09/03/13 12:15pm

PUSHING THE PIZZA BACK A BIT FROM MONTROSE BLVD. Concerns about how that new Pizaro’s Pizza had been drawn to cozy up to the blind corner at W. Gray and Montrose — and how that might affect people on the street — have caused a change in plans, reports The Highwayman: “Situating the entrance at an angle provides more visibility to pedestrians and people in a wheelchair. Drawings also seem to indicate two directional ramps that provide a little more safety and security for disabled pedestrians.” The new set of drawings — one of which is shown here — will go up before the Planning Commission this Thursday. [The Highwayman; previously on Swamplot] Rendering: Braun Enterprises

09/03/13 11:00am

THE LAST REMAINING PIECE OF THE PRUDENTIAL TOWER It made it: The 1952 Peter Hurd mural, formerly of the wall of the demolished Kenneth Franzheim-designed Prudential Tower in the Med Center, has completed its 2-year stop-and-go journey from 1100 Holcome Blvd., to a storage space in Midland, to the brand-new Artesia Public Library in northern southeastern New Mexico. The largest ever to be transported, the 16-ft.-by-46-ft. mural, titled “The Future Belongs To Those Who Prepare For It,” underwent a successful 20-hour installation last week, reports Swamplot commenter Artesia_NM Resident. And Albuquerque’s KOB Eyewitness News reports that the big unveiling of the big thing is planned for November 9. [KOB; previously on Swamplot] Photo: Candace Garcia

09/03/13 10:00am

Dude! Got a snazzy idea for that 1927 underground water reservoir near Sabine St. on Buffalo Bayou, but you just can’t picture what’s down there? Well, grab the potato chips and crank up Pink Floyd, because now you can. The Buffalo Bayou Partnership is reaching out in the hope that entrepreneurs, artists, and visionaries the city over will use the above video, created by SmartGeometrics, for inspiration. (And more 3D images are forthcoming on the partnership’s website.)

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09/03/13 8:30am

Photo of St. Arnold Brewery: Russell Hancock via Swamplot Flickr Pool

08/30/13 2:00pm

HONOR THY LABOR So that’s all for this week. Why don’t you take a cue from this heavy-duty equipment and power down? That’s what Swamplot will be doing until we’re back as usual on Tuesday, September 3. Don’t forget: Our unceasing inbox never takes a day off. Please keep your tips and comments coming! And enjoy the long weekend. Photo of light rail construction along Capitol St.: Allyn West

08/30/13 12:00pm

Tucked against the South Loop near Stella Link, a mishmash of townhomes mostly built in the mid-sixties and seventies has a somewhat newer neighbor in this 2003 home. It further expands that novelty status by including what could be the only open lot in the small neighborhood of lot-filling homes installed cheek-to-jowl and close to the meandering streets. The property (with property) landed on the market Thursday after refinishing its wooden floors and adding some new carpet and paint. It has a $499,000 asking price.

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08/30/13 11:15am

The dirty work continues: Here are some photos of the progress, as of last night, of the Buffalo Bayou Partnership’s big plan to soup up the soupy waterway.

Above, you can see the new view from Eleanor Tinsley Park, where site work is underway for the Bud Light Amphitheater. Picnic tables, a volleyball court, playground equipment, and a few pine trees are all long gone.

After the jump, you can see more photos of dirt. And photos of the newest pedestrian bridge, inserted between the Houston Police Memorial and the rear of Glenwood Cemetery.

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08/30/13 10:00am

Provident Realty closed yesterday on the former Texaco Building at 1111 Rusk, catty-corner from BG Group Place, and says it will begin renovations and new construction on this Hnedak Bobo Group-designed residential highrise just as soon as it can get the permits.

Yesterday’s announcement doesn’t specify how high the new highrise will rise, but info that Swamplot published in May suggest that it could stand as tall as 38 stories. Houston Business Journal reports that the project, on the block bound by Fannin, San Jacinto, Capitol, and Rusk, will tap into the tunnels, and there will be 309 units in all, with a 550-car parking garage and 8,000-sq.-ft. of ground-floor retail.

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08/30/13 8:30am

Photo of the George R. Brown Convention Center: Russell Hancock via Swamplot Flickr Pool

08/29/13 3:30pm

COMMENT OF THE DAY: IS THIS THE REAL ASTRODOME PLAN? “The KHOU talking heads last night floated the suggestion that this vote is merely ‘air cover’ for Harris County to wash its hands of the Dome. Are they going to go through the motions of ‘supporting’ the plan, but with extremely faint praise, see it defeated, then trot out ‘the people have spoken’ while scraping it off? Are our elected County officials smart enough to pull that off? And if somehow it actually passes, some of their friends get to make some money! Is this what they call a ‘win-win’?” [Al, commenting on Sports and Convention Corp.: We Have Ways To Make You Like Our Astrodome Plan] Illustration: Lulu

08/29/13 3:15pm

COMMENT OF THE DAY RUNNER-UP: IN THE THIRD WARD ART ZONE “I live in Riverside/Third Ward. I’m a painter. My upstairs neighbor is a painter and kind of a well-known musician in Houston. A block away lives another musician that was often played on KTRU. A block from me in the opposite direction there is a house where my friend and some other female artists live. On Oakdale there’s the house-turned-artspace Alabama Song that frequently has shows and lectures. Most of us lived in Montrose and other areas before and moved here because it’s less expensive and the spaces are larger. My studio now is pretty awesome. Many of our friends are looking into the area as well for similar reasons, as well as Eastwood.” [is, commenting on Comment of the Day: Getting Ahead of the Game in the Third Ward] Illustration: Lulu