Swamplot Archives by Tag: Disaster Aftermath

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Hard To Find Green in Houston

July 29, 2009 – 11:42 am

A reader calls attention to this Chronicle letter to the editor from Pamela R. Zuteck of Clear Lake Shores:

Regarding “Texans can pay extra to rebuild the eco-friendly way if their home is hit by disaster” (Page A1, Sunday), trying to “go green” using Houston’s contractors will make you throw up your hands. They are clueless or resistant to even simple things like low-VOC paint. Product suppliers are hard to find or too far away to be practical. We saw Ike as a real opportunity to step it up but have met frustration at every turn. There’s no help out there. It was a victory just to get a few items, like Hardiplank removable interior wallboard. We had to do all the research and coordination, then design and supervise every step of installation. We sorted the waste for recycling. No wonder more people don’t go green. It’s just too hard.

Writes our reader:

I have no reason to doubt the contentions, but am stumped at the writer’s mention of “Hardiplank removable interior wallboard.” Since your reader/participants are so very knowledgeable, could you ask them to weigh in? My search of the internets provided nada.

11:42 am | 19 Comments | Read more about Construction Materials, Disaster Aftermath, Green Design and Development, Renovations
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Wednesday, July 22, 2009

The Grey Gardens of Galveston’s Original Aqua Beach House

July 22, 2009 – 5:42 pm

How’d that Granddaddy of all aqua-toned beach houses in Lafitte’s Cove stand up to Hurricane Ike? Joni Webb — who after Verandah magazine is perhaps the home’s greatest fan — shows off some recent pics of the once-grand weekend showcase on her blog, Cote de Texas:

It is here, today, almost a year after Ike, still languishing empty and neglected – a sort of sad, upscale Grey Gardens of Galveston. I’m not sure why it hasn’t been repaired – it all seems like minor, superficial damage, certainly nothing on a par with the slaughter of the Live Oaks going on uptown. But, still, the house has been left to the elements – something that on the beach should always be avoided. Maintenance is a must in the salt air. A loyal Cote de Texas reader happened upon the Aqua House and took new pictures for me.

The home, decorated in all its much-copied aqua glory by Houston designer Babs Watkins, was sold by a later owner shortly before the hurricane hit last year. And then?

Continue Reading This Story >

5:42 pm | 2 Comments | Read more about Disaster Aftermath, Galveston, Home Decor, Interiors, Neighborhoods: Laffite's Cove
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Monday, July 20, 2009

When the Spindletop Stops

July 20, 2009 – 1:47 pm

A longtime fan of the rotating Spindletop Restaurant perched on top of the Hyatt Regency Hotel Downtown writes in to note the passing . . . of the restaurant’s website:

I last called them in January to see about a reservation but they were still closed from Hurricane Ike. The gentleman who answered insisted they would re-open someday soon and I was intrigued. I continued checking their website for an announcement every few weeks but it never arrived and then the site itself disappeared Sadly, when websites revert to parking pages, it’s all but assured the business behind them has folded.

If the Spindletop is indeed gone, a slowly revolving icon of Houston’s oil boom days, what would the Hyatt do with such a, umm, unique structure perched atop it’s hotel? Landry’s Heliport and Cloud Bar? Rennovate it to become *the* foremost penthouse in the city? “Hey baby, not just the bed rotates, but the whole penthouse!” Perhaps just another semi-adequate restaurant with a unique and stunning view?

What was the city perch like in its glory pre-Ike days?

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1:47 pm | 8 Comments | Read more about Disaster Aftermath, Neighborhoods: Downtown, Openings and Closings, Restaurants
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Thursday, July 16, 2009

Timbergrove’s Waterfall House: Half Off

July 16, 2009 – 1:20 pm

The reader who first brought that humongously discounted house in Timbergrove Manor to our attention earlier this spring writes in to report that the tall courtyard home’s asking price has been further reduced. The 6,000-sq.-ft. home at 6204 Queenswood Ln. was originally listed for $1.8 million, but was cut to $1 million in April.

