monarch

what?  pal, i have read quite a few of your post over time.  didn't realize that you were the all time expert in regards to comprehension.

^What?  I'm confused by your post.

haif members,

as i take a moment to canvas over "triton's" simple and yet perfect illustrations, i cannot help but think just how "brilliant" a strategy that "midway cos" was, in purchasing the bitter functioning "houston pavilions".  

what a difference a few month's of "rebranding" can actually make to a entertainment venue that was once upon the wane.  GREENSTREET, as we are now calling it...   shall now become positioned to ensure that houston may forget about the upsurge regarding the downtown's of both dallas as well as austin, tx.  once the very recently announced "hotel alessandra" comes into fruition...  there shall be no stopping downtown houston!

and yet, thanks to the generosity and expertise of such haif members such as "triton" vs "larry dierker's" wonderful photo's...   we shall now be able to just sit back and fantasize, at just how future development as per GREENSTREET shall now evolve into reality.  this is gonna be fun!     

larry dierker and triton, you gentlemen are doing a profound job of downtown photography.  just simply beautiful photographs.  was an asset you two gent's are to "haif houston".

great pics triton.  thanks for sharing.

simple, and yet temptingly modern.  fun!

sleek...  sexy...  modern...  this particular "kirby collection" shall catapult houston into the stratosphere.  let's fly away!

...so i'm guessing that the official floor count as per your "residential tower" could be in excess of about (90x floors) which as we all know, shall undoubtably include about (500,000sf) of your beloved (gfr) ground floor retail.  this of course shall make your "concept" the tallest and largest edifice upon the "western hemisphere...  am i correct?

well, i tell you what "cloud713"...   why don't you take the initiative to present your "architectural" renderings (concepts) to "mr. brinsden" the ceo of midway cos.,  and see just what he may think of them...   i mean, you may never ever know until you try it right...    putt putt!

I'm no architect (or artist), but this is my GreenStreet fantasy. In addition to the D&B/movie theater combo in the Sak building... A residential tower (since GS is mainly white I went with a white tower with green glass balconies (kind of Miami ish in appearance, but the overall style/design of my residential tower sucks)) on top of a reworked garage, with park space for the residents on the other portion of the garage. Carry the park space over on top of the old books a million portion (the sections on top of greenstreet could be open to the public, with the garage roof park strictly for residents), and finally over the covered walkway to the portion above forever XXI, providing an outdoor area for the hotel guests.
Then Putt Putt Golf on the roof above Lucky Strike, and possibly Laser Tag in one of the available spaces in GS. Make the area more family oriented/friendly so downtown isn't just a place for the mid 20s-30s crowd and second homes.

But I realize with a 5 star hotel, high end restaurants, ect, it may already be too late to refocus the development towards the family?

i certainly applaud your efforts "gator purify".  additionally, upon behalf of all of our great "haif" members...   WELCOME ABOARD!  nonetheless, when you mention that you are a "virgin member" as per "haif"....  it may also seem that you are somewhat a "virgin member" to downtown houston as well.

i am stating this due to the simple fact that "downtown houston" already boast a very nice movie theater...   "sundance cinemas" over at the "bayou place" entertainment venue.  i have had the utmost pleasure of patronizing this facility, and it was very nice indeed...   especially the great menu items.

therefore, i can certainly agree with you as per your enthusiasm, regarding obtaining first class retailers that "downtown houston" so desperately needs to add compliment to our growing hotel and convention facilities.  i for one, fully believe that this new prospective "hotel alessandra" shall act as the premier "catalyst" to finally seeing our "haif" "downtown houston" dreams come true.  

Virgin poster here...

 

First, it is a pleasure to join HAIF.  It's nice to find a forum where development enthusiasts can all share breaking news, spread ideas, and let our imaginations run wild.

 

If a major retailer can find its way into a renovated Sakowitz building and Brinsden follows through with landing a top flight tenant (and I have faith that he will), then you know what would be a great addition to the block?  A movie theater.

 

I'm talking a massive 24 or 30 screen complex, a la Times Square or downtown Montreal, which has housed a giant theater inside of the arena where the Canadiens used to play.  Make it look sexy, toss in adequate parking (like Edwards Greenway), and bring attention to it with a horizontal beacon of light.  Some of you may view the last part as too flashy, but that's precisely the point.  Downtown is lacking in nighttime visual appeal unless you're driving down I-45.  As far as I know, the only major theater inside the Loop is Edwards.  Locals and downtown tourists alike can drive, walk, or MetroRail it to GreenStreet, where within a couple of blocks they can shop at Nordstroms, XXI, and H&M, dine at a handful of restaurants, bowl at Lucky Strike, watch a concert at House of Blues, party at the Alessandra's rooftop bar, and/or see the latest flick at the sparkling new movie theater.  Thoughts?

haif team mates,

may you all just stop for a moment...    and just imagine the types of "retail" that this beautiful "hotel alessandra" just may inspire?  "greenstreet" shall now become a "gold mine" just like midway corp's "city centre" project.

development, as per this magnitude, is just what "greenstreet" needed to overcome being lethargic vs stoic.  this area of downtown houston...   shall become a "beast".   simply magnificent!

hey my pal swtsig, you said just the other day that "it's coming" in reference to my aforementioned query...    was this the one that you were referring too?  wow!  

gorgeous.

omg alessandra!  aren't you a beautiful debutante.  welcome to downtown houston.  may i have this dance...

please. please. please head towards hell....

