remember years ago when there was a proposed houston skysraper? it was real big i think it would have been the biggiest in houston but i cant remember...does anyone have a picture of that skuscraper?
Here's another smaller one (only 1200 ft. tall... hehe) that was supposed to have been built, but never was : The "Block 265 Tower" : http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=138414
Interesting thread about the Bank of the Southwest : http://www.designcommunity.com/discussion/7140.html
Bank of the Southwest Tower And, this is what the Houston skyline would've looked like if the Bank of the Southwest Tower and Tower 265 were built. Tower 265 on the left and BotSW Tower on the right.
Houston is way overdue for some cool new skyscrapers downtown. It seems like decades since a new one was constructed -- anyone know how long it has been?
For some reason, I've always been fascinated with skyscraper but at the sametime afraid to go to the top of one. Are there any in Houston that have observations decks. I need to try to go up the next time I am down there.
Damn, that would look awesome from MMP. Too bad it was never built. I love the new buildings that went up though in the view of MMP. Code: High-rise Building Statistics for Houston 332 completed 22 never built 18 proposed [b]13 under construction [/b] 10 demolished 7 approved 1 vision We have 13 new ones under construction?
WOuld be cool if they built that Ballpark Place building right on the edge of MMP. I always loved this new building that's in the view of MMP.
Here's an article that was in the Houston Business Journal last week about a potential of more office buildings going up in downtown. http://houston.bizjournals.com/houston/stories/2007/03/12/story1.html?page=1&b=1173672000^1429210 CBD poised for building boom Several developers ready to hammer on ultra-tight office market Houston Business Journal - March 9, 2007 by Jennifer Dawson Houston Business Journal Although it's been six years since the last new skyscraper was completed in downtown Houston, a new office tower is soon expected to alter the Central Business District skyline. The question is, which of at least half a dozen proposed buildings will it be? Real estate developers have determined that the CBD is ready for another Class A office building, and several are vying to have their projects be the first out of the ground. Conventional wisdom holds that the first building to reach the sky will have the greatest success. At least five developers are currently looking at creating new office buildings in downtown, some of which already own suitable tracts of land. Some developers have deep enough pockets to start construction without pre-leasing any space, but launching a large building on a speculative basis is rare. "One (developer) has indicated it would move forward on a spec basis," says John Burke, a vice president with The Staubach Co. which represents office tenants. Most, however, are looking for some guarantees and won't pull the trigger on a new deal without a commitment for a significant chunk of space. Therefore, many companies downtown might be hearing a knock on the door from developers trying to secure a lead tenant for the proposed buildings. Several large firms acknowledge they are examining their office alternatives, and may be heavily courted by developers (see related story). Roughly 91 percent of the existing Class A space in downtown is already leased, according to several real estate experts, and the demand for more square footage is growing. Firms that need more than 100,000 square feet of space only have about three choices downtown, sources say, as compared to early 2006 when 11 such blocks of space were available. For that reason, one downtown official says the market could probably accommodate more than one office tower. "I think we'll see two, maybe three announcements of new office buildings," says Laura Van Ness, director of business development for Central Houston Inc. "I think the downtown market will absolutely absorb that space because of the high demand." Burke agrees that one project may not be enough to meet the existing needs. "The first nice, well-located Class A building will probably do very well; and likely there would be room for at least one more," says Burke. "I definitely think there will be some new development." Race for space The downtown real estate market is abuzz about potential new office development. Real estate professionals say they have firsthand knowledge of at least five developments that are in the works or being discussed. And while some developers are forthcoming about their projects, others are vehemently denying the potential developments. New York-based Brookfield Properties Corp., which owns 7.5 million square feet of office space in downtown Houston, is clear about its intention to add to its CBD portfolio through development. Paul Layne, Brookfield's executive vice president in Houston, says the firm plans to build a 35- to 42-story tower encompassing between 750,000 square feet and 1 million square feet. Thomas Phifer and Partners of New York has been hired to design the building, which will be LEED certified, have large floor plates and connect to the tunnel system. The building is slated for a vacant tract Brookfield owns at 1500 Smith, which is north of Continental Center I and south of 1400 Smith, the old Enron Corp. building that is now leased by Chevron Corp. Construction won't start, however, until