As of last week, the home has been relisted with an even-further-reduced price: $749,999. Why the continuing freefall? Writing in May, a commenter on our earlier story offered some details:

. . . the listing agent indicated that the home had sustained water damage during Ike due to broken windows. She also let me know that the home would soon be going into a short sale, which is now listed on the Agent side of the MLS Listing. . . . Unfortunately, the home did suffer major damage, which in reality looked like the roof leaked throughout the house. The sheetrock has been removed from all ceilings and top ¾ of the walls on the entire second floor. All the molding has also been removed throughout the house. The floorplan is amazing with large rooms, wide hallways and high ceilings. It is really an amazing place!

The photos in the new listing are considerably different from those in the first, and reveal some of the extent of the damage. Here’s the latest view of the central courtyard, scene of that dramatic waterfall:

Continue Reading This Story >

1:20 pm | 20 Comments | Read more about Disaster Aftermath, Homes for Sale, Neighborhoods: Timbergrove Manor, New Construction: Residential, Price Reductions
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Tuesday, July 14, 2009

No Mercy for Galveston Street Trees

July 14, 2009 – 11:08 am
   

Hundreds of Galveston residents have been calling the city’s tree-appeal hotline, arguing that particular street trees targeted in the massive post-Ike chainsaw sweep should not be cut down. After seeing new leaves on the 3-story Live Oak in front of his Avenue L home, one resident offered the city $1,000 not to chop it down. His tree got a re-evaluation, but didn’t exhibit enough new growth to get a reprieve. “If the city could give the trees more time to recover, and if it rained soon, a few more might stand a chance of survival, [Texas Forest Service urban forester Pete] Smith said. But the city will get reimbursed only for the expensive removal process through Sept. 12. Between now and then, crews are scheduled to remove an estimated 11,000 trees in the public right of way and about 30,000 trees on private property. Live oak tress must have at least 30 percent of their leaves to be spared. Other varieties must have at least 50 percent of their leaves.” [Galveston County Daily News]

11:08 am | 18 Comments | Read more about Disaster Aftermath, Galveston, Quicklink, Streets, Trees
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Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Roller Coaster on the Pier: Crunch Time for the Flagship Hotel

June 30, 2009 – 11:59 am

There may be a buyer for Galveston’s Flagship Hotel, reports Laura Elder in the Galveston County Daily News. The hotel suffered about $7 million in damage from Hurricane Ike last year. But Landry’s Restaurants, the current owner, has a fallback plan in case the sale doesn’t go through:

If the 225-room property at 25th Street and Seawall Boulevard doesn’t sell, Landry’s likely would demolish the hotel and develop a “pleasure pier” with amusement rides, officials say. . . .

Landry’s is pricing demolition for the hotel, built in 1965 as a show of confidence after Hurricane Carla, Jeff Cantwell, senior vice president for development, said.

Perched on a pier overlooking the Gulf, the Flagship fell into disrepair on its own after 1990, when The Flagship Hotel Ltd. took over management.

Landry’s paid the city $500,000 for the hotel in 2004, saying it planned to spend $15 million transforming the property into an entertainment plaza with amusement rides, including a roller coaster.

Landry’s attempted to move ahead, but was stymied by agreements that gave Daniel Yeh, head of The Flagship Hotel Ltd., control of the hotel until 2031.

Continue Reading This Story >

11:59 am | 15 Comments | Read more about Demolitions, Disaster Aftermath, Galveston, Hotels, Proposed Developments, Redevelopment
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Friday, June 19, 2009

Growing Property Lines on the Beach

June 19, 2009 – 8:45 am
   

The owners of more than 2 dozen properties on the Bolivar Peninsula have been planting grass and shrubs along the edges of the dunes on the seaward side of their land. Why? The General Land Office prohibits new construction beyond the natural vegetation line. “‘The front row (of beach houses) is gone, and they are hoping to establish the vegetation line where it was before,’ said Dan Peck, 54, whose neighbors planted a swath of grass about 250 yards long. . . . Peck’s house in the Singing Sands subdivision near Crystal Beach was in the fourth row from the beach before Ike swept away the front three rows of houses Sept. 13. The vegetation line is established by the General Land Office, but Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson said he may wait as long as two years after the storm before marking the formal line that could determine the fate of many Gulf properties.” [Houston Chronicle]

