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98-467: CenterPoint Energy Tower (formerly Houston Industries Plaza ) is a 741 feet (226 m) tall building in downtown Houston . The original building, finished in 1974, stood at 651 feet (198 m), but a 90-foot (27 m) extension was added as part of a 1996 renovation. Designed by Richard Keating, this renovation dramatically changed the building, the Houston Skyline and the downtown. Keating

196-664: A bond. A 2003 Midtown Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone bond sale and Midtown Management District plans led to further improvements. The park received a rededication on November 13, 2006. The park includes a Vietnamese Heritage Plaza which commemorates the Vietnamese settlement in Midtown. Peggy's Point Plaza Park, operated by the city, is located at 4240 Main Street. Rice University housed their technology park , Rice Innovation District within Midtown. In 2008, David Crossley from

294-587: A decline in Little Saigon. Roth stated that many of the area restaurants still remain, but increasingly cater more to mainstream American tastes. In 2010 Denny Lee of The New York Times wrote that "traces" of the Vietnamese community remained. As of 2012 Midtown has about 8,600 people. Midtown had a 65% population increase in a ten-year period. According to the 2000 Census , the Super Neighborhood #62 Midtown (which mostly corresponds to

392-774: A doughnut," and that Downtown Houston began to become a "hole" in the "doughnut." As interchange connections with the 610 Loop opened, according to Barna Downtown "became just another node in a multi-node grid" and, as of 1998, "has been that, with already established high densities and land prices." In the mid-1980s, the bank savings and loan crisis forced many tenants in Downtown Houston buildings to retrench, and some tenants went out of business. Barna said that this development further caused Downtown Houston to decline. The Gulf Hotel fire occurred in 1943. Areas which are now considered part of Downtown were once within Third and

490-429: A point known as Allen's Landing . Downtown has been the city's preeminent commercial district since its founding in 1836. Today home to nine Fortune 500 corporations, Downtown contains 50 million square feet (4,600,000 m ) of office space and is the workplace of 150,000 employees. Downtown is also a major destination for entertainment and recreation. Nine major performing arts organizations are located within

588-746: A result, Downtown's residential population has increased to 10,165 people in 4,777 units, up from 900 units in the 1995. Many of Downtown's older residential units are located in lofts and converted commercial space, many of which are located around the performance halls of the Houston Theater District and near Main Street in the Historic District. In spring 2009, luxury high-rise One Park Place opened-up with 346 units. In early 2017 Downtown's largest residential building opened when Market Square Tower's 463 units were completed. Developers have invested more than US$ 4 billion in

686-463: A significant political campaign by the Allen brothers. The Allens gifted a number of city blocks to prominent Texas politicians and agreed to construct the new capitol building and a large hotel at no cost to the government. The Allens also donated blocks to celebrities, relatives, prominent lawyers, and other influential people in order to attract additional investment and speculation to the town. During

784-419: A total of 4,559 people above the age of 18. The super neighborhood contained a total of 3,219 people who were male and 2,092 people who were female. 18 people were in nursing homes. Nobody was in a correctional institution, a university or college dormitory, or a military quarter. There were 2,326 households, with a population of 4,142 in those households. The average household size is 1.78 people. Some parts of

882-766: Is Ben Taub General Hospital in the Texas Medical Center . The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) operates the Houston VII District Parole Office in Midtown. Midtown is located in District 147 of the Texas House of Representatives . As of 2008, Garnet F. Coleman represents the district. Midtown is within District 13 of the Texas Senate ; as of 2008 Rodney Ellis represents that district. Midtown

980-497: Is Houston's single largest office market, containing 50 million square feet (4,600,000 m ) of space. A premium submarket, Downtown commands the highest office rental rates in the city and was one of the ten most expensive office markets in the United States in 2016. Louisiana Street, which runs through the heart of the district, is one of the fifteen most expensive streets in the United States. 3,500 businesses in

1078-707: Is a 1,178-acre (1.841 sq mi) area bounded by Interstate 45 , Interstate 69 / U.S. Highway 59 , and Interstate 10 / U.S. Highway 90 . Several sub-districts exist within Downtown, including: Downtown Houston encompasses the original townsite of Houston. After the Texas Revolution , two New York real estate investors, John Kirby Allen and Augustus Chapman Allen , purchased 6,642 acres (2,688 ha) of land from Thomas F.L. Parrot and his wife, Elizabeth ( John Austin 's widow), for US$ 9,428 (equivalent to $ 261,584 in 2023). The Allen brothers settled at

