dbigtex56

If my observations are welcome, of course I'll be happy to contribute what I can. In the interest of full disclosure, I'm not an 'official' Midtown resident (I live just west of Spur 527), but I frequent Midtown on a daily basis. midtown_resident, you had mentioned on another thread that you were interested in forming or joining a Midtown neighborhood association. The blog seems like a good start. The greatest hurdle IMO is getting the word out. Surely many of our neighbors would welcome an opportunity to address the concerns of those who live in Midtown; it's a matter of reaching them. The internet has great potential to bring people together; for better or worse, it too suffers from sprawl. For all I know, there are already people having parallel discussions on other websites. A solution that comes to mind is old-fashioned and tedious, which is to blanket the neighborhood with flyers. This is the way other neighborhood associations were formed, and it's effective, expensive and a lot of hard work. An alternative is to Google our little hearts out, and 'spam' anyone who mentions Midtown concerns on other boards or usergroups. Maybe we can use Google to our own advantage. I just Googled "midtown neighborhood association" houston and came up with...nothing. If we repeat Midtown Neighborhood Association, in Houston, often enough, Google will see that we're saying Midtown Neighborhood Association and will respond to anyone who is searching for Midtown Neighborhood Association in Houston.

Well, I'm just going to go ahead and blog away... If there's such a thing as a perfect day, it was today. The sky was impossibly clear and so blue it looked scarcely real. All the humidity had been squeezed out of the air, and the sunlight was focused, the shadows black and sharp. What struck me as I rode through Midtown is that the most humble, shabbiest buildings were the most beautiful. There's a terracotta block building on an otherwise vacant lot near the McGowen station, and the sun brought out the subtle differences of color in each block. You'd think it was a mosaic. Even the blistered, faded corregated metal buildings acquired a new depth. Each ribbon of peeling paint cast a unique shadow, never to be duplicated. And I wonder if Midtown will be as beautiful if - when - it's been cleared of blight. Maybe tomorrow it won't be a day like today, and these buildings will go back to being shabby eyesores. But today I saw a Midtown which, even if it existed for only one day, is the one I choose to remember.

A few months ago, I would have joined in deriding The Woodlands. In fact, I'm still not in a very good position to comment on it, having been there only once. But think about it; we take pride in Houston's size - remember those vicious Houston vs Dallas threads? So where the hell are we going to put all those people? We could have development as usual, and it would eventually have reached -sprawled - to the area where The Woodlands is now located. Do you think a chaotic approach would have been better? Do you think uncoordinated growth would have left a single tree standing? Yes, trees are going to have to be cut down to build houses, unless we can persuade people to live in treehouses. For anyone over 12 years old, this seems impractical. That George Mitchell made saving as many trees as possible a priority is commendable. That he forsaw a community that (unlike traditional suburbs) integrated industry and commercial areas with parkland and residential areas is visionary. And that he also desired a economically, racially and culturally diverse population is inspiring. Further, he embraces rather than rejects Houston, the city that made The Woodlands possible. What's not to like? (dedicated, with gratitude, to bachanon)