8:45 am | 1 Comment | Read more about Development Restrictions, Disaster Aftermath, Gardening, Neighborhoods: Bolivar, Neighborhoods: Crystal Beach, Neighborhoods: Singing Sands, Quicklink
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Wednesday, June 10, 2009

The Great Galveston Summer Tree Carving Festival

June 10, 2009 – 9:07 am

Salt water from Hurricane Ike damaged 11,000 trees on city property in Galveston — and as many as 31,000 more on private property will need to be cut down. The Chronicle’s Allan Turner reports:

The process will involve a tree-by-tree examination, the Texas Forest Service’s Pete Smith said. Candidates for cutting will include most tree varieties that have lost 50 percent or more of their canopy. Live oaks with at least 30 percent of their leaves may be spared. The live oaks, Smith said, are “either recovering or dying,” and more time is needed to determine which is the case.

Officials hope to remove doomed trees [on city property] by the middle of September, thereby qualifying for federal payments that could cover up to 75 percent of the city’s removal cost.

. . . Removing every dead tree on both public and private land could cost about $5 million, according to city estimates, although the federal government will pay to remove only those in the city right of way.

Photo: Flickr user lutzman–

9:07 am | 7 Comments | Read more about Disaster Aftermath, Galveston, Trees
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Wednesday, May 6, 2009

High School Documentary: The Hurricane That Totally Blew Galveston Away

May 6, 2009 – 9:56 am

Here’s the latest version of the trailer for Ike: A Documentary: The Story of a Torn City Rebuilt by Everyday Heroes. The movie was created by students in Mr. Weiss’s film class at Galveston’s Ball High School.

It all began on the first day of school after the hurricane as students sat together in the advanced media technology class and talked about their storm experiences.

Some students had lost everything. Austin [Almanza]’s family lost their house. William [Gomez] got separated from his family and spent the storm at the high school, which became an emergency shelter during the storm.

As they discussed the storm, “I posed the question,” Weiss recalled. “Do you think we should do a documentary about this?”

9:56 am | 2 Comments | Read more about Disaster Aftermath, Galveston
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Friday, April 17, 2009

Augusta Demo and Storage

April 17, 2009 – 12:46 pm
   

The new owner of a small Galleria-area office building directly across the street from the parking garage for San Felipe Plaza plans to tear down the 2-story 1977 structure, which suffered a roof collapse and $2.7 million worth of damage from Hurricane Ike. “[Seller Robert] Clay is under the impression that a self-storage facility will be built there. In fact, four parties interested in buying the site wanted to build development storage units there, he says. [Hasad Development's Sam] Amber, the buyer, has developed several ProGuard Self Storage locations around town. However, a company spokesman in Houston would not comment on future plans for the nearly one-acre site. Based on buyer interest, Clay concludes that, ‘This location is a perfect private mini-storage location.’” [Houston Business Journal]

12:46 pm | 6 Comments | Read more about Demolitions, Disaster Aftermath, Land Sales, Neighborhoods: Galleria, New Construction, Quicklink
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Monday, April 6, 2009

Camera Stores Shuttered

April 6, 2009 – 11:03 am

Ritz Camera, which filed for bankruptcy protection in February, will be closing more than 300 of its Ritz, Wolf Camera, and Kits Camera stores nationwide, the company announced late last week. Not surprisingly, the Wolf Camera in Sage Plaza at 5161 San Felipe — less than a quarter-mile from the Wolf Camera on S. Post Oak in the Galleria — is one of the victims. Also closing: Ritz Camera stores in the Katy Mills Mall, at 5706 Highway 6 in Missouri City, and in the Royal Oaks Shopping Center at 11691 Westheimer.

Ritz is also shutting down its entire 130-store Boater’s World chain, including the 6,000-foot location in Webster. Its Galveston store never reopened after Hurricane Ike.

Photo of Wolf Camera in Baybrook Square, Webster (where the lights are staying on): David Stall

11:03 am | 1 Comment | Read more about Bankruptcies, Disaster Aftermath, Openings and Closings, Retail
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Friday, March 13, 2009

The Woodlands’ Bigger Tent Revival

March 13, 2009 – 5:00 pm

The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion will have twice as many seats, and a greatly enlarged tension-fabric structure to cover them, when it reopens for its first concert on May 1.

