Swamplot | Houston's Real Estate Landscape

Headlines

04/15/15 8:30am

Behind the Midtown Sears’s Corrugated Slipcover; West 8 for the Glenbrook Botanical Garden; Favorite High-Water Spots

by Meredith Deliso

11 Comments

downtown-skys-the-limit-mural

NFL Wants Up to $50M in Luxury Box, WiFi, other NRG Stadium Upgrades for Super Bowl, but County Officials Not Interested in Paying for ThemÂ [Houston Chronicle]
More Renderings of Kirksey-Designed Wilshire at River Oaks District Condo Tower Pelican Builders Is Planning for Former Westcreek Apartments SiteÂ [Culturemap; previously on Swamplot]
National Apartment Monitoring Service Finds Houston Month-to-Month Rent Growth Slowing Down in HoustonÂ [HBJ]
City of Humble Establishes Downtown Improvement ProgramÂ [HKA Texas]
Lake Houston Area Boosters Talk Up Development in Their RegionÂ [HBJ]
El Tiempo’s New 1308 Annex on Westheimer To Open April 20 [Food Chronicles]
Ulaâ€™s Mexican Restaurant To Open on April 27 in Former Coppa Spot at 5555 Washington [Food Chronicles]
The History Behind the Midtown Sears on Main St.Â [Houston Chronicle]
Landscape Architecture Firm West 8 Selected To Create Master Plan for Houston Botanic Garden on Glenbrook Golf CourseÂ [Culturemap; previously on Swamplot]
Houston B-Cycle Wants To Add 71 Stations, 600 Bikes Over the Next 2-Plus Years [The Highwayman]
The Worst High-Water Spots in Houston for Roadway Flooding [Houston Chronicle]
City Has Reduced Pothole Repair Backlog By 1,000; Still More Than 2 Months Behind Incoming Requests [Houston Chronicle]
Hermann Park Installs 20-Ft. Tall Sail-Like Sculpture by Yinka Shonibare [Houston Chronicle]

Photo of St. Emanuel St. mural, East Downtown: elnina via Swamplot Flickr Pool

Headlines

Comments

04/14/15 4:30pm

Comment of the Day: Out with the Old, In with the Old

by Swamplot

1 Comment

COMMENT OF THE DAY: OUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THE OLD 3849 Inwood Dr., River Oaks, and 2219 Kane St., Old Sixth Ward, Houston “Everything you would want to know about Houston real estate is encapsulated in todayâ€™s demo list and the next story immediately after it. A beautiful, classic River Oaks home in outstanding (if not spotless) condition and with plenty of sq. ft. is going to be demoed in order to build some gaudy lot line monster. Then, a tiny turn of the century Victorian bungalow in terrible condition is put on a truck, moved to another location, and lovingly restored inch by inch into a wonderfully creative and artistic work space for a small architectural firm.” [Old School, commenting on Daily Demolition Report: The Fisher Ding] Photos: HAR (3849 Inwood Dr.); KinneyMorrow Architecture (2219 Kane St.)

Comments, Historic Preservation

Fort Bend County

04/14/15 4:15pm

Fresno Home Listing Photo of the Day: Hall of Sport

by Swamplot

13 Comments

2010 Weatherby Ln., Newpoint Estates, Fresno, Texas

2010 Weatherby Ln. [HAR]

77545, Fort Bend County, Fresno, Homes for Sale, Interiors, Sports Courts

A Midtown Townhome on the Up and Up Asks $350K

by CALwords

4 Comments

2207-austin

2207-austin-51

In Midtown, a 2003 townhome in one of the neighborhood’s pioneer gated-off blocks appears to be a step up —Â actually, several steps up, particularly from the dual entry threads of treads (top). Interior staircases lead to levels 3 and 4. The property last changed hands in 2005, at $260K, and asks $350K in the listing posted last week. Located at the north end of Midtown, the home faces west (and east) a block or 2 south of the Pierce Elevated.Â Access to Hwy. 288 on the cross street is a straight shot east.

