Downtown Houston's Musical Chimes

Houston’s Main Street Square has a new art piece for a temporary time. The Chime is a large wooden block that you can make music with using the push of your hand. The art project is named Civic Harmony and it was designed by Dan Gottwald and Scott Watkins.

By slightly pushing the panels, a pendulum swings inside the structure, striking different chimes. The experience can be interactive, as you can stand on both sides of it and two people can make the music together.

The Chime is a nice art piece downtown, I hope the downtown management district considers making it a permanent exhibit on site.

Houston Photo Series #17

Houston Recieves New Police Chief.

Houston will receive Austin’s police chief Art Acevedo as Houston’s new police chief.

Art Acevedo brings one of the most popular police chiefs in the state to Houston. Acevedo has been an Austin Police Chief since July, 2007. He has a record of counseling police officers and other staff to ensure they avoid excessive force. Acevedo was also given offers from the Dallas Police Department and San Antonio Police Department but he turned those offers down. Art Acevedo brings a lot of talent into HPD and we are proud to have him.

Houston-Uber Deal Goes Through.

The City of Houston has signed a deal with Uber, ensuring the service remains in the city and that customers of those services can be ensured they are in a safe environment.

The City of Houston’s deal with Uber has been a long-time coming but now a deal has been made that can satisfy both sides. If you think about it, being alone with and relying on an Uber driver can be a dangerous situation. Which is why the city is requiring background checks for drivers, fire extinguishers in their cars, requiring drivers to pass drug tests, have a warrant check for drivers and documenting the driver’s fingerprints. The fingerprints were the hard sell for Uber but the company ultimately agreed to them. The breakthrough provided the city with an excellent transportation service which the city ensures will be safe for use. I am very happy with the decision; we have handled this one well.

2020 BMX World Championship Coming to Houston.

The 2020 BMX World Championship is coming to Houston. Houston is attracting many events and this one will have an Olympic tie-in. The 6-day event will draw in 3,000 participants and 300 Athletes from 40 countries. It will be held at the North Houston Bike Park which is currently under construction. The North Houston Bike Park can seat 3,500 guests and is a $14 Million complex. It is also close to Bush Intercontinental airport and will connect to the Greens Bayou bike trail. The championship will happen right before the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. Houston hosts many events and I am sure we will pull off an extraordinary BMX World Championship.

11 New Stores Open in Houston Galleria.

Eleven new stores will open in the Galleria Mall. Houston’s Galleria mall continues to be one of the best sites in the country for shopping. The stores opening in Houston’s Galleria include Cole Haan, Coach, Kate Spade New York, St. John, Tumi, Ted Baker, Tadashi Shoji, AG Adriano, Goldschmied, Massimo Dutti and Robin’s Jeans. The new stores will open in 2017 and together, mean 110,000 new square feet of retail area in the Galleria Mall. The Galleria and Houston continue to grow!

JP Morgan Chase donates $1 Million to help Houston homeless

JP Morgan Chase has donated $1 Million in order to help Houston homeless. Houston has already been doing a lot to help its homeless but this only makes our efforts so much better. This is the first time a major corporation has donated money to help Houston homeless. Houston doesn’t have a homeless problem as large as other cities its size does, because Houston is so affordable. Even so, this is great news!

Houston Photo Series #16

New City IT Director Named

Mayor Sylvester Turner has named Lisa Kent as the cities new Chief Information Officer.  The Mayor’s new appointment is good news; however, he has been taking too long in putting his cabinet together. Kent has been serving as an interim CIO since August. She was formerly the Chief Technology officer for the Houston Airport System. The Mayor was quoted as saying “I want a City IT Department that is able to respond quickly to the technological advances occurring almost daily in today’s fast paced 21^st century world we live in. Lisa is the perfect choice for this position. She has 26 years of technology experience and is a skilled leader with the ability to change gears quickly and often. She is also quite familiar with the systems due to her time in the airport systems.” I wish Lisa Kent luck in her new position and Mayor Sylvester Turner luck in filling in his cabinet.