A new section of about 2,000 additional reserved seats is being constructed behind the existing uncovered seating area. The new canopy structure will cover all 6,387 seats. The result will be 2,147 fewer seats on the lawn, cutting the venue’s overall capacity by about 460, to 16,040.

The original Teflon-coated Fiberglas-fabric roofs were torn to shreds — and their support structures seriously damaged — by Hurricane Ike:

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5:00 pm | Add a Comment | Read more about Attractions, Disaster Aftermath, Neighborhoods: The Woodlands
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Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Openings and Closings: Super Happy Baking Brothers

March 4, 2009 – 11:16 am

As the retail churns . . .

  • Reopening Soon: The original Three Brothers Bakery next to Brays Bayou in Linkwood, closed since Hurricane Ike, has a permit in hand to rebuild. Cynthia Lescalleet reports in the River Oaks Examiner:

    While the exterior of the building, 4036 South Braeswood Blvd., will retain the colors, 60s-vintage architectural elements and windows of its past, the inside has been reconfigured a bit to be “cozy,” with a more efficient layout.

    Among the tweaking are the addition of a small room for wedding consultations and staff offices that look out over the interior so they can see and connect with the customers they’ve missed since Hurricane Ike damaged the business, [co-owner Janice] Jucker said.

    “We’re almost like therapists over the bakery counter,” she said.

    But: no plans to return to the River Oaks Shopping Center or Sugar Land.

    Any future expansion would likely be into properties the bakery would own and build itself, she said: “We want control over our destiny.”

    Near the end of the 10- to 12-week building project, the building’s crooked sign will be re-set. If you see a straight sign, that’ll mean the bagels are almost ready.

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11:16 am | 1 Comment | Read more about Neighborhoods: East Downtown, Neighborhoods: Linkwood, Neighborhoods: Museum District, Openings and Closings, Restaurants, Retail
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Monday, February 9, 2009

Seen on the Street: Vultures, Galveston Vacancy, Rice Trailer

February 9, 2009 – 3:43 pm

A few fun pics from around and about town! First, this crowd of black vultures ponders its next real-estate venture from atop a communications tower parked in a gated community in Cypress. Photographer Karen Morris happened upon the scene on Eldridge near Grant Rd.:

It was an awesome sight. Personally, if they adorned my rooftop every evening, I’d clean the roof, sell the house and move to the other side of town. . . . Black Vultures/Buzzards are a bit smaller and less colorful that the Turkey Vulture. They tend to follow the Turkey Vulture because it has a keener sense of smell and can find it’s meal through use of that sense. They eat dead animals and occasionally capture small live animals (field mice, etc.). Although they do not build a nest, they will take an abandoned nest. Often roost together as seen in this set of photos. If startled while roosting, they will regurgitate with power and accuracy.

More local habitat:

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3:43 pm | 2 Comments | Read more about Art, Attractions, Critters, Development Strategies, Disaster Aftermath, Galveston, Neighborhoods: Cypress, Neighborhoods: Rice University, Utilities
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Thursday, January 15, 2009

Was Hurricane Ike Worth It?

January 15, 2009 – 1:16 pm

ttweak, the usually lower-cased folks behind the Houston It’s Worth It campaign, are hoping to put together a sequel to 2007’s HIWI: The Book, a breakthrough publishing event in the urban resignation genre. The subject of the new group project? Hurricane Ike.

Why bother?

Obviously this subject is still an open wound for many of our neighbors and we don’t want to be insensitive to those who still have a road of recovery ahead. Rather, we want highlight the camaraderie and support brought about in the storm’s aftermath – refrigerator cookouts/recipes, extension cord jungles, neighborhood cleanups. Tell us your stories or poems, dig up a “day ten without power” journal entry, find that song you penned by candlelight and of course, send us your photographs (even those taken on your iPhone or BlackBerry); if you made a hurricane song playlist, go ahead and send that too.

The HIWI: Ike upload page is waiting!

1:16 pm | 3 Comments | Read more about Disaster Aftermath, Real Estate Marketing
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