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1176-614: Is a place to begin easing into a new country". On June 24, 1994 Isabella Court at 3909-3917 South Main Street received listing in the National Register of Historic Places . The City of Houston established the Midtown Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone ( TIRZ ) in 1995. The establishment of the TIRZ led to the opening of upper income townhomes and apartment complexes in western Midtown and

1274-468: Is also located in Midtown. Carnegie Vanguard High School , in the Fourth Ward , is in proximity to Midtown. Charlotte Allen Elementary School opened on February 1, 1907. At the time schools were segregated by race , and Allen was reserved for white children. It was later converted into a school for black children. San Jacinto High School , located in Midtown, and Reagan High School, located in

1372-1045: Is in Texas's 18th congressional district . As of 2008 its representative is Sheila Jackson Lee . The Sam Houston Station, the new Houston Post Office on Hadley Street in Midtown, became the city's main post office in 2015, replacing the previous one in Downtown Houston . The United States Government operates the La Branch Federal Building in Midtown; originally built as a Veterans Administration Building in 1946, it as of 2009 houses federal offices. The Social Security Administration previously had its own office at 3100 Smith Street. The Chinese Consulate-General, Houston maintained an education office in Midtown. The consulate closed in 2020. Spec's Wine, Spirits & Finer Foods has its headquarters in Store #00 Downtown Location in Midtown. At one time

1470-559: Is in Fire District 8. The station "Young America #7" first opened in 1878. Several months later the station's name changed to "Eagle #7" and the station was located on Congress Street near Main Street. In 1899 the station moved to the intersection of McIlhenny and Milam. The station moved to its current location in 1969. A renovation was scheduled for the financial year of 2009. The Houston Police Department 's South Central Patrol Division, headquartered at 2022 St. Emanuel., serves

1568-487: Is in Super Neighborhood #66 Binz instead of Super Neighborhood #62 Midtown) is zoned to Cullen Middle School; the portion contains one multi-family residence. Beginning in 2018 Baylor College of Medicine Academy at Ryan also serves as a boundary option for students zoned to MacGregor elementary school. Almost all of Midtown is zoned to Lamar High School (in Upper Kirby ), while a small northwest section of Midtown

1666-556: Is located at the intersection of Bagby and Gray. The Midtown Management District and several businesses provided funding for the park. Elizabeth Baldwin Park, operated by the City of Houston, is located at 1701 Elgin Street. The 4.88-acre (19,700 m ) Park is between Crawford Street and Chenevert Street. The City of Houston acquired Baldwin Park in 1905. The stone fountain is from 1912. The park received upgrades in 1930 and 1931 stemming from

1764-477: Is now Midtown was divided between the Third Ward and Fourth Ward . Before the 1950s what is now Midtown was a popular residential district. Increasingly, commercial development led homeowners to leave for neighborhoods they considered less busy. The area became a group of small apartment complexes, low-rise commercial buildings, and older houses. According to a City of Houston report, the remaining churches and

1862-543: Is now Midtown, from its founding in 1906 to the time when the school moved to a campus in Montrose . In 1957, the school moved to the city of Piney Point Village , where it resides as of 2008. Saint Agnes Academy , a private school, was located in what is now Midtown from its founding in 1906 to 1963. The school moved to the Sharpstown neighborhood in 1963, where it resides as of 2008. Holy Rosary Catholic School of

1960-553: Is now Midtown, "Little Saigon is a place to begin easing into a new country." Due to the actions of a group of Vietnamese-American leaders led by My Michael Cao, who served as the President of the Vietnamese Community of Houston and Vicinity (VNCH), a resolution that installed Vietnamese street signs along Milam Street in Midtown was passed. Vietnamese street signs have denoted the area since 1998. In 2004, this area

2058-433: Is the largest central business district in the city of Houston and the largest in the state of Texas , located near the geographic center of the metropolitan area at the confluence of Interstate 10 , Interstate 45 , and Interstate 69 . The 1.84-square-mile (4.8 km ) district, enclosed by the aforementioned highways, contains the original townsite of Houston at the confluence of Buffalo Bayou and White Oak Bayou ,

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2156-639: Is zoned to Reagan High School (in the Houston Heights ). An HISD magnet secondary school, Houston Academy for International Studies , is located in the HCCS Central campus. The Young Women's College Preparatory Academy (formerly housing the Contemporary Learning Center ), an alternative public school, is near Midtown. A state charter school , a charter school not affiliated with HISD, called Houston CAN! Academy Main