Houston Most Charitable City in the Country

Houston has been ranked the most charitable city in the country. More good news for Houston. Charity Navigators Annual Metro Market Study ranked Houston number one for overall financial help and commitment to accountability and transparency. It also found that Houston charities received proportionately the most donations of any city in the analysis. This is actually a repeat, as Houston took the top spot last year as well. The other metros in the top five include St. Louis, Tampa Bay, Dallas and San Diego. Houston is the most charitable city in the country and it is well deserved.

Houston Photo Series #15

Houston Photo Series #14

Cigna's "Sunday Streets" Event

Over the past two years, Cigna has been holding a monthly “Sunday Streets” day in Houston. Where it closes down city streets to cars and holds a festival. Sunday Streets is a fun Houston program, which is your only chance to experience some Houston neighborhoods, entirely carless. Since it began in 2014, Sunday Streets has held events closing down The Heights, Montrose, The Third Ward, The East End, The Museum District and Downtown. Today, on October 2^nd, Cigna’s Sunday Streets event is being held in the Energy Corridor. Businesses along the closed corridor offer food and drink specials. The next Sunday Streets event will be held in the Fifth Ward on November 13^th. Then on December 4^th , there will be an event in Garden Oaks.

Sunday Streets is a fun event in Houston and the only chance you will get to experience Houston neighborhoods entirely carless.

Simone Biles to Grand Marshall Thanksgiving Day Parade

Simone Biles will be the grand marshall for the Houston Thanksgiving Day Parade. It is exciting that we will have an Olympic champion in our parade. Simone Biles is a worldwide known athlete from the Houston area who is an Olympic gymnast. Simone Biles was asked by Mayor Sylvester Turner to be in the parade and she agreed. Simone Biles is the first woman to receive three consecutive world all-around titles and she earned four gold medals and one bronze at the Olympic Games in Rio, setting a new American record for most gold medals won in women’s gymnastics at singles games. Simone Biles is one of our most famous Houstonians and deserves to be in our parade.

Houston Mayor Says Don't Give to Panhandlers.

Mayor Sylvester Turner has said that he does not want Houstonians to give to panhandlers

Houston is preparing to crack down on panhandlers. New attention has been propelled by an incident in which panhandlers attacked a man in July 2016. The Mayor promised a more comprehensive plan to be released in three weeks. The Mayor is cracking down on panhandlers and we need him to.

Houston to Clean Areas Under Highways and Overpasses

Mayor Sylvester Turner plans a new program to clean up areas under Houston highways and overpasses. The program is a great way to clean Houston. The Department of Solid Waste Management will carry out the program. Highways and overpasses included in the program include Inner Loop 610 and I-45. The cleaning will happen once every few days. Our Mayor is doing what he can to keep Houston clean.

Houston's Bikesharing Program to Triple in Size

Houston’s bikesharing program, B-Cycle, is set to triple in size. This is very good news for transportation in Houston. The system will expand to 100 stations and 800 bikes. Biking in Houston just got a whole lot easier.

Uber to only charge $7.13 in Inner 610 Loop & Uptown

Most Houstonians Know Houston as “The 713”. Well, Uber had an idea about that and now says that it’s new policy is that if you take a trip, in which your starting location and ending location are both in Houston’s Inner 610 Loop or Uptown Houston, Uber will only charge you $7.13 for the ride. Now that’s a good deal!

The Houston nickname is based on the cities area code of 713.

The decision also comes as Houston will soon release an app from which you can summon a ride sharing company to come give you a ride and it also includes taxis and limos. The app is expected to quickly increase ridesharing competition in the Houston area. Props to Uber for giving us Houstonians a really good deal!

Smither Park to Open October 1st in East End

A new park for the East End called Smither Park will open October 1^st. This new park will be an excellent addition to the East End. The park will open next to the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art The park is being built in honor of Houston folk art philanthropists Stephanie and John Smither. The park is filled with art from 300 artists across the country who meticulously crafted mosaic artworks from donated materials including broken dishes, mugs, glass, trickets and recycled items. Here is some of the artwork that can be found there.

