Weingarten Realty’s director of investor relations Kristin Gandy tells the Chronicle‘s Nancy Sarnoff that the owners of the vacant Alabama Theater building in the Alabama Shepherd Shopping Center at the corner of South Shepherd and West Alabama do not have a deal for the space with any new tenant, including Staples. Swamplot reported earlier this morning that a local construction firm is soliciting bids from subcontractors for an extensive interior demolition of the 1939 Art Deco theater, which from the early eighties until late last year was the home of the Alabama Bookstop bookstore. Drawings detailing the demolition were prepared for Weingarten by Heights Venture Architects, and the bid documents included floor plans for a prototype Staples office-supply store.
Gandy tells Sarnoff
Weingarten has not signed a lease nor has any lease under (letter of intent) with any particular tenant at this time. We have several tenants that are reviewing, but we don’t have a definitive agreement in place.
Weingarten may not have an agreement in place, but the publicly traded company certainly has demolition plans in place, already labeled as issued for permitting. Which means either
- Weingarten is conducting extensive pricing research for a number of options for the space in a rather peculiar manner (the ready-for-permit bid documents do not ask bidders to price any alternative to demolition); or
- (far more likely) Weingarten is gambling that demolishing the interior of Alabama Theater will help it to attract a very particular type of tenant to the unique Inner Loop property.
How much does Weingarten want to demo?
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Here’s the scope of work listed on the plans, which are labeled as Interior Demolition, Phase I:
Demolition of interior, non-structural elements in an existing shopping center. Level out existing sloping floor slab and in-fill basement and unused return air tunnels in order to prepare a ‘cold-dark shell’ ready to accept future tenant construction. Tenant construction to be permitted separately.
Demolition includes:
- Interior non-structural walls, doors, frames, ceilings, and related elements
- Interior plumbing, electrical, ductwork, telephone, and domestic water lines back to main
New construction includes:
- Fill in abandoned basement and tunnel below grade
- Fill in and permanently level existing sloped floor
The demolition includes the removal of raised-platform wood floors that were inserted into the seating area of the theater when it was transformed into a multi-level bookstore in 1984. One of the features of that renovation, designed by Mike Treadway Architects, was that — for the most part — it left the theater space it occupied intact. Weingarten’s current explicit request that the theater floor be “permanently leveled” by encasing it in concrete indicates an entirely different attitude toward the theater space than the one the same company took 26 years ago.
Which raises a question: If any new non-theater, non-bookstore tenant would require a level floor, why couldn’t new flooring follow this same non-destructive strategy? A new tenant might appreciate the efficiencies of an underfloor air and power distribution system.
Unless, of course, the tenant — like Staples and other national big-box retailers — requires the floor to support warehouse-grade loads.
- Alabama Theater rumors denied [Prime Property]
- Alabama Shepherd Shopping Center [Kaldis Development Interests]
- Weingarten Plans an Alabama Theater Demolition. Is Staples Moving In? [Swamplot]
Photo: Flickr user mlsnp. Section drawing of existing theater space: Heights Venture Architects
no, no! no leveling, in-fill or cold dark shell, no.
Toto!
F*^# you, Weingarten. Even if there is no deal with Staples, your plans for the place will ruin it. It will be just another big, dumb box.
Have fun adding stucco to everything.
A cold dark shell is what’s waiting for Drew Alexander when this life is over.
A cold dark shell is what’s waiting for Drew Alexander when this life is over.
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It’s the same crap up there. He will just slip St. Peter a $100 bill and tell St. Peter that he’s a friend of the Osteens.
On behalf of Weingarten, we would like to add a response to what company spokesperson Kristen Gandy told the Houston Chronicle earlier today: The Alabama Theater has not been leased yet to a new tenant, although, as Kristin noted, there has been a lot of interest in this location. While while we can’t verify the authenticity of the drawings posted on Swamplot’s blog, we can say that it is not unusual for space concepts and/or measurements to be drawn up for visual or budget purposes during discussions with a prospect as an important element of the decision-making process. Finally, Weingarten has no plans to initiate any interior construction prior to executing a lease with a new tenant.
On behalf of Weingarten, we would like to add a response to what company spokesperson Kristen Gandy told the Houston Chronicle earlier today: The Alabama Theater has not been leased yet to a new tenant, although, as Kristin noted, there has been a lot of interest in this location.
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On behalf of so many who have supported Weingarten by supporting the various tenants of Weingarten, particularly in the Village Arcade, I do wonder if Weingarten might not remember how Bookstop too great interest in preserving the interior which is one of the reasons why it was so popular and until obviously economics intruded very successful.
Instead of waiting to see who comes knocking with a proposal, perhaps Weingarten might knock around various doors itself and in an act of community spirit see if perhaps Weingarten cannot find a way to turn the Alabama back into a venue for our various community performing arts groups.