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Take Flight

77002, Homes for Sale, Interiors, Midtown, Staircases, Townhomes

Stag’s Head Pub Can’t Renew Its Lease, Is Calling It Quits for Now

by Swamplot

22 Comments

STAG’S HEAD PUB CAN’T RENEW ITS LEASE, IS CALLING IT QUITS FOR NOW The Stag's Head Pub, 2128 Portsmouth St. at Sandman, Shepherd Plaza, Houston The Stag’s Head will be closing later this month, the owner of the Shepherd Plaza pub at 2128 Portsmouth St. reports. “The Landlord has decided not to renew our lease,” writes Michael Holliday on the 15-year-old establishment’s Facebook page. Attempts to negotiate something short term, he indicates, were not successful. “I have been looking to move The Stags to another location for some time but have been unable to find a suitable site.” Holliday says he isn’t giving up on the search, though. [The Stag’s Head on Facebook] Photo: Marc Brubaker

77098, Bars, Nightlife, Openings and Closings, Shepherd Plaza, Upper Kirby

Bayou Bend

04/14/15 11:30am

First Sign of Mattresses Appears Around the Bend on Memorial Dr.

by Swamplot

21 Comments

Park Place Memorial Strip Center, 5801 Memorial Dr., Bayou Bend, Houston

A reader wanted to make sure Swamplot readers had a chance to see the sign that’s gone up on the construction fence surrounding the Park Place Memorial strip center at 5801 Memorial Dr. — on the south side of the street just east of Westcott St. near Bayou Bend —Â for the new Mattress One store. (It’s the red banner on the far right of the submitted image, above.) When the store opens this August (on the opposite side of the 10,000-sq.-ft. center from Dunkin’ Donuts), it’ll count as the Florida and Texas chain’s fifty-seventh Houston-area location. Also moving in: Express Rolls,Â Piada Italian Street Food, and Omni Cleaners.

Previously on Swamplot:Â How a Stretch of the Memorial Dr. Strip Earned Its Newest Strip Center

Photo: Swamplot inbox

57 Varieties, Near Donuts

77007, Bayou Bend, New Construction, Retail, Strip Centers

Daily Demolition Report

04/14/15 9:15am

Daily Demolition Report: Huge Oaks Loss

by Swamplot

No Comments

1406 Huge Oaks St., Monarch Oaks, Houston

Can’t miss these. Unless you come by too late.

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Daily Demolition Report, Demolitions

Headlines

04/14/15 8:30am

Here Come the Warehouses; Finding a Home for a Wild West Museum

by Meredith Deliso

1 Comment

buffalo-bayou

85 Warehouses Are Currently Under Construction in Houston [Realty News Report]
327-Unit Apartment Complex Kings Landing Headed to Kingwood Next Year [Prime Property]
Stream Realty Partners Planning Renovations to Newly Purchased Four Corners Shopping Center at Texas 288 and This Way St.Â [Prime Property]
KTR Capital Partners To Break Ground on First Phase of Industrial Development at I-45 and Airtex Blvd. [HBJ]
Hearst Hoping To Fetch $40M in Sale of Houston Chronicle Property Downtown [Realty News Report]
Burlington Opening 60K-SF Store in Kohl’s-Anchored Meyer Park Shopping Center at 9751 S. Post Oak Rd. This Fall [Prime Property]
How the Old West-Focused Bryan Museum Ended Up in the Galveston Children’s Home [Houston Chronicle]
Former Charles Bender High School in Humble Now the Charles Bender Performing Arts Center [Your Houston News]
City To Expand Capacity To Catch Drivers with Unpaid Parking Tickets with More License Plate Number-Reading Cars [KHOU]
Tonight’s MFAH Expansion Public Information Session To Go Over Plans, Lane Closures, Infrastructure ChangesÂ [Houston Public Media]
Proposed 58-Story Condo Tower Would Be Tallest Building in Austin [Realty News Report]

Photo of Buffalo Bayou: Alex Steffler via Swamplot Flickr Pool

Headlines

Homes for Sale

04/13/15 4:15pm

A Late Seventies Contemporary in Inwood Forest Rides the Range at $214K

by CALwords

7 Comments

7602-antoine-16

7602-antoine-01

One of the Inwood Forest properties near the neighborhood’s former golf course and clubhouse seems to have split personality. A stately late seventies contemporary — tiers of windows in a variety of sizes and groupings finish out an assortment ofÂ bump-outs (and bump-ups) — opts for some How the West Was Fun flourishes inside (top). The property, located on Antoine Dr. north of W. Little York, faces a side street but takes its address from the thoroughfare. In its relisting over the weekend, the 1979 custom home’s asking price is set atÂ $214K. A previous listing by the same agent had sought $242K in June 2014, with a reduction to $222K in August.

