Today’s the day a 48-ft.-long trailer-mounted 1MW Aggreko generator is expected to park on the Louisiana St. side of the Hogg Palace Lofts, a Randall Davis Companies rep tells residents. The goal: Power restored in all 79 units by the end of the day. But generator power won’t be going to elevators, corridors, or the building’s retail tenants (which include the Pad Thai restaurant on Louisiana). Those areas will have to wait until replacement electrical equipment arrives and is installed to restore permanent power in the building. References to a series of so-far-unsuccessful efforts to repair existing equipment are included in a series of emails sent to residents by the building’s management over the last 2 weeks.
The 8-story building at the corner of Louisiana and Preston has been without power since around 8 am on August 27th. “What we as tenants have been able to piece together is sub-level parking levels of the Lyric Center and the new Lyric Center garage became flooded as the bayou took a short cut down Prairie and took a left on Louisiana,” a tenant tells Swamplot. Water coursed into those parking garages down entrance ramps, then “made it under the street through vaults or conduits or whatever into the basement of the Hogg where it shorted out the electrical equipment.”
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“Most residents have moved out because of the heat, lack of security, and . . . [in at least one case] mold from the water damage to the floors cause by leaking windows,” reports the tenant. Security guards have now been hired to protect the building as well, yesterday’s email from management reports; garage doors have stayed up and the building’s main door unlocked since power went out, the tenant tells Swamplot.
- Previously on Swamplot:Â Flood-Damaged Buildings Downtown: The List So Far
Photos: Swamplot inbox
Ironically my biggest loss was from underground utilities. At our Holman property (which I’m TOLD is the first building in Houston to have underground parking), we have a below grade utility room that holds our broiler and all of our laundry equipment. It was totally flooded. Like, 8 feet up the wall flooded.
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Still feel blessed that that was about the worst of it.
The Hogg Palace Tenant Group is having a meeting for all tenants on Monday September 11, 2017 at the Scanlan Building, 405 Main St. at the 8th Conference Room at 4:00 pm to discuss tenant rights, FEMA, Flood Insurance, and SBA Disaster Loans and other issues. Experienced real estate and tenant attorneys will be present to answer all questions. Both Downtown Tenants and management are invited to attend.
Steering Committee ( in formation)
Emily Shelton
Brian Dubiski
Val Festari
Bob Bennett
@ Cody” The most IMPORTANT thing is NO one in any of your properties DIED nor did any of your loved
ones !!! Everything else is either a memory or replaceable. This is the down side of putting utilities BELOW ground in a swamp that’s prone to ever increasing , unprecedented flooding. I’ve always said to build at least one story ( 9-10 feet ) ABOVE street /grade level. So when the rains turn into Harvey sized floods ,at least the utilities -especially the POWER will hopefully be intact /protected.. But NO – the cheap ass, greedy developers ALWAYS find way to cut corners and increase profits. Well I now wonder how much higher the insurance premiums will shoot up for buildings and owners like those in the Hogg Building.