dragonfly

So I just learned something, motivated after reading here. All the 35 years I've been in Houston I presumed that the FAA had regulatory power over building height, because of the drama around 600 Travis that Hines built in the early '80's. Legend has it (I was in Austin at the time), much to the disappointment of local enthusiasts, the developer was forced by someone (many presume the FAA) to reduce the floor count from 80 to 75, and now someone is building in Austin what will be the tallest in Texas, talk about being slapped here. The problem is the closeness of Hobby airport to downtown, 7 miles. And it is not because there is a mean flight path over downtown either, apparently Hobby associated trajectories over downtown are pretty rare according to what I just read (and contrary to what I assumed for decades). BTW Hobby opened in '27 as a private airfield and was bought by the city in '37. Apparently the FAA, not a regulator of this, nevertheless has power over this because they can officially declare a structure as an aviation hazard, and of course the insurability would be hugely impacted. In the case of 600 Travis the city refused to permit (yes non-zoning has nothing to do with other city powers here) the original design height of the building due to FAA recommendations. So when you get down to it, the FAA can giveth as it taketh away and maybe a taller structure can be planned here someday for downtown, same for Nashville. Below is a thread where people here were hashing out the issue: https://www.houstonarchitecture.com/topic/31924-height-restrictions-for-downtown/

Yep and then add this to the scenario: https://www.nbcnews.com/science/environment/ikea-likely-sold-furniture-linked-illegal-logging-forests-crucial-earth-n1273745 So after 5~8 years then hopefully it's not straight to the landfill? I'm kinda pessimistic. In fairness it appears the company is trying to do it right or at least they were when this came out: https://www.goiam.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/images_articles_headquarters_departments_woodworkers_wrench-and-wood-newsletter_volume 1 - number 1 - october 2014.pdf

Hey KH here's a vintage or vantage postcard from ca 1912. I mentioned family on mother's side are from Charlotte and Mt. Holly. Boxes of old stuff yielded this.

That showed up on my FB feed also. I don't know why unless coming onto this board triggered it. On the other hand I posted on my timeline a picture of Boots Randolph, Chet Atkins and Floyd Cramer playing Boots' stage at his Printer's Alley club, maybe that did it. So with that aerial photo do you think that was taken over Ft. Campbell? So when you hear Brenda Lee say We'll Do Some Caroling (Rockin Around the Tree) in a few weeks, that's Boots playing the sax solo.

So for comparison on hotels Houston has 92,000 rooms across 934 properties. I think there are three 5 star properties in Houston vs. Nashville at two? Interestingly two of those 5 star properties here are at the West Loop aka Uptown aka Galleria Area, (nomenclature still not settled on after 50 years) and the other downtown. Nashville punches way above its tier in hotels especially the 5 star class. Austin metro has 49,000+ rooms and I think zilch 5 star properties. https://www.granducahouston.com/

Let us define boondoggle. How about when you build something that makes no sense, economically, practically or even from a safety standpoint. These are vanity projects. Or feel-good projects. Or 'help me with my city envy' projects, the very definition of boondoggle. Even Brookings (nadvertainly) agrees with me: https://www.brookings.edu/articles/the-10-u-s-metro-rail-systems-that-lose-the-most-money-per-passenger/ We have attorneys in Houston that specialize in rail accidents: https://attorneybrianwhite.com/houston-practice-areas/metrorail-accident-lawyer/ A Rice University prof was killed walking her bike across tracks laid where tracks shouldn't be, alongside streets. Train/motor vehicle collisions happen all the time like this one: https://abc13.com/houston-news-train-crash-metro-ambulance/13189836/ I mean really crazy. And people ride wihout paying as a rule around here, I've seen it over and over. Sucking hundreds of millions every year down the drain.

Can anyone tell me why WSM gave up their 3 letters for WSMV? Will mention too that downtown Houston has a 1002 footer, 75 story tower at the max height, because of a flight path to Hobby. Finished in '82. Unless the FAA revises standards Austin is slated to have the tallest in Texas for decades, a project now u/c.

