What used to be just a corner lot and one of those green tell-tale signs in Midtown is becoming a little more parklike, it seems: Parks department rep Estella Espinosa says that Elizabeth Glover Park at Elgin and Austin will be closed through August while crews upgrade lighting and drainage systems and install new features, including a crushed granite plaza, dog run, and bocce ball court. According to a post yesterday at Midtown Houston Rocks, there are 2 other parks getting a similar treatment: Midtown Park at Gray and Bagby and Baldwin Park between Crawford and Chenevert on Elgin, a few blocks southeast of here.
Photo: Allyn West
Read more about: 77004, Midtown, Parks, Renovations
April 25, 2013 – 11:00 am
The Problem: “As traffic backs up on 59 past the Spur, drivers are faced with a dilemma. Do I sit and queue here in the right three lanes, which aren’t moving? Or do I get over and zoom past until right before the split? Many, understandably, choose the latter. But what this does is create a new bottleneck at the point where the Spur diverges, because traffic is merging into the left lane and then trying to cross over to get to 288 or stay on 59.” The (Not So Obvious) Solution: “Add a couple miles of barrier and put the split (‘gore point’ in traffic engineer speak) at Shepherd. If you’ve driven this route once, you can see how it would immediately shave several minutes off the trip to Downtown/Midtown/Montrose. The Spur is never jammed in the reverse direction, so anything that effectively lengthens the Spur lengthens the distance of hassle-free 60mph cruising. But such a configuration would also help drivers continuing on 59.”
Photo: Flickr user jfre81 [license]
Read more about: 77098, Freeways, Midtown, Montrose, Traffic
April 25, 2013 – 10:00 am
Central Square Plaza has been sold, and new owner Keeley Megarity, whose LLC closed on the 1-acre Midtown property at 2100 Travis St. about a week ago, says that a decision about how to renovate these buildings — and what to renovate them into — will be made in the next 30-45 days.
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Read more about: 77002, Buying and Selling, Commercial Real Estate, Midtown, Office Buildings, Proposed Developments, Renovations, Vacant Buildings
In the middle of last summer, Interfaith Ministries closed on almost 76,000 sq. ft. of Midtown property spanning 2 catty-corner blocks just north of HCC, including the PrimeWay Federal Credit Union building shown here at 3303 Main St.; the organization says it’s closing in on the $12.5 million needed to fund the renovation of the 39,000-sq.-ft. bank into its headquarters and the construction of a new 14,000-sq.-ft. Meals on Wheels distribution center at Elgin and Fannin.
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Read more about: 77004, Institutional Buildings, Land Development, Midtown, Proposed Developments, Religious Facilities, Renovations
As a checkerboard of townhome development builds out the Rosewood neighborhood south of Midtown, this sunny yellow house with poppy red shutters rather emphatically states its enduring presence on a corner lot it has occupied since before the Southwest Fwy.’s south-of-downtown bypass cut a slice through the block 3 lots away. Today, the orderly 1930 property presents itself as an urban compound, though one softened by its back-in-the-day side porch, pergola, and garden.
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Read more about: 77004, Homes for Sale, Interiors, Midtown, Redevelopment, Rosewood
Iterative Obama muralist Reginald Adams relays his account of the 3 separate murals he designed for the West Alabama St. wall of a Travis St. building for Breakfast Klub owner Marcus Davis — and his responses to the 4 separate paint adjustments made to it by successive vandals: “It triggers some things I was raised around — if someone knocks you down you get back up. Now other people are invested so I feel obligated not to let someone’s ignorance deter my work. I’ve got a lot of paint and a lot of life ahead of me and I think I can outlast the vandal. As crazy as this has all been it hasn’t hurt my brand as an artist. I’ve gotten more PR out of this work than from 150 projects I’ve done. If the vandal wants to keep playing, I’m in it until the end. . . . the vandalism is creating new opportunities for me to think about the imagery, to engage the public in new ways, create new conversations, and to meet new amazing people. The GE corporation wants me for a new mural because they saw the Obama story. The vandal is not thinking it — but he’s enriching my art career.” [Glasstire; previously on Swamplot] Photo: Candace Garcia
Read more about: 77002, Graffiti, Midtown, Murals, Public Art, Vandalism
Former star of The Bachelor and Austin bar mogul Brad Womack is ready to open Dogwood Houston: The renovations — including a second-story patio to give the drinkers a view of the skyline — to the former Post Edge Mailing Services building at 2403 Bagby are nearing completion, according to the bar’s Facebook page; Dogwood will be the first foray into Houston by the man who once dumped Emily Maynard over the phone; he’s part of Austin’s Carmack Concepts, which runs Sixth St. bars Chuggin’ Monkey, Dizzy Rooster, Molotov, and, of course, Dogwood.
