Looped In

A ceremony celebrating the life of the late Ed Wulfe revealed a different side to the gregarious real estate developer and civic leader.

For almost two hours, family members and friends, including Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner shared stories highlighting Wulfe's civic involvement and work ethic. His grandchildren told of his affinity for inspirational sayings and practical jokes. All their stories elicited more laughter than tears.

After attending the service, Nancy recounts some of the memorable moments.

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New lawsuits challenging how real estate commissions are structured could lead to a number of possible outcomes, including changes in how much home sellers pay in fees and how agents who represent buyers are compensated. Plaintiffs in the case want to see more transparency in the real estate transaction. The defendants, including the National Association of Realtors, warn of potential dangers to the consumer if the system is drastically altered. The Chronicle's Rebecca Schuetz recently spoke on a panel with NAR's legal counsel and a lawyer/real estate broker from Washington at the annual Inman Connect conference. On the newest episode of Looped In, Schuetz discusses potential outcomes should the case be settled or even go to trial.

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In a fancy white tent in the parking lot of the former Sears department store in Midtown, officials from the city, county and Rice University hosted a groundbreaking ceremony and press conference for the new Ion innovation hub.

Across the street, Rice students held a press conference of their own. Worried about gentrification and a host of other issues, they stood outside with a microphone and a speaker urging Rice to be a force for good in the neighborhood.

Nancy and Chronicle technology reporter Andrea Leinfelder recap the events.

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L.A.-based Architect James Richards was living in Houston in 2015 when he heard the Astrodome was going to be open to the public for a 50th anniversary celebration. He figured it would draw a small crowd of nerdy architect and engineer types, so he decided to go. That experience was the inspiration for what Richards and his collaborator, Ben Olschner, have spent the past several years on: a proposal to turn the dome into an active urban park. Their project would strip the exterior skin off the domed structure, exposing the steel beneath it. It would be programmed with activities and eventually have a two-mile spiral track that gradually slopes from the ground level to the top of the dome. On the newest episode of Looped In, Richards describes his vision and how he thinks A-Dome Park could become a reality one day.

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Is it “Montrose” or “the Montrose?” What’s “the 44?” And where in the world are the falls in Cypress? On the newest episode of Looped In, we explore the origins Houston neighborhoods names and highlight examples of real estate developments that have appropriated the names of their fancier, hipper neighbors. (with James Glassman, the “Houstorian”)

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A mile from Houston’s bustling business district, the historic Glenwood Cemetery is a respite from the bars, townhomes and apartment buildings that surround it. With gently rolling hills, wildlife and all manner of vegetation, the 19th century park-style cemetery holds as much Houston history as it does beauty. Looped In hits the road again to tour the property with Dick Ambrus, its longtime executive director, and Jim Parsons of Preservation Houston.

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A lawsuit filed in Illinois earlier this year was the latest attempt to upend the current system of how real estate commissions are structured. The case argues that if not for rules put in place by the National Association of Realtors, consumers would pay far less in commissions and that the system would look more like it does in the United Kingdom, where listing agents earn a much smaller commission and buyers’ agents are rare.

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TMC3, a biomedical research campus planned for 37 acres between Old Spanish Trail and Brays Bayou, aims to take Houston’s powerhouse medical center in a bold, new direction. Plans call for the land to house medical and commercial space, a hotel, apartments and a collection of research facilities that could amount to more than $1 billion worth of development and 5 million square feet of space. Bill McKeon, Chief Executive of the Texas Medical Center, discusses how the project could introduce a standard of collaboration and architecture the TMC has never before seen.

 

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Ralph Bivins has been covering the real estate market in Houston since the late 1980s when he started as a reporter with the Houston Chronicle. He now runs Realty News Report and has just published his first book: "Houston 2020: America's Boom Town - An extreme close up." He talks to Nancy about the projects and personalities that shaped the city's built environment and the challenges that stand to hold it back.

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Looped In collaborator Allyn West recently left the Chronicle for a new job. But before going, he spent some time in the podcast studio to talk about his favorite -- and least favorite -- things about Houston. In an extended lightning round, Nancy and Lisa Gray, the editor and writer who recruited Allyn to the Chronicle, peppered their departing colleague with questions about the city’s architecture, streets, playgrounds and much more. Their conversation revealed some of Houston's little known gems, from real estate to writers.

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