bachanon, I took no offense at your earlier post, but appreciate your gracious apology. And now, just to show how I don't always practice what I preach, may I Google, cut-and-paste something? This article is from Watching Justice, an association with which I'm unfamiliar. However, the facts seem to be put forward in a clear, unemotional and (I presume) accurate fashion: Texas Congressional Redistricting: The Texas congressional redistricting was unusual because of its timing. In 2001, a panel of federal judges drew a redistricting map after the Texas legislature (then evenly split between Democrats and Republicans) failed to agree on new district lines based on the 2000 Census numbers. In 2003, the Republicans gained control of both houses of the Texas legislature. Even though there was a map in place, the Republican lawmakers redrew the districts and created a new map, heavily favoring the Republicans and targeting white Democratic incumbents. The Democratic lawmakers staged several "walkouts," moving temporarily to hotels in Oklahoma and New Mexico to ensure that the legislature would not have enough Members present for a quorum, and would therefore be unable to vote on the new map. In the end, the Republican plan passed in October 2003. The Department of Justice precleared the plan in December 2003, even though there were arguments that the plan broke up minority communities and placed them in conservative, white districts. In January 2004 the issue went before the federal court in Austin. That court also upheld the Republican plan. The Democrats asked the U.S. Supreme Court to hear the case on an emergency appeal and on January 16, 2004, the Supreme Court refused. [3] The Democrats subsequently filed a non-emergency appeal to the Court, and the Court again refused to review the matter. [4] In addition, fourteen Democratic U.S. Representatives from Texas asked the Department to release its internal decision memo on the Texas redistricting plan. The Representatives alleged that career attorneys at Justice recommended that the Department object to the Republicans' redistricting plan, but were overruled by political appointees at the Department. The Democratic Representatives contend the requested memo would indicate whether their allegations are correct. The Department refused to release the memo, stating that it contains internal deliberations and is thus exempt from public disclosure laws such as the Freedom of Information Act. [5] Link with footnotes bach, where you and I disagree is that I believe the redistricting was drawn specifically to divide the districts of popular, effective state representatives because they were Democrats. The court decision which validates the district map was decided by (Republican) political appointees. This sort of thing is not new to me; having lived in the Montrose for the past 23 years, I've seen our neighborhood redistricted into mincemeat at a local, state and national level. I somehow doubt if you'll have that problem anytime soon in The Woodlands. I'm frankly envious. So far as gerrymandering, it's a given. We can argue back and forth about which party is worse; the fact is they're both terrible. The current system is so deeply flawed that I think it's time to examine if there's a better way to send representatives to Washington who truly represent the diverse interests of a state.

The light rail was running every six minutes...

We had some great vintage pictures of Sears on the 'old' forum - if someone could post them again, it would be appreciated. It was, indeed, a very attractive deco/streamline building. Much of it is probably intact undrerneath the current metal cladding. However, when you compare the old photos with the building as it now stands, it appears that some additions were made to the structure in addition to the more 'modern' facade. If the metal cladding was removed, there might be some very ugly scars to deal with.

Absolutely! Further, I hope that they do a full-out fake 'historic' structure which will compliment the existing buildings - perhaps using salvaged materials on the facade (not one of those fake stucco retro things that look like Foam-Core stage sets, i.e. Calais Apartments). New Orleans can pull it off - why not Houston?

You gotta hand it to Galveston - they see old buildings for their potential, not as obstacles. Nice project!

The ninny who wrote this piece (of ****) must have attended the same Leisure Learning class as the Bubble Girl. He(?) also might want to do a little research before attempting to write about a city with which he's obviously unfamiliar. The Capital of the Republic of Texas was in Houston, however briefly, on the site currently occupied by the Rice Lofts.

Hate to keep beating the same tired drum, but Houston drivers are terrible. The prevailing style of driving is to step on the gas until you reach a red light; then run the red light. Because there are so few traffic lights on Allen Parkway, and because it's a limited access road, some motorists just assume you can treat it the same as a freeway. The idea of negotiating curves and hills, and taking into account prevailing conditions seems foreign to all too many people. What a shame the problems on Allen Parkway can't be blamed on light rail....

Max Concrete, Haven't read your book yet, but it's on my 'to-do' list. I'm especially impressed by your earlier post regarding the engineering challenges of building freeways in Houston. The matter of frontage or access roads is of interest to me, because I rely on walking, public transportation and sometimes bicycling to get where I'm going. Several times I've intended to patronize businesses only to find out that they are virtually inaccessable except by automobile. Likewise, I was tallking with a young woman who lived near an exit off the Southwest Freeway. She had to call a cab to go to the grocery store (a distance of only a few hundred feet) because crossing the street on foot posed an unacceptable risk. I realize that these concerns are not those of the majority of people in Houston. But even so, hasn't it struck some people how absurd it is that you have to get in your car, go back on the feeder, and park again just to go to the building directly next door? What seems like an efficient system (access roads) can lead to some odd inefficiencies.

No offense, bachanon, but it appears you've taken a page from W. C. Fields' playbook: "If you can't dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with bull****." The first lengthy post regarding state and federal law as it applies to redistricting in Texas seems credible, and I mean to read it in its entirety just as soon as I graduate from law school (note to self: enroll in law school). The second one, by some blogger named Beldar, may very well be the work of a genuine Conehead. I would be very cautious about relying on his 'facts', and I'm frankly surprised you would quote such a dubious source. We all know how to Google, and how to cut-and-paste. As soon as I feel like finding something worth quoting, I'll share it with y'all.