Smither Park is a welcomed addition to the East End of Houston.

Houston ad in Times Square!

Visit Houston Texas has put an ad for Houston in Times Square. The advertising word is getting out about what a great city Houston is.

Here is the advertisement.

Hopefully our New Yorker friends will enjoy a bit of Houston in their city.

Houston Photo Series #13

Art in Houston's EaDo

Houston’s EaDo, east of downtown, is known for having lots of bars and a brewery, along with family friendly restaurants but it also has some great public art. Houston is a great city for the arts and EaDo is a representative of that. Here are some Houston Eado Art pieces.

Houston is a great city for art and I recommend that you check out the art in EaDo the next time you get a chance.

Houston Hotel added to "Curio Hilton" Line of Hotels.

Hilton’s Curio Hotels program has added the Sam Houston Downtown Hotel to its lists. This is very good news for Houston. The Curio line highlights specific Hilton hotels that are exceptional, then helps online customers plan their trips to these hotels. Houston is moving forward in improving its tourism. Here is a link to a webpage that helps you plan your trip to stay at a Curio Hilton hotel in Houston.

https://www.citiesbycurio.com/houston/?platform=hootsuite

Houston Astrodome Saved!

After 16 years of being unused, the Houston Astrodome was approved for renovation by the Harris County Commissioners Court today. After 16 years under threat of demolition, the world’s first domed stadium has been saved. The Astrodome has not been used since the Houston Astros left the stadium in favor of the retractable roof Minute Maid Park located downtown. Harris county has struggled to find a use for the dome, especially as they have not been able to find a willing private investor. Proposals included a movie studio, indoor theme park, convention center and the Urban Land Institute recommended an indoor park. Although my ideal use of the dome is an indoor park, keeping it standing is a positive outcome.

4 levels of parking will be built under the dome and the ground floor will be raised, the facility will be used for events such as festivals and conferences.

The Houston Astrodome has been saved. Although we wanted a better use of the building, the world’s first domed stadium will be left standing.

City and County may Unite on Stray Animals.

The City of Houston and Harris County may unite on the issues of stray animals. The two organizations are currently in discussions on merging their stray animal programs together.

As of now, Harris County concentrates on unincorporated areas of the county, despite having animal shelters in Houston city limits. The county got in trouble when it refused to help a German shepard who was shot, even though an animal shelter was only 7 miles away. City and county leaders will meet October 12^th, in order to hold a “summit” on stray animals and having a united city/county program will be discussed. This is an important problem that needs to be fixed but I’m confident the city and county will fix it.

Houston METRO Passes Fiscal Year 2017 Budget

Houston’s METRO Public Transit organization has approved a budget for fiscal year 2017.

METRO’s budget is well done and takes into account a possible future downturn in the economy.

The budget is actually $70 Million less than last year. The budget has $568 Million for operations and $178 Million for capital costs. $4 Million of that will be used to improve bus stops and transit infrastructure. The budget was done as if there were a 1% drop in sales revenue, as the entire state prepares for a possible economic downturn following lower oil prices. The budget is smartly done and improves the service while cutting the cost.

Houston Firefighters Pension Fund Declared Constitutional by the 14th Court of Appeals

The 14^th Court of Appeals has upheld the constitutionality of the Houston Firefighters pension fund.

This is a setback for lowering the pension fund but although not wise, this pension funding system does not seem to violate the United States Constitution. The Texas law, allows the Houston Firefighters union to determine their own contribution levels. I believe the taxpayers funding this pension fund are the ones who should be determining how much money is allocated. Although, this is unwise policy, we should not change it through the courts. We should elect officials to the Texas Legislature who will assume responsibility to change this policy.

The firefighter’s union determining their own contribution levels could destroy Houston’s budget and the policy should change.

Houston's Revenue Cap May Force Property Tax Cut.

Due to the cities revenue cap, the City of Houston will likely be forced to cut the property tax rate.

This is good news for those who want lower taxes and bad news for those who want better services.