Aha if you're coming back in Nov then I'm going to upload photos of another site you should visit after dark that is just jaw dropping, which is the Houston Mandir in Stafford. Also The Woodlands is a great regional spot to go explore, they now have a downtown with a lake and a couple of big highrises and a separate satellite district on a larger lake with really upscale stuff and housing. Still a lot of middle market housing from the '80's and lots of parks and tennis courts sprinkled all around. All of the commercial buildings are disallowed prominant signage and there are rules on leaving as much forest looking splotches to hide as much as possible everywhere. BTW found a site which lists the 10 fastest growing metros in the country, NC and FL have two, TX three and TN one. Pretty good showing for the south. Looks like you were'nt too far off, Charlotte 700K bigger than Nashville metro here: https://info.siteselectiongroup.com/blog/us-metro-areas-with-the-highest-projected-5-year-population-growth Also was in Raleigh a few years ago and just love it, the way it looks and they have that academic engineering thing big time.. Should mention to you what i think is one reason Charlotte and NC surpassed TN and Nashville in growth and that is for a long time Tennessee forbid banks to have branches across county jurisdictions and this really stunted the Nashville based banks of which there were 3 good sized ones that had high rise headquarters and they all got bought up by out of state banks. By the time they changed the law it was late in the game and the only established TN bank left standing was First Tenn. in Memphis, renamed First Horizon. OK here you go they have a website too: https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=561127711&sxsrf=AB5stBhYBjyEM67QJ5-BvNmF9js73iyIWg:1693352989250&q=houston+Mandir+photos&tbm=isch&source=univ&fir=nOR-xFvE2vZiEM%2Cd99RbUxoBRxuxM%2C_%3BEfA8Zqa9f-P1yM%2CGw-NvJ3Szp3E_M%2C_%3B3zWJfZEINyHxYM%2CDKtnCDhiLsB8AM%2C_%3B2pjt3EKVwtO2AM%2CGQ_hP3hlaa_o-M%2C_%3BROhEUG-I__GRwM%2C4fYV7pRtYggDfM%2C_%3BK2jmLJMvBHxbFM%2Cd99RbUxoBRxuxM%2C_%3BbPfjjfhxHLRqvM%2CboDKqWAcv796iM%2C_%3BeU_-Dl8Zr2F2OM%2Ck81VLXE8X0bpmM%2C_%3B1kGCjFcIc3pxvM%2CeBW5LD6PuKFGFM%2C_%3B53HTzq2Y2cJB5M%2Ct_WtBr6LcX3UBM%2C_%3Bh5r7WQmGx-KzpM%2CQCMWIjus13y70M%2C_%3Brckdt_1mIa9ttM%2CDKtnCDhiLsB8AM%2C_%3Bq0rhJoHevM92fM%2CWau0kMeQmBCzuM%2C_&usg=AI4_-kTTyjqlobwZaEn-CNXfTmRG0aoZsg&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiS45y7h4OBAxUvk2oFHdVrCGEQjJkEegQIHhAC&biw=1536&bih=786&dpr=1.25

Thx for coming to town and posting about this unbelievable reuse project with the 3 gargantuan staircases themselves like nothing I've ever seen. I attended the grand opening and I've taken some out of town guests there but there are a lot of people in Houston who have no idea this exists, even now. I never would have appreciated the post office as industrial operation until I got to see it. They also built a large performance venue (The 713 Audtorium) on the east end, quite spectacular too with two mezzanine levels and great acoustics, they really put huge funding just into that. If you come back try to go back to the facility right before dusk and go on the roof. The rooftop takes on what I can only describe is a kind of urban magic at that time and continues past nightfall, with hundreds of people taking photos of friends with the skyline as backdrop; it is breathtaking. Sometimes they have events or film showings up there on weekends, and stuff for kids to do, like games etc. Parking is free on week nights. There is another rooftop you can visit which is the Glassel school, and the sloping roof staicase is accessible off of the sculpture garden of the MFAH. In fact it is worth coming to Houston just to take in the museums of which there are many. You can spend 3~4 days at the MFAH with its three large gallery buildings, the largest museum in the South and among the largest in the country. There are several other art museums here too. glassel school: https://www.mfah.org/visit/glassell-school/?gclid=CjwKCAjwrranBhAEEiwAzbhNtcCYWy-AivL4h99gM_nhbQtpCJoJH_STtF5VRBI2eO2ECUNAAIfdrhoCHAEQAvD_BwE BTW quite familiar with Charlotte in the 50's & 60's, my mom's childhood home was on a farm halfway between Charlotte and Mt. Holly, directly across from what became Pine island Country Club. Charlotte was smaller than Nashville at that time. I have lots of 1st cousins in the region.

BTW that link just failed. Profuse thanks to contributor for this post and all the posts of historical projects. Kind of soothing after perusing the overwhelming Nashville large projects triggering mixed feelings. Also interestingly my old friend's firm STG (aka DeWitt Gayle et. al.) is involved in that Starr project. He and I were at both VU and UT Austin grad schools at the same time frames and we shared a rent house in Austin. He was the impetus when they opened their Nashville office and interestingly was a high school buddy of Billy Gibbons. I met Billy myself and informed him of his old friend's success in architecture and business.