2254-534: The Houston Chronicle said in 2010 that the remaining flower shops told her that the establishment of the line helped cause several of their competitors to go out of business. Midtown has no traditional hotels. As of 2023, Midtown has one bed and breakfast and other rental units available. Midtown was known for a concentration of Vietnamese businesses, termed "Little Saigon". Vietnamese in Houston, in

2352-556: The Bank of the Southwest Tower . In the 19th century much of what was the Third Ward , the present day east side of Downtown Houston, was what Stephen Fox, an architectural historian who lectured at Rice University , referred to as "the elite neighborhood of late 19th-century Houston." Ralph Bivins of the Houston Chronicle wrote that Fox said that area was "a silk-stocking neighborhood of Victorian-era homes." Bivins said that

2450-531: The COVID-19 pandemic in Texas . By 2022 many offices had split shifts to where workers only went to offices for some days of the week. By 2022 activity at hotel and entertainment establishments recovered. In May 2024, a derecho struck the downtown Houston causing damage. In the 1960s, downtown comprised a modest collection of mid-rise office structures, but has since grown into one of the largest skylines in

2548-707: The FlightAware headquarters were in Midtown. Houston Community College System 's Central Campus is located in Midtown. Midtown is close to the University of Houston (UH), the University of Houston–Downtown (UHD), Texas Southern University , Rice University , and University of St. Thomas . Midtown is served by Houston Independent School District (HISD). Midtown is divided between Trustee District IV, represented by Paula M. Harris as of 2008, and Trustee District VIII, represented by Diana Dávila as of 2008. Two schools, Gregory-Lincoln Education Center (in

2646-570: The Fourth wards; the construction of Interstate 45 in the 1950s separated the areas from their former communities and placed them in Downtown. Additional freeway construction in the 1960s and 1970s solidified the current boundaries of Downtown. Originally, Downtown was the most important retail area of Houston. Suburban retail construction in the 1970s and 1980s reduced Downtown's importance in terms of retail activity. From 1971 to 2018, about 40 downtown buildings and other properties have been listed on

2744-720: The Fourth Ward ) and MacGregor Elementary School (in the Hermann Park area), serve sections of Midtown for primary school. All pupils in Midtown who are north of U.S. Route 59 (all of the Midtown Super Neighborhood and almost all of the Midtown Management District) are zoned to Gregory-Lincoln Education Center for middle school. A small portion of the Midtown Management District south of U.S. Route 59 (which

2842-468: The George R. Brown Convention Center , anchors the city's convention district. Downtown is Houston's civic center, containing Houston City Hall , the jails , criminal, and civil courthouses of Harris County , and a federal prison and courthouse. Downtown is also a major public transportation hub, lying at the center of the light rail system , park and ride system, and the metropolitan freeway network;

2940-747: The Houston Community College System Central campuses provided the neighborhood's "only stability." In the 1970s, Midtown became home to Little Saigon , a neighborhood of Vietnamese and Vietnamese Americans , who pioneered the redevelopment of Midtown Houston. During the 1980s, Travis and Milam Streets were viewed as a mirror image of 1970s era Saigon . The Vietnamese areas were established around Milam Street, Webster Street, Fannin Street, and San Jacinto Street. By 1991 this Little Saigon had Vietnamese restaurants, hair salons, car shops, and travel agencies. Mimi Swartz of Texas Monthly stated in 1991 that "Little Saigon

3038-444: The Houston Heights , opened in 1926. Lamar High School opened in 1937. In 1956 Allen Elementary moved to northwest Houston and its former location became J. Will Jones Elementary School. Ryan Middle School opened in 1958 after Yates High School moved to a new location. In 1962 San Jacinto High School gained a technical program. Gregory-Lincoln Education Center opened in 1966. In 1971 San Jacinto lost its neighborhood program. During

CenterPoint Energy Plaza - Misplaced Pages Continue

3136-656: The Houston Tomorrow group proposed that the City of Houston should build a park in the area bound by Main Street and Travis Street on the north end and Tuam Street and McGowen Street on the south end. Crossley called the proposal "McGowen Green." John Nova Lomax, a journalist, published an article about the proposed park in the Houston Press . In 2012 the Midtown Redevelopment Authority and Camden Development Inc. announced that

