Tag: Houston Heights

Commercial Real Estate
06/26/08 10:51am

White Oak Tower: It Was All Just a Bad Drawing

by
Highrises, Houston Heights, Proposed Developments, Real Estate Marketing
10 Comments

Sign on White Oak, Next to Onion Creek Coffee House

A post offering “a few notes of clarification” appears on the HAIF thread discussing the new sign on the property next to the Onion Creek Coffee House on White Oak:

a. The structure, as currently envisioned, will include first floor retail and parking, probably two floors of parking and six to seven floors of office/studio lease space. The top floor of the garage will be designed for an art gallery, or similar space, with the roof of the garage as outdoor terrace areas.

b. The project is in a very, very early design stage and will be a Class-A “green” structure with early 20th-century details. Equivalent-scaled structures might be the Lancaster downtown or The Plaza in Montrose.

c. Target tenants will be neighborhood small businesses and individuals currently doing business in homes, garages, guest rooms, etc…within walking or biking distance and not wanting a heavy commute routine.

d. Project is in commercial district and would only “border” the residential district of the Heights.

e. Since it is primarily an office building there are considerations for the parking to be utilized after-hours by the nighttime oriented buinesses nearby for off-street parking which would limit the intrusion of parking into residential areas.

f. This is the only information available at this time. Further postings will come in the near future.

Thank you for your interest.

Photo: HAIF user tmariar

, , , , ,
Highrises
06/23/08 4:12pm

At Risk: New 14-Story Tower Drawn in the Heights

by
Houston Heights, Proposed Developments, Real Estate Marketing
9 Comments

Sign for Rizk Tower, White Oak, Houston Heights

This sign, posted near the corner of White Oak and Oxford in the Heights, has apparently stirred up concerns among a few area residents. And really, if causing a commotion was the goal, broker Ed Rizk couldn’t have picked a better location: the property is right next to the Onion Creek Coffee House.

Judging from the emails we’ve received, the project already has a name: It’s “another Ashby Highrise.” The latest from the sleuths on HAIF: Planning and Development says it hasn’t received any permit or subdivision application for the project.

Photo: HAIF user tmariar

, , , ,
Houston Heights
06/19/08 6:03pm

Neighborhood Guessing Game Over: Wrighteous Details

by
Interiors, Neighborhood Guessing Game
5 Comments

Neighborhood Guessing Game 12: Living Room

This week’s mystery house attracted a slew of Montrose-area guesses. Specifically: north of Westheimer and west of Montrose behind Hugo’s; along 59 between Montrose and Shepherd; north of Westheimer and east of Montrose; North Montrose; and Castle Court.

There were two half-hearted mentions of the Heights, along with one guess each for the Heights north of 11th St.; Woodland Heights; and Norhill. Idylwood; the Sixth Ward; Garden Oaks; and “somewhere on the east side” got 2 votes each. The remaining guesses were Cottage Grove; Sugar Land; Shoreacres; “inside the loop just east of 45 in one of those old bungalow type subdivisions south of downtown”; the Beechnut-Gessner area; Caroline St.; and Hermann Park.

The winner — for the second time! — is Jeff, who was the third contestant to mention the Heights, but the first to do so unequivocally and to specify the area north of 11th St.

An honorable mention this week goes to Richard, for the pure entertainment value of this comment:

The multilevel platform in front of the fireplace looks like a sacrficial altar designed by Siegfried and Roy. Note the skull hanging ominously above and the pair of horns and tilted cross on the mantel. And, of course, the throne-like armchair from the lobby of the Embassy Suites on the left.

A large number of you thought the home was an expanded Craftsman-style home. Was it?

CONTINUE READING THIS STORY

, ,
Historic Preservation
05/23/08 12:41pm

No White Tablecloths: Kraftsmen and Textile in the Heights

by
Houston Heights, Houston History, Openings and Closings, Renovations, Restaurants
1 Comment

Oriental Textile Mill, Houston Heights, Houston

On June 1st, Scott Tycer will be opening a new wholesale and retail location of his Kraftsmen Bakery in 10,000 long-vacant square feet of the old Oriental Textile Mill on 22nd St. and Lawrence in the Heights. Also opening in the space two months later: a 1,200-square-foot restaurant with a garden patio and bar area, designed by Ferenc Dreef.

