Triton Posted October 2, 2015 Share Posted October 2, 2015 So far away. I want it now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cspwal Posted October 2, 2015 Share Posted October 2, 2015 I think they are going to start construction on Jones Plaza February 6, 2017 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mollusk Posted October 2, 2015 Share Posted October 2, 2015 With any amount of luck Jones Plaza will end up like Market Square's latest incarnation. It had a couple of miscues that kinda made sense at the time, too - who knew that the interesting, rolling berms would end up being known as the "wino mounds," or that people wouldn't be all that thrilled to walk among long sunken benches that served a similar purpose, except that they didn't absorb what we'll just call "odor" as well as the mounds did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lockmat Posted October 3, 2015 Share Posted October 3, 2015 downtown is starting to get its dope on. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tigereye Posted October 11, 2015 Share Posted October 11, 2015 Alley Theatre with LEDs lit up. https://twitter.com/thachadwick/status/653003580325036032 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Urbannizer Posted December 31, 2015 Share Posted December 31, 2015 In case you've wondered whats going at the Hobby Center: https://twitter.com/chrisandrewscda 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Montrose1100 Posted January 1, 2016 Share Posted January 1, 2016 I assume the brown ovals in the rendering are the current sculptures correct? I really wish they would incorporate a fountain. Not a big one, just some water feature on the corner or close to the entrance. Would be the icing on the cake. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Urbannizer Posted January 12, 2016 Share Posted January 12, 2016 https://twitter.com/chrisandrewsCDA/status/686746920358809600 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobruss Posted January 12, 2016 Share Posted January 12, 2016 Funny, but are my eyes deceiving me. This doesn't look like the rendering. It looks like they substituted Jasmine for much of the color and diversity of plants. Typical architectural rendering. Why can't developers get their renderers to draw what they actually plan to do? Its like the old bait and switch. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mollusk Posted January 13, 2016 Share Posted January 13, 2016 It looks like there is also some sort of shrubbery in there. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Urbannizer Posted April 11, 2016 Share Posted April 11, 2016 Hobby Center by Jeff Mueller, on Flickr 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rechlin Posted April 11, 2016 Share Posted April 11, 2016 I've always thought a better name for that sculpture would be The Crankshaft and The Camshaft. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
htownproud Posted June 20, 2016 Share Posted June 20, 2016 Does anyone know what the deal with Tranquility Park is? There hasn't been water in the fountains for 3 years and now the fountains look like some sort of black mold is taking them over. The City's park website just says closed until further notice. I'm very appreciative of all the money going into creating new parks nearby, but it seems like we could get these fountains working again for far less than the cost to build new parks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samagon Posted June 21, 2016 Share Posted June 21, 2016 I had asked about this in a different thread. someone mentioned that bums were bathing in the water and that's why it was drained. this park needs more lighting and more people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houston19514 Posted June 21, 2016 Share Posted June 21, 2016 (edited) 33 minutes ago, samagon said: I had asked about this in a different thread. someone mentioned that bums were bathing in the water and that's why it was drained. A lot of ignorant things get mentioned on this board. Reality: They had been having a lot of mechanical issues (in the words of the planners, " complex structural, waterproofing and fountain mechanical issues pose challenges below the surface.") Remember, below the park and fountains is the parking garage. The park is being redesigned. According to the Theater District Master Plan, implementation of the new design is targeted to begin in mid-2017. Edited June 21, 2016 by Houston19514 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samagon Posted June 22, 2016 Share Posted June 22, 2016 cool, always good to hear factual information, rather than hearsay. hopefully they find a way to keep the water feature. It was always awesome and a very unique design. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tigereye Posted October 15, 2016 Share Posted October 15, 2016 Jones Hall, celebrating 50 years this week, will be renovated. Plans to be unveiled in early 2017 To that end, Friends of Jones Hall, the symphony, the performing arts society and the city have joined in a task force to create a master plan for the hall's improvement. Suggested modifications, which could cost as much as $200 million, will be made public in early 2017, Postl said. Among proposals being studied is a plan to install an adjustable stage tailored to the divergent acoustical needs of the orchestra and the often-amplified performances presented by Society for the Performing Arts. While the issue of installing windows remains unresolved, Hanson was enthusiastic about the possibility. "On concert nights," he said, "one can drive past or around Jones Hall without realizing there are several thousand people experiencing a live symphonic experience. … Imagine a front entrance that welcomes the community into the hall and does a better job of making it widely known to those walking or driving past that this is a living, breathing hall, not just an architectural icon." http://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/As-it-turns-50-Jones-Hall-a-mid-century-beauty-9972783.php?t=ccd9400a0f438d9cbb&cmpid=twitter-premium 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tigereye Posted October 15, 2016 Share Posted October 15, 2016 (edited) On 5/14/2015 at 6:17 AM, cloud713 said: just had some time to do an internet search for the Master Plan and stumbled across this PDF from April 29th. must of been the most recent meeting that he referenced.. http://www.houstontx.gov/council/c/committee/20150429/PresentationTheaterDistrictMasterPlan.pdf edit.. WOW! complete redevelopment of the Jones Plaza, Fish Plaza, Tranquillity Park, a new pedestrian bridge across the bayou, and options for a complete tear down/redevelopment of Bayou Place to name a few... Here's a quick overview of some of the plans. First thought: If one of the proposals is to open up the lobby to the street, can the Jones Hall renovation be tied into Jones Plaza renovation with Theater District Master Plan? Jones Plaza is also slated to begin work early in 2017 http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/arups-masterplan-endorsed-for-houston-theatre-district-300153023.html Edited October 15, 2016 by tigereye Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross Posted October 15, 2016 Share Posted October 15, 2016 On page 25, the plan mentions removal of the Smith Street bridge. I think they mean removal of the Congress Street bridge, which would make getting to the Post Office redevelopment more difficult. Removing the actual Smith Street bridge would make getting into Downtown off of I-10 nearly impossible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mollusk Posted October 15, 2016 Share Posted October 15, 2016 The map a couple posts up shows the Congress bridge being taken out, not Smith. It's not uncommon for people to inadvertently swap street names when looking at a map that accurately depicts Gail Borden's little stunt of orienting the streets with a 45° rotation from N-S-E-W, particularly if that map doesn't include Main. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plumber2 Posted October 15, 2016 Share Posted October 15, 2016 I remember going to Jones Hall for a class field trip sometime around 1967 or '68. Us boys got a kick out of scuffing our shoes on the carpet (it was red) and then touching the person in front of us, shocking them. Most of the girls would scream out loud (was that harassment?) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houston19514 Posted October 15, 2016 Share Posted October 15, 2016 Additional info from the Houston Symphony's October magazine: ... The renovation will most likely include many more restrooms and far fewer stairs. It's also likely that access to your seats will be facilitated by the addition of aisles running from the stage to the back of the seating area 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobruss Posted October 17, 2016 Share Posted October 17, 2016 In 1975 we performed with the Houston Ballet in Jones Hall for four nights on stage in Caliban, a ballet we were commissioned to compose. It was the first full length rock ballet in the U. S., and was one of the most thrilling moments in my young life at the time. I've always liked the sculpture floating high above the lobby. I'm glad to see them restoring the building that really gave that whole part of town and the historic district new life. I can't wait to see Jones Plaza and the plaza in front of Jones hall redesigned and finished. If this turns out anything near what has happened around Discovery Green it will be a great thing. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H-Town Man Posted October 19, 2016 Share Posted October 19, 2016 Isn't a $200 million renovation of Jones Hall kind of like a $10,000 restoration of your 1989 Chevy Cavalier? Shouldn't you just put the money in a new car? Granted, Jones Hall is kind of a developing landmark, but if they're talking about punching windows in it, that sort of compromises its landmark design. Didn't they just do a renovation about 15 years ago with the flexible ceiling? Now they want an adjustable stage. Starting to feel like lots of replacement parts in this thing. I don't think the Dallas Symphony is replacing any of the parts in its hall: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houston19514 Posted October 19, 2016 Share Posted October 19, 2016 (edited) 1 hour ago, H-Town Man said: Isn't a $200 million renovation of Jones Hall kind of like a $10,000 restoration of your 1989 Chevy Cavalier? Shouldn't you just put the money in a new car? Granted, Jones Hall is kind of a