3234-503: The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (METRO) is headquartered in the district. Over 100,000 people commute through Downtown daily. An extensive network of pedestrian tunnels and skywalks connects a large number of buildings in the district; this system also serves as a subterranean mall. Geographically, Downtown is bordered by East Downtown to the east, Third Ward to the south, Midtown to

3332-507: The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Houston opened c.  1913 and closed in 1963. The establishment of freeways caused suburbanization , and therefore, population loss, to occur in the area. Initially the parish kept the school building in hopes that the school would be re-established, but it was to be demolished in 2003 so a parish hall could be built there. Tom Bass and Gale Storm were alumni. Midtown Park

3430-500: The Texas Education Agency . Under principal Brian Flores, the school's test scores increased in a five-year period until 2009. Around 2009 the school provided bus services to several homeless shelters within the school's attendance zone. As of 2009, over 1/3rd of Jones's students were homeless. About 100 of the around 300 students were homeless, and about 30 came from a Salvation Army shelter. Flores said that this

3528-496: The "new" Main Street, a plaza with many eateries, bars and nightclubs, which brings many visitors to a newly renovated locale. Phoenicia Specialty Foods opened a downtown grocery store in 2011, located in One Park Place . In June 2019 Dianna Wray of Houstonia wrote that Downtown Houston had an increased amount of pedestrian traffic and residents compared to the post- oil bust 1980s. Office traffic declined during

3626-671: The 13,000-seat Theater District at prominent venues including Alley Theatre , Hobby Center for the Performing Arts , Jones Hall , and the Wortham Theater Center . Two major professional sports venues, Minute Maid Park and the Toyota Center , are home to the Houston Astros and Houston Rockets , respectively. Discovery Green , an urban park located on the east side of the district adjacent to

3724-400: The 1890s, new, larger local streetcar companies finally accumulated the capital necessary to begin constructing streetcar suburbs beyond the conventional boundaries of the city. This led to the development and rapid growth of areas like the Houston Heights and Montrose . Residential development subsequently moved out of the central business district; Quality Hill was virtually abandoned by

3822-482: The 1950s separated portions of the historic Third Ward from the rest of the Third Ward and brought those portions into Downtown. Beginning in the 1960s the development of the 610 Loop caused the focus of the Houston area to move away from Downtown Houston. Joel Barna of Cite 42 said that this caused Greater Houston to shift from "a fragmenting but still centrally focused spatial entity into something more like

3920-621: The 1970s, had settled Allen Parkway Village . Midtown was in proximity and was relatively inexpensive. Midtown became a center of business and religion for ethnic Vietnamese across the Houston area even though very few ethnic Vietnamese actually resided in Midtown. By 1991 this Little Saigon had Vietnamese restaurants, hair salons, car shops, and travel agencies, and as of 2000 businesses there included grocery stores, medical and legal offices, restaurants, music and video stores, hair styling shops, business service offices, and jewelry stores. Mimi Swartz of Texas Monthly stated in 1991 that in what

4018-429: The 19th century, Midtown experienced an economic depression during the latter half of the 20th century, resulting in the departure of residents and businesses and a proliferation of vacant land. The formation of the Midtown Redevelopment Authority in the early 1990s and a renewed interest in Houston's urban core resulted in the gentrification of the district throughout the 2000s, fueled by an influx of young residents and

CenterPoint Energy Plaza - Misplaced Pages Continue

4116-404: The 23rd tallest skyscraper in the world. In 1983, the 71-floor, 296 m (971 ft) Wells Fargo Plaza was completed, which became the second-tallest building in Houston and Texas, and 11th-tallest in the country. Skyscraper construction in downtown Houston came to an end in the mid-1980s with the collapse of Houston's energy industry and the resulting economic recession. Twelve years later,

4214-659: The 6th Annual Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Festival, the section of Midtown along Milam Street and Travis Street near Tuam Street received the designation "Little Saigon." In 2009 Houston City Council approved the expansion of the Midtown TIRZ by 8 acres (3.2 ha). The new territory includes the Asia House, the Buffalo Soldiers Museum and the Museum of African-American culture. In 2014

4312-539: The Allens failed to accommodate transit, water service, sewerage, road paving, trash service, or gas service in their plans. As a result, in 1839 the Texas Capitol was moved to Austin . In 1840, Houston adopted a ward system of municipal governance, which, at the time, was considered more democratic than a strong-mayor system and had already been adopted by the United States' largest cities. The boundaries of

