Headlines
11/19/13 8:30am

Cameron’s Westchase Campus Plans; Getting a Deal on Michael Brown’s Ranch

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co-cathedral-of-the-sacred-heart-houston

Photo of Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart at 1111 St. Joseph Pkwy.: Curt Littlejohn via Swamplot Flickr Pool

Headlines
Notices
11/18/13 3:45pm

Nips and Tucks

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NIPS AND TUCKS Asphalt Repair on West Alabama St., HoustonComments have been turned back on and the bandages are off on Swamplot’s new facelift. How ’bout those raised eyebrows? You’ll find a better mobile reading experience, easier links to social media, and larger photos among our new features. There’s plenty of stuff still to clean up post-surgery, though; if you happen upon some things that aren’t working right yet, just drop us a line and let us know. Photo: Kevin Whited

Featured Posts
11/18/13 2:00pm

Minding Manors: A Colonial House Rambles Across Katy Meadows

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This Manorwood Estates property isn’t horsing around, but it could. The neighborhood’s large lots permit one equine per acre. Previously a red brick Colonial, the recently whitewashed 1980 home sits on 2 acres in a community with ranch-like fencing off Katy-Hockley Rd. north of I-10. Landscaping too regularly tufted to be tumbleweeds borders an extended circular driveway leading to the pediment-capped front door. When listed a week ago, the still-somewhat-rural property had a $467,000 price tag. It’s not the first marketing rodeo for this ranch: A previous listing in 2010 had sought $345,000, but dropped it to $289,000. The painted-up property on a patch of prairie has a corral out back . . .

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Buying and Selling
11/18/13 11:46am

Apartment Developer Buying Montrose Blvd. ‘Skybar’ Building

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3400 Montrose Office Building, Montrose, HoustonSnooping around county records, HBJ reporter Shaina Zucker discovers that apartment developer Hanover Company has placed the long-vacant 10-story office building at 3400 Montrose Blvd. under contract. The developer wouldn’t respond to Zucker’s questions, but an officer of the Montrose Management District hints strongly that Hanover plans to tear down the structure across Hawthorne St. from Kroger and build — surprise! — “luxury apartments” in its place: “There’s no way they could remodel.” Scott Gertner’s Skybar — and Cody’s before it — once occupied the building’s top floor.

Photo: Swamplot inbox

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Demolitions
11/18/13 10:30am

We’re All Set Now To Implode the Astrodome Towers

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Harris County Domed Stadium with Towers

Reliant Park and Harris County Sports and Convention Corp. officials haven’t announced how they intend to demolish the Astrodome’s 4 exterior towers. But on Friday, a city permit was granted for “Implosion of the Helixes at the Astrodome.” Kaboom! The towers, which contain helical ramps for visitors to walk or roll up and crowd down, were added to the Astrodome in 1989 to comply with then-new accessibility regulations. The work coincided with the removal of the original outfield scoreboard and its replacement with 15,000 new seats, at the instigation of Houston Oilers’ owner Bud Adams. Why are the towers going away?

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Headlines
11/18/13 8:30am

Ashby Highrise in Court; ‘Modern Hill Country’ in Shady Acres

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Three-Post-Oak-Central

Photo of Three Post Oak Central: Bill Barfield via Swamplot Flickr Pool

Headlines
Notices
11/15/13 11:15am

What’s That Static on the Line?

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WHAT’S THAT STATIC ON THE LINE? There is nothing wrong with your internet set. Do not attempt to adjust the picture. Swamplot is improving the transmission today — with a move to a new server and a few more changes. We’ll be turning off commenting for a bit, too, so hold those thoughts and save them for us on the flip side. It may take a bit of time for identifying info about Swamplot’s new location to propagate across the internets, though, so pardon the staticky bits. Photo: Tony Young [license]

Downtown
11/15/13 11:00am

The Cherry Limeade at the Bottom of the Escalator

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A Downtown office building named after an oil company featuring a new drive-in in its basement? Well, minus all the close-in parking spots. Swamplot reader Doug Gober sends pix showing signs advertising a new Sonic Drive-In plastered earlier this week on the darkened windows of the spot occupied until a few months ago by a General Joe’s Chopstix — in the tunnel-access basement space of Pennzoil Place at 711 Louisiana. Walk-in seating for underground customers is already available, but you’ll probably have to place your order inside.

Photos: Doug Gober

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Featured Posts
11/15/13 10:00am

That Pinkish Sunset Presence in West U Comes from Preston Bolton

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The uncommon 62 (and a half!)-ft. width of this West University lot near the city’s park on Sunset Blvd. gives a 1992 contemporary home by the late Preston Bolton room to change up the typical front, flow, and footprint found in the plethora of Georgians built around that time in the neighborhood. Bolton’s custom design for the current owner stacks living space back from the street, on a 20-ft.-setback block, and features a well-established lattice espalier as well as distinct geometric gates and grill work a spider would be happy to call its handiwork, despite slightly shaggy landscaping creeping onto the front walkway:

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Headlines
11/15/13 8:30am

Headlines: St. Thomas Awarded Law Enforcement; Revisiting the Malls of the Eighties

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Photo of Downtown: Curt Littlejohn via Swamplot Flickr Pool

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