dbigtex56

Me, too. Usually, it's when I am entertaining people who are are visiting from out of town. I'm still trying to get it through my thick head that we cannot compete one-on-one against any other city on their terms (unless we're going out Hwy 225 and showing off refineries.) In other words, if they're from Chicago or NYC, don't try to impress them with our tall buildings. If they're from the Rockies, don't take them to Buffalo Bayou or Miller Outdoor Theater, to show them Houston's only two hills. If they're from a city more than one hundred years old, don't try to impress them with our historic districts. If they're from East St. Louis....well, I'm flummoxed.

The people 'most hurt by this' are those who have an appreciation for good architecture. Age and place of birth have no bearing.

Merged with existing topic, and moved thread to Traffic and Transportation.

As has been pointed out, at least it's better than another parking lot facing Westheimer. While unlovely, the brick facades are more in keeping with the existing buildings on that portion of Westheimer than some icky ocher pseudo stucco (and say that three times, fast!)

That would be St. Joseph Why? Because he's the patron saint of carpenters. Why upside down? Beats the heck out of me.

You're right. And I have reported both circumstances, in several instances. Want to know what was done? (crickets)

From HAIF Guidelines: You're right, of course. But, you gotta admit, it was funny. I probably should also reprimand those who refer to you as "The Pedant". No one's perfect.

I'm thinking that there were two tornados within the city limits of Houston in the early 90's. I'm quite familiar with one of them; it struck my apartment building, while I was at home. That sound is unforgettable. November 16, 1993, 9:20-ish AM. It pretty much obliterated four or five apartments in my building, and several in other nearby buildings as well. Among the casualties was a mint '66 Olds Toronado, crushed by a flying air conditioning unit. That no one was killed is a miracle. This tornado started near the Med Center, skipped over to Westmoreland (where, ironically, it caused damage ONLY to non-historic buildings), then petered out on the south side of downtown, where one of the energy companies (I forget which) lost several windows. My recollection is that the southeast side tornado struck a year or two later.

We're so close to agreement! When you proposed (I'm of the impression that you're in a heterosexual marriage), did you ask your beloved, "Shall we share tax benefits and insurance breaks?" If yes, well, your wife's quite a gal. I imagine that your marriage meant (and means) something more than that. You wanted the world to know that you two love each other, that your union was to be taken seriously. No surprise that same-sex couples feel the same way.

Wow. Thanks for the links. Duwaji ranks up there with Krusty the Klown in self-promotion. AWWW!! He feeds stray dogs!

Miller Outdoor Theater?

Well, that's the thing. Perhaps if the developers included some subsidized housing in their plans, the 'urban experience' might be a trifle more authentic. These socialist, commie ideas seem to work pretty well in Toronto.

LOL Literally.

Is this the former Knights of Columbus building at 3535 Louisiana? Crosspoint has signs up regarding future development.

Damn, Subdude! Beat me to it. Exuberant though the Christ Scientist building may be, does it qualify as Googie? I was hesitant to name it as such, because it has a certain dignity not usually associated with Googie architecture.

RedScare and I are more mature than that. Poopyhead.

Annise Parker (City Controller) wrote an article which I think illustrates the frustrations that government officials encounter:link to article (OutSmart) Well, if everyone were conscientious and reasonable, if everyone resolved to be a good neighbor and civic-minded citizen, things would be easier. Let me describe a real world problem. Think about how I tried to solve it, and what you might have done instead. Problem The owner of a local restaurant contacts me and complains that he is being harassed by city inspectors. For months, someone has been calling in anonymous complaints. The restaurant has been visited by the health department, the fire marshals, parking management, the solid waste department, etc. Each time the inspectors come (sometimes just days apart), the restaurant is shut down during the inspection, costing time and money. Nothing but a few minor technical violations have ever been found, and most inspections find no violations. Response I contact the various inspectors, and they confirm the restaurateur's story. They believe the calls come from the same source and feel someone is using the various city inspection divisions to harass the restaurant owner, but they are required to respond to all “legitimate” complaints and cannot ignore the calls. Solutions No business should be exempt from regulation, but it costs the city time and money to conduct an inspection. The initial complaints were anonymous. I ask that, in the future, only sworn complaints be taken for this location and that a supervisor approve all inspections. City officials agree. I encourage you to read the rest of the article: interesting stuff. Some of you may be familiar with this sort of harressment; it caused the demise of the beloved Ale House. Shouldn't the jerks who abuse city services be held accountable? After all, we prosecute those who abuse the 9-1-1 emergency lines. PS: any guesses as to whom she's referring?

I find your sentiments depressing. And accurate.

My delight with new construction (at least, some of it) is tempered by the disregard that contractors have for the public. An example: I was walking past the new Hines construction site on Main Street. To their credit, a walkway to shield pedestrians has been built. However, either the contractor or local ordinances haven't taken me into account. The roof is too low. Maybe not for you, but I have to duck to walk through the thing. In my defense, I'm not freakishly tall. Exceptionally, maybe, but not quite circus material. Shouldn't such structures accommodate those of us who are a mere 6'6"? Other examples abound. More pressing is the matter of runoff from construction sites. Sidewalks are often seas of mud; I imagine that the impact on storm sewers and bayous is also significant. Speaking of sidewalks, often they're demolished along with any exisiting building in older neighborhoods. In many cases, it's literally years before they're replaced. Who oversees contractors? And why aren't the overseers doing a better job?

As someone who's worked with Southwest Casting for a couple of years, I recommend them highly. Joe and Sara are people of the upmost integrity and are eager to give new talent any breaks they can. If you've ever had a hankering to try show biz, this is a great starting place.

Per Wikipedia: Googie, also known as populuxe or doo-wop, is a subdivision of futurist architecture, influenced by car culture and the Space Age and Atomic Age, originating from Southern California in the late 1940s and continuing approximately into the mid-1960s. The types of buildings that were most frequently designed in a Googie style were motels, coffee houses and bowling alleys. Features of Googie include upswept roofs, curvaceous, geometric shapes, and bold use of glass, steel and neon. Googie was also characterized by space-age designs that depict motion, such as boomerangs, flying saucers, atoms and parabolas, and free-form designs such as "soft" parallelograms and the ubiquitous artist's-palette motif. These stylistic conventions reflected American society's emphasis on futuristic designs and fascination with Space Age themes.

After the Time Warp, it looked more like this:

Now you're talking! What's needed here is a retronym. So, if it's a union of like gender, let's call it marriage. If it's a union of different genders, henseforth it shall be known as "a mixed marriage."

Perhaps a bigger, uglier building?

The two aren't mutually exclusive. Those eyebrow windows are pure Googie.