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City Parking Garage Next to Omni Hotel


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#1 John T Roberts

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Posted 28 May 2006 - 08:07 PM

The designer of the City Parking Garage going between the SBC Building and the new Omni Hotel has released some sketches of the design. This was presented during the May meeting of the Downtown Design Review Board. I will be posting this presentation and after you have looked at it, I would like to hear everyone's thoughts on the design of this garage.

City Parking Garage Next to Omni Hotel (3 MB pdf file)

#2 fwpcman

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Posted 29 May 2006 - 07:49 AM

Can't open file.

#3 John T Roberts

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Posted 29 May 2006 - 08:56 AM

I fixed it. I typed in the file name incorrectly in my first post.

#4 Joma

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Posted 29 May 2006 - 12:07 PM

Not too bad, as far as parking garages go.

#5 mosteijn

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Posted 29 May 2006 - 12:21 PM

Yeah, definately not "run-of-the-mill," but it does look a little strange...are those corner towers really going to be blue, red, violet and turquoise glass? Other than that, you can tell they were going for a very art deco theme, and it looks nice.

#6 fwpcman

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Posted 29 May 2006 - 02:43 PM

I like it. I think it's time to start making parking garages that don't look like parking garages.

#7 Fort Worthology

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Posted 29 May 2006 - 02:46 PM

Very nice, considering that it's a parking garage. Glad to see our city moving away from the nasty parking garages we've been cursed with for so long. First the garage behind the Chase Bank building with that nifty Art Deco facade, and now this. Hopefully the trend will continue.

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#8 John T Roberts

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Posted 29 May 2006 - 04:33 PM

The one good thing about this garage is that all four sides will have some articulation atypical of a parking structure. The unfortunate thing about the 3rd Street Garage (behind Chase Bank) is that only one side has a nice and decorated facade.

#9 Fort Worthology

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Posted 29 May 2006 - 05:44 PM

The "one good thing?" Do I take it to mean that you're not a big fan of this garage, John?

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#10 ghughes

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Posted 29 May 2006 - 06:05 PM

My "one good thing" is slide 33 that shows Retail facing Throckmorton and Restaurant facing Houston.

#11 John T Roberts

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Posted 29 May 2006 - 07:17 PM

I actually like the garage. I probably should have started the sentence with "The good thing". It is nice to see that the design was well thought out by leaving Houston and Throckmorton frontage open to restaurants and retail space. Placing the parking entrance on 11th and the service entrance opposite the service entrance of the hotel on 12th were very smart moves. Giving the facades an Art Deco feel with some accented corners and centers is a great idea for disguising the garage. I like the overall look of the building. Hopefully, in the future, more garages in the city will try to hide their function to this degree.

#12 ghughes

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Posted 30 May 2006 - 04:16 AM

I like the garage, too, because there is an effort toward being decorative. But it's the ground floor that really counts for me. Street-level activity is so very important and most garages kill that off by their presence. Beyond that I don't really consider the design effort to be so much hiding the function as just trying to make a nice looking structure. And that should be a part of every public works project.

I hope the city will go through with it. But what happens if the cost cutting crowd gets hold of this? I shudder to think.

Also, how will the commercial and restaurant property be managed? I trust we can learn from a few past efforts (Mercado, Rail Market) and keep the city out of it as much as is possible for city-owned property.

#13 RD Milhollin

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Posted 30 May 2006 - 10:25 AM

I am surprised that Jacobs did not include a photo of the city courts building on Throckmorton in the "precidents" section of the presentation. It seems to me that the art deco flourish is a direct reflection of the front of that building. I like the colored glass towers, they add an element of whimsey to a stable, traditional, and otherwise semi-formal design.

#14 Nitixope

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Posted 31 May 2006 - 09:41 PM

Can't go wrong with art deco, as long as the exterior materials are true to the design - - masonry, stone, stained concrete, metal, glass. If they go cheap, it will just draw criticism. I glanced through the slides very quickly, but wondered if the garage design is completely independent from the Omni design?

In other cities I've started seeing public bus stops, train stations and other public buildings incorporating large transparent multicolored glass sections, usually squares and rectangles. It looks good now but has hints of retro 60's 70's styles many snub at today.... colored paneling has some appeal now when a building is new but may not fit 10 or 15 years from now.

The elevator bank layout will be a critical design component b/c of the constant hotel traffic and during events at the CC. A well-thought exit plan for vehicles will help too. It will be nice to have another parking structure on this end of town esp. if portions are free on weekends and after 6pm.