Mayor Sylvester Turner is against the revenue cap and plans to put a measure to repeal the revenue cap on the ballot in the Fall of 2017. The rate will be held at 58 cents per every $100 of property value. City Council will vote on this property tax cut on September 21^st, 2016.

I think Houston needs to ensure that it only funds what is necessary, that is why we need a revenue cap. If this cap is forcing us to cut spending which is absolutely necessary, maybe it should be repealed. Maybe a better solution is electing city leaders that will not waste our money.

Houston's New Ridesharing App

The City of Houston has found its own way to handle the controversies confronting ridesharing in America, following the advent of Uber and Lyft.

The city is looking at putting together its own app, which would include all ridesharing companies in the area. From this one app, a Houstonian can simply give their intended destination and whichever companies car arrives first, gets the ride. The app includes local taxi and limousine transportation companies, along with Uber or Lyft. The app has not been completed and will require City Council approval in order to be implemented. However, city officials say it may be ready by the end of October, 2016. City officials are also rushing to make sure it is fully operational by the time that the Super Bowl comes to Houston in February, 2017.

The idea is an original way to resolve ridesharing competition issues which have come about in recent years.

Texas Legislature May Pass "David's Law" This Session.

The Texas Legislature is considering a law to help fight cyber bullying. "David's Law" may be proposed during the 2017 session by State Senator Jose Menendez.

The law would make it a misdemeanor to harass or bully someone under 18 through text messages, social media, websites or apps. The law is inspired by David Molak; a 16 year old who committed suicide as a result of cyber bullying.

Freedom of speech has a limit when it harms someone's safety. When these actions are leading to the loss of someone's life, there must be consequences. The consequence would be much better if it was a $500 fine than if it was living with the responsibility of knowing you caused someone to commit suicide.

Houston turns 180 years old.

On August 28^th, 2016, Houston turned 180 years old. Houston has gone from a small real estate prospect, to the 4^th largest city in the United States of America.

Houston was founded by the Allen brothers, who founded the city on the convergence of the Buffalo and White Oak Bayous. Houston was always designed to be a big city.

On August 28^th, 2016 a party was held at Sam Houston Park downtown, the oldest park in the city. Mayor Sylvester Turner was there and said that “From 1836 to where we are today, Houston was come a long way.” I am proud of Houston; it has come a long way from the small town it once was.

Texas Students Protest Campus Carry Law

On August 1^st, 2016, Texas new “Campus Carry Law”, went into effect. The law allows concealed carry of guns on Texas Campuses. However, at The University of Texas at Austin, students are protesting the law, by illegally displaying sex toys in public.

I find that public nudity is more offensive than the display of a gun.

The law in place, does not allow one to publicly display their gun. Therefore, if there is a shooter situation, the assailant, will be easily identifiable, by the public display of their weapon. Therefore, this gives an armed student, the opportunity, to distinguish that they are in a shooter situation and use their weapon to defend themselves and others.

Texas also has a decency law which prohibits the public display of sex toys. I find this law to be reasonable. I find it to be the same thing as public nudity, which is inappropriate for children to see.

The message the protesters are communicating is that The State of Texas is hypocritical to allow guns on campus but not the public display of sex toys. As I have just described, that point is not logical.

Public nudity is more offensive than the carrying of a weapon.

Houston Photo Series #12

Houston Photo Series #11

Houston Photo Series #10

Houston to Clean Up Abandoned Shopping Carts

The City of Houston is looking at a proposal to handle the problem of abandoned shopping carts. I think it is a great idea. The program is already in place in City Council District J and was created and implemented by City Council District J Councilman Mike Laster. That same city council member will propose the program to be implemented city wide. Although the proposal will cost $1 Million Dollars, there will be a retrieval fee, which will be charged to the store, when they retrieve their shopping cart, which was picked up, usually by dump trucks. Although there is an aesthetical issue, there is also a functional issue as well, as many abandoned shopping carts clog drains and cause flooding. Another issue is homeless people who use shopping carts to transport their supplies, however, the city is going to give them alternate shopping carts that they can use. The program is interesting and good for Houston.

