling enough veggies to pay off those loans used for the church buildout.
  • Opening Softly, Later This Month: A place called Canopy, from the folks who brought you that place called Shade. Claire Smith and Russell Murrell’s new restaurant will go in the spot where Tony Ruppe’s was, in the double-decked strip center at 3939 Montrose, reports Cleverley Stone. Three meals a day, 7 days a week, plus 3 seating areas:

    a bright and refreshing dining room, festive bar and side street patio. We will eventually offer curbside “to go” service.

  • Opening Early Next Month: The brand-new Dessert Shoppe, in the strip center portion of 19th Streete in the Heights. Fred Eats Houston writes that sisters Sara and RaeMarie Villar will be serving up “whole cakes and pies to individual desserts, along with assorted breakfast pastries, cookies, quiches, cupcakes, and some breads.”
  • Reopened, for the First Time Since Ike: The Shriner’s Hospital for Children in Galveston. The combined boards of the International Shriners and Shriners Hospitals for Children had originally decided to close the hospital for good, after 30 inches of water wandered through the building’s first floor during the Hurricane. Shriners voting at this summer’s convention in San Antonio reversed that decision. The new hospital will have a smaller staff and budget. The Chronicle‘s Todd Ackerman reports that the hospital should already be open for reconstructive surgery cases; burn victims will have to wait until December for treatment.

And yet even more new stuff:

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Condos
10/19/09 5:14pm

2727 Kirby: Refunds Are on Their Way

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Condos for Sale, Highrises, New Construction: Residential, Upper Kirby
20 Comments

The Chronicle’s Nancy Sarnoff, after a tour of 2727 Kirby:

Developer Jerry Brown said 20 units are occupied in the 78-unit building.

The least expensive floor is priced at $575 per square foot, he said, and the average unit is about $2 million.

Maintenance fees are 65 cents per square foot.

While Brown said he’s seeing more traffic these days, there have been some snags.

I recently came across some lawsuits against the developer filed by buyers who canceled their contracts, but didn’t receive their earnest money back like they were promised.

“If they’re entitled to their money, they’ll get their money,” Brown said.

Photo of 2727 Kirby: Ziegler Cooper

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Homes for Sale
10/19/09 11:19am

Swamplot Price Adjuster: Carrabba Rating Commercial Property

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Land for Sale, Price Adjuster, Upper Kirby
9 Comments

The Swamplot Price Adjuster needs your nominations! Found a property you think is poorly priced? Send an email to Swamplot, and be sure to include a link to the listing or photos. Tell us about the property, and explain why you think it deserves a price adjustment. Then tell us what you think a better price would be. Unless requested otherwise, all submissions to the Swamplot Price Adjuster will be kept anonymous.

Location: 2506 West Main St.
Details: 2-3 bedrooms, 2 baths; 1,779 sq. ft. on a 9,473-sq.-ft. lot
Price: $950,000
History: On the market since the beginning of September.

Just a couple blocks south of the intersection of Kirby and West Alabama is this behind-the-Carrabba’s-parking-lot home, apparently being marketed for lot value. The reader who’s nominating this property calls it:

Cute little house, but almost a million for it. Represented by Carraba Property. Next to restaurant of the same name. For that price, a lifetime supply of free Italian meals should come with purchase.

Okay, what about without the meals? What should it cost then?

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Foreclosures
10/14/09 11:31pm

What You Can Get with Bad Credit: West Main Foreclosure Second Chance

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Home Design, Homes for Sale, Townhomes, Upper Kirby
10 Comments

A reader accustomed to shaking his head when he drives along Greenbriar just north of Richmond informs us that the recently built “big, expensive monstrosity” for sale on that corner is now advertising its bank pedigree:

This long-on-the-market house/thingy now has large for-sale-by-bank sign slapped all over the very nice fence. This has all sort of ridiculous written over it: four car garages, pool, etc.

If a 7,976-sq.-ft. villa with 4-car garage for less than a million in that location sounds cheap, it’s because the building is actually 2 separate “townhomes” — each roughly half that size — with a “common element.” The $959K price tag is for the foreclosed unit at 2201 W. Main.