Tycer, who was the chef at Aries and then Pic on Montrose, and who runs Gravitas on Taft (which Dreef also designed), will be cooking at the restaurant, which will be called Textile. Tycer described Textile to blogger Cleverley Stone:

We’re going to build out the dining room with textiles, lots of hanging fabrics and different tablecloths on each table. This will not be your typical white-tablecloth restaurant.

Tycer is right: White tablecloths would probably not be appropriate for the space. A history of the Heights written by Sister M. Agatha of the Incarnate Word Academy and published in 1956 describes the operations of the textile mill, which was originally built in 1892 as a mattress factory:

B. J. Platt for years was superintendent of the plant that turned out a product which looked like long rolls of carpeting and which was used for pressing cotton seed oil. The plant’s capacity was about 50 rolls a day, varying in price from $200 to $400 a roll.

The textile was woven from hair. Old residents of the Heights have handed down the story that in the beginning much of the hair was obtained from China when pigtails were being discarded. But certain it is that camel’s hair in time came to be the staple used in production.

Photo of Oriental Textile Mill: Tasty Bits

, , , , , ,
Buying and Selling
02/13/08 10:11am

Tricon Garage Bungalows: Not Budging

by
Home Design, Homebuilders, Homes for Sale, Houston Heights, New Construction: Residential
No Comments

2016 and 2020 Singleton St., Houston Heights

Why aren’t these $399,900 Heights bungalows-on-sticks selling? Tricon Homes has been trying to get rid of them since November . . . of 2006!

In the first part of 2007, Tricon dropped the asking prices for 2016 and 2020 Singleton twice from the original $449,900. But since June there’s been no movement.

They look like they’ve got everything: Cute front porches, plus garages with 13-ft. ceilings! Just completed! So what’s the problem?

Below the fold: How to slide a $400K house onto a 2900-sq.-ft. Heights lot!

CONTINUE READING THIS STORY

, , , , , , , ,
Demolitions
02/08/08 5:31pm

Late to the Orgy, Missing the Excitement

by
Historic Preservation, Houston Heights
No Comments

Demolition of 647 Arlington St., Houston Heights

An organization called Save the Bungalows sends out a press release today bemoaning the demolition of the house at 647 Arlington St. in the Heights — which was mentioned in our February 1st demolition report, and whose final moments are documented in this photo, included with the release. The press release appears genuinely exciting. It features a tantalizing headline:

“Orgy of Irrational Destruction*” Continues: Home Tour House is Latest Victim

and some interesting details on the house:

A home that was featured on the 1997 Houston Heights Home Tour has been demolished.

Neighbors and friends expressed shock and outrage over the latest piece of authentic history to fall to ignorance. The sturdy house at 647 Arlington was built in 1910 by Frank J. and Nina Daly. The property remained in the Daly family until it was sold to Jack Spivey in 1980. The home’s interior was carefully renovated and updated and a garage was added to the rear. Spivey sold the house in November of 2007.

Pam August of August Landscape Design, came to know the house when Jack Spivey hired her to design his yard. She then volunteered to be the head docent for the house on the Heights Home Tour. “It is just a terrible shame that a house so beautifully restored, a house that was on the tour as an example of wonderful restoration, has been tossed in a dumpster.” August said.

After the jump: About that orgy.

CONTINUE READING THIS STORY

, , ,
Buying and Selling
02/06/08 10:29am

Priced in the Heights and Staying There

by
Homes for Sale, Houston Heights, Interiors, Real Estate Marketing
No Comments

616 E. 18th St., Houston Heights

$1.2 Million in the Heights. And not budging. Since September.

Three bedrooms. Two full and 2 half baths. 3,758 sq. ft. Big lot. Built in 2003. Too many features to list, but that doesn’t stop them. Here’s a partial word count of the listing’s exhausting description:

suite: 3 mentions
custom: 4 mentions
Pella: 4 mentions
audio: 4 mentions
brazilian: 4 mentions
fireplace: 4 mentions
steel: 4 mentions
wood: 5 mentions
marble: 8 mentions
large: 9 mentions

After the jump, a few more photos.

