dbigtex56

It would seem to me that any high school graduate who took art and drafting classes would distinguish between an elevation and a perspective drawing, and not attempt to combine the two. Unhappily, this doesn't seem to be the case in some of the above renderings. So far as the presumed (in)abilities of HAIF critics, I'm inclined to think that it's entirely possible that some of us can draw as well. Check out any amateur art group - there's a lot of talent out here. And when work is being presented at a professional level, isn't it fair that it should be judged at that level as well? And volume? How many of these damn houses are they pumping out, anyway? Would it kill 'em to spend another hour to get it right?

I think the blame falls on the design of new housing, specifically townhomes. Older houses had accommodations for 'junk' - tool sheds, attics, utility rooms, and so on. Now, every square inch is dedicated to living space, the barer and airier the better. So the disused exercise equipment goes in the garage, as does the leaf blower and the hobby equipment and collectables that people are going to do something with...someday. I'd rather see storage unit facilities than have people fill their garages with 'stuff', and then park their cars across the sidewalk because there's no where else to put them.

Ever see The Shop Around The Corner or You've Got Mail? I can too easily imagine something like that happening. ("Oh, it's YOU! And yet you seem so nice in person...") Surely, at least a few HAIF members would recognize me if they saw me. There aren't that many pedestrians in my neighborhood, and we tend to be memorable. FWIW, the HAIF members I've met so far (3-4?) have all been polite, attractive, didn't smell bad and haven't stalked me. Nice people, all.

thanks for the heads up. Merged topics.

According to Channel 2 (and consider the source) it was a business. The video accompanying the story showed a small one-story gray and white house with smoke coming out of the roof. Not sure if it's a total loss.

Welcome to HAIF, and thanks for clearing that up. Hope it's a success. Do you have a projected opening date? Any discounts for HAIF members?

Great pictures, GoAtomic! I've always wanted to see the interior of this building but never got up the nerve. (I'll attend to correcting the title)

But of course! They live for cheesy. Let's help them out: "Local 2 will continue with news for the O'Malleys, the Jeffersons, the Goldsteins and the Garcias..."

Followup: I called Channel 2 to let them know that Van Buren and Peden are in MONTROSE, not MIDTOWN. They thanked me. And on the 5 o'clock broadcast they changed the story. Now it's a fire in West Houston, in the Midtown area. What bozos!

If nothing else, Channel 2 can be relied on to provide a laugh or two. This afternoon they reported a fire "in Midtown, at the corner of Van Buren and Peden." Last time I checked, that's still Montrose. Not by any stretch of the imagination could it be called Midtown. But this comes as no surprise. As reported on another thread, Channel 2 reported that New Year's Eve festivities would be held downtown, and a star would rise on the Binz Building "at the corner of Main and Prescott Street". Huh? Where's Prescott Street? There's Preston.... I reported the error, and they thanked me for pointing it out. However, that didn't stop them from cheerfully repeating the error on a later broadcast. And, as RedScare correctly pointed out, the Binz Building is at the corner of Texas, not Preston. And certainly not Prescott. It reminds me of an episode on the Mary Tyler Moore Show, when they discovered that their higher ratings were due to people tuning in just to laugh at Ted Baxter's bumbling. Channel 2 remains a joke.

Like Loewy, Brooks Stevens designed for Studebaker, in addition to designing the Jeepster and the Excaliber. I've seen references to a house he designed for himself too, but haven't been able to find an image online. Good ol' "Boomerang"! Like Fiestaware, 501s and Converse sneakers, some things never go out of style.

I don't recall any explicit, graphic sex or excessive use of profanity in The Sissy Duckling. Further, there are no references to homosexuality in this book. "No one's mind is going to be changed on this forum." You know, my mind could have been changed, if only Library Patrons hadn't discredited their own organization. Don't claim to provide "complete and accurate information", and follow with incomplete and inaccurate information. I suggest that any information about Library Patrons be moved to the Fiction section of the library.

I'd love to see Earthman Funeral Homes sponsor the soccer team. "Go, Earthmen!" Seems especially appropriate for the Space City.

Welcome to HAIF, Daisy3600, and thanks for providing a thoughtful point of view. I accepted your challenge to visit the Library Patrons of Texas website, and believe that they have some legitimate points. The graphic nature of some of the images and imagery came as a surprise to me. But not for the reasons you may think. For some reason, the cartoon images on the website (illustrations from the books in question) included black bars across the 'questionable' body parts. Since this website is designated for concerned adults over 18, whose eyes are being spared? As an adult, I think that I can handle cartoon images of vaginas, breasts, urethas, anuses, etc. without coming unglued. Further, I can say these words out loud without blushing. "Good decision making begins with accurate and complete information." (emphasis added) Yet, that's not what's being provided on the website, is it? Apparently, there's a desire to not offend those who somehow think they're qualified to determine what is and is not offensive. And that makes me uncomfortable. Very uncomfortable. I notice that heavy emphasis is placed on passages which describe homosexual contact. Gee, aren't there any heterosexual examples that could be cited? or aren't they considered sufficiently shocking? Do some of these Library Patrons enjoy an occasional steamy romance novel themselves? Perhaps a good vetting of Danielle Steel is in order. What takes the cake is that anyone would consider Harvey Fierstein's The Sissy Duckling a shocking example of that from which our children must be protected. How is this innocent story offensive?