Janis Joplin played one of her last shows there, Sept 1970.

So that may answer some of these questions. It was definitely topped out in fall of 1969 when dragonfly started at Vandy. It was not moved into until 1970. I don't know how else to say it. I provided a link to a FB thread where people readily provided the clarity needed. Maybe the link doesn't work. The building topped out in '68 and was moved into in 12/69. Maybe instead of saying it here is evidence in pixels:

OK, really profuse apologies for getting technically picky, and being so presumptuous such as an out of towner, but I'm gonna do it -- as the National Life building was a major product of the thinking of '60's Nashville financial sector and it's worth prying into the architectural history and if it bores anyone then skip over this, please. I will explain subsequently, OK, I was there and my dad started at L&C in '55 right at the beginning of this modern high rise period in Nashville. But first let me finish clearing up this mystery of conflicting decades with the final bullseye provided to me on Facebook at my request. Since I don't want to start a membership at any of the archive services, I encountered two enticing blurry thumbnails when searching 1969 and 1970 on the topic thanks to one of the services. I could make out maybe 10 words total on both of them. The first one in '69 from the Tennessean mentioned a strike by some of the tradesmen working on the National Life project. I could make out no more details so that would help explain the delay after the topping out in '68. The other hit from the paper was in Feb '70 when they had the dedication ceremony and I could make out no names, but I think it was to the company founders. So I got the desired answer on FB with images, and according to the Tennessean image provided, the company started moving in on Dec 4, 1969 which supports it being complete in autumn '69 , just as I remember. Those internet sites are basing the 1970 completion on the dedication ceremony. Here is the link to the FB, be sure to expand and see the under construction pics: thread: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1031934030216274/posts/6500851109991178/?comment_id=6501252059951083&notif_id=1692132131036448&notif_t=group_comment I'm going to finish what I have to say in another post, and may I add that my best friend from grades 7~9 and good friend over the decades, his father worked for National Life so our fathers worked for competing firms. It is really interesting what his father had to say about the L&C tower, which maybe had something to do with how things played out, including with American General taking over both companies.

See below

Well I don't know how to prove it except to say that 1968 being a crucial year for me and a lot of my generation because of cultural shifting to make the head swim. You know, Jumpin Jack Flash style. My dad took a job in Park Ridge IL in the spring of '68. I graduated MBA in '68. Our family moved to IL that summer with me knowing that finally Nashville had a new skyscraper designed by a world renowned Chicago firm (not knowing that then). I was up there during the riots at the Democratic convention and learning who Richard Daley was and how his police reacted. Come fall I started freshman year to UT Chattanooga and that fall made a trip to Nashville and one of my friends told me about the new skyscraper downtown and I thought he was forgetting that I saw it 3 or 4 months prior. I transferred to VU electrical engineering fall of '69 and a guy on my floor of McGill Hall from Birmingham told me he had new respect for Nashville having a building surpassing anything in Birmingham. He said this at night, fall 1969 as we were standing in view of the building all lit up and obviously occupied. I'm not going to confuse these years, they were key years coming of age obviously. Remember me mentioning on here a couple of years ago the two almost indentical Shell buildings in Houston and N.O. which were the next level vesions of the building at 49 and 50 stories. So since a building right here where I am, having this Nashville pedigree is one of those kinda minor themes you come across moving through life. Another one is that American General who bought National Life, was in a 50 story tower in the Houston Montrose section where I lived, visible from the bedroom, about 1 mile away. Am Gen is now AIG. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Shell_Plaza

1950's: 1 1960's: 1 <-- was there twice in the '60's, yours truly. National Life topped out summer '68, finished '69

Yes "draconian new laws" of those R "gestapo" in the 6 fastest growing states of the South, have powered the combined GDP of those 6 states to surpass that of the entire industrial Northeast. You know I was going to avoid posting a link about this b/c I already posted the WSJ chart showing how TN is in the top 5 net interstate immigration, but sometimes you just have to abandon the hesitancy when prodded. For someone my age to have lived to witness this, I can't tell you how astounding this is to me. Let me tell you: demographers and economists in 1970 grouped Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama and Mississippi into a backwater of laggardness. A group of 4 states to be forever associated as such, not even to include AR, LA, and W.Va. It was in the US Census publications reproduced in part on all the almanacs of the day, with a special map of the states so grouped. So yes, those Gestapo in TN should have been closely reined in, one supposes. Quote: "Figures from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis indicate the states of Texas, Florida, Tennessee, Georgia and the Carolinas overtook the northeast during the coronavirus pandemic, and remain on an upward trajectory. link: https://www.newsweek.com/republican-states-are-creating-southern-economic-powerhouse-1810767

