Here’s a little video sent to Swamplot from this morning, showing what appeared to a reader to be the beginning of the end for the Wilshire Village apartments. But in a comment to that post, Lynn Edmundson from Historic Houston reports this demo work isn’t really all it’s been cracked up to be:
I just returned from the site…and it looks like they are just breaking up the surface concrete. The contractors on the site are installing plumbing/water lines…and are not with the demolition company.
New plumbing lines? What for?
Meanwhile, Historic Houston Salvage to the . . . rescue? Edmundson adds:
With the permission of the contractors on the site, someone with me was able to look into one of the apartments and there is beautiful oak flooring still inside the apartments waiting to be reclaimed!
- Breaking Apartments News: Demolition Begins at Wilshire Village [Swamplot]
- Wilshire Village coverage [Swamplot]
Video: Swamplot inbox
Hopefully the contractor will let her salvage what can be salvaged.
I’m sure if she brings a truck buy, the contractor would gladly load it up for her. That’s less they have to haul away and ends up being more money for them!
I’ve been in WV several times. Some of the floors are already bundled up and have been for some time. There is a digger in the back breaking up one of the parking lots. There is certainly a lot that could be salvaged.
I don’t expect demo to happen in the very near future, after all someone had the graffiti buffed from the sides of the buildings.
they still have no city storm sewers along that side of dunlavy…just open trenches. maybe this is ‘stage one’ to get storm drains over there. during any construction there needs to be an approved storm water runoff plan in effect. i’m sure the owner of the fiesta shopping center the other side of the street would not appreciate there storm runoff in their parking lot when construction does start. reclaimed materals? most the materials there are far sub standard and of no use aside from in a landfill due to 40 years of neglect by the owner.
gilbane is the g.c. listed on the construction fence. they don’t bid jobs competitively, owners hire them outright.
(line 6-last post – error – ‘there’ should read ‘their’)