- 16506 Dawson Mill Ct. [HAR]
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COMMENT OF THE DAY: STILL STRANDED 
“My first thought is that raising a home might protect the physical property, but it doesn’t remove it from the path of floodwaters. A flooding event could still strand a family, potentially putting them in a life-threatening situation from which others would have to rescue them. Tax roll aside, is this the right thing to do?” [Nice Neighbor, commenting on Comment of the Day: Why It Pays To Raise Those Flooded Meyerland Homes] Photo: Christine Gerbode
Snapshots from the scenic Robbins Brothers jewelry store parking lot on the West Loop show how much progress has been made on the 34-story Arabella (formerly Arábella) condo tower next to the Target parking lot on San Felipe. Construction on the bumpy building began in 2015 on a portion of the former Westcreek Apartments at the corner of San Felipe and Westcreek. The photo at top shows the new building at 4521 San Felipe towering over the 25-story SkyHouse River Oaks apartment building, as well as the 17-story Wilshire condo tower.
A closer view of the trio:
In Height Order
Replica weaponry is now up on the white brick building at 1318 Telephone Rd. ahead of coffee shop Coral Sword’s planned opening in the space next month. Backed by former Houston Astro and self-professed video- and board-gamer Hunter Pence along with his wife Alexis, the venue will include communal gaming areas, a private podcast and game session recording booth, and “a membership driven co-gaming space.” Record and book store Wired Up closed down in the building last year, and renovations have been underway on the space since last month. The photo at top shows Coral Sword’s main entrance and storefront window to the right of it.
The cafe will share the building with East End Barber, which takes up the southeast portion of the structure. Below, you can see the barber shop’s sign on the corner of Telephone and Fourcade St.:
Waiting on Deck
- HP Enterprise’s Compaq Center in Northwest Houston Hits the Market [HBJ ($)]
- The Prime Room Launches Inside Café Annie on Post Oak Blvd. [HBJ]
- Italian American Grocery Debuts in The Heights on White Oak [Houston Chronicle]
- Former Haven, Paul’s Kitchen Restaurant Space in Upper Kirby District To Become Law Offices, Mediation Center [HBJ]
- City Council To Consider Contracts for 3 More Home Elevations in Meyerland [Houston Chronicle; previously on Swamplot]
- Houston Faces Another Day of Freezing Temperatures as School Districts, Agencies Close [Houston Chronicle ($)]
- Slideshow: The Abandoned Streets of Houston During Yesterday’s Winter Storm [Houston Chronicle]
- Hundreds of Accidents Reported Throughout Houston Amid Icy Road Conditions [Click2Houston]
- Metro Halts Bus Service Due to ‘Dangerous Road Conditions’ [Houston Chronicle]
- TranStar Map Shows How Houston Drivers Are Losing to Icy Roads [Houston Chronicle]
- Thousands of Power Outages Reported Across Houston Area Yesterday [Click2Houston]
- Hill Country Ranch Once Owned by President Lyndon B. Johnson on the Market for $2.8M [Culturemap]
Photo of MKT Trail at White Oak Dr.: Swamplot inbox
Headlines
No permits in light of the wintry weather, but hopefully the breaking will resume tomorrow.
- 4604 Norhill Blvd. [HAR]
Heights Vinyl is getting ready to box up its collection of grooved disks, turntables, and other analog audio items before bolting from the building it shares with Cat Veterinary Clinic at 3122 White Oak Dr. (The record store’s former neighbor and industry peer — 3mA Audio — moved out of the space directly next to the vet’s office last year.) Last April, an entity connected to developer Ancorian bought the 8,900-sq.-ft. strip — as well as the adjacent apartment building at 3110 White Oak.
On Sunday, Heights Vinyl announced via Facebook that it would be moving to a Fifth Ward warehouse building south of I-10 at 3301 Cline St. That building is divided into 2 tenant spaces — Heights Vinyl will take over the one shown below, fronting the parking lot along Grove St.:
Fifth Ward Bound
GENERATION PARK’S HIGHLY TARGETED MARKETING 
Here’s the banner that aerial advertisers towed across the skies in the airspace above Amazon’s Seattle offices last Friday. McCord Development enlisted the (off camera) airplane to help tout its 4,000-acre Generation Park complex as a good spot for the online giant to build its new HQ2 office. [KOMO; Generation Park’s pitch; previously on Swamplot] Photo: Lindsay Cohen
- Braun Enterprises’ Redevelopment of 3100 Fannin in Midtown Signs New Retail Tenants [Houston Chronicle]
- Hurricane Harvey-Damaged Cypresswood Kroger Shopping Center Adding New Restaurant Tenant [Realty News Report]
- Owners.com: Houston Was a Top 10 Market Nationally for Getting a Deal on a Home in 2017 [Realty News Report]
- Weights and Measures Fire Brought Midtown MLK Parade to a Halt for an Hour Yesterday [Click2Houston]
- Fake City of Houston Solid Waste Management Department Letter Circulating [The Leader]
- Houston Astros Mural in the Heights Gets More Ballplayers [Houston Chronicle]
- Houston-Area School Districts Preemptively Canceled Classes Today in Anticipation of Wintry Weather [HBJ]
Photo: Bill Barfield via Swamplot Flickr Pool
Headlines
Swamplot’s Daily Demolition Report lists buildings that received City of Houston demolition permits the previous weekday.
Life was always a matter of waiting for the right moment to demolish.
- BBVA Compass Stadium To Undergo Further Renovation, Seat Upgrades [HBJ ($)]
- Port of Galveston Had its Busiest Month Ever for Cruises in December [HBJ]
- Owner of Bar Next Door to 2520 Robinhood Condos Says He’s Sold Property to Highrise Developer, Leaves Taunting Messages on Roof and Parking Lot [PaperCity Magazine; more info]
- Inside HPD’s Harvey-Damaged Evidence Room [Click2Houston]
- Hurricane Harvey a Key Political Issue This Year in Houston [The Texas Tribune]
- A Harvey Tax Break Reminder from Sen. Cruz and Mayor Turner [Houston Chronicle]
- 27,000 Run in Chevron Houston Marathon in 30-Degree Weather [KHOU]
- Opinion: Houston’s Building Codes Limit City’s Growth [Houston Chronicle ($)]
Photo: thranth via Swamplot Flickr Pool
Headlines
Swamplot’s Daily Demolition Report lists buildings that received City of Houston demolition permits the previous weekday.
You cannot have demolition in such a way that you catch it, but only in such a way that it catches you.
- 100 Wroxton Dr. [HAR]
There’s some news about the space next door to Athleta in the Rice Village Arcade shopping center on University Blvd. where mannequins were spotted limbering up on the sidewalk the other day: it’s about to shut down. A source tells Swamplot that national retailer Yankee Candle will close the store — one of 8 locations in the Houston area — on January 28.
A sign in the storefront window announces its last big blowout:
Leaving the Village
