A 600 foot Schwarz tower would certainly be something.
David Schwarz's website does list a master plan for downtown and shows potential massings for buildings at these locations
https://www.dmsas.co...th-master-plan/
Posted 09 February 2018 - 03:04 PM
A 600 foot Schwarz tower would certainly be something.
David Schwarz's website does list a master plan for downtown and shows potential massings for buildings at these locations
https://www.dmsas.co...th-master-plan/
Posted 09 February 2018 - 03:09 PM
Posted 09 February 2018 - 03:17 PM
That seems like a really small lot for something like that - somewhere around 100'x100', right? Take that with a grain of salt since I'm not architect, engineer, or urban planner and I don't even try to play one on the internet.
Posted 09 February 2018 - 04:43 PM
The project that is referenced will go on the entire city block bounded by 4th, Houston, 5th, and Throckmorton Streets. It's the old Monnig's Department Store site that has been a parking lot since 1991. The piece of property that you think is too small, is actually that, because you can't make a parking garage fit or work on a 100' x 100' site.
Posted 09 February 2018 - 05:01 PM
I'm an idiot. I thought we were talking about the northwest corner of the Petroleum Building lot.
Posted 09 February 2018 - 06:17 PM
Love the idea of a new tallest skyscraper, but that particular block is an unfortunate location.
From the east, the new tower will block the condo tower. From the west, the new tower will be blocked by the condo tower.
Didn't Sundance Square recently say something about not wanting a high rise near the plaza? Or was that speculation on our part?
-Dylan
Posted 09 February 2018 - 08:46 PM
Second location, right? I'm interested in seeing what kind of hours they run. There's a specialty doughnut shop in Southlake that has longer hours and they do pretty good after school business.
Posted 18 February 2018 - 07:30 PM
The upper couple of floor on the East side of BOA Tower appear to have new, brighter lights. Hopefully the towers will be brighter and better match 777 and Burnett.
Posted 18 February 2018 - 08:36 PM
I will have to get up there to take a look.
Posted 19 February 2018 - 08:28 AM
Any update on the rumors about building the tallest skyscraper?
Posted 22 February 2018 - 11:13 AM
Any update on the rumors about building the tallest skyscraper?
Posted 22 February 2018 - 02:05 PM
but also that it could be shelved a few years due to a possible downturn in the Real Estate market which unfortunately seems to be looming.
What makes you say that?
Posted 22 February 2018 - 03:39 PM
but also that it could be shelved a few years due to a possible downturn in the Real Estate market which unfortunately seems to be looming.
What makes you say that?
Not meaning to play economist here, which I am not by profession, I believe we may be in for higher interest rates in the future. That might mean borrowing for capital (to finance construction) becomes tighter, and that might have an adverse effect on building a tall skyscraper.
Posted 22 February 2018 - 03:53 PM
Posted 24 February 2018 - 09:42 PM
I drove downtown to see the brighter lights at the top of the Bank of America Tower. I really didn't need to drive very far. When I backed out of my driveway, I could see them from the street in front of my house. My neighbors across the street have a good view of the entire skyline from their front yards. (through the trees)
Posted 24 February 2018 - 10:04 PM
Yea I notice it yesterday when I was at my dads home in Rock Island. It got me thinking. Just speculation on my part. If you are going to update lights on a skyscraper. Would you go ahead and make them able to change colors while you are working on them ? Mr. Bass already has color changing lights all over Sundance buildings. So why would he not do so on his tallest buildings ? Oh well I can only hope.
Posted 24 February 2018 - 10:57 PM
The lights may not be able to change color due to the technology and wiring on the light fixtures. Those are built into the Sundance Square Towers and I don't think the fixtures have ever been switched out. That would make them a vintage of the early 1980's. The probably do not have the capabilities of changing colors. The only work that Sundance Square is probably doing is to switch out the old lamps for new LED lamps.
