Neighborhood

Featured Posts
03/11/16 4:00pm

Obama Photographed at Torchy’s, SXSW, W. Alabama Corner in Houston on Same Day

by
Midtown
2 Comments

Obama Mural, Travis St. and West Alabama, Midtown, Houston

The president has just wrapped up his keynote speech at hippie-turned-techie-festival SXSW in Austin — but he’s been sighted all over the place today, including at the oft-redecorated corner of Alabama and Travis streets across the street from the Breakfast Klub. The newest mural was finished up last week in the recently whitewashed spot that has hosted various incarnations of Obama’s likeness over the last few years (and been vandalized several times).

Obama was also photographed earlier this afternoon at a Torchy’s Tacos in South Austin, where he reportedly ordered a Democrat, a Republican, and an Independent before heading back to the motorcade:

CONTINUE READING THIS STORY

On the Trail
, , , , , ,
Briargrove
03/11/16 11:00am

The Mixed-Income Housing Project That Would Replace Houston Housing Authority’s Own Office Building in Briargrove

by
Proposed Developments
37 Comments

Site of Proposed Housing Development at 2640 Fountainview Dr., Briargrove, Houston, 77057

Site of Proposed Housing Development at 2640 Fountainview Dr., Briargrove, Houston, 77057Here are some shots from the scene of the Houston Housing Authority’s office park on Fountain View Dr. north of Westheimer Rd., which the organization is planning to partially demolish and replace with a 233-unit mixed-income apartment complex. The sign shown here went up last month to advertise this week’s public meeting on the proposed construction, which drew standing-room-only crowds to the auditorium of Briargrove Elementary. A group of neighborhood residents is campaigning to stop the project; listed grievances include a lack of transparency surrounding the project, and asserting that school overcrowding wasn’t considered when HHA picked the spot.

The property, just north of the vacant H-E-B northwest of the corner with Westheimer, currently holds 2 office buildings sporting gently-bent-rectangular floorplans (that’s 2650 in the foreground, in the photo above, with 2640 behind it). An aerial rendering released by HHA shows 2640 swapped out for the apartment building, with the southern office building still in place below it:

CONTINUE READING THIS STORY

Trading Spaces
, , , ,
Houston Heights
03/10/16 3:30pm

The Fiesta on N. Shepherd Will Be Shut Down in 17 Days

by
Quicklink
17 Comments

THE FIESTA ON N. SHEPHERD WILL BE SHUT DOWN IN 17 DAYS Fiesta at 2300 N. Shepherd Dr., Houston Heights, Houston, 77008 The Heights branch of parrot-adorned grocery store Fiesta Mart at 2300 N. Shepherd Dr. will be shuttered for good after closing time on March 27th, the store’s assistant manager told Betsy Denson of The Leader. The land has been owned by 2ML Real Estate since mid-2015, but 2ML president Jim Arnold, who’s other company owned the Fiesta until a few years ago, tells Denson it was Fiesta’s choice to bow out. As for the land itself, Arnold has “been approached by someone wanting to put in apartments – but any decision will wait for land studies and surveys. When asked if he’d like to see an H-E-B on the land, Arnold said he wouldn’t rule it out.” [The Leader; previously on Swamplot] Photo of Fiesta Mart at 2300 N. Shepherd Dr.: Terah K.

, , , , ,
Featured Posts
03/10/16 11:45am

Car Thief Signs Casually Hanging Around Edge of Parking Lot at Rudyard’s

by
Hyde Park
14 Comments

Signs in parking lot across from Rudyards, Waugh Dr. at Welch St., Hyde Park, 77006

Update, 2 pm: Another reader sends a shot from the scene; this story has been updated.

