midtown
what’s inside
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in & about list of happenings in midtown
Sebastien "MrD" Boileau, Urban Jungle
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mark your calendar midtown meetings and events
vive midtown! a lasting contribution to midtown’s vibrant cultural diversity
strike up the band! 2014 MLK grande parade the art of framing more than a tip... helping hands in midtown
who do i call
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what’s for brunch? • brennan’s • mr. peeples • blackfinn • cyclone anaya’s • gloria’s restaurants • sparrow bar + cookshop • the breakfast klub • natachee’s supper ‘n punch
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Wu Tsang, Bliss (working title)
arts calendar a list of midtown art events
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amy lynch kolflat charles washington
lookinside
midtownmap
Definitions with midtown meanings...
in•for•ma•tion
facts provided or learned about something or someone... access new information at houston midtown. com or find it in your free, weekly e-News delivered to your Inbox or in your quarterly midtown paper.
ki•osk
a small structure that provides information... like the new one on the SW corner of Bagby & Gray. Find your way around with a Midtown Map or see what's happening next!
sign•age
signs used to show information... there's a new one on Bagby, just south of Gray, that guides newcomers to the redesigned Midtown Park and District Information.
A PUBLICATION OF MIDTOWN MANAGEMENT DISTRICT • houstonmidtown.com 4th qtr 2013
Certified Silver T Bagby Street Reconstruction Project awarded Silver Rating by Greenroads Foundation
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PAPER
he Greenroads Foundation recently announced that the • Cool pavement materials with recycled content made from fly ash Bagby Street Reconstruction Project has become the first • Native and adapted vegetation that provides additional shading for project to receive Greenroads Certification in the State of sidewalks, and Texas, receiving a Silver Rating for its design and construc• Locally-sourced construction materials. tion sustainability. The Greenwoods Rating System is a collection of sustainable “Midtown Redevelopoment Authority strives to be a leader in the roadway design and construction best practices that address water, Houston community and environment, access, Greenroads certification community impact, conprovided us the opportustruction practices and nity to display our commaterials. The Bagby mitment to leadership in Street Reconstruction sustainable development Project is currently the and increase awareness of highest scoring project sustainability efforts in the that has been certified by region,” said Midtown’s the Greenroads Project Executive Director Matt Rating Program, and is Thibodeaux. the 8th project in the Bagby is a one-way world to earn certificamajor collector located in tion. the heart of Houston, and Midtown is already is one of the main corriplanning a strategy dors in Midtown. A key for the certification of project goal of the Bagby Bagby’s sister street in Street Reconstruction the two-way couple, Project was to establish Brazos Street, to pera vibrant corridor that (l to r) Midtown’s Exec. Dir. Matt Thibodeaux, Mayor Annise Parker and Greenroads Exec. Dir. Jeralee Anderson. form even better. accommodates traffic “Greenroads has proneeds while improving vided many new ideas pedestrian and bicycle which will allow our team accessibility. It is one of to make more informed Houston’s first projects design and construction that exemplifies the goals decisions regarding susof their new Complete tainability. In addition to Streets policy, which was the many environmenrecently signed as an tal benefits, Midtown’s Executive Order by Mayor Annise Parker. investment in sustainable roadway projects contributes to long term The project team included the Project Owner, Midtown cost savings for operation and maintenance,” said Marlon Marshall, Redevelopment Authority and their design and construction team: Manager of Capital Projects for Midtown Redevelopment Authority. Walter P Moore, Design Workshop, SER Construction and ESPA Established in 2010, Greenroads Foundation is an independent Corp. The completed project has transformed the Midtown landscape 501 (c)(3) non-profit corporation, which advances sustainability eduinto a vibrant, aesthetically unique pedestrian corridor, providing safer cation and initiatives for transportation infrastructure. As the develaccess and connectivity to local businesses and Midtown's cultural arts oper of the Greenroad Rating System, the Foundation manages the and entertainment district. certification process for sustainable roadway and bridge construction projects in the U.S. and internationally. For more information, visit Environmentally-friendly features include: www.greenroads.org. • The installation of rain gardens that treat and capture 33% of the storm water that falls within the right-of-way. A special thanks to Greenroads Executive Director, Jeralee Anderson, • LED street lighting for use of copy.
then&now
2300 Fannin
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five-sentence description greets visitors just inside the lobby of one of Midtown’s history-making buildings. According to the anonymous typewritten note, the Gibraltar Building in 1958 was “The first all-glass façade multi-story structure to be built anywhere.” According to Stephen Fox’s Houston Architectural Guide, ”The Gibraltar Building was the first building in Houston to have walls faced entirely in heat absorbing, solar gray glass.” In 1959, Texas Society of Architects awarded the work of architects Greacen and Brogniez and that of J. Victor Neuhaus III,
2300 Fannin Street.
Associate Architect. Today, 56-years later, the multi-story building at 2300 Fannin St. can proudly claim 100% occupancy, according to building manager Tricia Easter, housing such prestigous tenants as Bank of America, University of Houston Small Business Development Center, Houston Community College and others.