4410-771: The City of Houston, Harris County, and the Houston Independent School District (HISD) governs the Midtown TIRZ, which is also known as Reinvestment Zone Number 2. Harris Health System (formerly Harris County Hospital District) designated Martin Luther King Health Center for the ZIP code 77004, Casa de Amigos Health Center in Northside for 77006, and Ripley Health Center in the East End for 77002. The nearest public hospital

4508-742: The Continental Center complex; the airline scheduled to move its employees in stages beginning in July 1998 and ending in January 1999. Bob Lanier , Mayor of Houston , said that he was "tickled to death" by the airline's move to relocate to Downtown Houston. Tim Reylea, the vice president of Cushman Realty, said that the Continental move "is probably the largest corporate relocation in the central business district of Houston ever." Hotel operators in Downtown reacted favorably, predicting that

4606-901: The Downtown Super Neighborhood #61, which includes Downtown and East Downtown , had 12,879 people. 34% were non-Hispanic White, 28% were Hispanic, 32% were non-Hispanic Black, 4% were non-Hispanic Asians, and 2% were non-Hispanic people of other racial identities. In 2015 there were 12,407 residents. 33% were non-Hispanic White, 32% were non-Hispanic Black, 29% were Hispanic, 5% were non-Hispanic Asian, and 1% were non-Hispanics of other racial identities. In 2000 there were 12,407 residents. 5,083 (41%) were non-Hispanic Black, 4,225 (34%) were non-Hispanic White, 2,872 (23%) were Hispanic, 156 (1%) were non-Hispanic Asians, 56 were of two or more races, 11 were non-Hispanic American Indian, and two each were non-Hispanic Native Hawaiian and non-Hispanic people of other racial identities. Downtown

4704-593: The Houston-based Enron Corporation began constructing a 40-floor, 1,284,013sq.ft skyscraper in 1999 (which was completed in 2002) with the company collapsing in one of the most dramatic corporate failures in the history of the United States only two years later. Chevron bought this building to set up a regional upstream energy headquarters, and in late 2006 announced further consolidation of employees downtown from satellite suburban buildings, and even California and Louisiana offices by leasing

4802-867: The Midtown TIRZ are within Super Neighborhood #66 Binz. Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas , is the area transit authority. The METRORail Red Line runs directly through Midtown along Main Street. Three stops ( Wheeler , Ensemble/HCC , and McGowen ) are located in Midtown. Bus routes 1, 8, 25, 60, 65, and 182 stop at Wheeler Station . Routes stopping at the Downtown Transit Center , adjacent to Midtown and located in Downtown, include 11, 15, 24, 30, 35, 52, 60, 70, and 77. Other routes serving Midtown include 3, 5, 33, 42, 44, 53, 56, 82, 85, 102, 108, 131, 261, 262, 265, 269, 274, and 283. An intercity bus station served by Greyhound Lines and several bus lines that serve Mexico and Central America ) were located in Midtown. The bus station

4900-554: The National Register of Historic Places . The onset of the 1980s oil glut had devastating economic consequences for Downtown. In the mid-1980s, a bank savings and loan crisis forced many tenants in Downtown Houston buildings to retrench, and some went out of business. This development further caused Downtown Houston to decline. In 1986, Downtown's Class A office occupancy rate was 81.4%. The Downtown Houston business occupancy rate of all office space increased from 75.8% at

4998-445: The United States. In 1960, the central business district had 10 million square feet (930,000 m ) of office space, increasing to about 16 million square feet (1,500,000 m ) in 1970. Downtown Houston was on the threshold of a boom in 1970 with 8.7 million square feet (800,000 m ) of office space planned or under construction and huge projects being launched by real estate developers . The largest proposed development

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5096-515: The area along Elizabeth Baldwin Park. Between 1990 and 2000 the area within the Midtown Superneighborhood saw the population increase from 3,070 to 5,311. The increase by 2,241 people was 73% of the 1990 population. During that period about 2,200 multi-family units opened, particularly along Louisiana Street and West Gray Street. Since the total multi-family acreage remained at a small number, the population increase also increased

5194-507: The boundaries of the Midtown District) contained a total of 5,311 residents. The racial makeup of the area was 45% (2,439 people) White , 18% (949 people) Black or African American , 6% (320 people) Asian , less than 1% (8 people) Native American , less than 1% (35 people) from other races , 1% (70 people) from two or more races and 28% (1,490 people) of the population were Hispanic or Latino The super neighborhood contained

