Dallas Fort Worth Urban Forum

Swexan vexing Texans!

I45Tex wrote:Swexan vexing Texans!

The construction on this hotel is definitely on slow now. I see little progress on it the past few months.

It's been done dude. The half ass look is what they were going for.

Looks like they are adding some flair.

Really hope they're adding the little white fins/whatever you wanna call 'em. But what're they adding them with, Command strips?

I am curious about whats being added on the corner. Wonder what that will be?

Untitled by rlopez2011, on Flickr

Untitled by rlopez2011, on Flickr
Untitled by rlopez2011, on Flickr

The white panels are going up onto the facade. It’s definitely going to look better.

Whats sad is the Architecture here is just decor like some live faith love sign from Tuesday morning hung on the exterior of the same old box Harwood makes. The whole reason we had that period of architecture where we reduced buildings down to simple glass boxes was to confront the ridiculousness of building a simple box and hanging design off the boxes like Christmas ornaments. Then we got tired of over simplicity and started trying to design architecture where the design was the shape, materials, light impactful interior spaces etc. Now we have Harwood going back to where we plopped down a box add some ribbons and bows and bam isn't she festive! Dress up a pig in lipstick she is still a pig.

cowboyeagle05 wrote:just decor like some live faith love sign from Tuesday morning

Now that gave me life for a second today. Thank you for that.

Thanks for your comments Cowboyeagle05! It is indeed sad.

Yo mods, Can we change thread name...Harwood "Still an Ugly B¡+¢π" No. 12 Hotel?

Thx Bruhs

Wow, this current hotel looks nothing like the original renderings.

From last Saturday. SWEXAN looks be getting spelled vertically eventually on the blank corner wall ( zoomed-in or just when in person, the holes appear to be drilled out according to the shape of the letter(s) ) :



https://twitter.com/CTroyMathis/status/ ... 2261041165

Also, I don't know why I never noticed the Samurai-ish (?) sign-topper. Usually I just noticed when it says something like "Harwood" on the toppers in the area. . .

CTroyMathis wrote:From last Saturday. SWEXAN looks be getting spelled vertically eventually on the blank corner wall ( zoomed-in or just when in person, the holes appear to be drilled out according to the shape of the letter(s) ) :



https://twitter.com/CTroyMathis/status/ ... 2261041165

Also, I don't know why I never noticed the Samurai-ish (?) sign-topper. Usually I just noticed when it says something like "Harwood" on the toppers in the area. . .

Never noticed! Nice.

How long has this hotel been under construction? It seems like two years at least. I wonder when they'll start to actually accept guests.

Remarkably better!

cowboyeagle05 wrote:Whats sad is the Architecture here is just decor like some live faith love sign from Tuesday morning hung on the exterior of the same old box Harwood makes. The whole reason we had that period of architecture where we reduced buildings down to simple glass boxes was to confront the ridiculousness of building a simple box and hanging design off the boxes like Christmas ornaments. Then we got tired of over simplicity and started trying to design architecture where the design was the shape, materials, light impactful interior spaces etc. Now we have Harwood going back to where we plopped down a box add some ribbons and bows and bam isn't she festive! Dress up a pig in lipstick she is still a pig.

Damn.... This rings so true. The vertical strips are the only semi interesting thing about the building. The architecture is drab, the shape is blah, and the letters on the side are just something a 14 yr old girl would put up in her bedroom wall... This building is butt ugly, sadly it may not be the ugliest Harwood building!

Tivo_Kenevil wrote:

cowboyeagle05 wrote:Whats sad is the Architecture here is just decor like some live faith love sign from Tuesday morning hung on the exterior of the same old box Harwood makes. The whole reason we had that period of architecture where we reduced buildings down to simple glass boxes was to confront the ridiculousness of building a simple box and hanging design off the boxes like Christmas ornaments. Then we got tired of over simplicity and started trying to design architecture where the design was the shape, materials, light impactful interior spaces etc. Now we have Harwood going back to where we plopped down a box add some ribbons and bows and bam isn't she festive! Dress up a pig in lipstick she is still a pig.

