Marcus Allen Posted June 9, 2014 Share Posted June 9, 2014 I think the second Chevron building is an example of how successful architects could accent preexisting towers. I soooooo hope Chevron 3 is built and follows the same trend. I think of NYs World Financial Centre. Although built at the same time, I can almost see how this could have been a complex that was built one building at a time over a number of years. I was informed a few weeks ago, that the Williams Tower was suppose to be part of a complex surrounded by shorter towers. I think it's time those towers were built as well. Anyway, back to the topic. A third tower added with some sort of stellar skybridge would be another jewel on Htown's crown. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted June 10, 2014 Share Posted June 10, 2014 I think the second Chevron building is an example of how successful architects could accent preexisting towers. I soooooo hope Chevron 3 is built and follows the same trend. I think of NYs World Financial Centre. Although built at the same time, I can almost see how this could have been a complex that was built one building at a time over a number of years. I was informed a few weeks ago, that the Williams Tower was suppose to be part of a complex surrounded by shorter towers. I think it's time those towers were built as well. Anyway, back to the topic. A third tower added with some sort of stellar skybridge would be another jewel on Htown's crown. I think though that architects generally dislike designing companion buildings/new wings etc in the style of the original, unless it is done very close in time. Just a few examples: Three Allen Center was originally designed to look like One and Two, but ended up totally different. The Wedge Building was intended to have a twin on the north side of the block, but when the project was resurrected it had transmogrified into a glass box. MFAH is all over the map with its various wings. Houston Center was meant to have a unified style but ended up a collection of stylistically unrelated structures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mollusk Posted June 10, 2014 Share Posted June 10, 2014 I think though that architects generally dislike designing companion buildings/new wings etc in the style of the original, unless it is done very close in time. Just a few examples: Three Allen Center was originally designed to look like One and Two, but ended up totally different. The Wedge Building was intended to have a twin on the north side of the block, but when the project was resurrected it had transmogrified into a glass box. MFAH is all over the map with its various wings. Houston Center was meant to have a unified style but ended up a collection of stylistically unrelated structures. A trait for which I am glad. Although I guess it would have been pretty wild to have a '70s vision of The City Of The Future!!! taking up the east end of downtown. (It will look good again at some point... prolly right around the time that pairing a very wide orange geometric tie with a yellow plaid sport coat would again be something done voluntarily and with no sense of irony) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcus Allen Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 I wonder what is more an attribute to the genius of an architect; to create an amazing tower from scratch OR to create an amazing tower to accompany existing towers? IMO, I would think trying to mimic but not duplicate an existing structure would be more challenging. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naviguessor Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 Enron two was an evolutionary step from Enron one, which subtly picks up on surrounding elements. I expect and hope the Chevron three will continue the path. Renderings seem to indicate a similar path. The difference between Chevron's Campus and Allen Center & Houston Center, is that it is one corporate identity. The other two are multi tenant...which may be a good reason for multiple styles and identities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triton Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 I love these two also. Here are more pics. Wow these are old. So it was the Wedge Tower that had green neon around it? I knew I remembered a building with green neon lights in downtown. Wonder why they took it down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
democide Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 Shouldn't the address for these towers be 1400 Smith and 1500 Louisiana? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houston19514 Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 Shouldn't the address for these towers be 1400 Smith and 1500 Louisiana? Yes. They certainly should Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcus Allen Posted June 12, 2014 Share Posted June 12, 2014 As others have said, what an iconic pix. I can imagine the opening to yet another Tom Cruise Sci Fi movie with a hovercraft lowering itself onto the top of Chevron 2, Mr. Cruise exiting said hovercraft, and Anycity USA, 2061 scrolls across the screen. I am sure several Americans have no idea HTown has this sort of futuristic venue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mollusk Posted June 12, 2014 Share Posted June 12, 2014 We often stand in for The City Of The Future!!! Westworld and Futureworld were shot at the then - new Houston Center and IAH; Robocop also had a lot of DT nighttime street shots, generally over in the area around the Wortham. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houston19514 Posted June 12, 2014 Share Posted June 12, 2014 As others have said, what an iconic pix. I can imagine the opening to yet another Tom Cruise Sci Fi movie with a hovercraft lowering itself onto the top of Chevron 2, Mr. Cruise exiting said hovercraft, and Anycity USA, 2061 scrolls across the screen. I am sure several Americans have no idea HTown has this sort of futuristic venue. Very true. Sadly, there are many Houstonians that are equally clueless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David DeLaunay Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 I concur with you about these two buildings but wish the owners would illuminate the top of the taller building as it was when built. Does anyone know why this feature has been unused? No matter what the company did, those 2 buildings are the best! I think its 1200 Smith, the older one, is a 50 story high-rise with all mirrored glass, then 1500 Louisiana is a 46-48 high-rise. They have an all glass sky walk connecting the two. Its awesome! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChannelTwoNews Posted August 1, 2023 Share Posted August 1, 2023 https://www.bizjournals.com/houston/news/2023/08/01/chamberlain-hrdlicka-office-renovations.html?cx_testId=40&cx_testVariant=cx_27&cx_artPos=0#cxrecs_s "Chamberlain Hrdlicka, a Houston-based multi-practice law firm, is in the process of giving its headquarters a $6 million update, which it said is necessary to accommodate the firm’s recent growth. The improvements to the firm’s offices in Two Allen Center at 1200 Smith St. will include adding new amenities, bringing in more natural light and building a new collaborative space, the firm said in a news release. The project will also include building new non-loadbearing partitions, new finishes, as well as improvements to the offices’ mechanical, plumbing, electrical, communications and ceiling systems. The firm is also adding a new interconnecting stairway, according to a filing submitted to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation." 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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