5292-586: The central business district. Station 8 is in Fire District 8. The fire station "Washington #8" first opened in 1895 at Polk at Crawford. The station was closed in 2001 after a sports arena was built on the site. Fire Station 1, which was located at 410 Bagby Street, closed in 2001, as it was merged with Station 8. Station 8, relocated to a temporary building at the corner of Milam and St. Joseph, reopened in June 2001. The current "Super Station" at 1919 Louisiana opened on April 21, 2008. "Stonewall #3," organized in 1867,

5390-529: The city switched to a commission government and the wards, as political entities, were dissolved. Houston grew steadily throughout the late 19th century, and the neighborhoods within the boundaries of modern Downtown diversified. To the northeast, around present-day Minute Maid Park , Quality Hill emerged as an elite neighborhood, occupied by entrepreneurs like William Marsh Rice (namesake of Rice University ), William J. Hutchins , and William L. Foley (namesake of Foley's department stores). The neighborhood

5488-444: The city. The second came a year later with the 1901 discovery of oil at Spindletop , just south of Beaumont, Texas . Shipping and oil industries began flocking to east Texas, many settling in Houston. From that point forward the area grew substantially, as many skyscrapers were constructed, including the city's tallest buildings. In the 1980s, however, economic recession canceled some projects and caused others to be scaled back, such as

5586-448: The company left over 400,000 square feet (37,000 m) of space vacant. Around 1995 the building owners added a circle-shaped canopy that is five stories tall, due to a business competitor down the street having a building taller than theirs. Clifford Pugh of the Houston Chronicle wrote that "It was meant to resemble a lantern, but at night the lit open space looks more like a hovering spaceship." Downtown Houston Downtown

5684-402: The confluence of White Oak and Buffalo bayous, a spot now known as Allen's Landing . A team of three surveyors, including Gail Borden, Jr. (best known for inventing condensed milk ) and Moses Lapham , platted a 62-square-block townsite in the fall of 1836, each block approximately 250 by 250 feet, or 62,500 square feet (5,810 m ) in size. The grid plan was designed to conform to

5782-422: The construction of Union Station, which occurred around 1910, caused the "residential character" of the area to "deteriorate." Hotels opened in the area to service travelers. Afterwards, according to Bivins, the area "began a long downward slide toward the skid row of the 1990s" and the hotels devolved into flophouses . Passenger trains stopped going to Union Station in 1974. The construction of Interstate 45 in

5880-527: The density of the area. During the 1990s commercial uses increased, particularly along Main Street and Louisiana Street. In 1999 the 76th Texas Legislature created the Midtown Management District. By 2004, higher rents and street construction have reduced the number of Vietnamese American businesses, many of which have relocated to the outer Houston Chinatown in the Bellaire Boulevard corridor west of Sharpstown . On May 1 of that year, during

5978-558: The development of a vibrant nightlife . Like many other gentrified areas of Houston, Midtown's street signs are themed, specific to the area's logo, and there are many parks, sculptures, and businesses that include “Midtown” in their name, as a form of economic unity and to further attract more visitors and residents. Midtown has continued its rapid development through the 2010s, but the district continues to face issues of crime, inadequate infrastructure, chronic homelessness , and geographic disparities in public investment. Around 1906 what

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6076-712: The district employ approximately 150,000 workers. Major employers include Chevron , JPMorgan Chase , and United Airlines . Downtown Houston has between 35% and 40% of the Class A office locations of the business districts in Houston. Firms which are headquartered in Downtown include: Continental Airlines (now known as United Airlines ) formerly had its headquarters in Continental Center I . At one point, ExpressJet Airlines had its headquarters in Continental's complex. In September 1997 Continental Airlines announced it would consolidate its Houston headquarters in

6174-525: The district. As of 2011 two Houston City Council districts, C and D, cover portions of Midtown. Previously two districts, D and I covered portions of Midtown. The City of Houston established the Midtown Tax Increment Investment Zone, which takes a portion of the ad valorem taxes generated within its boundaries to finance infrastructure and reimburse developers, in 1995. A nine-member board of directors appointed by

6272-536: The end of 1987 to 77.2% at the end of 1988. By the late 1980s, 35% of Downtown Houston's land area consisted of surface parking. In the early 1990s Downtown Houston still had more than 20% vacant office space. By 1987 many of the office buildings in Downtown Houston were owned by non-U.S. real estate figures. Downtown began to rebound from the oil crisis by the mid-1990s. A dozen companies relocated to Downtown in 1996 alone, bringing 2,800 jobs and filling 670,000 square feet (62,000 m ) of space. In 1997 Tim Reylea,