Houston Second Most Affordable City to Vacation to.

Trip Advisor has released a report stating that Houston, TX is the second most affordable city in America to vacation to. The report cements Houston as being a cheap city to vacation to.  The study looked into the cost for two people to get a three-day stay at a four-star hotel, a visit to three attractions, an Uber or taxi ride to and from dinner and the cost of lunch and dinner. Houston was the second most affordable city in the country, while New Orleans was the most affordable. More good news for Houston.

Proposal for Houston Electronic Signage to Direct Drivers to Best Parking Spots

Houston is looking to implement a plan to have signage downtown that would direct drivers to the best possible parking spot. This plan will greatly improve driving downtown. The city is in talks with seven private parking garages to cooperate. A company would track the number of spaces available, then distribute that information online. Mobile apps and electronic message signs would use that information in order to direct drivers who are driving downtown. The signs would also notify drivers what neighborhood the parking spaces would be available in. For example, if the parking garage is in the Theater District, the signs will tell you that. This is an excellent program and I hope it meets the light of day.

Non-stop flights to start from Houston to Manchester.

Starting October 30^th, Singapore Airlines will deliver flights directly from Houston, Texas to Manchester, England. Houston will greatly benefit from this news. The new flights will run 5 times weekly. There is a large concentration of Northwest England businesses with a presence in Houston, including Oliver Valves and Morson. Which are industrial equipment suppliers. Combined, they have over 300 clients in Houston. More good news for Houston as we continue to grow as a city.

Houston Second Most Prepared City for Evacuation.

A recent study declared Houston the second most prepared city in the country in the case of an evacuation. I am very proud of Houston for this.

The consulting firm that put together this list works very closely with insurance companies. Named the PT&C Forensic Consulting Services. The firm looked at exit capacity, roadway density, automobile availability, internal traffic, geographical barriers and land area. Houston has an evacuation plan in place that includes the ability to quickly make the exit highways contraflow. Which means all highways will become one way streets out of the city. The study said Houston was ranked well, because it had nearly no bottlenecks, great exit capacity, auto availability and light congestion. Quite a change from the Hurricane Rita era, I know but we have changed many things for the better since we met that challenge.

Majority of METRO Riders Happy with Service

A recent survey taken by the advocacy organization TransitCenter shows that most Houston METRO Riders are happy with their service. I am proud of METRO for this good news.

76 percent of Houston METRO’s riders were highly satisfied or somewhat satisfied with the frequency of METRO’s service, including bus and rail. 71 percent said they were highly or somewhat satisfied with METRO’s bus and rail stop facilities. 76% were happy with the transit times, 86% were happy with the price. Houston METRO should be proud of their accomplishments; I know that I am proud for them.

Houston's Loaned Executive Program

Houston has a program called the Loaned Executive Program. The concept for the program is that a private company loans an executive free of pay to advise the city. I think Houston’s Loaned Executive Program is a good program. The Loaned Executive Program is brand new and currently only has one company and executive office holder participating. Centerpoint energy has loaned their Vice President of Public Affairs and Communications Floyd LeBlanc to help advice the Department of Public Works and Engineering. He will work as the Community Place and Emergency Preparedness advisor. Mayor Sylvester Turner said "I want to thank CenterPoint for stepping up to the plate to help us get this program started. The City will benefit from the unique perspective and skills of a seasoned professional without the added cost of a salary or fees that usually accompany a consulting arrangement. Floyd will help us implement more effective and efficient processes for utility work. The City, CenterPoint and Houstonians will all benefit."

I think the Loaned Executive Program is excellent and free to the taxpayer. Houston continues to impress.

Houston Stands with it's Sister City, Nice, France

Houston Receives 2016 Housing and Community Design Award

Houston has received the 2016 “Housing and Community Design” award from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. Houston’s program is a leader in rebuilding houses affected by disaster. The award recognizes Houston’s “Disaster Recovery Round 2” program, also known as DR2. The award also recognizes The City of Houston’s collaboration with the architectural firm bcWorkshop to help design homes rebuilt through DR2. Part of the program operates with Houston’s Community Revitalization Areas, known as CRA’s. Each neighborhood gets different designs for their projects to reflect the character of that neighborhood, as laid out by the CRA's. The program has a high rate of customer satisfaction, with most families happy with their home repairs. Yet again, Houston receives an award, recognized for being a well-run city.