CONTINUE READING THIS STORY

, , , , ,
Condos
01/28/08 1:45pm

Heights Esplanade I: Now Available with Less Irony

by
Historic Districts, Houston Heights, New Construction: Residential, Proposed Developments
No Comments

Rendering of Proposed Heights Esplanade I at 1801 Ashland St., Houston

The Magnolia Lofts, planned for the site of the former Ashland Tea House, has a new sales trailer at 1801 W. 18th St. in the Heights and a new, less ironic name. The project is now called Heights Esplanade I — though the development’s website throws in an odd extra apostrophe for good measure. Best news: The same website declares that “At the Esplanade, urban loft living will take on a new meaning.” The building will be four stories high, contain forty condos, and sit on a two-story “partially submerged” garage.

A HAIF reader who stopped by the sales office reports that Conroe-area builders Garrett Austen are planning two additional phases, with 80 and 120 more condos respectively.

After the jump: floor plans for Unit 403, on sale now for $261,118.

CONTINUE READING THIS STORY

, , , , , ,
Buying and Selling
01/16/08 11:25am

1342 Rutland: How To Invest in a Collapsing Market

by
Condos, Houston Heights
No Comments

Check out the discussion going on now in the “Real Estate Professionals” section of the City-Data online forum. A reader is excited about an amazing investment opportunity at the 1342 Rutland St. condos in the Heights!

The unit I’m interested in is as of now at $34K. This if from a high of $77.5. Yes wow the suspiciousness of the place even more intriguing.

I’m thinking I could pay cash for the place maybe borrow a little but (family borrow not bank borrow)… finish the interior (it’s not finished) and rent it out for a good monthly rate (good for me that is). It’s in one of the best/trendy/expensive neighborhoods in Houston . So from the steady fall of the price I’m thinking an offer of $25K would be good. That way I could pay it completely and take my time fixing it up for rent… or sale.

Wow, a $77,500 condo for only $25,000! Sounds like a great investment. But then there’s that nagging feeling inside that makes the would-be investor end with this question:

Just how scared should one be entering this building[?]

After the jump: Reader advice!

CONTINUE READING THIS STORY

, , , , , ,
Apartments
12/13/07 3:01pm

Heights Village: Parking Lots Are the New Main Street!

by
Commercial Real Estate, Development Strategy, Houston Heights, Mixed Use, New Construction, Parking, Proposed Developments, Restaurants, Retail, Shopping Centers, Strip Centers, Washington Corridor
No Comments

Heights Village Parking Lot on Yale St., Houston Heights

Looks like a lot of pedestrian action going on in these marketing drawings for Orr Commercial’s new Heights Village, a five-acre restaurant, retail, office, and “upscale housing” development slated for the current site of the Sons of Hermann hall just south of I-10, between Heights Blvd. and Yale St. and an adjacent parcel abutting railroad tracks to the south.

Why, with all those people in the drawings walking to and fro, it looks like this development will have all the charm of a small old-town Main Street . . . or at the very least all the charm of an old small town that decided to build a multi-level parking garage, but still turned its Main Street into a parking lot anyway, just to hedge its bets.

After the jump: more parking-lot pedestrians!

CONTINUE READING THIS STORY

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Attractions
11/09/07 11:33am

It Was Super Happy Fun While It Lasted

by
Houston Heights, Openings and Closings
No Comments

Super Happy Fun Land on Ashland St. in the Heights

Houstonist reports that performance, concert, art, party, and . . . uh, barbecue venue Super Happy Fun Land is being kicked out of its brightly painted Heights bungalow:

Their current building (2610 Ashland St.) has been sold in order to make room for more condominiums, which some apparently delusional real estate-type creature has decided our fair city is lacking.

The last concert in that location will be at the end of January. Sure, it’s the end of an era, but it’s not as though the place is shutting down. Surely the club’s owners will be able to find a nice spot in a new strip center somewhere nearby.