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Read more about: 77006, Bars, Midtown, New Construction, Openings and Closings, Renovations
February 27, 2013 – 12:00 pm
Looks like the money for that proposed theater and gallery complex on Main St. keeps rolling in, reports the Houston Chronicle: “Fundraising up to now,” reports Flori Meeks, “has yielded about $12.3 million.” But the little meter on the website for the Midtown Arts and Theater Center Houston — or The MATCH for short — says that the troupe-friendly group already has $13.2 million; that’s 51 percent of the $25.8 million needed to get started on the Lake Flato- and Studio Red-designed building (shown here) on the existing surface parking lot that’s bound by Main, Travis, Francis, and Holman. And what’s it going to be when that other $12.6 million’s in pocket? “While designs have yet to be finalized,” reports Meeks, “current plans for the 59,000-square-foot building call for a large 350-seat theater, three black-box theater spaces with flexible seating configurations, two rehearsal spaces that can also be used for performances and exhibits, a large gallery area, more than 6,000 feet of office space, a central public breezeway that can be used for performances and exhibits and a coffee and wine bar.” [Houston Chronicle; previously on Swamplot] Rendering: The MATCH
Read more about: 77002, Art Studios, Fundraising, Galleries, Midtown, Proposed Development, Quicklink, Theaters
February 25, 2013 – 10:00 am
Two single-family houses in Midtown, 1505 Rosalie and 1917 Ruth (pictured here), have been home since 2010 to an assortment of yoga instructors, police sergeants, and college students, all of whom share the cooking and cleaning in a cooperative housing project, reports the Houston Chronicle’s Nancy Sarnoff. Part of Houston Access to Urban Sustainability, the houses require all tenants to sign a “sustainability pledge” before they move in, but that doesn’t mean it’s all rainbows and rain barrels: “Each person is responsible for contributing five hours of labor to the house per week. Those who shirk their domestic duties are fined $10 for every hour missed.” Sarnoff adds: “There are regular parties and events, though the housemates are quick to stamp out comparisons to hippie communes or college frat houses. Such misconceptions frustrate Rabea Benhalim, a corporate finance attorney who says some think the residents can’t be professional and they all do drugs and sleep together.” [Houston Chronicle ($)] Photo of 1917 Ruth St.: HAUS
Read more about: Green Communities, Housing, Midtown, Quicklink
February 22, 2013 – 3:00 pm
A native Houstonian has set up a one-man bicycle-messenger service, reports Culturemap’s Whitney Radley: Within an hour, Clutch Delivery’s Liam Musgrave will pedal to your place almost anything — except dry cleaning, pets, and “illicit substances.” This map shows his service area, extending west out to the Loop and east to Lockwood.
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Read more about: Bicycles, Maps, Midtown, Montrose, Openings and Closings, Retail, Streets
February 14, 2013 – 3:00 pm
Look at the baby! Wednesday night Reginald Adams led a team of volunteers in painting this archetypal smooch in place of the ever-changing mural on the side of the former Democratic campaign headquarters at the corner of West Alabama and Travis in Midtown.
Photo: Candace Garcia
Read more about: 77002, Graffiti, Midtown, Political Campaigns, Public Art
February 13, 2013 – 10:30 am
Another unit has waded into what seems to be a recent flurry of turnover in Lovett Square, the 36-stuccoed-condo community occupying a city block at Bagby-Tuam-Brazos-Anita in Midtown. The 1979 project by William T. Cannady Architects was an early stab at high-density redevelopment of an area once considered downtown’s South End, where vacant and aging properties and freeway ramps hung out together. This was before the Midtown moniker and the multifamily multiplier effect grew legs, however.
One of the larger homes in the staggered-like-a-pueblo project listed Friday at $193,000. The gated complex has several courtyards off a central promenade. This unit’s entry, however, is off a shared mezzanine-level terrace (above), reached by this exterior staircase:
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Read more about: 77006, Condos for Sale, Houston Architects, Interiors, Lovett Square, Midtown
February 7, 2013 – 1:00 pm
A Swamplot reader sends in photos of this Travis St. office building’s — well, stuccover. Gone are the striped awnings and gas light (pictured at the top) likely added during the building’s New Orleans Revival phase. Also gone is a trick-of-the-eye mural continuing those awnings (and window-fronting balcony railings, too) painted on the brick load-bearing wall that faces south toward Francis St. Built in 1959, the 4,741-sq.-ft. Midtown office space was purchased last June.
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Read more about: 77006, Midtown, Mod, Office Buildings, Renovations
A lawsuit from Landry’s is trying to keep the 
Comment of the Day: My Central Square Dorm Dream
“When I was at school at UH-D, I would take the rail up to campus everyday and see those two buildings there. To best contribute to the urban fabric, I often would imagine that someone would redevelop them as dorms, and the block that is between it and the rail line could be repurposed as a plaza with a few cafes that would link the building to the rail.
The private dorms could serve UH-D, HCC Central, South Texas Law, the medical schools, and even UH and TSU once the University line is complete. Having students commute from the various schools to this central location would add vibrancy to the area and could bring about good academic fellowship.
Not sure of the economic feasibility, but it would wildly popular (if the dorm fees were reasonable). Since it’s college kids, renovations need only consist of low cost furnishings, concrete floors, bare ceilings, and maybe a gym and cafeteria.
Gotta dream big.” [VMel, commenting on New Owners of Central Square Plaza Want To Make Something of It]