And what's up with this "Print It" business? This is not the Daily Planet and you, sir, are no Perry White.

2112, do your meds include a certain little blue pill? 'Cause you really should take them only as needed... C'mon, people! Where's our sense of community? We need to find 2112 a girlfriend (and HJ to the contrary, I'm not one who's out to 'convert' people).

bachanon, it's my understanding that states are required to re-draw districts every ten years, based on the most current U.S. Census data. I also believe that this has been the practice in Texas until DeLay's re-districting (gerrymandering), only 3 (?) years after the most recent redistricting, and that this is unprecedented in Texas history. If I'm mistaken, please correct me; did the Democrats ever redraw districts without new census data? Regardless of ones political affiliation, I believe that a representative government should be exactly that - representative of the voting population. Mr. DeLay obviously believes otherwise.

debmartin, Just so you know, I read, agreed with and enjoyed your thread about the homeless moving towards Hermann Park and the Med Center. At last count it got 116 views. In fact, I thought it was well enough written so there was really nothing further for me to contribute on that particular subject. Most people who post in HAIF seem to fall within some sort of reasonable standard of sanity and courtesy (with notorious exceptions, as 2112 pointed out). Sure, we have differences of opinion, and the trick is to be provocative without being inflammatory. Some like Perry-style townhomes; and some think they're an example of poor urban planning and a blot on the landscape. Some think light rail is a poor idea; I disagree. I hope HAIF continues to have thought-provoking, lively conversations without falling into the sort of screeching name-calling so characteristic of other forums. And as an aside, I almost always prefer an opinion expressed in a persons own words - however awkwardly - instead of wading through a lot of cut-and-paste articles from other sources.

The Sears at Main and Wheeler might have a limited selection of gardening supplies; I agree that there's a market for window-box gardeners. BTW, what's the deal with those stores (I think they're called Houston Garden Center) that have full page advertisments, but never list an address, a phone # or a website? Great deals! but where the hell are you? Tried looking them up in the phone book, and no one answered...

Sorry for being a pessimist, but seems like if someone was allowed to salvage the significant architectural elements, we'd have heard about it. From all appearences, we're dealing with a corporate pinhead culture. They see no advantage to working with people, and their lawyers probably tell them they might be liable if someone is hurt at the site. Where is the leadership in our local historic/preservation societies? Sometimes the only thing that works is to get a mob of pissed-off people with picket signs, and some bad publicity for the developers.

Since I've heard no good news, I fear it's bad news

Projects such as this lend credence to those who say HISD has too much power, too much money, and a lack of accountability - on a few different levels. Rather than using all that money to condemn land and buildings and maintain parking lots, why not use it for incentives for people to carpool or use public transportation? Of course we need schools - and what better place to showcase smart development?

Let's see if I've got this straight... If someone works at a taco stand, it's a 'fact' that they're illegal. If someone is watching your kids more cheaply than day care, they are assumed not to be illegal. How very convenient.

Sorry to hear that - I remember the pictures you'd posted of this house (on the previous forum). I shudder to think what will go up in its place.

And I'd like to thank everyone for that. Hate to think I'd spent $10 for nothing...

Welcome to to forum, kirbyaustex. Thanks for sharing your point of view about Austin's new City Hall. Your comments about its suitability to that particular city make sense to me. From that perspective, it took courage to deviate from what is currently fashionable in some architectural circles. I also agree that one cannot judge a building based on a rather blurry photograph of an architectural model. The materials used and the context in which it's set cannot be fully understood unless the building is viewed in 'real life'. Do I like this building? Don't know; haven't seen it yet.

re: Houston City Hall. I still maintain that Mrs. Lanier did us no favor with her rennovation of City Hall Plaza, especially the reflecting pool. Why the turquoise liner? It's not a kiddie pool! Black is the preferred color, as it creates a more reflective surface. Local examples would be the reflecting pools at Hermann Park and Rothko Chapel.