Tag: 77005

Rice University

Upstairs Screened Porch, 5306 Institute Ln., Jandor Gardens, Houston

5306 Institute Ln., Jandor Gardens, Houston If you’re looking for some hot deck-on-deck action, look no further than this little 1968 number on Institute Ln., just north of Rice. Sure, the house looks like a tight little box — what self-respecting Mod pod from the swingin’ sixties didn’t? — but it’s . . . full of decks!

Check out the deck choreography in the photo above, taken from the upstairs screen porch. You’re looking onto a slightly lowered deck that’s open to the sky. Beyond and below the screens is a two-story courtyard — with a covered patio beyond.

Uh . . . where’s the indoors? Through the sliding door on the right. The red chair is in the upstairs Den.

After the jump: decks, decks, and more decks!

77005, Homes for Sale, Interiors, Jandor Gardens, Patios

Disaster Aftermath

09/15/08 2:59pm

Retail Damage Tour: Hurricane Ike Visits Kirby Dr.

Hazards, Retail, Rice Village, West University

4 Comments

Corner of Kirby and Nottingham after Hurricane Ike, Houston

“Kirby Drive is just as purty as ever,” writes the Swamplot correspondent who took these photos Saturday.

The evidence?

77005, 77098, Disaster Aftermath, Hazards, Hurricane Ike, Retail, Rice-Village, Signs, Tours, West University

Apartments

09/12/08 10:00am

Ashby Highrise: Stuck on the Dock

Boulevard Oaks, Condos, Highrises, Neighborhood Disputes, Proposed Developments, Quicklink, Southampton

1 Comment

ASHBY HIGHRISE: STUCK ON THE DOCK That last city permit is proving difficult for developers of the Ashby Highrise, as the city denied the variance request for a loading dock last week: “In comments for the Public Works and Engineering Department, city engineer Mark Loethen said the at-grade loading dock from Bissonnet Street will not be allowed because its use would obstruct lanes of traffic. In his Sept. 4 comments, Loethen said the variance was rejected for the same reason, citing Sec. 40-86 of the code of ordinances. ‘Such a driveway, as proposed, would excessively interfere with the normal use of the Bissonnet Street right of way,’ he said.” [West University Examiner; previously]

77005, Apartments, Ashby Highrise, Boulevard-Oaks, Condos, Highrises, Neighborhood Disputes, Proposed Developments, Southampton

Commercial Real Estate

09/09/08 12:25pm

Sonoma: Bolsover Bulldozer

Condos, Demolitions, Development Strategy, Financing, Mixed Use, Proposed Developments, Rice Village, Streets

11 Comments

Demolition on Bolsover St., Rice Village, October 2007

Having torn down an entire block of buildings in the Rice Village for a condo project the company can’t get financed, Randall Davis has a better idea: Why not demolish the buildings on the other side of Bolsover — so they can build the second phase instead?

The Chronicle‘s Nancy Sarnoff reports that Davis and company have been unable to get a $100 million construction loan for the Sonoma mixed-use condo development he’s been marketing for a couple of years. Hey, that’s no problem! Just move on to the next project, and double down on the demo:

Now they’re negotiating for a $70 million loan with 40 percent equity to build the smaller second phase of 85 units.

“Hopefully they’ll respond positively since we have so many sales,” said Davis.

The sales, however, are for the first phase of the project, which has been 50 percent pre-sold.

And the second phase is on the south side of Bolsover, where Walgreen’s has a lease until January.

After the jump: marginal views of phase two!

77005, Commercial Real Estate, Condos, Demolitions, Development Strategy, Financing, Mixed Use, Proposed Developments, Randall Davis, Retail, Rice-Village, Sonoma, Streets

Apartments

09/03/08 12:49pm

Ashby Highrise: Down to a Loading Dock?

Boulevard Oaks, Condos, Development Restrictions, Highrises, Neighborhood Disputes, Proposed Developments, Quicklink, Southampton

5 Comments

ASHBY HIGHRISE: DOWN TO A LOADING DOCK? Buckhead Investments has resubmitted plans for the proposed Ashby Highrise for the single permit standing in the way of construction. “[Developer Matthew] Morgan said the developers have asked for a variance concerning the design’s loading dock, adding that ‘plenty of examples’ of similar configurations ‘can be found on thoroughfares and collector streets’ in the area. One example he cited is the new high-end, 236-unit apartment complex called Fairmont Museum District at 4310 Dunlavy St. ‘It seems to have loading docks that you can’t pull through,’ Morgan said. ‘Dunlavy is a collector street. We don’t feel like the same criteria was used.’ [West University Examiner; previously]