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Western Whims

77088, Homes for Sale, Interiors, Inwood Forest

New Installation Marks Locations of Kirby Dr. Wendy’s Oaks with Thick Yellow Ribbons

by Swamplot

9 Comments

NEW INSTALLATION MARKS LOCATIONS OF KIRBY DR. WENDY’S OAKS WITH THICK YELLOW RIBBONS Protection for New Trees, Wendy's Restaurant, 5003 Kirby Dr., Upper Kirby, Houston Spotted at the corner of North Blvd. and Kirby Dr., just north of Rice Village: 6 holes, 6 staked-off areas, and 6 fabric wraps around the Wendy’s drive-thru at 5003 Kirby. Is this another art installation in memory of the removed oaks? Naaah. Probably just the work of city crews, getting ready to plant their replacements. Expenditure of up to $300K for new live oaks — matching the amount paid by the franchise owner as part of a legal settlement for last year’sÂ nighttime tree-hacking incident — was approved by city council back in February. Photo: Swamplot inbox

77098, Fast Food, Restaurants, Streetscapes, Trees, Upper Kirby

Adaptive Reuse

04/13/15 12:30pm

The Difference Between a House and an Office in the Old Sixth Ward Is a Slot

by Swamplot

7 Comments

Marked down from 2314 to 2219 Kane St., KinneyMorrow Architecture’s new office in an old structure now on the corner of Sawyer St. is definitely not a house any more. Blame the slot.

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House Moves

77007, Adaptive Reuse, Historic Preservation, Houston Architects, Interiors, Office Buildings, Old-Sixth-Ward, Renovations

Daily Demolition Report

04/13/15 10:00am

Daily Demolition Report: The Fisher Ding

by Swamplot

25 Comments

3849 Inwood Dr., River Oaks, Houston

Swamplotâ€™s Daily Demolition Report lists buildings that received City of Houston demolition permits the previous weekday.

Absolutely crushing it this morning. Big time.

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Daily Demolition Report, Demolitions

Headlines

04/13/15 9:00am

Here Come the Rent Concessions; A Fix for Sidewalk Fixes; Highlands’ Cancer Cluster

by Meredith Deliso

14 Comments

marriott-marquis

Construction Underway on Daikin Industriesâ€™ 90-Acre, $417M Campus in Waller [Prime Property; previously on Swamplot]
Some Houston Apartments Offering Rent Concessions, Beefing Up Marketing Amid Oil SlumpÂ [HBJ]
Martha Turner Ex Launching Her Own FirmÂ [HBJ]
High-Poverty and Majority-Minority Neighborhoods Facing Declines in Nearby Jobs, Finds Kinder Institute [Houston Chronicle]
Newest Little Woodrow’s Opening on the Katy Freeway Next to Landry’s Between the Grand Parkway and Mason Road in May [Culturemap]
Sugar Land To Start Construction Soon on 10 Miles of New Hike and Bike Trails [Houston Public Media]
City To Consider Hiring Sidewalk Repair Contractors, Waiving Permitting Fees To Help Homeowners Fix Sidewalks [Houston Chronicle]
Highlands Residents Living Near San Jacinto River Waste Pits Frustrated by Lack of Government Action in Response to Cancer Cluster FindingÂ [Houston Chronicle]
Bill That Would Prevent High-Speed Rail Projects from Using Eminent Domain Authority Advances [Texas Tribune]

Photo of Marriott Marquis construction downtown: Russell Hancock via Swamplot Flickr Pool

Headlines

Apartments

04/10/15 5:30pm

Woodway Square Apartments Clearing Out Buildings Behind the New Voss Whole Foods Market

by Swamplot

11 Comments

Demolition of Woodway Square Apartments, 1300 Wood Hollow Dr., Houston

A shopper at the newly scooted-over Whole Foods Market at 1407 Voss Rd. (where Randalls once stood) sends these pics of the action seen taking place over the back fence of the grocery store, which opened this week. There, excavators are demolishing the west section of the Woodway Square Apartments and neighboring trees immediately behind the store’s loading dock. Here’s a view of one of the knocked-down sections, with another waiting patiently,Â ready to go:

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Restocking