fatesdisastr Posted September 9, 2013 Share Posted September 9, 2013 Altering the façade, design, or shape in anyway is changing history. I would say it is comparable to changing the history textbooks in the classrooms, And then the students accepting that as what really happened. I agree with you Montrose1100 on wanting to keep the facade the same. Not to get off topic but your argument about history books isn't very good. History books in public schools do not reflect real history. How we still hail Christopher Columbus as a national hero who deserves his own day is beyond me. For a man who raped, pillaged and robbed natives, our children really get the cheery history about a heinous individual. For that, history books should be changed to show multiple views because they only reflect the view of the individual or groups of individuals that write and edit them. As much as I love Pennzoil Place I don't feel it's owner is obligated to keep the exterior the same. Yes it is his property and those who wish it to stay the same can voice their content in hopes that they will change their minds. However since it isn't a historic landmark they can do whatever they wish to it. I doubt the facade will change, it was just a mere observation I was voicing about the image. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate99 Posted September 9, 2013 Share Posted September 9, 2013 That's pretty fun to look at. Looks like it is missing the residential Market Square arrea tower though. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Montrose1100 Posted September 9, 2013 Share Posted September 9, 2013 I agree with you Montrose1100 on wanting to keep the facade the same. Not to get off topic but your argument about history books isn't very good. History books in public schools do not reflect real history. How we still hail Christopher Columbus as a national hero who deserves his own day is beyond me. For a man who raped, pillaged and robbed natives, our children really get the cheery history about a heinous individual. For that, history books should be changed to show multiple views because they only reflect the view of the individual or groups of individuals that write and edit them.As much as I love Pennzoil Place I don't feel it's owner is obligated to keep the exterior the same. Yes it is his property and those who wish it to stay the same can voice their content in hopes that they will change their minds. However since it isn't a historic landmark they can do whatever they wish to it. I doubt the facade will change, it was just a mere observation I was voicing about the image.Well I was talking about how unrealistic they have become, and they still are continuing to get worse. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slick Vik Posted September 9, 2013 Share Posted September 9, 2013 I agree with you Montrose1100 on wanting to keep the facade the same. Not to get off topic but your argument about history books isn't very good. History books in public schools do not reflect real history. How we still hail Christopher Columbus as a national hero who deserves his own day is beyond me. For a man who raped, pillaged and robbed natives, our children really get the cheery history about a heinous individual. For that, history books should be changed to show multiple views because they only reflect the view of the individual or groups of individuals that write and edit them. As much as I love Pennzoil Place I don't feel it's owner is obligated to keep the exterior the same. Yes it is his property and those who wish it to stay the same can voice their content in hopes that they will change their minds. However since it isn't a historic landmark they can do whatever they wish to it. I doubt the facade will change, it was just a mere observation I was voicing about the image. It's pretty interesting when you compare texas history in texas and texas history in Mexico. In Mexico they say Sam Houston is a traitor because he basically left the guys at the Alamo out to die, who were waiting for him. Here he has his own statue and is a hero. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H-Town Man Posted September 9, 2013 Share Posted September 9, 2013 Sure and such buildings are generally designated as national landmarks. Seems like a stretch to me to put this building at that level. It's one of the most architecturally significant American skyscrapers of the late 20th century. Ada Louise Huxtable, architecture critic for the NY Times, said at the time that it had the biggest impact on a city's skyline since the Empire State Building was built. It shows up in most architecture textbooks that show the history of skyscrapers. It is widely regarded as the building that "broke the rectangular box," i.e. put an end to the era of simple rectangular prism skyscrapers, and ushered in the era of "sky-sculpture" towers. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shasta Posted September 9, 2013 Share Posted September 9, 2013 That's pretty fun to look at. Looks like it is missing the residential Market Square arrea tower though. You are correct, we don't have enough information on that one yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H-Town Man Posted September 9, 2013 Share Posted September 9, 2013 So, is your argument that if the community, whoever that is, decides the building is worth more to them than to the owner, the owner ought to bow to the desires of the community without compensation? This has already been decided. In the late 70's, a developer wanted to build an office tower literally through the roof of Grand Central Station in New York, and effectively turn the grand waiting hall into the elevator lobby of his tower. There was a public outcry, and the city passed a landmark law preserving the structure as is. The developer whined that they couldn't stop his development without compensating him monetarily. The case went to the Supreme Court, which ruled in the city's favor. Hence, this is settled case law with Supreme Court precedent. The question then is not whether we as a city could potentially stop any alteration to the building, but why we would waste time arguing about whether we have the right to or not. The proposal: As it looks today: 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jackwood Posted September 9, 2013 Share Posted September 9, 2013 (edited) So basically, Grand Central Station is exactly the same as Buc-ee's. = Edited September 9, 2013 by Jackwood Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArchFan Posted September 10, 2013 Share Posted September 10, 2013 "So basically, Grand Central Station is exactly the same as Buc-ee's." Not sure if he meant that. However, I wonder if the attitude is like this: GCS is (nowadays, at least) an appendage of evil big gubberment. Buc-ee's is a Texas-proud private enterprise, therefore their stores are superior in every way. I'm exaggerating for effect, of course. And I like Buc-ee's as well as GCS. Just in different ways. I just think that, even as a nation of free individuals dedicated to honoring property rights, we still retain the right to try to convince our neighbors to cooperate in such a way that we retain a few things of value for future generations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H-Town Man Posted September 10, 2013 Share Posted September 10, 2013 (edited) "So basically, Grand Central Station is exactly the same as Buc-ee's." Not sure if he meant that. However, I wonder if the attitude is like this: GCS is (nowadays, at least) an appendage of evil big gubberment. Buc-ee's is a Texas-proud private enterprise, therefore their stores are superior in every way. I'm exaggerating for effect, of course. And I like Buc-ee's as well as GCS. Just in different ways. I just think that, even as a nation of free individuals dedicated to honoring property rights, we still retain the right to try to convince our neighbors to cooperate in such a way that we retain a few things of value for future generations. Not sure how carefully you read my post, but I don't think you understood what I said. Edited September 10, 2013 by H-Town Man Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross Posted September 10, 2013 Share Posted September 10, 2013 Johnson designed a few great buildings, and a few that do nothing for me, like the AT&T building, One Detroit, and the Crystal Cathedral. But I also think that on another scale, the Bucee's designers have done an outstanding job of taking a ubiquitous structure of our lives and making it better and more useful. I am a firm believer that function is more important than form, and while it's nice to have a great form, it shouldn't override function. That's why so many buildings in the Middle East are a pain to live or work in - the outside looks great, but the possible floor plans are not good at all. As for Penn Central V NYC, in the end, it looks like Penn Central got what they wanted, which was for someone else to take over running GCS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texasota Posted September 10, 2013 Share Posted September 10, 2013 Except does the building really have anything to do with Bucees success? Their strengths seems to be their selection of snacks, their reliable cleanliness, and, ultimately, their branding. The *only* way in which the actual building matters is in the extent to which they keep it clean. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H-Town Man Posted September 10, 2013 Share Posted September 10, 2013 Johnson designed a few great buildings, and a few that do nothing for me, like the AT&T building, One Detroit, and the Crystal Cathedral. But I also think that on another scale, the Bucee's designers have done an outstanding job of taking a ubiquitous structure of our lives and making it better and more useful. I am a firm believer that function is more important than form, and while it's nice to have a great form, it shouldn't override function. That's why so many buildings in the Middle East are a pain to live or work in - the outside looks great, but the possible floor plans are not good at all. As for Penn Central V NYC, in the end, it looks like Penn Central got what they wanted, which was for someone else to take over running GCS. If function is your main criterion, then you could say that a Porta-Potty is great architecture. Pennzoil Place is not personally my favorite building in Houston (although it's up there), nor my favorite Johnson building. But looked at impersonally, it has done more than any other building to put Houston on the map as a city where cutting edge architecture happens. In the years following that building's construction, architects were looking at us the way nowadays they look at Dubai and Hong Kong, and the way they looked at Chicago in the late 60's. For a time, the architectural world said, "What is Houston going to do next?" 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triton Posted September 11, 2013 Share Posted September 11, 2013 3 pages of nothing. Wow.... hope we get something soon! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jackwood Posted September 11, 2013 Share Posted September 11, 2013 What do you mean "nothing"? We have established beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Pennzoil building is to be redesigned to look like a Buc-ee's. And that it is none of our business. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wernicke Posted September 11, 2013 Share Posted September 11, 2013 One small teaser, 3 pages of arguing about the significance of Philip Johnson... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross Posted September 11, 2013 Share Posted September 11, 2013 What do you mean "nothing"? We have established beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Pennzoil building is to be redesigned to look like a Buc-ee's. And that it is none of our business. A Bucees inside the loop would be great. One downtown even better! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Montrose1100 Posted September 11, 2013 Share Posted September 11, 2013 One small teaser, 3 pages of arguing about the significance of Philip Johnson...On an architecture forum too! The HORROR! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H-Town Man Posted September 11, 2013 Share Posted September 11, 2013 On an architecture forum too! The HORROR! Beat me to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
towerjunkie Posted September 11, 2013 Share Posted September 11, 2013 One of the pennzoil buildings looks slightly taller. Hmmm... that or I forgot about perspective. Most likely the second part. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cloud713 Posted September 12, 2013 Share Posted September 12, 2013 We should now.. Full renderings and official height. Also the new 35 story residential tower to the west of market square. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClutchCity Posted September 14, 2013 Share Posted September 14, 2013 Maybe they are selling it? It says, "The Downtown Houston Icon Available 01/01/2014" in this weeks HBJ. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cloud713 Posted September 15, 2013 Share Posted September 15, 2013 Heres an awesome PDF Urbannizer found highlighting many of the projects going on and proposed in the downtown area, ranging from tunneling i45 and 59, and building grand boulevards above them to building new parks in the Southern portion of downtown and adding Green Ways connecting parks and popular areas. lots of new signage will be added for pedestrians and they are working on better connecting downtown with the surrounding areas.https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/54482015/CHI%20Breakfast%20Presentation%20for%20publication.pdf 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArchFan Posted September 15, 2013 Share Posted September 15, 2013 Pennzoil Place is not personally my favorite building in Houston (although it's up there), nor my favorite Johnson building. But looked at impersonally, it has done more than any other building to put Houston on the map as a city where cutting edge architecture happens. In the years following that building's construction, architects were looking at us the way nowadays they look at Dubai and Hong Kong, and the way they looked at Chicago in the late 60's. For a time, the architectural world said, "What is Houston going to do next?"For those of us who didn't live in Houston during those years, I think that is an excellent point to be aware of. We lost that position, not only in minds elsewhere in the world, but own own. Perhaps there are various metaphors that fit: "fifteen minutes of fame", "merry-go-round", etc. I don't believe in the notion of living in the past. But ... we should remember our past ... and let that help inspire us to be the best that we can be, given the resources we have at hand. Better than degenerating into obscurity, consoled by fleeting status symbols. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
towerjunkie Posted September 15, 2013 Share Posted September 15, 2013 Nice! Thanks for allowing us to look at that. Great time to live in Houston! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Urbannizer Posted September 27, 2013 Share Posted September 27, 2013 Well it's nothing special.. Penzoil Place will be available for lease Jan. 1st of next year. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cloud713 Posted September 27, 2013 Share Posted September 27, 2013 Dammit that's not good for the other new towers trying to find tenants.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houston19514 Posted September 27, 2013 Share Posted September 27, 2013 ^ Nothing unexpected and it's not as if the whole building is available for rent. They have one large block of space (about 230,000 square feet), one medium-sized block of space (just over 110,000 square feet) and a few scattered smaller spaces. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swtsig Posted September 27, 2013 Share Posted September 27, 2013 Dammit that's not good for the other new towers trying to find tenants.. you realize this "news" has been known in the market for 3 years, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chi-Char-Hou-Dal Posted September 27, 2013 Share Posted September 27, 2013 Time to face the music the demand is in North & West - I personally would like to see all the buildings proposed DT go up and have tenants but I think the reality is only a few will get built. I know there is another thread - what are the chances... Hope I am wrong. I had to drive out to Gessner & I-10 today for an early morning meeting that would be brutal to do twice a day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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