Photo: Flickr user Shitface1000

, , , , , , ,
Buying and Selling
11/02/07 10:38am

The Collapse of 1342 Rutland

by
Condos, Foreclosures, Homeowners' Associations, Homes for Sale, Houston Heights
No Comments

1342 Rutland Lofts, Houston Heights

Just what is it about cheaply built condos in Houston that attracts so much, uh . . . “bank interest”? According to HCAD, of the fifteen condo units at 1342 Rutland in the Heights, only six have non-bank owners — and that includes the three owned by Freddie Mac, the “1342 Rutland Lofts Council,” and an investment group. Fortunately for buyers, the financial institutions appear to have no desire to hold onto the condos for corporate housing: eight of the units are on the market, and four more are due to be auctioned off at the huge REDC foreclosure extravaganza at the Reliant Center on November 17th.

(Special bonus for foreclosure bidders: the same auction features four units from Swamplot favorite Tremont Tower!)

Sure, there’s a downturn, and maybe a few problems with some nasty mortgages, but why do so many foreclosures concentrate on a few ugly buildings?

HAIF poster Kirzania provides a few clues:

from the inspector’s findings it would appear the second level of condos was added to the top of a pre-existing building. However, the first level was not reinforced for the second story. The walls were bowed on the first level and there were evident issues of structure problems. My understanding was there wasn’t a problem with the foundation itself, but the frame of the building.

The HOA itself sounded like it was barely staying afloat; the banks owe the HOA $$$$$ for past dues but these funds are being held up in bureaucratic nonsense. I would very much reconsider even stepping foot in this place.

Let the bidding begin!

, , , , , , ,
Apartments
10/03/07 10:41am

Retreat at the Heights Advances

by
Construction Materials, Houston Heights, New Construction, New Construction: Residential, Proposed Developments
No Comments

The Retreat at the Heights

This, reports Houston Architecture Info Forum member Porchman, is a drawing of the $30 million, 195-unit, five-story apartment complex about to go up on the former site of the Kaplan’s Ben Hur department store on Yale, which was demolished back in June. Except it’ll be different: That giant yellow steel Y bracket you see won’t be there. And the retail indicated on the building’s ground floor is apparently just for show.

The Retreat at the Heights, the newest “Retreat” development from Allied Realty Services, will reportedly feature an equal mix of one- and two-bedroom units, a pool and fitness room, residents willing to shell out an average of $1500 a month, and a two-level parking garage. One of those levels will be below grade (detention-pond parking, anyone?) and each will be accessed from a separate street.

Notable: Top floors are shown with metal siding, a nod to the many simple metal warehouses that littered the Heights before they were replaced with historic homes.

Porchman adds:

Another developer is going to put 4 townhomes on the lot west of Long John Silvers, which is currently being currently being used as the construction lot. They’re targeting the fried fish lovers market . . .

, , , , , , ,
Demolitions
07/17/07 10:14am

Classic Heights Developments

by
Historic Preservation, Houston Heights, New Construction: Residential
No Comments

442 Heights Blvd by Harry James Building & Design

The movement to rid the Heights of dilapidated old houses and replace them with far more appropriate historic structures continues. The latest contribution: a demolition permit obtained for the Doyle Mansion at 945 Heights Blvd., which was built by William Wilson (who later founded neighboring Woodland Heights) in 1898, and which somehow managed to sneak onto the National Register of Historic Places about 100 years later.

Harry James has been buying properties all along Heights Boulevard, tearing down homes and replacing them with what he calls “Victorian Classics.”

And now it will happen to the Doyle Mansion too.

A “Preservation Alert” notice sent out by Historic Houston’s Lynn Edmundson reveals a meeting with James last week didn’t go so well:

Despite its deteriorated condition, it is architecturally and historically a very significant residence on Heights Boulevard that could and should be saved.

Unfortunately, the builder now appears unwilling to entertain any offers.

James features several Victorian Classics (the new kind) on his website, along with a childhood story that reveals something preservationists won’t want to hear: the homebuilder doesn’t mind getting his ass kicked if it means he gets to build what he wants:

Needless to say, my dad wasn’t very happy! I remember he gave me a gentle kick across my backside as I scurried back to the house with my head hung down. It seemed like he was mad at me for months. Years later, when I reflect, I realize that what my dad failed to see was the level of skill and craftsmanship that was used in the construction of this secret door into his garage.

Photo of 442 Heights Blvd.: Harry James Building & Design

, , , , , ,
« Previous Page Next Page »