Bus Lanes Proposed for Post Oak Boulevard

METRO has proposed converting some lanes along Post Oak Boulevard to be buses only.

Although, I support bus lanes in some cases, I do not support bus lanes down Post Oak Boulevard. The decision, is between more lanes for cars or more lanes for public transportation. Post Oak currently has larger vehicular traffic than public transportation or pedestrian traffic. I support bus lanes down streets that have a large amount of pedestrian or public transportation traffic.

Downtown already has a lot of bus lanes and deserves them as there are mostly pedestrian and public transportation traffic downtown. Uptown/Post Oak does not have as much pedestrian or public transportation traffic. On the day Uptown does have large amounts of public transportation traffic, it would warrant bus lanes to help relieve congestion. The issue here is whether to favor vehicular traffic or pedestrian/public transportation traffic. At this point, for Post Oak, we need to favor vehicular traffic as that is where the traffic demand currently is, for that road.

Our Respect for the Victims of the Dallas Police Shootings

This morning we have learned of a tragedy in our neighbor to the north, Dallas. We mourn those who lost their lives and the many lives it impacted. Dallas has shown resilience and will become a greater city than it was before.

Harris County Flood Control

Harris County is one of the most vulnerable counties in the country for flooding. However, it is also one of the most prepared to take on flooding challenges. Here is how the battle against flooding works in Harris County. Flood management is controlled by the Harris County Flood Control District. The county has 1,500 drainage and flood control channels totaling in 2,500 miles in length. The same length of distance between New York and Los Angeles. Along with 22 watersheds. The current 5-year capital improvement program totals $975 Million. District maintenance is almost entirely privatized. Those numbers are Harris County alone and do not include projects done by incorporated cities in the county. Harris County may be at risk of flooding; however, it is one of the most prepared communities in the country to handle flooding.

Downtown Houston

My favorite neighborhood of Houston is downtown. Downtown is Houston’s most urban neighborhood and home to some of the greatest architecture in the world. Downtown is the founding point of the city, the city was founded on Buffalo Bayou and The First Ward was its first neighborhood. Today, it is home to some of the best architecture in the world. With the “Skyline District” on its western half. It is home to a historic district, light rail, architecture, sports stadiums and large parks. I encourage you to visit downtown and see the architecture of Houston’s most urban neighborhood.

The Woodlands Town Center

As The Woodlands grew, leaders knew that they had to organize and plan for the large amount of development coming in, this led to the creation of The Woodlands Town Center, The Woodlands downtown. The Woodlands has done an excellent job of designing The Woodlands Town Center. The Woodlands Town Center was designed to be the main commercial hub for The Woodlands. Although each village gets a shopping center, The Town Center is home for business, shopping and hotels and entertainment for the entirety of The Woodlands. It is home to offices for Chevron Philips, Anadarko Petroleum, Huntsman Corporation, Woodforest National Bank, Banker Hughes, Chicago Brick & Iron, McKesson Corporation, Aon plc, Maersk Line, Safmarine, GeoSouthern Energy, ExxonMobile and Southwestern Energy Company. It is home to a large outdoor auditorium called The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion and shopping such as The Woodlands Mall and Market Street.

The Woodlands Town Center is a rare example of new urbanism done right and is a great asset to The Houston region.

The Woodlands Waterway Square

One of the centerpieces of The Woodlands Waterway, is The Waterway Square. The Waterway Square is a beautiful plaza. The Woodlands Waterway Square opened in 2008 and is in the center of The Woodlands Waterway. The Woodlands Waterway, is similar to The San Antonio Riverwalk and was built in The Woodlands Town Center. I have talked about it in the past in this blog. Here, on this plaza, sits many restaurants, including Goose’s Acre, Baker St. Pub and America’s. It has large fountains and a large Waterwall along with benches to relax on.