77005, Apartments, Ashby Highrise, Boulevard-Oaks, Condos, Development Restrictions, Highrises, Neighborhood Disputes, Proposed Developments, Southampton

Commercial Real Estate

08/18/08 11:47am

Sonoma Holdup: We Need Some Money

Condos, Financing, Mixed Use, Proposed Developments, Retail, Rice Village, Streets

Plaza on Former Bolsover St., Sonoma, Rice Village, Houston

“Sonoma is mystery,” proclaims Randall Davis near the end of an excruciatingly long promotional video posted at the project’s recently updated website. Part of the mystery, of course, has been when — or whether — construction might actually begin on the 7-story condos-shops-and-parking Rice Village layer cake. Since the buildings on the site were demolished and the block of Bolsover between Kelvin and Morningside was fenced in last fall, not much has happened.

Nancy Sarnoff has some details on the delay:

Sonoma, an upscale condo and retail project planned in Rice Village, was supposed to break ground in April.

The land has been cleared to start building, but the developers have a loan commitment for just half of what it will take to build it.

“We’re ready to put a shovel in the ground,” said Julie Tysor, president of Lamesa Corp., owner of the project. “The speed of the changing lending markets wasn’t really anticipated by any of the people involved.”

Builders hit by credit crunch as banks tighten cash flow [Houston Chronicle, via HAIF]
Experience Sonoma [Randall Davis]
Previously in Swamplot: Sonoma Units Available?, Council Bowls Over, So No More Street, It Takes the Village: New Mixed Use

Rendering of Sonoma: Ziegler Cooper Architects

77005, Commercial Real Estate, Condos, Financing, Mixed Use, Proposed Developments, Randall Davis, Retail, Rice-Village, Sonoma, Streets

Apartments

07/02/08 11:38am

Ashby Highrise: One Permit Away from Approval

Boulevard Oaks, Condos, Development Restrictions, Highrises, Neighborhood Disputes, Proposed Developments, Quicklink, Southampton

72 Comments

ASHBY HIGHRISE: ONE PERMIT AWAY FROM APPROVAL “Having cleared six of seven departmental reviews, dating back July 30, the project only lacks clearance from Public Works and Engineering’s traffic section.” Developer Matthew Morgan says Buckhead Investment Partners will address four outstanding traffic concerns and resubmit the project for approval soon. [West University Examiner; previously]

77005, Apartments, Ashby Highrise, Boulevard-Oaks, Condos, Highrises, Neighborhood Disputes, Proposed Developments, Southampton

Furniture

06/25/08 5:29pm

Going National: Lose the Dead Animal

Home Decor, Interiors, West University

3 Comments

Joni Webbâ€™s Guest Room As Seen in Houston House and Home Magazine

Having survived the ordeal of a home photo shoot for a local shelter magazine, Houston blogger and interior designer Joni Webb graduates to the big leagues. A “national magazine” liked what they saw of Webb’s West U home in Houston House & Home, and asked her if they could photograph her Family Room and Guest Room for two separate upcoming issues. Webb’s response?

After last year’s physically tiring and mentally exhausting photo shoot, I swore I would never do it again. But, somehow, here I was, less than a year later, again welcoming strange photographers into my house. Of course, nothing is ever easy.

Exactly one week before the big photoshoot, I received news from the local scout. She had a list of things the editor wanted changed for the shoot. Oh? Really? The editor and art director wanted a new window seat cushion (made out of the Bennison fabric, no less!) The zebra rug HAD to go – apparently their readers object to zebra rugs, the suzani on the chair also had to go (suzanis are too bright) and the neon orange pillows must also go to be replaced by other pillows (like what other pillows, I wondered?) Now understand, I had known this shoot was going to happen for about three months – three months that I could have gotten all these changes done with no problem. Instead, the editor gave me one week to get the new cushions and pillows made.

More details of Webb’s quick-change artistry, after the jump!

77005, Fabric, Furniture, Home Decor, Interiors, West University

Hazards

06/20/08 8:19pm

Rice U Wall Collapse Update: A Mighty Wind

New Construction, Rice University

1 Comment

Two separate news releases update yesterday’s report of the wall collapse at Rice’s McMurtry College construction site. From the University:

As construction crews saw the lightning strikes from the rapidly developing storm, they began vacating work sites and securing them for the storm. A small group was finishing work at McMurtry College, one of two residential colleges under construction on the north side of campus, when the site was struck by powerful wind gusts that are reported to have measured more than 60 miles per hour in some areas. Five concrete block walls under construction for rooms on the second floor toppled. . . .

OSHA has conducted an investigation of the accident. The worksite remains closed for further investigations. Based on what is known to date, the accident is believed to have been caused by the sudden severe windstorm.

More details below.

