Headlines
01/03/13 8:30am

Headlines: Moon Tower Inn Reopening in Sight; Houston’s Most Sex-Ready Bathrooms

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Photo of Discovery Green: elnina via Swamplot Flickr Pool

Demolitions
01/02/13 4:09pm

Big Vague News You Can’t Use

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BIG VAGUE NEWS YOU CAN’T USE From Swamplot’s tipline comes this groundbreaking prognostication: “This is terribly vague, but as leases and jobs still depend on confidentiality, I am limited on what I can say. . . . A major (non-residential) Houston property is about to make a significant change. The property management may also consider pursuing notable architects for this change. Expect demolition to begin before the end of the year.” Egads, could it be true? [Swamplot inbox] Photo: Seth Bienek

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Demolitions
01/02/13 2:09pm

Houston Club Building Will Be Demolished, Say Auctioneers

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HOUSTON CLUB BUILDING WILL BE DEMOLISHED, SAY AUCTIONEERS Going, going . . . gone?: The company auctioning off the contents of the Houston Club ahead of its move to the 49th floor of One Shell Plaza gleefully reports on its website that the Jesse Jones-era 18-story office building at 811 Rusk is “scheduled for demolition!” That’s more than Skanska, which owns the building, has officially announced, though the Swedish construction firm’s own website does note that “future redevelopment” is planned for the Downtown site. [Lewis & Maese via CultureMap; previously on Swamplot] Photo: Silberman Properties

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Comments
01/02/13 1:15pm

Comment of the Day: Just Visit the Place Already

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18 Comments

COMMENT OF THE DAY: JUST VISIT THE PLACE ALREADY “This is why, IMO, photos (or at least worrying about the quantity or quality) are not that important. People search for a price range, size, area, etc. After that, they’ll take their list of properties that fit and view them in person. Unless the pictures are TERRIBLE then the property will be viewed. And if they’re OUTSTANDING then the property will have to be viewed anyway (unless you’re going after someone buying sight unseen, which is rare). Photos do, IMO, almost nothing to sell a house. Then again, I could be saying this as I suck at taking photos so normally just snap off a few pics with my cell phone and call it a day . . .” [Cody, commenting on Houston Home Listing Photo of the Day: In the Box]

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Apartments
01/02/13 12:59pm

Cloud 10 Hitting Sweet Spot in the Village

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CLOUD 10 HITTING SWEET SPOT IN THE VILLAGE We’re guessing Chris Leung will be keeping his ice cream below 273 Kelvin in the shop and open kitchen he’ll be launching this spring at 5711 Kelvin in Rice Village. Cloud 10 Creamery will be one of the street-level shops in the new Hanover apartments set to open next month. This’ll be Cloud 10’s first storefront; Leung’s ice creams have been available since last summer at a few restaurants and food trucks around town. [Houston Press; previously on Swamplot] Photo: Chris Litherland

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Homes for Sale
01/02/13 10:53am

Taking Sanctuary Between Westridge Churches

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Fully fenced to mark off its “park-like setting” out back, this $364,000 Boxing Day listing sits on the bias of a Westridge corner previously converted into a dead end where it abuts 2 churches, their parking lots just beyond this property. A small drainage gulley also separates the Methodists at Bethany UMC from the Presbyterians at St. Luke’s Church, and it runs behind this lot as well. The neighborhood’s still-sort-of-new Longfellow Elementary School and Linkwood Park are just up the cross street and around the corner, as is a lot of road construction at the moment.

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Headlines
01/02/13 8:30am

Headlines: Nasty Air Near Metal Recyclers; 24 Hours on Loop 610

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Photo of American Statesmanship Park: elnina via Swamplot Flickr Pool

Downtown
12/28/12 12:04pm

The Mostly Glass Building That Won’t Be Replacing the Downtown Macy’s

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This rendering of a glassy new Macy’s, posted a couple of weeks ago on the website of architects Munoz + Albin, incited a new round of speculation (on HAIF, anyway) about the fate of Downtown’s last department store. The ol’ box of bricks at 1110 Main St. (pictured below), designed by Kenneth Franzheim, opened in 1947 as the Foley’s flagship. Would Hilcorp, which now owns the property, demolish the post-war relic?

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Awards
12/28/12 11:14am

The Swamplot Awards for Houston Real Estate, 2012: The Winners!

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And here they are: the results of the fifth annual Swamplot Awards for Houston Real Estate! Who won what in this year’s competition? You’ll find the answers below.

This announcement caps an almost month-long process that began with calls for nominations in 7 separate award categories. Official ballots were assembled from reader nominations. Then voting was opened up — to everyone.

Winners of the 2012 Swampies: We salute you for your unique contributions to this city. It takes something special to stand out in Houston’s real estate landscape. On Swamplot, Houston real-estate fans have noticed you!

Big thanks are due the many Swamplot readers who took time to nominate, evaluate, vote, and comment on competitors in each category. It’s your judgments, your descriptions, and your observations that are featured below. Does this honor roll of award winners — along with the list of runners up — provide a good snapshot of the year in Houston real estate? All were determined by reader votes. Let us know what you think!

The winners of the 2012 Swamplot Awards for Houston Real Estate are . . .

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Headlines
12/28/12 8:30am

Headlines: Tales of Houston’s Housing Revolution; 2012’s Most Hideous Listings

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Photo of house on Briarbrook Dr. in Briargrove Park: Ben Hill

Comments
12/27/12 4:59pm

Comment of the Day: The Parking Lot in Front

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22 Comments

COMMENT OF THE DAY: THE PARKING LOT IN FRONT “Is it possible that any place in our region that doesn’t have a huge field of suburban-style parking in front of it starts at a big disadvantage? Even patron reviews I read regarding otherwise popular places like Sugar Land Town Square and The Woodlands Town Center view having to park in a (free) garage and walk around the block as a serious knock on those places. With the Pavilions garage requiring payment and the public sidewalks harboring the occasional homeless person, Pavilions might have an unavoidable disadvantage for many folks. Is free off-street surface parking and never having to set foot on a public sidewalk that essential to a quality experience in Houston? Doesn’t downtown, and the city, have more to offer? Certainly other large cities — even Los Angeles — do.” [Local Planner, commenting on Books-A-Million Now Packing Up Its Books, Leaving Houston Pavilions]

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