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UER Forum > Archived US: South > Central Sqaure Plaza is being revived (Viewed 1029 times)
Secretsquirrel 


Location: Space City Tejas
Gender: Male




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Central Sqaure Plaza is being revived
< on 5/22/2013 8:23 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
I never thought it would happen. All Houstonians would have put money on it's eventual demolition. The long abandoned building has been recently purchased and has announced it's plans to renovate the property. They haven't decided if it will be used as commercial or residential yet but said it will be determined in the next 30-40 days. They already have construction workers onsite and have been cleaning of both interior and exterior. I will be excited to see what comes next for this property. The building holds a quite bit of history. Years back the rooftop penthouse was home to the Cork Club operated by wildcatter and oil tycoon Glenn McCarthy. Glenn was the original founder of the Shamrock Hotel which was demo'd many years ago. The Cork Club was one of the clubs where Frank Sinatra performed during his come back. I also read stories about the CC being raided by Houston Vice for reports of orgies in the late 70's, early 80's. Anyways here is a collection of old, new and rendering photos of what it may look like once the project is complete. Enjoy !



Rendering of the exterior



Rendering of the lobby


Central Square Brochure by Secret5468 / Secret Photography, on Flickr


16 Reasons by Secret5468 / Secret Photography, on Flickr


Central Square Brochure by Secret5468 / Secret Photography, on Flickr


Presidents Health Club / Central Square by Secret5468 / Secret Photography, on Flickr


Presidents Health Club / Central Square by Secret5468 / Secret Photography, on Flickr


Central Square by Secret5468 / Secret Photography, on Flickr


Central Square / Aiglon Industries by Secret5468 / Secret Photography, on Flickr


Central Square Office by Secret5468 / Secret Photography, on Flickr


Central Square Office by Secret5468 / Secret Photography, on Flickr


Central Square / KULF Radio Station by Secret5468 / Secret Photography, on Flickr


Central Square / 13th/14th Floor Strairway by Secret5468 / Secret Photography, on Flickr


Central Square / KULF Radio Station by Secret5468 / Secret Photography, on Flickr


Central Bank Lobby by Secret5468 / Secret Photography, on Flickr


Downtown Career Center by Secret5468 / Secret Photography, on Flickr


KULF Radio / The Cork Club by Secret5468 / Secret Photography, on Flickr


KULF Radio / The Cork Club by Secret5468 / Secret Photography, on Flickr


Bar &amp; Restauraunt by Secret5468 / Secret Photography, on Flickr


KULF Radio / The Cork Club by Secret5468 / Secret Photography, on Flickr


KULF Radio / The Cork Club by Secret5468 / Secret Photography, on Flickr


KULF Radio / The Cork Club by Secret5468 / Secret Photography, on Flickr


Central Square Escalators by Secret5468 / Secret Photography, on Flickr


Central Square Main Lobby by Secret5468 / Secret Photography, on Flickr


Leftover Equipment From The Healthclub by Secret5468 / Secret Photography, on Flickr


Central Bank Front Office by Secret5468 / Secret Photography, on Flickr


7th Floor Elevators by Secret5468 / Secret Photography, on Flickr


Central Square by Secret5468 / Secret Photography, on Flickr


Central Square by Secret5468 / Secret Photography, on Flickr


Here We Go Again by Secret5468 / Secret Photography, on Flickr


Central Square by Secret5468 / Secret Photography, on Flickr


The Central Square by Secret5468 / Secret Photography, on Flickr


Central Square / Kwik Kopy Printing by Secret5468 / Secret Photography, on Flickr


Central Square Entrance by Secret5468 / Secret Photography, on Flickr


Lonely Wheelchair by Secret5468 / Secret Photography, on Flickr


Central Square by Secret5468 / Secret Photography, on Flickr


Stacked by Secret5468 / Secret Photography, on Flickr


The Bank Vault by Secret5468 / Secret Photography, on Flickr


KULF Radio / The Cork Club by Secret5468 / Secret Photography, on Flickr



http://www.flickr....ecretsquirrel5468/
http://instagram.com/secret_photography#
Jason 


Location: Texas
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Re: Central Sqaure Plaza is being revived
<Reply # 1 on 5/23/2013 12:04 AM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
Well this news fucking sucks.