Yes thx for the correction but for more exact historical reference, it was the Methodist Episcopal Church, as the highly ambitious Mctyeire was a Bishop, not a modern Methodist. BTW The Commodore's $1M gift, applying the 1914 value to the gold standard dollar is $30M+ in 2023 dollars, probablly much more since it was an 1873 gift. The Bishop had a fantastic stash to start with, with additional church funding no doubt. Thank you Gentlemen for your legacy. Not to forget the Bishop's wife Amelia who was key to the whole thing with probably powerful persuasion exercised with her cousin by marriage Cornelius.

Don't think so. I just got back from Columbus, OH (nice city btw). Ohio now has 3 metros of equivalent size to Nashville. I kinda doubt Ohioans think of themselves as having all 3rd tier cities and below. And will mention that Intel is building a semiconductor fab in a county adjecent to Franklin Co, where Columbus is. It is the only metro of those 3 largest that has been growing significantly over the past decades, so will soon be the largest. This goes to show that a good sized metro with a major research university will likely prosper. Nashville can thank heavens for the Presbyterians and the Commodore Cornelius for the VU shot in the arm. And with Belmont U, can't leave out the Baptists for that same, maybe not a research U yet but with more time who knows.

My house is about 1 mile from this fwy but at a narrower section inside the 610 loop without HOV. The stretch in the photo displaced the Dan Ryan expwy in Chicago as the worlds largest road. The reason they were able to make the pictured section so huge is they bought rail r.o.w. which paralleled the road, also Old Katy road was on the other side of the railroad, and they scarfed that up too, in addition to chewing up some buildings and parking lot sections along Old Katy which I couldn't figure out why because that eminent domain usage cost more than $1 B in 20 years ago dollars. The TXDOT Houston office (next to my neighborhood) is the most aggressive road building machine in the world, in a much aggresive state DOT. Notice down the middle the 2+2 lane Katy Tollway (no cash) which also serves as HOV. Tag users have to move to the right lane to get the tag read at tolling stations. HOV to the left lane where scouts check for occupancy. The handy part is this center road is open both directions 24/7

Tennessee finds itself in good company again. WSJ article groups states with most business in-migration against states with most business out migration. Evidence piling up for decades on the outcome of social, fiscal, and economic policy at the state level. Count yourselves lucky -- the good fortunes of Nashville growth is linked to state policy makers. The same can be said for Austin in spite of its defunded/demoralized police and climbing crime rates. WSJ: https://www.wsj.com/articles/covid-lockdowns-business-employers-migration-states-bureau-of-labor-statistics-85b7d592?mod=hp_trending_now_opn_pos3

Can someone explain what those properties that are "Infill .." what does the infill mean? I love looking at those cute buildings, especially being here in Houston where they are being knocked down as the city goes more vertical. The nicest ones having been in Montrose where the 1905 2 story frame house I lived in for 12 years just bit the dust. Maybe the last 2 story framehouse I can think of in that district.

See, thing is the original idea, like with Men & Women also Boys & Girls and Ladies & Gentlemen, you gotta be Neanderthal to use those phrases now. According to the cultural master elites. And be ready for the insults. Other than that, thx for setting me up. But come to think of it, civilizational implosion is maybe a good reason to not host a political convention.

I guess I'm not understanding the resistance to a major convention that would be less disruptive than a grand Prix or the NFL draft. Back in '92 Houston hosted the R convention and I don't remember a smidgeon of resistance among the residents. I was living about 2 miles from the city center, and noticed no escalation in traffic, inconvenience, or chaos. For comparison, Houston metro population was at that time about 3.5M, half what it is now. It was less busy with the RNC convention than when 2 Super bowls came here, and it seems like many in Nashville want a Super Bowl bad enough to tear down a perfectly good stadium to get it. As for getting it, I don't.

Since I was here starting '55 may I toss out what I know. The site across Church from the L&C was where the Maxwell House burned around New Years '62 and where I got yelled at by a cop for being behind the yellow tape the next day. Give a year or so for the cleanup, let's say the earliest for the photo is '63. The Third National Bank building which rose on the site was completed in '67. So can we surmise that the photo is from '63~'66?