Rallying for River Oaks continues to grow; meanwhile, owners keep silent

Even though the support continues to grow for the preservation of the River Oaks Shopping Center and Theater, many questions remained unanswered, and Weingarten has continued to keep their reticence. Rumors and some evidence throw a mix of names into the equation: Hermes Architects for the northwestern curved section, Wallace Garcia Wilson Architects for the highrise, and Barnes and Noble for an anchor. While concerned patrons, shareholders, and members of the community continue to wonder what the heck is really going on, it is clear that Weingarten isn't denying the plans for the River Oaks Shopping Center to undergo a less-than-wanted makeover. They defintely are not, however, keeping the lines of communication open to the public (fear and unrest, because of thousands of angry people, perhaps?).

According to Lisa Gray from the Chronicle, concerns were expressed at Tuesday's City Council meeting as well. Carolyn Farb, Sheila Jackson Lee, and Houston architecture guru Stephen Fox mentioned the importance of preservation and the city's backing of the issue, while Michael Berry stood out in opposition to the preservation:

"I don't want to become a city developers don't want to do business in because we change the rules," said council member Michael Berry.

Houstonist is, however, happy to report more than 20,500 signatures on the Save River Oaks petition, a new poll at the Houston Business Journal that currently totals 80 percent in favor of preserving the center, and the sale of Save the River Oaks T-shirts. Shirts can also be bought at Copy.com on Westheimer, but part of the proceeds from the online sales benefits the Greater Houston Preservation Alliance.

Image: the Documentary Alliance

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