Secretsquirrel 


Location: Space City Tejas
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Re: Central Sqaure Plaza is being revived
<Reply # 2 on 5/23/2013 1:53 AM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
Posted by Jason
Well this news fucking sucks.




http://www.flickr....ecretsquirrel5468/
http://instagram.com/secret_photography#
Quarantine 


Location: Denver
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Re: Central Sqaure Plaza is being revived
<Reply # 3 on 5/23/2013 6:39 AM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
Thanks for sharing! The historic photos are neat. I always love to see how places looked pre-abandonment. Nice 'sploin shots too. 2 years haven't treated the place well- a little birdy told me that the inside _t_r_a_s_h_e_d_ now.

Secretsquirrel 


Location: Space City Tejas
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Re: Central Sqaure Plaza is being revived
<Reply # 4 on 5/23/2013 5:34 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
Posted by Quarantine
Thanks for sharing! The historic photos are neat. I always love to see how places looked pre-abandonment. Nice 'sploin shots too. 2 years haven't treated the place well- a little birdy told me that the inside _t_r_a_s_h_e_d_ now.


It's been trashed for awhile now. Last time I visited about a year ago the caretaker had cleaned alot of the junk out of the property. They even swept the floors.

http://www.flickr....ecretsquirrel5468/
http://instagram.com/secret_photography#
yeya 


Location: La La Land, TX
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Re: Central Sqaure Plaza is being revived
<Reply # 5 on 5/23/2013 6:32 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
Posted by Secretsquirrel


It's been trashed for awhile now. Last time I visited about a year ago the caretaker had cleaned alot of the junk out of the property. They even swept the floors.


It's sad how much worse it had gotten since the photos u posted. COMPLETELY trashed and a shame about the chandelier and all the mirrors completely shattered. Angers me how bad it got. Some guy freaked us out the last time I went in. Wish I could've made it up to the top again but had to leave. Devastating to see all that added destruction done by idiots. I for sure am hoping to get in again soon. I know it's possible but not being seen is the tricky part. :/

Edit: Man I love that vault!!!! Completely forgot how it looked!
[last edit 5/23/2013 6:34 PM by yeya - edited 1 times]

undercontrol 


Location: Houston, TX
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Re: Central Sqaure Plaza is being revived
<Reply # 6 on 5/23/2013 9:24 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
Love this building. Used to drive by it after leaving the library late at night and was always drawn to it. Never made it in either, but this is my second favorite building downtown after the Ben Milam (now I guess it can be #1).

Great photos, especially enjoyed the historical ones. Thanks for digging them up!

Wilderness: where man himself is a visitor who does not remain.
cheese007 


Location: North Texas




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Re: Central Sqaure Plaza is being revived
<Reply # 7 on 5/23/2013 10:38 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
Posted by Jason
Well this news fucking sucks.


I know it sucks to lose an exploring location, but I'd rather lose it to restoration than demolition.

RevSM 


Location: South Central Texas




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Re: Central Sqaure Plaza is being revived
<Reply # 8 on 5/23/2013 10:46 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
I'm surprised. Even way back when I got to see it the basement was flooded and the place would have needed a huge amount of work to fix up. I'd still like to see it again and I wonder if it's going to be easier or harder now that they have started working on it.

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yeya 


Location: La La Land, TX
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Re: Central Sqaure Plaza is being revived
<Reply # 9 on 5/24/2013 2:07 AM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
Posted by RevSM
I'm surprised. Even way back when I got to see it the basement was flooded and the place would have needed a huge amount of work to fix up. I'd still like to see it again and I wonder if it's going to be easier or harder now that they have started working on it.


Rev, if u can make it down we can try it out. I've been meaning to text u about it, my memory sux!

Astro 

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Location: The Delta Quadrant
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Re: Central Sqaure Plaza is being revived
<Reply # 10 on 5/24/2013 1:51 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
I, personally, think this is awesome. I have personally never been in here, but to be fair, I had next to no interest in the building. But, let's look at it this way. No one was getting in for a while there, about a year, because stupid amounts of shit. Everyone has their eyes on it and at this point (see previous posts), we have confirmed the inside is an absolute shithole.