Houston has been very good to Weingarten. Perhaps Weingarten should take the opportunity to be good back to Houston.
Jesus Fucking Christ, Weingarten. Can’t one of you nimrods figure out how to make a buck in this space without resorting to the least common denominator?
There HAS to be some way to turn this incredibly valuable space into some kind of restaurant/coffee shop/performing arts/pub/tavern/etc. type of place that ultimately adds some value to this dynamic city we (AND YOU) call home.
If Staples wants new digs, you should buy that piece of shit center they are already in on Kirby and re-develop it for them so they can have their coveted visibility.
It’s bad enough that we have Costco and Bed, Bath & Beyond taking up valuable space that has about 1000 better uses. Now this iconic space? Is nothing sacred? When are going to shut down Marfreless? Bastards.
On behalf of Houstonians, why should we believe Weingarten when it says there are no plans for demolition? Remember when Weingarten insisted that there were no plans to demolish part of the River Oaks Shopping Center and build a Barnes & Noble there? We can see how that turned out …
Oh, how I’d love to see a classy music venue there. You wouldn’t have to alter the interior hardly at all.
As anyone who shopped at Bookstop knows, the parking was rather inadequate. Having some sort of entertainment venue would just mean it would be ten times worse. Also, Shepherd Plaza is just down the street with plenty of vacant and much cheaper square footage despite a number of adjacent bars, some of them longtime tenants(anyone else remember when the Davenport wasn’t skeezy? I digress). It probably cost Bookstop a fortune to keep that place air conditioned for all the people who just sat in the aisles and read the night away.
The interior *is* rather unique and was well maintained. Maybe they should give Gordon Ramsay or some other high-dollar purveyor of top flight eateries a call. A skate rink might be fun. Roller Derby anyone? Get creative people instead of just crying about gentrification that is, in cold reality, simple economics. If you want to Stop The Man and pay property taxes while hunting for a tenant with an idea that profits more than a few dollars a sq/ft per month, please step forward with your checkbook.
SL: If you want to Stop The Man and pay property taxes while hunting for a tenant with an idea that profits more than a few dollars a sq/ft per month, please step forward with your checkbook.
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Every single time commenters here ever express regret or unhappiness about the destruction of a historic and/or beautiful Houston building, someone always steps forward to say “STFU unless you are willing to put up the money to preserve that building!” I love that–really moves the conversation forward in a constructive way.
Do you really think Weingarten just sits there waiting for some tenant to magically knock on their door? Of course, their leasing team tries to land potential tenants.
Would it would be perfect for is a gay disco.
Kjb34 start contacting your friends in the “community” and see what you can do.
As anyone who shopped at Bookstop knows, the parking was rather inadequate.
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Weingarten’s knows how to build garages. Like at the Village Arcade. Which was supposed to allow the free parking they were supposed to provide for the street closure but never did. Preferring to enrich the wrecker drivers who sat in the street level parking lot watching for violators.
Houston has been good to Weingarten. When you think about it, Weingarten has usually shot the bird at everyone instead of saying thank you. They certainly did with the Village Arcade.
If they can’t finally give something back, I for one am going to stop giving and will never patronize anyone who leases from them.
Oh yeah that will show them MM. As though that old dude at All Records has anything to do with Weingarten’s policies. Or any of the other merchants across the 23 states where Weingartens owns shopping centers. Why don’t you just pee on the side of one of their buildings and relive your conscience?
Someone pointed out a little while ago that it is Lea Weingarten Fastow, not Lea Wilson Fastow, “so what do you expect?”
Probably a good point…
RWB:Every single time commenters here ever express regret or unhappiness about the destruction of a historic and/or beautiful Houston building, someone always steps forward to say “STFU unless you are willing to put up the money to preserve that building!†I love that–really moves the conversation forward in a constructive way.
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Sorry to be the reality check, but that’s what it is in contrast to the hair-pulling hysteria and calls for the Money Fairy to wave a magical cash wand and turn it over to a non-profit. Blame lack of zoning laws, culturally insensitive or ignorant mainstream America, poor planning or any of the other dozen reasons. There is a historical/cultural threshold at which things do or do not get saved/preserved by various forces. Sadly, it appears that this old theater is below the threshold. At the same time, there are plenty of other old theaters in Houston being put to profitable use, even preserved in their early guise. The real question is how many is enough and why *this* one? Reading through the comments, a cinema/drafthouse seems the most likely savior but those guys just can’t seem to stomach being inside the tollway, much less the loop.
Dear Weingarten,
Don’t shit where you eat…. I guess that’s hard to do when your a corporate slob.
Much Love,
Megan Ross
P.S.
VIVA LA ALABAMA!!!!!
There is a huge parking lot beyond the old Bookstop…the whole center has front/back entrances. People seem to forget that like I do sometimes.