Posted 25 February 2018 - 10:10 PM
Posted 16 March 2018 - 07:56 AM
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram is reporting that the removal and replacement of the facade of Sundance West has started. Scaffolding has started going up on 2nd Street. According to the article everything will be removed and replaced on the exterior. Here's a link to the article by Sandra Baker:
http://www.star-tele...e205320409.html
Posted 16 March 2018 - 08:03 AM
I'm interested in seeing if they change the look of the building at all. It's hard to picture it with anything other than the signature red brick.
Posted 16 March 2018 - 08:59 AM
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram is reporting that the removal and replacement of the facade of Sundance West has started. Scaffolding has started going up on 2nd Street. According to the article everything will be removed and replaced on the exterior. Here's a link to the article by Sandra Baker:
I'm curious too who's to blame for the vapor barrier problem that supposedly is necessitating this change. At over $450k per unit to repair, that's a hefty chuck of change. One would think exterior cladding should be a "forever" installation.
Posted 21 March 2018 - 07:11 PM
Milan Gallery posted on Facebook that they are closing at the end of the month. A clothing store has leased their space and so far they have not had luck finding another spot downtown.
Posted 22 March 2018 - 06:10 PM
The old Starbucks location fell through?
-Dylan
Posted 22 March 2018 - 07:26 PM
The old Starbucks location fell through?
Looks like it.
I wouldn't mind a GameStop there, but I feel that spot may actually be too small...
Posted 22 April 2018 - 06:20 PM
Lighting has been brought up before. I already know nothing will change with the Christmas lights, but I really hope the Bass Family or someone else gets into floodlighting a bit more.
(and I know the photo has been touched up, but still... )
Posted 22 April 2018 - 06:27 PM
The Christmas Lights will probably not change. However, floodlighting is an excellent way to highlight historic architecture. Look at the base of the Bob R. Simpson Building, which is a lighting restoration, the Fort Worth Club Building, and the Hilton Fort Worth Hotel (also a lighting restoration). The Sinclair Building is another example of a lighting restoration. Maybe when new owners purchase the W.T. Waggoner Building, the fiber optic source for the dim uplights will be replaced. XTO also replicated the original light fixtures on that building. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram Building with its new lighting also looks good.
Posted 23 April 2018 - 10:13 AM
Lighting has been brought up before. I already know nothing will change with the Christmas lights, but I really hope the Bass Family or someone else gets into floodlighting a bit more.
(and I know the photo has been touched up, but still... )
I can't say I'm a fan. I can't put my finger on why, but I just don't like the look of that.
Posted 21 May 2018 - 09:15 PM
I have a current project where we are doing some assessments on a couple of FWISD schools. To stay out of the way of the students and faculty, we are doing these after school hours. One of them is on the North Side, and I left the school after 8 PM tonight. At the Bank of America Tower, the northern major pinwheel projection is now fully re-lamped. It also looks like the southern major pinwheel projection has been fully re-lamped. The minor projections at the base and the top on the east side have not been changed.
Posted 07 July 2018 - 11:06 AM
Here are some little things that I noticed last night. Fire Station No. 1 was where the Sundance LED lighting was first tested. The lights that were installed on the top of the building were not connected to the computer controlled system and they had limited color capabilities. Last night, I was downtown to take some pictures, and I noticed the lights on the building were brighter and that they changed color with the rest of the Sundance Square buildings.
Another little thing that I had not picked up on before is that the lights inside the upper floors of the new entrance into Hyena's Comedy Club, formerly Lone Star and City Streets, change color in synchronization with the remainder of the lights in Sundance Square. I knew those lights could be different colors, but I had not noticed that when the buildings are red, the lights inside the windows are red.
Posted 12 July 2018 - 03:47 PM
Posted 13 July 2018 - 02:12 PM
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram is reporting that the removal and replacement of the facade of Sundance West has started. Scaffolding has started going up on 2nd Street. According to the article everything will be removed and replaced on the exterior. Here's a link to the article by Sandra Baker:
I'm curious too who's to blame for the vapor barrier problem that supposedly is necessitating this change. At over $450k per unit to repair, that's a hefty chuck of change. One would think exterior cladding should be a "forever" installation.