So, the positives you ask? Look at it this way, they are "fixing it up", clearly we all have doubts on whether or not this will be successful. Assume it is...well we have a new place to actively rooftop and then we get to wait for it to be abandoned again. Assume they aren't successful, they put a pretty noble effort into it and we end up with a partially fixed up and semi-nice abandonment...or we just end up with an abandonment that's a bit different than it used to be, meaning it's almost like exploring a new location. This also leaves potential for new POEs that are not only completely new but possibly better hidden, making it harder for us, yeah...but possibly harder for others as well (read cops).

Honestly, either way...we seem to be winning.
[last edit 5/24/2013 1:52 PM by Astro - edited 1 times]

[02:33:56] <Valkyre> Astro your whole life is ruled by the sentence ' life is better without clothes on'
[22:16:00] <DSomms> it was normal until astro got here
Astro: Patron Saint of Drains
Quarantine 


Location: Denver
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Re: Central Sqaure Plaza is being revived
<Reply # 11 on 5/24/2013 7:04 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
^ This. As-is, The only foreseeable future for the place was demolition or crackhouse. At least the structure is getting re-used and Houston is taking a wee break from turning it's already-established urban landscape in a mess of indistinct postmodernist bullshit (not that CC is the greatest piece of architecture around, but at least it's more unique than some of the crap that's been popping up)

Johnny Mnemonic 


Location: Houston, TX (Previously Dallas)
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Re: Central Sqaure Plaza is being revived
<Reply # 12 on 5/27/2013 5:27 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
Aw, Central Square was pretty high on my list to visit at least once. Yeya, If you do decide to take a peek, and are willing to let me tag along, please do let me know when and hopefully I'll be able to make it. Still, as has been said, it really is great to hear that it's being fixed up instead of demolished. Great to see all that literature and before-and-after stuff.

P.S.: You make some great points, Astro, this does sound like positive news no matter how one looks at it.
[last edit 5/28/2013 3:16 AM by Johnny Mnemonic - edited 2 times]

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dammband 


Location: Atlanta, Georgia
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Re: Central Sqaure Plaza is being revived
<Reply # 13 on 5/28/2013 5:24 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
great photos

yeya 


Location: La La Land, TX
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Re: Central Sqaure Plaza is being revived
<Reply # 14 on 5/28/2013 6:41 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
Posted by Johnny Mnemonic
Aw, Central Square was pretty high on my list to visit at least once. Yeya, If you do decide to take a peek, and are willing to let me tag along, please do let me know when and hopefully I'll be able to make it.


Will do.
[last edit 5/28/2013 6:42 PM by yeya - edited 1 times]

texano 






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Re: Central Sqaure Plaza is being revived
<Reply # 15 on 5/29/2013 1:30 AM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
A lot of good times exploring that building. This was the first building I explored with my homie Secret Squirrel. Figured I would post a few of my flicks.


Untitled by o texano, on Flickr


Untitled by o texano, on Flickr


Untitled by o texano, on Flickr


Untitled by o texano, on Flickr


Untitled by o texano, on Flickr


Untitled by o texano, on Flickr



Keaven 


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Re: Central Sqaure Plaza is being revived
<Reply # 16 on 5/29/2013 1:57 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
Posted by cheese007


I know it sucks to lose an exploring location, but I'd rather lose it to restoration than demolition.


This! So true.

Great thread, SS. I love it when people include historical photos and background information.

Steevus 


Location: Houston - Galleria Area
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Re: Central Sqaure Plaza is being revived
<Reply # 17 on 7/16/2013 6:19 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
The last time I drove by here(2 weeks ago) I saw a silhouette of someone in one of the windows. The human was just standing there looking out at downtown.

Is there still a chance to explore it right now?

Quarantine 


Location: Denver
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Re: Central Sqaure Plaza is being revived
<Reply # 18 on 7/16/2013 9:14 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
Still doable. The renovation is moving along SUPER slow. Usual disclaimers apply of course.

yeya 


Location: La La Land, TX
Gender: Female




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Re: Central Sqaure Plaza is being revived
<Reply # 19 on 7/30/2013 5:35 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
Like I've mentioned before, I'm still so down to go, I passed by yesterday. I'm wondering if they're working on each entire floor, in other words, both buildings at a time. I never got a good shot of the clock. :/

UER Forum > Archived US: South > Central Sqaure Plaza is being revived (Viewed 1029 times)
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