Workers who began removing windows earlier this month from rooms in the long-vacant 30-story abandoned hotel tower at 801 St. Joseph Pkwy. haunting the southern reaches of Downtown have reached a critical height. Photos sent to Swamplot show that the systematic effort to yank off the fenestration of every room of the former Heaven on Earth Plaza Hotel (it also spent time as a Days Inn, a Holiday Inn, and a Vedic school) have now reached the 13th floor above the structure’s parking garage. This now affords viewers above a certain height — from a neighboring office building, say, or driving along the Pierce Elevated — actual views through the building.
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KHOU reporter Matt Dougherty reported earlier this month that city officials are requiring the building’s owner, SFK Development, to remove all windows and broken glass from the property — as well as all exterior graffiti.
- Exclusive look inside ‘dangerous’ vacant downtown hotel [KHOU]
- Previously on Swamplot: Just Airing Out Some of Those Long-Vacant Rooms at the Downtown Days Inn; A Tree Grows on the Derelict Downtown Days Inn; Downtown’s Preeminent Dilapidated Hotel Tower Now Outfitted To Greet I-45ers with New Nametags, Fewer Window Panes; Vacant Downtown Days Inn To Get a Total Facelift, Become Whatever Hotel It’s Becoming; Up Close and Personal with Downtown’s Foremost Former Hotel and Vedic University;  What’s Getting Thrown Out the Window at the Abandoned Days Inn Downtown?; Heaven on Earth Fire Drill; Digging Out from Heaven on Earth; Heaven on Earth Being Reincarnated; Heaven on Earth Sells Again
Photos: Swamplot inbox (top); Guy Mahaffey (view from freeway)
When is this building going to be torn down or remodeled?
What’s crazy about this is how they are going about removing the windows. I was watching them on Tuesday afternoon this week. A guy literally stands there and hammers away at the glass, shattering it outwards. The sound of glass falling several stories and crashing on the roof and parking lot below was quite loud, and is what got my attention. You would think there would be a safer or better way.
awesome, it’s like a little bit of houston, but in downtown
Russell needs to do a fly through with his drone!
They need to keep this building at all costs. We cant afford to lose this kind of grit in Downtown. Otherwise we might end up looking lame like Dallas.
I can’t even begin to imagine the horrors that took place in that building.
This activity means nothing. They only do this to appease the city then they stop.
HouCynic: The city required them to smash out their window? And then that’s it?
I’m sure city and downtown mgmt district brought owner to table regarding the up tick in graffiti. Owner probably agree to address it and this was the solution they came up with.
I think just a guess is right. And while we are on the graffiti subject the railroad bridge over 45 North of downtown is out of control ugly now. The whole BE SOMEONE thing was cute and novel for a while but damn it’s ugly.