6370-405: The fall of Enron, caused the occupancy rate of Downtown Houston buildings to decrease to 84.1% in 2003 from 97.3% less than two years previously. In 2003, the types of firms with operations in Downtown Houston typically were accounting firms, energy firms, and law firms. Typically newer buildings had higher occupancy rates than older buildings. In 2004, the real estate firm Cresa Partners stated that

6468-408: The first decade of the 21st century to transform Downtown into an active city center with residential housing, a nightlife scene and new transportation. The Cotswold Project, a $ 62 million project started in 1998, has helped to rebuild the streets and transform 90 downtown blocks into a pedestrian-friendly environment by adding greenery, trees and public art. January 1, 2004, marked the opening of

6566-695: The headquarters moved out, but Continental will continue to house employees in the building. It will have about half of the employees that it once had. JPMorgan Chase Bank has its Houston operations headquartered in the JPMorgan Chase Building (Gulf Building). LyondellBasell has offices in the LyondellBasell Towers formerly known as 1 Houston Center . Hess Corporation has exploration and production operations in One Allen Center ., but will move its offices to

6664-448: The late 1830s and early 1840s, Houston was in the midst of a land boom , and lots were selling at "enormous prices," according to a visitor to the town in 1837. Despite the efforts of the Allen brothers and high economic interest in the town, first few years of Houston's existence were plagued by yellow fever epidemics, flooding, searing heat, inadequate infrastructure, and crime. Houston suffered from woefully inadequate city services;

6762-410: The move would cause an increase in occupancy rates in their hotels. In 2008 Continental renewed its lease in the building. Before the lease renewal, rumors spread stating that the airline would relocate its headquarters to office space outside of Downtown. Steven Biegel, the senior vice president of Studley Inc. and a representative of office building tenants, said that if Continental's space went vacant,

6860-678: The new BG place at 811 Main St. Mayer Brown has his Houston office in the Bank of America Center . When Texas Commerce Bank existed, its headquarters were in what is now the JPMorgan Chase Building (Gulf Building). Prior to its collapse in 2001, Enron was headquartered in Downtown. In 2005 Federated Department Stores announced that it will close Foley's 1,200 employee headquarters in Downtown Houston. Houston Industries (HI, later Reliant Energy) and subsidiary Houston Power & Lighting (HL&P) historically had their headquarters in Downtown. Halliburton 's corporate headquarters office

6958-575: The original Enron building across the street. Both buildings are connected by a second-floor unique walk-across, air-conditioned circular skybridge with three points of connection to both office buildings and a large parking deck. Other smaller office structures were built in the 2000–2003 period. As of January 2015, downtown Houston had more than 44 million square feet (4,087,733 m ) of office space, including more than 29 million square feet (1,861,704 m ) of class A office space. Notable buildings that form Houston's downtown skyline: In 2017

7056-671: The original four wards of Houston radiated out from the intersection of Main and Congress streets; the First Ward was located to the northwest, Second to the northeast, Third to the southeast, and Fourth to the southwest. Fifth Ward was created in 1866, encompassing the area north of Buffalo Bayou and east of White Oak Bayou; Sixth Ward, the final addition to the system, replaced the section of Fourth Ward north of Buffalo Bayou in 1877. The ward system, which featured elected aldermen who served as representatives of each neighborhood, remained Houston's form of municipal government until 1905, when

7154-527: The present-day Downtown area. One of the first systems, the Houston City Street Railway, opened in 1874 with four lines along the principal commercial thoroughfares in the heart of the business district. While generally focused on the most prosperous areas of town, the Houston City Street Railway extended one line a full mile south of the center of the city, making it the first streetcar network designed to spur residential development. By

7252-411: The ranking website Niche stated that Midtown was the favorite neighborhood for millennial people. In 2010 Denny Lee of The New York Times said that Midtown, a "mixed-use" district, was "dotted with" bánh mì restaurants. By 2012 many new bars, retail operations, and restaurants had opened in Midtown. Ed Page, a retail broker, said in 2012 that Midtown has not yet seen any significant new retail; he