#15 elpingüino

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Posted 18 April 2017 - 06:46 AM

Interesting article in today's Star-Telegram: Wanted: Retail tenants for space near Fort Worth Convention Center

 

I knew that it had been quiet over on those blocks, but I didn't realize that the ground floor of the garage had sat vacant for *eight* years.



#16 Jeriat

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Posted 18 April 2017 - 10:52 AM

Some suggestions I'm going throw out. 

- 7-Eleven

- Fuzzy's Taco Shop (still shocked that there's not one anywhere near downtown)
- Vivo 53 
- Which Wich? 


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#17 JBB

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Posted 18 April 2017 - 11:01 AM

Race Street Fuzzy's location is pretty close to downtown.

#18 Jeriat

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Posted 18 April 2017 - 11:07 AM

Race Street Fuzzy's location is pretty close to downtown.

 

I guess I meant in downtown. 

But I tend to forget about that one.


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#19 Now in Denton

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Posted 18 April 2017 - 11:28 AM

It would be a good place to go eat after mass. A very short walk from St.Patricks . The drawback is the church wants your vehicles out asap to make room for the next mass. Maybe some sort of deal can be made for Sunday parking ? Some revenue is better than nothing .



#20 renamerusk

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Posted 18 April 2017 - 04:10 PM

This nervousness, be it 8 years for it to build on the part of the City,  may be premature. 

 

There is new residential units coming soon to this immediate area that free market demand will resolve. 



#21 Austin55

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Posted 18 April 2017 - 04:21 PM

When I've gone to big conventions I typically eat out twice a day, usually a quick, cheap and familiar place for lunch somewhere nearby, and then a more relaxing dinner elsewhere. Sundance has plenty of dinner options, I'd personally like to see some quick & cheap eats at the CC. Even if it's just another subway or something dull. Obviously, there's a lot of room for multiple options here in this location. A small convenience store might do very well too. That section of Houston seems almost exclusively convention goers and Omni guests, along with the occasional T&P or Pinnacle Bank Place resident.



#22 John T Roberts

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Posted 18 April 2017 - 06:33 PM

It would be great if a Whataburger opened up in the garage.  However, a Fuzzy's would do just fine.  Personally, I think we have enough Subway locations in downtown.  I do agree that a convenience store would also work well there.



#23 Jeriat

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Posted 18 April 2017 - 08:38 PM

Oh yeah, we have MORE than enough Subways.

I'd actually like an urban QuikTrip. No gas pumps, obviously, but the store with a bigger kitchen.

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#24 John T Roberts

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Posted 18 April 2017 - 08:46 PM

Urban QuikTrip?  Do they have such a thing?



#25 Austin55

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Posted 18 April 2017 - 08:53 PM

Urban QuikTrip?  Do they have such a thing?

 

At least one, in Atlanta. Here's an article about it. At 3,500 sqft it should be able to fit in the Houston street side, which is 12,100 GSF according to the PDF in the first post of this thread.

 

F6VfZqr.jpg



#26 John T Roberts

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Posted 18 April 2017 - 09:18 PM

That would be a nifty tenant on the Houston Street side.  Austin, you never cease to amaze me on all the things you find.



#27 renamerusk

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Posted 18 April 2017 - 09:33 PM

..... Austin, you never cease to amaze me on all the things you find.

 

"Me too". :)



#28 JBB

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Posted 18 April 2017 - 10:08 PM

I like that idea of the urban QT, but I wonder if that area is quite there as far as foot traffic goes.  On one hand, I know they depend on high traffic (foot or vehicle), but on the other, a QT would drive a lot of its own traffic.



#29 Jeriat

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Posted 19 April 2017 - 07:05 AM

 

Urban QuikTrip?  Do they have such a thing?

 

At least one, in Atlanta. Here's an article about it. At 3,500 sqft it should be able to fit in the Houston street side, which is 12,100 GSF according to the PDF in the first post of this thread.

 

F6VfZqr.jpg

 

 

 

Yeah, this is basically what I was talking about, only expanded. Plenty of room for QT to experiment. 

If my laptop was up and running, I'd give an example of what I meant. 
(Just a few more weeks...)


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#30 Austin55

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Posted 10 January 2019 - 10:30 AM

The International Council of Shopping Centers is hosting a regional convention at the CC across the street this week and the garage retail space has been spruced up, including stringing christmas lights from the building to the trees and banners advertising the space in the windows. Hopefully someone picks up on it and finally gives the space a shot!






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