developing landmark, but if they're talking about punching windows in it, that sort of compromises its landmark design. Didn't they just do a renovation about 15 years ago with the flexible ceiling? Now they want an adjustable stage. Starting to feel like lots of replacement parts in this thing. I don't think the Dallas Symphony is replacing any of the parts in its hall: Well, goodness knows, if Dallas isn't replacing any parts in their symphony hall, then we certainly shouldn't be doing so either. And on that note, someone should probably alert Lincoln Center officials in New York City that Dallas isn't replacing any parts in their symphony hall so Lincoln Center shouldn't be wasting their money refurbishing the home of the New York Philharmonic. They did a relatively minor refurbishment to Jones Hall a while back mostly, I think, to bring it into ADA compliance and then to repair the exterior marble... had nothing to do with the flexible ceiling (the flexible ceiling was a feature when the hall was originally constructed). Edited October 19, 2016 by Houston19514 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mollusk Posted October 19, 2016 Share Posted October 19, 2016 Morton Myerson's Magnificent Mansion of Music is also about 23 years newer than Jones Hall. A better comparison would be to the Alley renovation; that building is only two years newer. As far as adding windows to the Jones Hall lobby, that may or may not be a good thing... it kinda depends on just how it's done. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H-Town Man Posted October 20, 2016 Share Posted October 20, 2016 (edited) The point of the Meyerson comparison was, wouldn't it be better to build a magnificent new hall than to keep overhauling an old one that nobody really loves? The Meyerson isn't replacing major sections because their interior is a masterpiece; our hall was multi-purpose from the beginning, and we are now trying to put Mercedes parts into a Chevy. Is it worth spending $200 million to replace major sections of Jones Hall, when for $400 million you could get something gorgeous like the Meyerson? I'd be grateful if someone would reply to this idea thoughtfully instead of just trying to mock my words schoolyard-style. My only interest is to have the best possible symphony hall on that block. Edited October 20, 2016 by H-Town Man Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigFootsSocks Posted October 20, 2016 Share Posted October 20, 2016 I mean I get your point, but in the arts world that $200 million comes from private donors/fundraising, correct? Asking those donors to double their donation is not a simple task, and throwing out numbers like you did makes it seem like it's an obvious choice, but $200,000,000 + an extra $200,000,000? I mean...that's a lot of zeros... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H-Town Man Posted October 20, 2016 Share Posted October 20, 2016 (edited) 27 minutes ago, BigFootsSocks said: I mean I get your point, but in the arts world that $200 million comes from private donors/fundraising, correct? Asking those donors to double their donation is not a simple task, and throwing out numbers like you did makes it seem like it's an obvious choice, but $200,000,000 + an extra $200,000,000? I mean...that's a lot of zeros... Obviously it would take longer to raise $400 million than $200 million. With the oil downturn, it would probably have to wait a few years. But you'd be getting a magnificent hall that could be a landmark, and that would have a 50-75 year life expectancy. With the Jones, you've got something that will never be a gorgeous landmark like the Meyerson, is already 50 years old, and you're paying all this money to give it another 25 years of being good but not great. Ive read in the past that the Dallas Symphony consistently sells more tickets than ours, despite not being as good a symphony. Not hard to see why. Someone who isn't a music lover would take a date to the Meyerson because it's such a stunning place. That person would not take a date to Jones. It was built at a time when Houston was still a large regional city rather than what we are now, when it was comparable to Baltimore or Milwaukee, and we had to make it multi-purpose because we couldn't afford a pure symphony hall that didn't accommodate our other organizations. That necessarily involves compromise. Now we can build something first rate. Let the Chevy go and put the money towards a Mercedes. Edited October 20, 2016 by H-Town Man 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mollusk Posted October 20, 2016 Share Posted October 20, 2016 "It's 50 years old" in and of itself is not a good reason to level a building. The complaints about Jones Hall pretty much all fall into some category of "it can be fixed." Seat width and number of aisles? Modifying that dang near falls into routine maintenance territory. Modifying the stage, adding restrooms, changing stairs to ramps, replacing the ceiling... none of that is exactly rocket science, and all of it can be done for a lot less in both time and money than starting over from scratch - if you want to see how, just look one block to the northwest towards the Alley, 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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