Please. Please.

Please stop using, misusing and overusing "as per."

somehow, i simply cannot believe that any developer would build a "grand hyatt hotel" upon that close proximity to the newest "galleria hyatt" now under construction.  this would be a absolutely ridiculous.  (these are not like "starbucks" coffee shops)  

not to mention, upon my experiences abroad, "grand hyatt hotels", are normally "humongous"...   especially, the one in dubai, uae.  as well as bali, indonesia.  i shall not believe that this is a prospective "grand hyatt hotel" until i see it with my own eyes.  no way!

very well interpreted.  as i cannot help but agree upon all levels.  austin, has always been a very beautiful city for sure...  but now, it has taken the term "cosmopolitan" off the charts.  everyone loves austin, and there is a reason behind this...   the city is becoming fabulous!

Interesting take but Austin has become more than a feel good destination since you posted. Not only in national and international events but also in convention business. So many of the larger conventions have wanted to go to Austin but the lack of hotel rooms kept them from coming. The question of whether Austin can have two convention center hotels is pretty clear now. The JW Marriott is still under construction and it is already booked up through 2020 with conventions. That sends a clear message that Austin can indeed handle another 1,000+ hotel.

The office market in Downtown Austin is the tightest in Texas last I saw although I will verify that to be sure. You are correct for many years our office towers have not been much to look at but we are seeing major movement on office tower construction. Austin is no longer dominated by just high tech and institutional companies. With the huge progress and change we have seen in Downtown Austin over the last decade, Downtown is where everyone wants to be. Tech companies normally located in low rise office parks have relocated into Downtown office buildings, more are on the way. Other economic sectors are rapidly growing pushing the need for talket office towers with more square footage. There are 3 players in particular that will likely add a significant office tower to Downtown in the next 2 years. One the Green Water Site, the second would be Chicago based Magellan which has already indicated they want a tower of at least 50 floors, and the Waller Center Towers. With these new projects on tap, Austin's office tower presence will definitely be more noticeable and more competitive.

Fort Worth may still have some larger office towers compared to Austin right now but there is no competition with comparing our full skylines. Austin wins hands down and is firmly the 3rd top CBD skyline in Texas. Downtown is no longer just a CBD, its a neighborhood with a larger residential population the Downtown Houston's and Dallas's combined. Its the entertainment destination for the city. You can walk in Downtown Austin at 3 a.m. and there's lots of people out and about.

Also Fort Worth would have a bigger metro since its lodged with Dallas. Its the largest metro in Texas.

Austin by 2050 may have the population Houston has now which is what all indicators are telling us but Houston will continue to be the largest city in Texas and that's fine by me. It's not always about size, its about quality and I think that Austin has made huge progress in that area.

video is very cool, and yet dynamic...   reminds me a bit of dubai, uae.  thanks as per sharing.

upon my opinion, i honestly believe that the very top of this edifice certainly needs a bit of a "crown" to make it a bit more complete.  it just seems that this effect shall indeed make the edifice more substantial and yet elegant.  nonetheless, i think that the overall concept as per this particular "marriot" shall be beautiful upon completion.

great new pics!  fun times ahead, as per downtown houston.

go austin go!  just why on earth, can't houston ever achieve a hotel component as per this magnitude.   i shall never ever understand this....

marvelous!  and yet ambitious...   great job.

most enlightening.  i am a bit skeptical as per the inclusion of "multi family" as per "greenstreet" per se.  although, this particular component would indeed be most welcome as per downtown.

nontheless, midway corp's prospective announcement as per "hotel alessandra" which should be forthcoming soon...   should certainly enhance that particular "mixed use" venue.   good times are indeed around the corner...   thank you for sharing. 

It was briefly mentioned via the link in the BLVD Place thread 

in December by the Midway Co's CEO that they would be announcing a residential component to Greenstreet downtown and this Memorial Green development not too far from City Centre this month.

 

He started to speak in depth about upcoming mixed-use developments around Houston at the 12:45 minute mark and specifically mentioned this Memorial Green project (a joint venture with Methodist near Lantern Ln and Memorial Dr.) around the 15 minute mark.

very ominous clouds indeed.  otherwise...  progress!

superb!  what a jumpstart as per this community.  houston is indeed booming.

ok, officially nice!  i shall add more...   when i see more.

this is the reason that i refer to this particular edifice as the "phantom menace".  this whole predicament is quite unique isn't it?

Indeed, that middle core is weird.  Although I think the pictures of the tower (that we've seen here) are accurate in showing what is being built, I'm still amazed by the fact that there has been no official announcement stating that this is the exact design being built. 

 

There hasn't been any comments made by the parties involved in the project.  It is a private project, so I'm not saying they're wrong in their silence.  I'm just waiting to hear it from their own mouths.  I'm not doubting the person who posted the pics either, just to make that clear.

skillfully modern.  glamorous!