Houston Hotel Montagu Implosion 1-20-08

Boris · #1 Posted **Jan 20, 2008, 3:26 PM**

Froze my ass off to view this implosion. Hope you enjoy the photos and videos:

Spectators:

Post Implosion:

Spectators on an parking garage on the other side. Looks like they had a better view:

Photos as I left DT:

Videos:

Video of the location and people:

The Implosion: (I screwed up and accidently turned off the recorder a little early, sorry)

Adios:

...

flar · #2 Posted **Jan 20, 2008, 4:16 PM**

I hate to see bldgs go down, but implosions are always quite a spectacle! Thanks.

VivaLFuego · #3 Posted **Jan 20, 2008, 4:36 PM**

Cool. What's replacing it?

vertex · #4 Posted **Jan 20, 2008, 5:44 PM**

Probably another parking lot. A real shame too. Another piece of Houston dies, and everyone just stands around...

Bailey · #5 Posted **Jan 20, 2008, 6:27 PM**

The 46 story MainPlace is going up in its place so it will not be a surface parking lot. the old vacant Montagu Hotel was really rundown. While it was a historical building it was not well kept and it really added nothing to the street life other than being a shady place and a homeless hangout.

Here's a rendering of what is replacing it.

mhays · #6 Posted **Jan 20, 2008, 7:36 PM**

That's one hell of a rendering.

alleystreetindustry · #7 Posted **Jan 20, 2008, 10:17 PM**

that building was beautiful! some good ol' elbow grease would have prettied that one up aplenty.

DetroitSky · #8 Posted **Jan 21, 2008, 12:34 AM**

Wow, I didn't know it was going to be imploded. I loved that last video.

jrr504 · #9 Posted **Jan 21, 2008, 5:36 AM**

Yea that is a real same. Especially in a city like Houston that doesnt have much to offer by way of interesting architecture and has tons of lots and empty space already available to build on. But what do we know about taste, this is america.

Austinlee · #10 Posted **Jan 21, 2008, 5:46 AM**

Awesome rendering of the new bldg. Cool video you took too!

I love how people cheer for the destruction, jumping up and down and clapping... To me it's funny the way it delights people. I would've liked to have been there for some live cheering!

Trae · #11 Posted **Jan 21, 2008, 5:52 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by alleystreetindustry

that building was beautiful! some good ol' elbow grease would have prettied that one up aplenty.

They tried.

That block was a seedy one, and needed some repair. There is a historic building on that block that was restored into office lofts, but has 0 tenants. Now with MainPlace coming in, that whole side of Main Street will be better. The Stowers Building (tower with 0 tenants) will be getting some when a major office tower like MainPlace is on the same block as it is.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jrr504

Yea that is a real same. Especially in a city like Houston that doesnt have much to offer by way of interesting architecture and has tons of lots and empty space already available to build on. But what do we know about taste, this is america.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Architecture_of_Houston

KevinFromTexas · #12 Posted **Jan 21, 2008, 8:10 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by vertex

Probably another parking lot. A real shame too. Another piece of Houston dies, and everyone just stands around...

Actually the hotel had been in the process of being renovated as early as the first part of last year. But a deal came up to replace it with the new tower.

And believe it or not, Houston has plenty of old buildings, especially on the north end of downtown. It's just that so few people actually venture over there to photograph that area of downtown. Everyone who visits would rather drool over the modern glassy skyscrapers. And honestly I did the very same thing until last summer when Boris showed me around. I saw a lot of nice old buildings that get overlooked for the giants just a few blocks away.

Trae · #13 Posted **Jan 21, 2008, 2:36 PM**

You'll get a good shot of some of them here:

vertex · #14 Posted **Jan 21, 2008, 2:43 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by KevinFromTexas

Actually the hotel had been in the process of being renovated as early as the first part of last year. But a deal came up to replace it with the new tower.

A token effort to 'renovate' this place by a slumlord might fool a lot of you, but it's obvious that this guy never had preservation in mind. You'll find this move out of page 1 of the speculator's playbook; make nice by appearing to restore historic building, then claim that its too far gone (in order to pacify preservationists). Turn around and sell it to a huge developer for a tidy profit; in turn they knock it down, and proceed to sit on it for 15-20 years.

The fact is whoever bought the building didn't have the resources necessary to make a true restoration, and never intended to follow thru with the effort.

Trae · #15 Posted **Jan 21, 2008, 2:54 PM**

No. The buyers were actually making some good progress on the building with new carpet, etc., but Hines offered them more money than what they could make with the renovation. Sometimes I do wish Hines just went to a surface lot further south.

zerokarma · #16 Posted **Jan 21, 2008, 2:57 PM**

Cool pics

TXLove · #17 Posted **Jan 22, 2008, 12:15 AM**

Where would MainPlace be located in the photo Trae posted?

Wattleigh · #18 Posted **Jan 22, 2008, 2:09 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by TXLove

Where would MainPlace be located in the photo Trae posted?

Only a third or maybe half of the building would be visible in that photo. It would be on the extreme left side around the middle.

KevinFromTexas · #19 Posted **Jan 22, 2008, 3:30 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by TXLove

Where would MainPlace be located in the photo Trae posted?

Notice that in the rendering MainPlace stands across the street from that black and white building with vertical stripes. MainPlace is to the left of that building (east) in the rendering. So in the photo that Trae posted, MainPlace would stand behind that building to the left of it, (south). MainPlace in that photo will pretty much fill in the entire top left corner of the photo blocking out Reliant Energy Plaza (1000 Main Street).

LSyd · #20 Posted **Jan 28, 2008, 3:51 AM**

sad to see it go...but i like the replacement.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jrr504

Yea that is a real same. Especially in a city like Houston that doesnt have much to offer by way of interesting architecture and has tons of lots and empty space already available to build on. But what do we know about taste, this is america.

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