A reader sends some snapshots from Hyde Park, where some new anti-theft infrastructure has been installed in the parking lot across Waugh Dr. from Rudyard’s British Pub and nextdoor The Next Door. The banner wooden sign shown above augments previously-posted-though-significantly-smaller signage in the vicinity, which already disavows any responsibility on the part of the nearby bars for loss of property from break-ins to cars parked in the lot. Meanwhile, a second sign was captured hanging out a bit closer to the intersection with Welch St., looking nonchalant:

CONTINUE READING THIS STORY

Watch Out at Welch
, , , ,
Buffalo Bayou Park
03/10/16 10:45am

Now Hiring Tour Guides for That Abandoned 1927 Cistern Buried Along Buffalo Bayou

by
Historic Preservation, Parks, Proposed Developments
9 Comments

The Cistern, Buffalo Bayou Park near Sabine St. at Memorial Dr., Houston, 77007

Update, 3/24: BBP has updated the link to and language of the job posting; this story has been updated.

Wanted: Buffalo Bayou Partnership is seeking some college types folks to show people around the long-empty city drinking water reservoir near the intersection of Sabine St. and Memorial Dr., which the group also hopes to turn into a temporary art space some day. The “accidental cathedral” was only accessible by a set of hatches and 14-foot ladders back when BBP first examined it; a $1.2-million grant is being used to bring the 87,200-sq.-ft. underground space up to code for visitors.

The cistern, nicknamed after the 6th-century reservoir beneath Istanbul, lies just north of the Lee and Joe Jamail Skate Park beneath what will become a raised outdoor lawn intended for concerts and events at Buffalo Bayou Park. The 1927 reservoir was drained and decommissioned decades ago after it started leaking uncontrollably; the structure was planned for demolition and fill-in by the city around the time the park’s planners took an interest in the space, initially imagining uses like parking and mulch storage.

CONTINUE READING THIS STORY

Work in the Underground
, , , , , , , , , , ,
Demolitions
03/09/16 10:00am

A Portrait of the Louisiana St. Pecan Tree in 24 Parts

by
Downtown
3 Comments

Pecan tree remnants, 509 Louisiana St., Downtown, Houston, 77002

Pecan Tree formerly at 509 Louisiana St., Downtown, Houston, 77002The majority of the pecan tree formerly growing at the northeast corner of 509 Louisiana St. has, as of yesterday afternoon, migrated to the far southeast corner of the adjacent lot at 517 Louisiana. A reader sends this snapshot peeking in on the scene from the lowercase alley behind the Lancaster Hotel (visible on the far left) toward the capitalized Alley Theatre in front (visible at the top of the shot, behind the small flock of green recycling bins). The reader disavows any claim to professional tree expertise, but notes that “the rotting story may have some validity.” (It remains to be seen whether the misty figure of Chief Bowl will follow the logs, or remain rooted to their former home.)

CONTINUE READING THIS STORY

Piecing Out Downtown
, , ,
Briargrove
03/08/16 5:00pm

Starbucks Siren Song Muted as Minuti Coffee Takes Over Fountainview Dr. Spot

by
7 Comments

Minuti Coffee, Fountainview Dr. at Westheimer Rd., Briargrove, Houston, 77057

The former Starbucks on the southwest corner of the damp intersection of Fountainview Dr. and Westheimer Rd. now appears to be flying the minute flag of advancing Houston chain Minuti Coffee. The green Starbucks siren formerly residing on the west side of the building has been shooed off and replaced by Minuti’s comparatively austere crest, though the Seattle company’s website still lists the store at 5903 Westheimer as operational.

CONTINUE READING THIS STORY

Corner Coffee Swap
, , , ,
Adaptive Reuse
03/08/16 2:30pm

Dressed And Accessorized Sunset Coffee Building Ready for Today’s Downpours Downtown

by
Allen's Landing, Bayous and Waterways, Correctional Facilities, Green Design and Development, Historic Preservation, Houston History, Houston Landmarks, Mixed Use, Office Buildings, Office Space, Parks, Public Buildings, Redevelopment, Renovations, Tourism
9 Comments

Renovation of Sunset Coffee Building at Allen's Landing, Downtown, Houston, 77002

A shiny new cistern is now in place at the former Sunset Coffee building at Allen’s Landing, which Buffalo Bayou Partnership and Houston First have been redeveloping into an office-topped boat-and-bike-rental spot.  The 1910 coffee roasting facility has once again donned walls after moving past a Summer 2014 minimalist phase, and is currently decked out in a muted Café du Monde orange.

