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Marriott Marquis: George R. Brown Convention Center Hotel At 1777 Walker St.


Subdude

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I'm not sure when this was taken, and it was copied from a book thus the poor quality, but it shows how much progress has been made Downtown getting rid of those nasty surface lots. Union Station is in the lower right hand corner. 

That's from an essay/architecture book, Mutations with Rem Koolhaas' Harvard Project on the City (I have it in storage and am not sure if the pic is from that particular section).

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While this latest design is not terrible, I too am disappointed in the lack of crown. As it has already been mentioned, it is not like there is flashy architecture all over Houston (in fact there is hardly any at all....especially in the past 20 years). I know conservatism is a part of Houston's culture. I have been a member here long enough to watch folks applaud a practically pitch black downtown nighttime skyline, and describe the overly chosen box design for this city as sleek and regal whenever a design is dramatically scaled back. Ok. I know we aren't Dallas or Atlanta or L.A., or Miami, or Chicago but Houston could definitely use more asymmetric/cylindrial/crowns in it's skylines.

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Im not saying that it won't be nice to have more signage downtown, that I would welcome, but the actual glow of the buildings themselves is comforting to me, especially coming back into town after a long trip.

But like I said, at ground level, we need more signage. More lighted signs in varing colors.

I like the lighting scheme for this hotel, the one at green street and 609 main

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Triton your gifs have the weirdest file names lol 

Surprised at how fast this is moving now though. Exciting!

 

LOL. I didn't create those names. I'm guessing they are randomly generated. Yea, one of them has an.... interesting name.

 

 

 

 

Let's all chip in and buy Triton a tripod. 

 

 

Haha... that certainly would have helped. It is always incredibly windy up there to take pictures of this project.. it appears to come from Discovery Green and the Hess Tower area.

Edited by Triton
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Haha... that certainly would have helped. It is always incredibly windy up there to take pictures of this project.. it appears to come from Discovery Green and the Hess Tower area.

 

 

I walked by there the other day, I was tempted to go up and take some pics myself but got a glowering stare from a segway mounted security dude and kept on moving. 

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I walked by there the other day, I was tempted to go up and take some pics myself but got a glowering stare from a segway mounted security dude and kept on moving. 

Segways were the worst thing security companies could buy. I can just never take anyone seriously when they're riding one  :lol:

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post-194-0-09087600-1400690047.jpg

 

Taken at the height of the Disco Era, judging by the presence of One Houston (1978) and the absence of the tower at South Texas College of Law (started in 1982)

 

Can't believe there was a time where THIS was acceptable ...... so glad to see things changing. 

 

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While a lot of those blocks were cleared in anticipation of the dream of the massive Houston Center development that got eaten by the 80s, a lot of those blocks weren't part of that dream - many of which remain the Parking District.

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While a lot of those blocks were cleared in anticipation of the dream of the massive Houston Center development that got eaten by the 80s, a lot of those blocks weren't part of that dream - many of which remain the Parking District.

Tell me about this as this is news to me. What was the original vision for this massive Houston Center development? I am aware of the bubble bursting by '83 so, no need to describe that. But, please educate me on the vision that you elude to here.
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Tell me about this as this is news to me. What was the original vision for this massive Houston Center development? I am aware of the bubble bursting by '83 so, no need to describe that. But, please educate me on the vision that you elude to here.

Yeah spit some history on us uneducated kids

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Wow! Thank you! 33-blocks? Wow! I wonder what the envisioned development duration of the original 1970 plan would have been? 25 years? If so, that would have meant one or two new buildings every year for a generation...... Wow!

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That's a great book btw :) Yeah Houston center would have been revolutionary, but then again it could have been a bad thing two. I guess we will never know. At least we are finally erasing the sad days of downtown's past (Houston in general). At least our example will forever be a cautionary tell for those in the future.

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While this latest design is not terrible, I too am disappointed in the lack of crown. As it has already been mentioned, it is not like there is flashy architecture all over Houston (in fact there is hardly any at all....especially in the past 20 years). I know conservatism is a part of Houston's culture. I have been a member here long enough to watch folks applaud a practically pitch black downtown nighttime skyline, and describe the overly chosen box design for this city as sleek and regal whenever a design is dramatically scaled back. Ok. I know we aren't Dallas or Atlanta or L.A., or Miami, or Chicago but Houston could definitely use more asymmetric/cylindrial/crowns in it's skylines.

 

What are all of these alleged asymmetic/cylindrical crowns in Dallas' skyline?  Or Atlanta's? Or LA's?

Edited by Houston19514
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Based on the above 1978 photo of the area around what will now be the Marriott Marquis, I have marked the areas that have been redeveloped into something other than a parking lot in green, and the areas that used to have improvement but now have parking lots in red.  The areas that are expected to be redeveloped within the next couple years I have overlaid in yellow.  Not bad for less than 40 years! (click for bigger view)

wT383bcl.jpg

What's orange? Nice job btw

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Based on the above 1978 photo of the area around what will now be the Marriott Marquis, I have marked the areas that have been redeveloped into something other than a parking lot in green, and the areas that used to have improvement but now have parking lots in red.  The areas that are expected to be redeveloped within the next couple years I have overlaid in yellow.  Not bad for less than 40 years! (click for bigger view)

wT383bcl.jpg

 

Stellar work!

 

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I did remember that a fully built out Houston Center would have nixed Discovery Green, but I didn't realize that they didn't even make it all the way through Phase I.  BTW, nice work, rechlin.

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