77005, Construction Accidents, Hazards, New Construction, Rice-University

Proposed Developments

06/20/08 7:30am

New HEB at Buffalo Speedway and Bissonnet: Not as Bad as It Looks

Real Estate Marketing, Redevelopment, Retail, Shopping Centers, West University

Buffalo Pharmacy at Buffalo Speedway and Bissonnet, Houston

Those drawings some of you have seen of the new HEB shopping center coming to the corner of Buffalo Speedway and Bissonnet? Pay no attention to them, says the West University Examiner:

Rare sightings of renderings depicting the H-E-B grocery store development at Buffalo Speedway and Bissonnet Street are not an indication that construction is pending, a company spokeswoman said.

â€œNothing is final,â€ said Cyndy Garza Roberts. â€œThe real estate division is working with architects.â€ . . .

There is no start date and no project particulars to share, she added. . . . most tenants vacated the property in May.

Buffalo Grille and Buffalo Pharmacy, however, will remain in business at the site during construction.

Hey, if you’ve got a copy of these renderings, why not share them with Swamplot, so we can all ignore them together?

After the jump: An aerial view of the site!

77005, Proposed Developments, Real Estate Marketing, Redevelopment, Retail, Shopping Centers, West University

Hazards

06/19/08 7:02pm

Rice Construction Accident: 1 Dead, 7 Injured

New Construction, Rice University

No Comments

An email forwarded to us from the Rice University president’s office:

This afternoon around 4 p.m. cinder-block walls under construction on the west side of the second floor of McMurtry College collapsed during a severe thunderstorm. According to police reports from the scene, eight construction workers are believed to have been injured: one was pronounced dead at the scene, four were taken from the site on stretchers and transported to the hospital and three walked from the scene and were treated at the site before being taken to the hospital. No further information is available about the injured people at this point. Everyone at Rice University is shocked and saddened by the accident and sends their prayers and best wishes to the workers and their families.

One dead in Rice University wall collapse [abc13]
1 Killed, 7 Hurt In Rice University Building Collapse [Click2Houston]
Worker dies during construction of Rice dorm [Houston Chronicle]

77005, Construction Accidents, Hazards, New Construction, Rice-University

Home Design

06/13/08 11:17am

Touring the West University French Quarter

West University

Home in West University, Texas

Houston design blogger (and Swamplot Neighborhood Guessing Game veteran) Joni Webb takes her readers on a tour of the many recent hÃ´tels particuliers that line her daily cafÃ© run. She explains West U’s new pseudo-Euro look:

When the rebuilding started, most people opted for red brick Georgian styled, two storied homes. Now, the trend is to build with stucco instead of red brick and French instead of Georgian.

Today, while driving to Starbucks and snapping photos of my favorite homes along my route, I noticed that I am very partial to the new, trendy kind of home: stucco, French inspired, with a straight facade.

After the jump: more wisteria and arched French doors, from Joni Webb’s West U Starbucks galerie!

77005, Home Design, Theming, Tours, West University

Furniture

04/25/08 1:04pm

West U Home Stalker Reveals All

Home Design, Interiors, West University

Wheat Residence, West University, Texas

Cote de Texas author Joni Webb comes clean about her obsession with a recently constructed home in West U.

. . . whenever I drove by the house, I would slow my car to a crawl, craning my neck to try to see inside the white stuccoed home that had so captured my imagination. Through their windows, I could make out some of their furnishings – first, there was a screen in the living room, and then I could see an oversized mirror. Next – I noticed the dining room’s antique light fixture which furthered my suspicions that this was a house I would love – inside and out. By the time the sheer, linen curtains were hung – the deal was sealed – I was an official stalker and somehow, I had to finagle my way into the home to see it first hand.

This must have been tough for Houston’s highest profile design blogger, because Webb is usually obsessed with French design, and the design in this particular home was clearly more . . . Belgian.

After the jump: The stalker gets in!!!

77005, Furniture, Home Design, Interior-Design, Interiors, West University

Institutional Buildings

04/18/08 10:32am

New Rice Palace of Sweat

Proposed Developments

3 Comments

Interior of new Rice University Recreation and Wellness Center, Designed by Lake/Flato Architects

Where’s that giant climbing wall in the atrium?

Rice University’s new recreation and wellness center will have

2 indoor basketball courts, 4 racquetball courts, 2 squash courts, cardio, weights, dance studio, a 50 meter outdoor competition pool, an outdoor recreation pool, and 2 outdoor lighted basketball courts.

That sounds just a bit smaller than UH’s giant 264,000-sq.-ft. Wellness Center on the other side of town. Groundbreaking for Rice’s new building, designed by Lake/Flato Architects with F&S Partners, is scheduled for next week.

After the jump: More muddy images of the complex!