Damn.... This rings so true. The vertical strips are the only semi interesting thing about the building. The architecture is drab, the shape is blah, and the letters on the side are just something a 14 yr old girl would put up in her bedroom wall... This building is butt ugly, sadly it may not be the ugliest Harwood building!

The strips remind me of KPMG Plaza in the Arts District. I bet they'll even light it up in a similar fashion

Anybody know what the delay is here? Or if this is still even proceeding as planned?

This building topped out late spring, early summer 2020. There’s been hardly any movement at all in at least a full year.

Tivo_Kenevil wrote:

cowboyeagle05 wrote:Whats sad is the Architecture here is just decor like some live faith love sign from Tuesday morning hung on the exterior of the same old box Harwood makes. The whole reason we had that period of architecture where we reduced buildings down to simple glass boxes was to confront the ridiculousness of building a simple box and hanging design off the boxes like Christmas ornaments. Then we got tired of over simplicity and started trying to design architecture where the design was the shape, materials, light impactful interior spaces etc. Now we have Harwood going back to where we plopped down a box add some ribbons and bows and bam isn't she festive! Dress up a pig in lipstick she is still a pig.

Damn.... This rings so true. The vertical strips are the only semi interesting thing about the building. The architecture is drab, the shape is blah, and the letters on the side are just something a 14 yr old girl would put up in her bedroom wall... This building is butt ugly, sadly it may not be the ugliest Harwood building!

hahahahaha

Hard to believe that this hotel has yet to be finished and open for business. I'd like to know exactly what the backstory is on this one. They are still working on the first floor entrance and it's been nearly three years of construction on a small 20 story hotel. Very odd.

Agreed this one is taking forever to complete.

They did add lighting up and down the sides of this building literally just last week. Thin, yellow vertical striping, at least on the north-facing side of the building. Lights were on early last weekend, but haven't been on since.

My (other) gripe here, is they've had that left lane of McKinnon closed now for maybe five years. Fine while they're actually building, but they haven't reopened anything the last 2-ish years while this project has literally just sat.

My guess would be the operator jumped during the Corona pandemic and they are having troulbe finding one with all the new hotels going up in the area.

ContriveDallasite wrote:My guess would be the operator jumped during the Corona pandemic and they are having troulbe finding one with all the new hotels going up in the area.

I could be wrong, but I think Harwood IS the operator, much like they do with all their restaurants. I believe it's part of Harwood Hospitality.

It is. Harwood has never moved very fast on their mid- to high-rises.

They, however, are currently hiring for some hotel jobs if that helps concerns.

Also, since they are the owner and operator, they very much so could have slowed the project down on purpose by shifting construction workers away to other projects. Doing so may have also meant people they hired to run the operations might have jumped ship to work on other projects or companies rather than wait for Harwood to finish up. It's one thing to work for an established flag with brand affinity but to build a luxury branded hotel from the ground up even with Harwood's name is a whole other animal. Lord knows once they do open it I am sure it will join a flag eventually once it proves its business worth has a functional hotel, and Harwood finds the right match fir it's brand. I seriously doubt they will stay completely independent.

Has Harwood announced any planned opening date? This hotel has been in the works quite some time.

cowboyeagle05 wrote:Also, since they are the owner and operator, they very much so could have slowed the project down on purpose by shifting construction workers away to other projects. Doing so may have also meant people they hired to run the operations might have jumped ship to work on other projects or companies rather than wait for Harwood to finish up. It's one thing to work for an established flag with brand affinity but to build a luxury branded hotel from the ground up even with Harwood's name is a whole other animal. Lord knows once they do open it I am sure it will join a flag eventually once it proves its business worth has a functional hotel, and Harwood finds the right match fir it's brand. I seriously doubt they will stay completely independent.

Which coming full circle from conversations here years ago, it could end up being a Swissôtel if they flag up, because why not. Maybe some day.

