Downtown light-rail riders: Your patronage of public transit isn’t enough. A giant billboard covering most of the facade of the 2-story building at 312 Main St. now urges passengers emerging from the northbound Preston stop to get rid of their vehicles altogether. The unassuming Houston Site Acquisitions storefront has scrapped its own above-door signage in favor of a story-high ad for Texas Direct Auto, complete with oversized doggie in the window.
Large-scale advertising for businesses not currently in the building is nothing new for this block of Main St.: Just next door, the sky-high neon above perpetually hungover neighbors Dean’s and Notsuoh still heralds the days of credit clothing retail. But the Texas Direct Auto ad incorporates the structure of the building itself, placing the large image of a small dog behind an actual window visible through a cutout in the wrap:
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Photos: Swamplot inbox
Wow, that’ not artistic, at all. Why doesn’t Houston do like NYC, Austin, LA, Seattle and every other city, even Dallas, and have artistic ads on the sides of the buildings?
Like Apple, sports teams, modern-looking cool art. . . but, this?
Hmmm. Wonder how this relates to downtown signage laws. Also, is the space underneath it for lease? The signage will probably go away once the space is leased. Until then, consider it an unpleasant vulture feeding on the half-living carcass of downtown retail.
So, that is in the Downtown Market Sq. historic district. They do need a certificate of appropriateness, right?
I am now suddenly nostalgiac for NotsuoH back in the 90s.
Very tacky and shows a lack of sensitivity to the surroundings. I wouldn’t buy from them on that basis alone.
If I had a car then I probably wouldn’t be riding Metro. Unless I was riding Metro wondering what to do with my car. But then if I had a car I probably wouldn’t be riding Metro or find myself driving on Main street in downtown Houston. But then if I had a car and was riding metro, then I might be pondering what to do with my car. sigh.. I think I’ll just check Facebook and think about this later.
This is the economic development promised by the supporters of the trains.
It doesn’t need to be artistic. The signage doesn’t bother me.
The Chron is on it
http://www.houstonchronicle.com/opinion/editorials/article/No-sign-of-progress-6674123.php?t=267cdc86e3438d9cbb&cmpid=email-premium
I think it’s kind of cute. Keep Houston ugly.
Surely the free market gave us the sign we wanted, right?
hmm, for some reason I’ve never noticed this area as being a historic district