Third time’s a charm for island transit center

GALVESTON — On its third try and after several revisions, a Houston architect firm won approval for the controversial modern design of a $4.5 million transit center proposed for a prominent corner in the historic district downtown.

The center would take up half a block in The Strand National Historic Landmark District.

After much debate and despite opposition from two influential organizations, the city’s Landmark Commission voted 6-1 to approve a “certificate of appropriateness” for the center, which will house an information center, 160-space parking garage, public restrooms and a city bus terminal on the northeast corner of The Strand and 25th Street.

Commissioners Michael Culpepper, Greg Lewis, Rusty Legg, Heidi Lutz, Beverly Ramirez and alternate Charlotte O’Rourke voted to approve the design; Commissioner Linda Strevell voted against it.

For reasons not immediately clear, Commissioner Nelson Smelker abstained. Commissioner Joe Rozier abstained from the vote because he works for Mitchell Historic Properties, which is a partnering with the city on the project. Although Lewis, who also is an architect, said he still had some reservations, the latest design was much improved over initial renderings.

In the end, it didn’t matter whether the landmark commission, which regulates anything that might alter appearances in historic districts, liked the design; the issue was whether it met architectural guidelines, commissioners said.

Those guidelines allow for modern buildings,provided their exteriors relate to adjacent historic buildings in terms of height, scale, proportion and rhythm.

Culpepper said he welcomed a new building downtown and liked the design.

“But what we’re really here to decide is whether it meets the design standards … and in my opinion, it does,” Culpepper said.

Houston-based Powers Brown Architecture onMonday presented a new design based on commission concerns the building’s features were too horizontal, glass was too prominent on the bottom floor and that metal scrim on the building was too random.

The firm added a series of glazed panels with vertical proportions taken from an averaging of samples of existing window arrangements. It added more “articulated storefront columns” and “calmed” the extremely random pattern of scrim.

Jeffrey Brown, a principal of Powers Brown Architecture, reiterated that his firm had listened to concerns and that he believed the building was compatible to other buildings in the district.

“We did our best to go line by line and go through the design guidelines,” Brown said. “We’re still listening.”

The center will be financed by federal transportation money granted to the city and will have space for several retail outlets.

During a 40-year lease, Mitchell Historic Properties will share evenly with the city any profits from the center’s retail rentals and parking fees but will cover any losses, as well as the costs of maintaining the building. Because it’s owned by a private company, it will be on the city’s tax rolls.

The architect job was put out for public bid, with several island architect firms vying for the work.

Powers Brown Architecture and Mitchell Historic Properties said they had adhered to a preservationist view that new construction should not attempt to replicate historic buildings but should reflect its owns time while“complementing the architecture of the historic district.”

A surprise came atthe meeting when the Historic Downtown Strand Seaport Partnership withdrew its strong support of the project.

The group said Mondaythat while it supported an intermodal transportation concept downtown, it could not support the design of the facade as proposed, saying it would set an “undesirable precedent.”

The partnership had many issues with the design, including the glass panels, the glazing and terra cotta cladding and other materials proposed for the building.

The Galveston Historical Foundation, which is not a city agency but is charged with preserving buildings, also has said it does not approve of the design.

Strevell said the building was a beautiful parking garage, but it was on the historic district’s main drag.

“I think when you come down here, this is the building the eye would go to and I’m not sure I’m comfortable with that,” Strevell said.

But O’Rourke said she wasn’t bothered by the contemporary building.

“I’m going to go out on a limb and say I like the design,” O’Rourke said.

The design must gain approval from the city council.