Construction crews have begun digging into the surface parking lot along Westheimer in front of the Galleria for the construction of the fancy new pad site building mall owner Simon Properties is referring to as the “luxury jewel box.” Foundation work for the structure, which will sit in front of the Cheesecake Factory and house as many as 3 high-end retailers (Cartier and Chanel are portrayed in renderings of the structure from early last year), will be a little tricky — because underneath the surface parking lot lies the Galleria’s multi-story Blue Garage.
A Swamplot reader sends in the above photo showing the scene as it appeared yesterday; here’s the same view with a bit more of a zoom-out:
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- Previously on Swamplot: Construction Set To Begin on the Luxury Jewel Box, the Galleria’s Chi-Chi Pad Site; A Grander Galleria: More Retail, More Restaurants, More Revenue — And a Residential Highrise Too?
Photos: Swamplot inbox
Digging Deep
Simon cannot even fix escalators in the existing Galleria buildings — we’re really expected to believe they can arrange to build a new building?
This building is a silly idea. I guess its a knee-jerk reaction to the River Oaks District. It kind of confirms that Simon’s inept operation of the Galleria has so diminished its mystique that the best retailers now have to be located away from the mall.
I’ve been complaining about those escalators for a couple of years now. It really is absurd that there is always a broken escalator in that forsaken mall.
I have to agree about the escalators. In my experience, it is very common to see them not working … which doesn’t look good for a supposedly high-end mall.
Simon’s web site is pretty useless, too. But the Galleria is always stuffed to the rafters with custom, some of whom must be buying things. Maybe it just looks crowded to me (I hate crowds).