Frankie Mandola and Bubba Butera, the former owners of the shuttered State Grille, tell Houston Business Journal reporter Jennifer Dawson they’re planning to open an large, outdoorish event space just southeast of the former AstroWorld site:
Bayou City Event Center Pavilion will occupy 11 acres at 9500 Almeda in a primarily industrial area. Mandola says the site is near his customer base — the Texas Medical Center, Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, Rice University and University of Houston.
Darryl Schroeder and Robert Steele, who owned the vacant land, are joint venture partners on the development.
The project includes a 15,000-square-foot covered pavilion that will be able to accommodate up to 1,000 people for crawfish boils, fish frys, barbecue dinners and the like. The open-air facility is slated to be finished in November. Phase II will be a 40,000-square-foot banquet facility with multiple rooms that can hold 100 to 1,600 people. Construction will start in October and is scheduled for completion in May 2010.
Here’s a plan of the compound, from the website of Houston’s Andria Design:
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The site, bounded by Holmes Rd., Knight, and Almeda, is a half-mile from the last stop on the Metro rail line.
- Mandola, Butera cousins constructing pavilion to combine catering [Houston Business Journal]
- Bayou City Event Center [Andria Design]
- Previously on Swamplot: State Grille Demolition: Just for the Hell of It, State Grille Closing Down; 27-Story Tower Going Up?
Plan and renderings: Andria Design
Frankie/Bubba:
If you can please shoehorn, say, a 500-1000+
seat outdoor music venue in there to attract mid-level (and local) music acts, I’ll pay for a VIP membership. The WoodPav is TOO FAR and really just for big-grossers. You could draw from Montrose to Sugarland, Pearland, Clear Lake and others who really HATE driving an hour to get home at 11:30 pm just because George Mitchell was smart. Many popular acts thrive in these smaller venues. Just a wishful thought!
edit: “…to get home at 12:30 a.m.” (not 11:30 pm – sorry)
Wow! I can’t wait till this thing is built! Just think a 15,000 sq ft space for indoor Crawdad Boils, Fish Fries and Buffalo Burgers!
As if we need a “dedicated” space for those types of events. I hope this fails.
wow–eric. in a good mood today?
I give it two years before it’s a shuttered pavillion now flea market.
We already have enough event centers, especially inside the loop. Overkill! The design is pretty bland as well.
devans – Agreed on Woodlands Pavilion, but try these mid-size venues on for size: Verizon Wireless (soul-less, but booked by Live Nation), Warehouse Live (my fave) and House of Blues.
I’ll second what Nate said.
LilDebbi-
Love ’em all, even Numbers.
Would like another outdoor venue, too, esp. one where seriously contemplating a hotel room wouldn’t be part of the equation ;<
In my book, the entire Woodlands is a relatively attractive burg that may as well be Brenham when it comes time for me to plan my Rock ‘n Roll lifestyle. It’s just a distant community whose residents are overwhelmingly dependent on my hometown economically; there should be no reason for Houstonians to make a distant journey to sit on a (nice) hill and sweat to great music. We should be able to do that in our own backyard! I enjoyed the hell out of Dylan/Petty at Southern Star (AstroWorld) and the venue was really second class.
A lot of people are predicting failure for the current use: I have no opinion, but if additional uses are contemplated, well, ROCK ‘N ROLL, baby. Also, bring the Cactus Music folks in to consult. THEY GET IT. …and I could crash by 12.
Pathetic and embarrassing. Houston developers suck. They dream soo big; it’s a wonder they don’t hurt themselves.
some pathetic comments here…whats wrong with these folks building this in an area that does not have much going on?
Build something better or shut up I say
Sounds like a good plan but now we have to teach Mandola and crew how to properly boil crawfish. What he does to them should be a crime.
I agree with Stewart. Almeda Road is a dump lined with pipe yards and motel no-tells.
This joint is a step up for the area. Developers take a lot of risks and don’t necessarily have to cater to the whims of those sitting on the sidelines just carping and sniping away. I hope they make a splash with it.