Waterway Square is a beautiful feature for The Woodlands and anchors The Woodlands Waterway, some of the best urban planning in the region.

Should The Woodlands, Texas Incorporate?

The Woodlands, TX is a master planned community. It is not an incorporated city and is run by The Woodlands Township, which was established by the Texas Legislature.

I do not think The Woodlands should incorporate. Opened in the late 70s, The Woodlands has never been an incorporated city, it was designed and built by George Mitchell, who never sold it until 1993. The Woodlands was run by community associations, including The Woodlands Community Association, The Woodlands Association, The Woodlands Commercial Owners Association and the Town Center Improvement District. In 2010, all these organizations were merged together by The Texas Legislature, forming The Woodlands Township. The Woodlands Township runs everything an incorporated city in Texas would run, except for the roads and the police. If The Woodlands were to be incorporated, The Woodlands taxpayers would entirely fund a Woodlands police department and run the roads. Currently those services are run by the county. The tax burden on The Woodlands would not be worth it, as currently the roads and police are run well. The only need to incorporate, is if The Woodlands could significantly run the roads and police better than the county and currently, that is not the case.

I do not believe we should incorporate The Woodlands. However, if in the future, the county has serious problems running our roads and police, maybe The Woodlands should take it over and incorporate.

The Woodlands, TX!

For most of my life I have grown up in The Woodlands, TX. Here is how I feel about The Woodlands, TX.

The Woodlands is a beautiful city. It is built in a dense pine tree forest and in between the roads and the development they have preserved the pine trees. Not only is it a beautiful place, it is a major economic center. Home to the Fortune 500 Anadarko, which has built two 400-foot-tall skyscrapers in the city. The city is home to The Woodlands Mall and Market Street, providing some of the best shopping in Houston.

The Woodlands is a beautiful city and a major economic center, I encourage you to visit if you are in the area.

Houston's Architecture!

Houston is one of the greatest cities in the world for Architecture and in this post I will explore Houston’s architecture.

Houston’s Architectural variety is impeccable.

I will start with some of Houston’s earliest buildings. The northern section of Downtown is the historic district, also known as Allen’s Landing. This is where Houston’s earliest buildings were built. The Allen Brothers took their boat to the convergence of the Buffalo and White Oak Bayou’s. The original urban plan for Houston, created this area. A wide-road grid, with a City Hall sitting at the current Market Square Park location. Today, this area is the city’s historic district.

The original urban plan also designated a block for the Republic of Texas Capitol. Today, that building burned down in an accidental electrical fire. However, there is still a landmark on that location. The Rice Hotel. A beautiful Building.

 One of Houston’s earliest iconic skyscrapers was the Gulf Building, built in 1929, it was Houston’s tallest building until 1963

The Gulf Building had a tall neighbor about a block away, called the Niels Esperson Building, completed in 1927.

Houston is also home to many other skyscrapers. Pennzoil Place is an award winning, optical illusion skyscraper. Although it appears like one building, it is actually two buildings. It reveals itself as two buildings from certain positions downtown, where you can see a thin line of light separating the two.

Wells Fargo Plaza is a 900 feet postmodern feature buildings downtown.

Two buildings that landmark and shape Houston’s skyline is the Bank of America Center and the Texas Heritage Plaza.

The Bank of America Center has three triangular shapes, accentuating a beautiful line of buildings behind it, including the Wells Fargo Plaza.

Texaco Heritage Plaza, directly faces the west, shaping the western skyline view with the rest of the downtown buildings behind it.

Uptown Houston is home to a truly beautiful building. Combining Post Modern Architecture and Art-Deco Architecture The 900ft Williams Tower Stands tall over Uptown Houston. It is beautiful both in the day and at night. At night, it has a nighttime beacon on the top of the building that can be seen throughout the city.

This blog chronicles my favorites among Houston Architecture. Houston is a great city for Architecture and if you ever visit the town, make sure to check out all of its architectural assets.