a large tenant signs on the dotted line. "We see the demand which is out there," says Layne, whose Houston buildings are 95 percent leased. "We want to be responsive to the demand. We think it is important to be sooner rather than later on the development." Brookfield also has two other sites for potential construction. The company owns 2.5 acres containing a surface parking lot just west of Three Allen Center and the Doubletree Hotel on Bagby. The company could also redevelop its Allen Center Garage, located at the corner of Dallas and Clay, into an office tower. "That corner could hold more value than a parking garage," Layne says. "There are other places parking could go." Meanwhile, one of the most talked-about office projects said to be on the drawing board is coming from Dallas-based Trammell Crow Co. The firm wouldn't comment on the speculation. "Call me after mid-March," says Matt Khourie, president of development and investment for Trammell Crow's central operations. "Hopefully we'll have something to say." Still, it's no secret that initial marketing has already begun for Trammell Crow's new building, to be called Discovery Tower. The office is expected to be built near the Discovery Green Park that is currently under development downtown. Another real estate heavyweight, Fort Worth-based Crescent Real Estate Equities Co., which owns 10.9 million square feet of office space in Houston, plans to create a new downtown office structure near its Houston Center complex of buildings. Denny Alberts, Crescent's president and chief operating officer, confirmed the plans during a March 1 earnings conference call with analysts. "We are in the planning stages for developing what we call Six Houston Center," Alberts said. "It would be approximately 600,000 square feet." And real estate sources say Houston-based Hines is looking at developing a new building as well. One potential site is the block bounded by Main, Walker, Fannin and Rusk. Described as the last "seedy" block left to be redeveloped on Main Street, the tract is populated by a vacant office building, an old hotel and a convenience store. Hines spokeswoman Kim Jagger denies that a new building is in the works. But Hines typically refuses to reveal development details until a project is green-lighted. And finally, Houston-based construction company Linbeck, which owns a full city block downtown, has for years been floating a plan to develop the land into a mixed-use project that would include office space. The block in question is bounded by Milam, Preston, Travis and Prairie. But Linbeck spokeswoman Becky Myers denies a pending deal. Broker Stewart Robinson of Conine & Robinson Inc., who creates an annual report on downtown office space, predicts that a new building will break ground this fall and be ready for occupancy in fall 2009. Others peg an initial opening day for a new building in 2010. "There's no question that there's a lot of planning going on," says office broker Sanford Criner of CB Richard Ellis Inc. "There are a number of people talking about building buildings right now." Downtown firms scope out space Several downtown companies are assessing their future office needs, and that could mean a move into one of the new office towers being considered for development. Enbridge Inc., Locke Liddell & Sapp LLP and KPMG LLP are all looking at leasing additional office space -- or at least considering their options down the line. Broker Charles Gordon of CB Richard Ellis Inc., who represents Enbridge, says that if the firm continues to grow, it likely will have to move out of 1100 Louisiana because the building is 95 percent leased. Enbridge has a lease for 220,000 square feet that expires in 2010, at which time it might want to occupy 250,000 square feet or more, he says. "We're just looking down the road and planning our future," Gordon says. "When you get up to 200,000 square feet, it's more challenging to find space." Locke Liddell & Sapp leases about 176,000 square feet in 600 Travis, and is just starting to examine its future office needs. Neil Tofsky of Senterra Real Estate Group LLC and Eric Anderson of Transwestern are helping the law firm with its search, which has yet to specify a space requirement. "It's prudent to start seeing what our options are, but it's also very preliminary," says Julie Gilbert, a Locke Liddell & Sapp spokeswoman. "We're at the very beginning of the process." KPMG's lease of 112,000 square feet in the Bank of America Center at 700 Louisiana expires at the end of 2008. At that time, the accounting firm likely will need between 100,000 square feet and 125,000 square feet, says John Burke of The Staubach Co., who is representing KPMG along with colleagues Dan Bellow, Ronnie Deyo and Stephen Dell. "We are in the market right now looking at various alternatives for them, including their current building," Burke says. The estimated expansion figures don't paint the full picture when it comes to corporate growth, sources say. Expansions that involve moving into a new location -- especially a building with large floorplates -- typically require less additional space than growing in an existing location because the new space can be configured more efficiently. Potential Downtown Office Building Developers • Brookfield Properties Corp. of Houston • Trammell Crow Co. of Dallas • Crescent Real Estate Equities Co. of Fort Worth • Hines of Houston • Linbeck of Houston jdawson@bizjournals.com • 713-960-5935