After a year-long run on MLS, that front unit is now listed as “pending continue to show.” Which in light of the ready-to-loan listing copy maybe isn’t so surprising:

FORECLOSURE!!BANK WILL FINANCE FOR 4.5% WITH 10% DOWN(BAD CREDIT OK)

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Apartments
09/21/09 3:00pm

Taking More Than Half Off at Those Apartments with the French Quarter Look

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Leasing, Quicklink, Real Estate Marketing, Upper Kirby
7 Comments

TAKING MORE THAN HALF OFF AT THOSE APARTMENTS WITH THE FRENCH QUARTER LOOK How hot are those apartment specials? “One complex is pushing a concept that’s even more unusual: a clothing optional sun deck. ‘I don’t know if anybody uses it or not,’ said George Renfro, who leased a two-bedroom apartment at the French Quarter-style complex called La Maison at River Oaks. ‘It’s up on the top floor and in a very secluded area.’” [Houston Chronicle]

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Condos
09/16/09 4:15pm

Condo Spies in the Night: Investigating Sales at 2727 Kirby

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Condos for Sale, Highrises, New Construction: Residential, Real Estate Marketing, Upper Kirby
33 Comments

Sure, we all want to know how well the condos at the newly completed 30-story 2727 Kirby tower have been selling. But a couple of dedicated readers decided to investigate on their own:

[We] have been musing that 2727 Kirby looks awfully dark for a building for which the Chronicle proffers “all but 18 units have been sold”

Well, we put on our trench coats and went parking garage climbing to find out exactly how many souls live in that wraithlike monument to a bygone era.

These scary night pictures were taken on a Tuesday evening at around 8 pm. This was a prime time for at least a sampling of residents to be at home among their new Imported Stone Flooring and European Cabinetry. The night photos were taken from atop the parking garage on West Alabama that is the home of Fleming’s and from the Parking lot on Westheimer that serves Taco Milagro/Downing Street.

And they show . . . ?

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CityCentre
09/04/09 11:24am

Openings and Closings: Restaurant Revamp Edition

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Galleria, Houston Heights, Memorial, Openings and Closings, Restaurants, The Woodlands, Upper Kirby
No Comments

What’s new to eat?

  • Opening Soon: Lola, a diner-ish spot serving “American comfort foods” — in the restored and refashioned former Eckerd Drug across from the Heights Post Office on Yale and 11th. This’ll be the third Heights restaurant venture from Ken Bridge, who also runs Dragon Bowl and Pink’s Pizza.
  • Opened This Week: From famed New York, Las Vegas, and Dallas chef John Tesar, Tesar’s Modern Steak and Seafood, directly across from the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in The Woodlands. You’ll certainly want to eat everything on your plate when you visit: “Tesar’s entire menu will be one hundred percent sustainable created with a zero-waste food ethics in mind,” declares the restaurant website. Whole fish will be a specialty. Outside: a burger bar.
  • Closed: The Texadelphia in the fast-food-friendly strip center on Memorial Dr. and Asbury, across from Otto’s — reportedly on account of the parking lot being too darn clogged. No worries: You can still get your cheesesteak fix at 3 other Houston locations, and it’s now a bit easier to find a spot in front of the Kolache Factory.

More food fun:

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Commercial Real Estate
08/17/09 11:07am

Alabama Bookstop Theater: The Balcony Is Closed for This Performance

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Historic Preservation, Openings and Closings, Retail, Shopping Centers, Strip Centers, Upper Kirby
6 Comments

You were maybe planning to stop by the Bookstop in the old Alabama Theater on Shepherd for one last browse before the store closes on September 15th? Do a little clearance-sale shopping, grab a coffee up on the balcony and look out over that live-on-stage magazine stand?

It may be a little too late for that now. On the Houston Press Twitter feed this weekend, Katharine Shilcutt reported that the upper levels of the store are already cleared and closed . . . for good.

Photo: Houston Press

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Galleria
08/11/09 9:01pm

Small, Stylish, and Already Sold: Design-y Inner Loop Home Bargains You Missed

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Greenbriar, Home Decor, Homes for Sale, Interiors, Montrose, Southampton, Staging, Upper Kirby, West University
22 Comments

“I do always seem to be showing you houses that few of us can really afford,” Houston interior-design blogger Joni Webb admits to her readers:

But the secret truth is, nothing gets me more excited than seeing a house which is NOT expensive yet looks like it was designed by a professional! Nothing is better because it affirms what I fully believe, style is not about money.

So Webb sets out to find a few inside-the-Loop homes dressed to meet her style standards — and priced between $300K and $500K. How long does it take her? Two days, poring through “hundreds, if not thousands” of HAR listings.

What does she find?

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