In the meantime, they are seeking to staff up right now with positions across the board, some that don't require being there super early for an opening process. It can't be too long.

I do think they will try their hand for as long as they can at keeping it Harwood Hospitality until they can't and/or a price is right to sell-out. We will see how that plays out. Might really end up being an exclusive hotel for people who come to work at Harwood buildings and 'live' there, to some extent. May never even hear much about the place eventually.

Untitled by rlopez2011, on Flickr

Untitled by rlopez2011, on Flickr

CTroyMathis wrote:

cowboyeagle05 wrote:Also, since they are the owner and operator, they very much so could have slowed the project down on purpose by shifting construction workers away to other projects. Doing so may have also meant people they hired to run the operations might have jumped ship to work on other projects or companies rather than wait for Harwood to finish up. It's one thing to work for an established flag with brand affinity but to build a luxury branded hotel from the ground up even with Harwood's name is a whole other animal. Lord knows once they do open it I am sure it will join a flag eventually once it proves its business worth has a functional hotel, and Harwood finds the right match fir it's brand. I seriously doubt they will stay completely independent.

Which coming full circle from conversations here years ago, it could end up being a Swissôtel if they flag up, because why not. Maybe some day.

In the meantime, they are seeking to staff up right now with positions across the board, some that don't require being there super early for an opening process. It can't be too long.

I do think they will try their hand for as long as they can at keeping it Harwood Hospitality until they can't and/or a price is right to sell-out. We will see how that plays out. Might really end up being an exclusive hotel for people who come to work at Harwood buildings and 'live' there, to some extent. May never even hear much about the place eventually.

The longer we can delay the opening of "Hotel Swexan", the better. Maybe with the time it's taken to build this thing they will have had time to come to their senses...

It's not a bad looking building, but it's nothing distinct. The lack of information as to when it will open is still very curious for Harwood. The whole project has been a mystery. Too bad they didn't build the hour glass-styled building. Now that would have stood out architecturally.

Maybe Harwood didn't even realize till this point that they didn't build what they released as renderings, and they are suing themselves as lying to themselves in breach of contract. I swear Harwood is more like city hall and the Trinity. They promise grandiose projects for decades, then finally announce something happening, then what's built looks almost nothing like what was originally announced due to staff having to work with the developer on budgetary constraints on cost-saving initiatives.

Exterior lighting is being tested on the building.

R1070 wrote:Exterior lighting is being tested on the building.

Yep, you can kinda see it at the end of this clip. The rainbow colored building.

https://youtube.com/shorts/mVQLTNLV2a4?feature=share

Earlier this week.

Omg! That's so cool that it's going to be L.E.D. and colorful. That will bring so much life and energy to that part of Uptown.

Nice add on

Lipstick on a pig.

This building does wonders for our already beautiful skyline!

Went to the ACC for a Mavs game and saw this building on street level. The LEDS look cheap in person. They're akin to the cheap LED strips they placed in frog alley West End Arches.

Tivo_Kenevil wrote:Went to the ACC for a Mavs game and saw this building on street level. The LEDS look cheap in person. They're akin to the cheap LED strips they placed in frog alley West End Arches.

Yeah they remind me of our cheap Christmas lights when I was a kid in the 70s.

Tivo_Kenevil wrote:Went to the ACC for a Mavs game and saw this building on street level. The LEDS look cheap in person. They're akin to the cheap LED strips they placed in frog alley West End Arches.

That was my thought too when I saw them last night. I was disappointed.

Tacky for sure.

The building looks nothing like a single rendering they released. I hope it works as a hotel inside and they didn't cut corners on its build-out. They certainly slapped up something that looks like it was designed by a committee afraid of doing anything that might upset a neighbor.

I.e. it looks like a Harwood building? ... Ironic, since most of its neighbors are... Harwood buildings.

I'll take this over the surface parking that had been there for years and the design is better than some of the ugly stuff that has gone up in Austin in recent years.