Great point. The building was completed around 1990, right? What's a reasonable expectation for the lifespan of a building envelope like that? - masonry veneer over (what?)
Posted 27 July 2018 - 08:13 AM
Sundance Square will start marketing the Petroleum Building in their portfolio. The Fort Worth Business Press has the following article.
http://www.fortworth...5a6e3ee8ef.html
Posted 27 July 2018 - 10:23 AM
Posted 27 July 2018 - 03:08 PM
The physical footprint of the building takes 1/4 of the block. However, the remainder of the block was sold with the building by XTO to Sundance Square. The remainder of the block includes the 1/2 block 600 Houston Street Garage (the old Houston St. Mall), and a 1/4 block parking lot where the Pour House used to be located. Dallas Business Journal has more details. They will market the building as office. Sundance is also planning to incorporate the parking garage into their free parking program, and the article indicates they will market the old Houston Street Mall as retail, which that is what should be done. Two levels of retail space (1/2 below grade, the other half above street level) was taken off the market by XTO and converted into office space. Bringing the retail back to the building will improve street activity.
Below is a link to the article in the Dallas Business Journal:
https://www.bizjourn...h-marketed.html
Posted 27 July 2018 - 03:39 PM
The physical footprint of the building takes 1/4 of the block. However, the remainder of the block was sold with the building by XTO to Sundance Square. The remainder of the block includes the 1/2 block 600 Houston Street Garage (the old Houston St. Mall), and a 1/4 block parking lot where the Pour House used to be located. Dallas Business Journal has more details. They will market the building as office. Sundance is also planning to incorporate the parking garage into their free parking program, and the article indicates they will market the old Houston Street Mall as retail, which that is what should be done. Two levels of retail space (1/2 below grade, the other half above street level) was taken off the market by XTO and converted into office space. Bringing the retail back to the building will improve street activity.
Compare what is being done at the Sinclair Building and what is being done with the Executive/Petroleum Building.
One is being developed into a hotel, which in my opinion, will be a net generator of sales for Downtown; while the other is being market as Class-B office space, which in my opinion, continues to offer a cheaper way to have a Downtown presence.
A couple of questions,
(1) what would be the greater benefit to Downtown, Sundance Square - announcing a 800k-1m of new speculative Class A office space that could attract a new large regional/national tenant and or - the monotonous pattern of SSq marketing 4-5 story building of office space and refurbished Class B office space?
(2) what is a charitable explanation for why SSq thinks in a smaller mentality than say, the Trammel Crows and Hillwoods of the real estate world?
Posted 27 July 2018 - 09:16 PM
Rename, this is a complicated question. I am not in the real estate business, so I can't be 100% certain on my answer. I think those forum members who are in the real estate and development business would probably answer your question in a more satisfactory manner. I think that the market studies have shown that 800k to 1m of speculative Class A space is way too much. I also don't think any lender would finance such a project. I was here in the early 1980's when I saw the largest amount of square feet being constructed at one time, and I can tell you at that time the developers way overbuilt. Construction of those buildings left most of the older building stock vacant for quite some time and one of those office buildings was mothballed for about one year before the owners opened up the building for tenants.
I also think that Sundance Square purchasing the Petroleum Building was a smart move for several reasons. One, XTO had already restored the building, so Sundance did not have to do any major construction work on this project. I also think that they see the the restored buildings add to the appeal of Downtown, not the large high rises.