According to news reports, Delay says he's going to give thousands of dollars he obtained through Abramoff to charity. Wonder if the beneficiaries will include Celebrations for Children Inc.?

What do you mean, eliti$t? They are keeping prices under $1mil, for heaven's sake. I'm tempted to call this project elitist; and I'm also aware that I'm also a tad...oh, what's the word? envious. That people who can afford to would shell out the bucks to live in a small(er) building of good design in a close-in neighborhood makes their wealth more bearable (IMO) than the Mega-Mansion dwellers on the Katy Prairie. If they must flaunt it, at least they're doing it with style.

Dec. 29, 2005, 9:09PM Moneymakers: Francois deMenil Townhomes with a bit of levity Nancy Sarnoff Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle Francois deMenil, the New York-based architect and son of distinguished art patron the late Dominique de Menil, is designing his first townhome project in his native Houston. Located on Stanford Street in Montrose, the contemporary project consists of two townhomes built on an elevated site connected by a plaza with underground parking. Priced at between $850,000 and $890,000, the homes are being developed by emerging local developer Carol Isaak Barden. Link to full article That Nancy! Always has some of the best articles in the Chron. Does anyone know where on Stanford these townhomes are being built? Any observations as to how they'll relate to the surrounding neighborhood?

To be fair, yesterday I went back to that stretch of Sesquicentennial Park behind the Wortham Center, and much of the silt that had covered the pavement has been cleaned up. Wonder if they're reading this at City Hall? If so, thanks. It looks a lot better.

And Mayor White's targeting of the after-hours clubs that spawned so much violence was what - window dressing? Looks to me like he 'gets it' just fine. Further, any increase will make an already low murder rate's percentages appear to jump at an alarming rate. Do not be deceived. This is not a crisis. Now people are shooting each other in apartment parking lots instead of nightclub parking lots. And he's dealing with it. And to answer your question "Who is responsible (for murder)?" - well, call me old fashioned, but I'll say it's the people who pull the triggers - not Mayor White.

Note the placement of the chimney for 2619 Nottingham - right where two angles of the roof intersect. Now that's going to be an engineering puzzler. Unless, of course, it's not a chimney. Perhaps it's a rooftop outhouse.

Especially in these times, when any place that grows hair is considered fair game for the razor. Tell the management that you want 3-way mirrors installed, because you're having trouble shaving your back. Perhaps that will prompt them into establishing some sort of policy on this matter.

Try applying a black Sharpie. It has pretty good coverage. "the President approved a Joint Resolution of the 84th Congress, declaring IN GOD WE TRUST the national motto of the United States." I'd thought E Pluribus Unum was our national motto - turns out that it's the motto of The Great Seal of the United States. Learn something new every day...

You beat me to it! "Fabulous Ruins of Detroit" has been a favorite website for a long time (the original one - not the neonazi one ). I did read somewhere recently (wish I could remember the source) that there's an effort to restore one of the most prominant (and hopeless looking) Victorians - perhaps the one in nmainguy's photo? Another city which has a huge stock of unrestored, but beautiful 19th century buildings is St. Louis, MO. Check out a similar website: Built St. Louis

Funny you should mention that! This morning, good ol' Channel 2 news reported on their 6am newscast that the only public celebration in Houston would be the lowering of a star at the Binz Building "Located at Main Street and Prescott (sic), downtown." So I called Channel 2, and let them know that the street's name is actually Preston. Not Prescott. They thanked me. At eleven, the story was repeated, but this time with a different anchor (Linda Lorelle). Again, "Main and Prescott, downtown."

"Helga, I'm not mad at you, I'm mad at the dirt." The intersection which gave me fits probably was Travis @...Franklin? Congress? And compared to bigger problems in the world, this may be nit-picking. Yet, there's something discomfiting about being stranded on a patch of concrete in the middle of busy, unmarked streets - especially when traffic signals are placed in such a way that they're not visible to pedestrians. One begins to understand why Houston has such a dismal rate of pedestrian fatalities. Keeping streets (and sidewalks) safe and passible is too often overlooked during street reconstruction. This isn't a matter of having to spend more money; it's about caring enough to plan intelligently.