The no-longer-see-through structure is back to limiting the view from the Harris County Jail across the bayou (visible on the far right, above). A set of stairs are in place alongside the new cistern, along with railings around what appears to be the planned rooftop terrace.

CONTINUE READING THIS STORY

Nearing Launch at Allen’s Landing
, , , , , , , , , ,
Demolitions
03/08/16 11:30am

Demo Crew Sacks Former Home of Bud Adams in River Oaks

by
River Oaks
8 Comments

Demolition of 3218 Del Monte Dr., River Oaks, Houston, 77019

The former home of the House of Pain’s developer is shown above in a world of hurt this morning, as a demo crew tackles the longtime residence of Oilers-turned-Titans owner K.S. “Bud” Adams Jr. at 3218 Del Monte Dr. in River Oaks. The Oklahoma-bred oil baron moved into the 6,604 sq.-ft. house with his wife in 1954; having survived his wife, Adams died alone at his desk in the house at age 90, in October of 2013  — just days after the death of Bum Philips, the glory-days Oilers coach Adams hired and fired.

The demo permit for the building was issued on the 16th. According to the photographer, the shutters pictured above and below were long the same Columbia blue once donned by Houston fans:

CONTINUE READING THIS STORY

Final Takedown
, , , ,
Demolitions
03/08/16 10:00am

Tree Professionals: Pecan at 509 Louisiana St. Would Have Just Died Anyway

by
Downtown, Historic Preservation, Houston History, Houston Landmarks, Land Development, Parking, Quicklink, Trees
5 Comments

TREE PROFESSIONALS: PECAN AT 509 LOUISIANA ST. WOULD HAVE JUST DIED ANYWAY Pecan Tree formerly at 509 Louisiana St., Downtown, Houston, 77002The pecan tree formerly behind the former Longhorn Cafe on Louisiana St. is down at last, following the 100-plus-year-old buildings at 509 and 517 Louisiana into that Great Big Preservation District in the Sky. Nancy Sarnoff of the Houston Chronicle reports that 2 arborists were called in to examine the tree, and pronounced it dead-or-close-enough: Lauren Lusk Willis, a member of the family that owns the next-door Lancaster Hotel, told the Chronicle that a lightning strike had damaged the tree, and that its core was rotting. Willis said that the pecan “would not likely have survived the leveling of the lot for any construction,” and that “ultimately, it wouldn’t have survived regardless.” The tree, haunted by a both-Sam-and-city-of Houston ghost story, was long visible only to those who entered 509 Louisiana’s hidden courtyard, until the pecan’s 2001 outing by the demo of the Rice Rittenhouse parking garage; it went back into hiding by the end of 2003 with the help of 33-story Calpine Center. [Houston Chronicle; previously on Swamplot] Photo of the pecan tree, following demolition of 509 Louisiana St.: KineticD

, , , , , ,
Featured Posts
03/07/16 3:30pm

Shedding Some Light on a Well-Illuminated Spring Shadows Home

by
Homes for Sale, Interiors, Spring Shadows
2 Comments

3022 Triway, Spring Shadows, Houston,77043

Nothing will slip by in the shadows of this 3-bedroom, 2-bath single family home at 3022 Triway Ln.  The 1976 Spring Shadows residence has been stripped to the studs and remodeled; the 2,313-sq. ft. home is now filled with recessed lighting and fixtures. The price dropped from $499,700 to $449,700 after its first day on the market last October.

CONTINUE READING THIS STORY

Market Spotlight
, , , , , ,
« Previous Page Next Page »