Texas Skyline Ratings: Tyler (Houston, Dallas: sales, colleges, to live in)

[solytaire]

Originally Posted by Metro Matt

Tyler has in fact erected several multi story buildings within the past 15 years, just not in downtown.

We have a 7 story dedicated cardiac hospital going up in our med center as we speak.

Not to mention the 14 story 180 foot tall condo that went up on Tyler's west Loop a few years ago.

Our downtown may not be changing, but our medical center skyline is booming & looks NOTHING like it did 20 or 30 years ago.

Right, I believe most people in Tyler are aware of the developments around the ETMC/MF and The Cascades. But Im speaking specifically of downtown. It has gone virtually unchanged since I was a kid.

[Metro Matt]

Originally Posted by solytaire

Right, I believe most people in Tyler are aware of the developments around the ETMC/MF and The Cascades. But Im speaking specifically of downtown. It has gone virtually unchanged since I was a kid.

You have to look at street level to see change in Downtown Tyler. Many lofts have gone up & buildings on The Square have gotten complete make overs. As a matter of fact, part of the square that burned down in a major fire several years back is being built back as Brookshires urban grocery market (first of its kind) & outdoor courtyard equipped with free Wi-Fi.

[solytaire]

Originally Posted by Metro Matt

You have to look at street level to see change in Downtown Tyler. Many lofts have gone up & buildings on The Square have gotten complete make overs. As a matter of fact, part of the square that burned down in a major fire several years back is being built back as Brookshires urban grocery market (first of its kind) & outdoor courtyard equipped with free Wi-Fi.

Thats why I said that they havent erected any new buildings to enhance they skyline. Which they havent. Im not sure if the lofts you are speaking of are new buildings or not, but from what Ive seen, they just converted the unused spaces from the upper levels of existing office buildings, into living spaces. That works, but I just wish actual new buildings were being built.

And frankly, the law offices beside Levines that were burned down dont quite strike me as a prime locale for any kind of urban grocery market, but I guess we'll see in due time. I know the H.O.T. initiative is bringing a lot of development to downtown, but Im not quite sure how that translates to expanding the skyline. I havent heard any plans for newer, larger buildings so much as renovating existing structures and giving them a facelift.

[Mark Senior]

No, downtown looks the same same pretty much since 1980. Yes, we probably have the most awful looking courthouse in Texas, finshed in 1957. It replaced a "state capital" looking courthouse, what a shame.
I voted "good" but not only for the downtown area. Do any of the other cities, Waco, Midland for sure, Beaumont, etc. have much of anything of a "skyline" outside of their downtown? I don't mess with a camera and don't have the photos, but Tyler's medical center, if it were sittting flat West Texas, would look like a good sized city,(the rolling hills make 5 story buildings look "flat" and in Midland a 20 story building looks like a 30-40 story building. The medical area has 5, 6, and 10 story buildings with many large clinicis with overhead walkways connecting the garages and buildings. As well, there are several low rise multi-story buildings on the loop and Broadway and add in the Cascades condo, and three low rise condos, you have combined there, another good sized looking town.

Who the heck voted Bad or horrible? what are you looking at? Oh, I too, think Midland has the most impressive skyline by far.

[blkgiraffe]

Is the Medical Center you guys speak of the one that's near the downtown area???

[Mark Senior]

Yes, starts less than a mile away, I'd say. Runs from, Front and Becham on the Northwest corner going east 5 to 6 blocks then South down Flieshel (MP) for about a mile and half or more to East Fifth then West to Bechham and North again to Front. But the Texas Spine and Joint Hopital is slightly out of this area by about six blocks, and several large clinics and Health South Outpaient Hospital are about a mile south of this area on Beckham toward the south loop.

The Medical Center Area actually runs next to the Tyler Junior College Campus with it's 12,000 plus students, the nursing college there is affliated with the med district. Just in the last two months the college and med districts are to work on better mobility in the area. Pretty congested now.

[Metro Matt]

Originally Posted by jluke65780

Is the Medical Center you guys speak of the one that's near the downtown area???

Yes. Tyler's medical center district is about a mile or less East/Southeast of downtown & forms somewhat of a skyline of its own. There is an all glass 7 story cardiac hospital about to break ground in Tyler's medical center district too which will definitely change the look of the whole area.

The tallest building in Tyler's med center currently is 150 feet so we're about to have two 150 footers in that area alone.

Tyler's tallest building outside of downtown is the Cascades high rise condo on the west side of town. It is 14 floors/180 feet tall. There were supposed to be more high rises go up next to it until the economy tanked.

[solytaire]

Originally Posted by Mark-Tyler is Special

No, downtown looks the same same pretty much since 1980. Yes, we probably have the most awful looking courthouse in Texas, finshed in 1957. It replaced a "state capital" looking courthouse, what a shame.
I voted "good" but not only for the downtown area. Do any of the other cities, Waco, Midland for sure, Beaumont, etc. have much of anything of a "skyline" outside of their downtown? I don't mess with a camera and don't have the photos, but Tyler's medical center, if it were sittting flat West Texas, would look like a good sized city,(the rolling hills make 5 story buildings look "flat" and in Midland a 20 story building looks like a 30-40 story building. The medical area has 5, 6, and 10 story buildings with many large clinicis with overhead walkways connecting the garages and buildings. As well, there are several low rise multi-story buildings on the loop and Broadway and add in the Cascades condo, and three low rise condos, you have combined there, another good sized looking town.

Who the heck voted Bad or horrible? what are you looking at? Oh, I too, think Midland has the most impressive skyline by far.

Ive always thought the same thing. If Tyler, had the minimal tree coverage and flat terrain of some other areas, it might have a more robust looking skyline. But either way, its downtown needs work to become anything noteworthy. Like you, I think if there's any skyline to behold in the Tyler area it will be the Medical Center. Its already a pretty nice look around that area. Really, the whole East/Southeast Tyler area (TJC/UT-Tyler campuses + Medical Center) would have a pretty nice looking skyline of its own if it werent for the variations in elevation and if a few of the trees were removed.

[Metro Matt]

Originally Posted by solytaire

Ive always thought the same thing. If Tyler, had the minimal tree coverage and flat terrain of some other areas, it might have a more robust looking skyline. But either way, its downtown needs work to become anything noteworthy. Like you, I think if there's any skyline to behold in the Tyler area it will be the Medical Center. Its already a pretty nice look around that area. Really, the whole East/Southeast Tyler area (TJC/UT-Tyler campuses + Medical Center) would have a pretty nice looking skyline of its own if it werent for the variations in elevation and if a few of the trees were removed.

Why would you want the trees removed anyways? Thats just crazy!

Its what makes Tyler & East Texas different from the rest of the state.

That would be about like me saying lets raze all the pine trees in The Woodlands so we can see its buildings & river walk better.

[solytaire]

Originally Posted by Metro Matt

Why would you want the trees removed anyways? Thats just crazy!

Its what makes Tyler & East Texas different from the rest of the state.

That would be about like me saying lets raze all the pine trees in The Woodlands so we can see its buildings & river walk better.

Yeah, I know, but I have come to learn that you gotta take the good with the bad. I dont necessarily consider the clearcutting in Houston as being a good thing either, BUT, I really think that if it remained as heavily forested throughout much of the city as it originally was, it probably would be considered just as country, and stagnant as people think Tyler is. I think people in general associate excessive foliage with rural. Plus, the reality seems to be that with the development required to introduce new business, landscaping and clearcutting are kind of a necessary evil to entice more businesses into the area.