I also think this is another case for be careful for what you wish. Since there is no local Downtown Historic District and/or so few of the Downtown buildings are designated as City of Fort Worth Historic and Cultural Landmarks, there is no legal protection of the buildings against demolition. How would you feel if a developer purchased the block with the Fort Worth Club, the Fort Worth Club Tower and the properties of the Oil & Gas Building, the Service Life Garage, and the current Star-Telegram (Fair Dept. Store) buildings on them and then announced they were going to build a 1M+ sq. ft. tower with a new home of the Fort Worth Club? But in order to do this, all of those properties were going to be demolished. The highest designation level they have is Demolition Delay. Even though there is plenty of land that is currently surface parking in Downtown, there is nothing that requires a developer to build there. Then those historic skyscrapers are demolished and the new building is completed along with a large parking garage. Many downtown tenants relocated to this new building, which leaves more undesignated historic skyscrapers nearly vacant. Those building owners see that there would be more money to be made on a surface parking lot, and they demolish their historic skyscrapers. In this scenario, a lot of the character of the city would be lost.
I'm all for new construction downtown, but I want to see it occur on surface parking lots, not on property where historic buildings are now located.
Urbndwlr, I apologize for not answering your question. A properly constructed high rise building with a brick veneer over metal stud exterior walls should last as long as the lifespan of the building.
Posted 27 July 2018 - 09:32 PM
I wish that Sundance could find a way to rebuild the Petroleum Building's spires. John explained to me once that it would be near impossible and if XTO did'nt I'm not sure Sundance can, but it would be neat.
Posted 27 July 2018 - 09:38 PM
For right now, I had hoped that the Petroleum Building would become a combination of a hotel plus residential.
Disappointed that in having yet another glut of Class B office space in Downtown.
I will give a full throat reply later.
Posted 27 July 2018 - 11:47 PM
Posted 28 July 2018 - 10:15 AM
The upper couple of floor on the East side of BOA Tower appear to have new, brighter lights. Hopefully the towers will be brighter and better match 777 and Burnett.
As of 3am this Saturday morning, this whole building had the much brighter lights.
Posted 28 July 2018 - 10:17 AM
Posted 28 July 2018 - 03:44 PM
I saw them on NBC5 news this morning. I immediately thought they would now re-light the Wells Fargo Tower.
Posted 29 July 2018 - 10:41 AM
Posted 29 July 2018 - 03:03 PM
Still hope they consider changing the colors of the lights every now and then.
Posted 31 July 2018 - 10:31 PM
Not the best shot, but I took this from the plaza tonight of both buildings.
Why wouldn't a glass high rise tower sitting catty corner, say on the Monnigs Block, from these two be out of place?
Posted 01 August 2018 - 11:27 AM
I do think a mostly glass high rise could work on the Monnig's/Gateway Block, but the base of the building would have to be masonry. There were a lot of mistakes made on the Paul Rudolph towers, and I would hate to see them repeated. On the Monnig's/Gateway Block, you also have National Register Designated historic buildings on two sides of the block and another two 1/2 block away to the south and southeast. Although there are no requirements for relating to historic buildings across the street (or even on adjacent properties), a good architect would try to make some relationships. At the time the Sundance Square Towers were built there was only one NR designated building a 1/2 block away (Knights of Pythias Castle Hall). As much as they "try" to be, the Paul Rudolph buildings are not pedestrian friendly.
Downtown
Architecture →
Historic Buildings and Preservation →
Interior Photos of the Tarrant County CourthouseStarted by John T Roberts, 15 Jan 2024 Downtown |
|
|||
Projects and New Construction →
Ideas and Suggestions for Projects →
Filling Empty Spaces in DowntownStarted by Jeriat, 26 Jun 2023 Sundance Square, Downtown and 8 more... |
|
|||
Downtown
Projects and New Construction →
Residential →
Oil and Gas BuildingStarted by eastfwther, 05 Jan 2023 Downtown, 309 W. 7th |
|
|||
Downtown
Architecture →
Local History →
Implosion of the Worth Hotel - Oct. 29, 1972Started by John T Roberts, 29 Nov 2022 Downtown |
|
|||
Downtown
Planning →
City Issues →
New QT's traffic problem?Started by johnfwd, 22 Sep 2022 Downtown |
|
0 members, 0 guests, 0 anonymous users