7350-800: The same year, Fannin Elementary School, which was located at 2900 Louisiana Street in what is now Midtown, closed. In 1976 the Contemporary Occupational Training Center, a non-traditional vocational school, opened in what is now Midtown. In 1985 San Jacinto closed for good when its technical program ended. As of 2008 the San Jacinto campus now houses the central campus for Houston Community College . The Contemporary Occupational Training Center closed in 1991. J. Will Jones Elementary School, located in Midtown, received an unacceptable academic rating from

7448-420: The southwest, Fourth Ward to the west, Sixth Ward to the northwest, and Near Northside to the north. The district's streets form a strict grid plan of approximately 400 square blocks, oriented at a southwest to northeast angle. The northern end of the district is crossed by Buffalo Bayou, the banks of which function as a linear park with a grade-separated system of hike-and-bike trails. Downtown Houston

7546-545: The station moved to Spring Branch . Station 2 moved from what is now the East End to what is now Downtown in 1926. The station moved to the Fourth Ward in 1965. The Houston Downtown Management District and Central Houston, Inc. is headquartered in Suite 1650 at 2 Houston Center, a part of the Houston Center complex. Midtown, Houston Originally populated as a Victorian -style residential neighborhood in

7644-524: The station, there were people living in the area who had a positive reception to the station's closure. The Midtown Management District is headquartered in Suite 355 at 410 Pierce Street. During previous eras the management district was headquartered in Suites 350–355 in the Bienville Building at 3401 Louisiana Street. Houston Fire Department Station 7 is located in Midtown. The station

7742-482: The turn of the 20th century. Downtown's growth can be attributed to two major factors: The first arose after the Galveston Hurricane of 1900 , when investors began seeking a location close to the ports of Southwest Texas, but apparently free of the dangerous hurricanes that frequently struck Galveston and other port cities. Houston became a wise choice, as only the most powerful storms were able to reach

7840-707: The two districts. Houston City Hall , the Margaret Helfrich Westerman Houston City Hall Annex, and the Bob Lanier Public Works Building are all located in Downtown Houston. The community is within the Houston Police Department 's Downtown Division. The Edward A. Thomas Building, headquarters of HPD, is located in 1200 Travis Downtown. Houston Fire Department Station 8 Downtown at 1919 Louisiana Street serves

7938-677: The under construction Hess Tower (Named after the company) upon its completion. ExxonMobil has Exploration and Producing Operations business headquarters at the ExxonMobil Building . Qatar Airways operates an office within Two Allen Center ; it also has a storefront in the Houston Pavilions . Enbridge has its Houston office in the Enterprise Plaza . KPMG has their Houston offices in

8036-668: The vacancy rate in Downtown Houston's Class A office space was almost 20%. The Texas Legislature established the Downtown Houston Management District in 1995. Circa/after the 1990s, Downtown has experienced a boom in high-rise residential construction, spurred in large part by the Downtown Living Initiative (DLI), a tax incentive program created by the city. Between 2013 and 2015, the DLI subsidized 5,000 proposed residential units. As

8134-515: The vacancy would not have had a significant impact in the Downtown Houston submarket as there is not an abundance of available space, and the empty property would be likely that another potential tenant would occupy it. Jennifer Dawson of the Houston Business Journal said that if Continental Airlines left Continental Center I, the development of Brookfield Properties's new office tower would have been delayed. As of September 2011

8232-590: The vice president of Cushman Realty, said that "None of the major central business districts across the country has seen the suburban-to-downtown shift that Houston has." Circa 2000 the Ballpark at Union Station/Enron Field, now Minute Maid Park , opened, Houston Downtown Management District president Bob Eury stated that this promoted subsequent development in Downtown. By 2000, demand for Downtown office space increased, and construction of office buildings resumed. The cutbacks by firms such as Dynegy , in addition to

8330-521: The winding route of Buffalo Bayou; east–west streets were aligned at an angle of north 55º west, while north–south streets were at an angle of south 35º west. Each block was subdivided into 12 lots – five 50-by-100-foot lots on each side of the block, and two 50-by-125-foot lots between the rows of five. The Allen brothers, motivated by their vision for urban civic life, specified wide streets to easily accommodate commercial traffic and reserved blocks for schools, churches, and civic institutions. The townsite

8428-408: Was also the designer of the nearby Wells Fargo Tower . It has the headquarters of CenterPoint Energy . Historically the building housed the headquarters of Houston Industries (HI) and subsidiary Houston Lighting & Power (HL&P). In 1999 Houston Industries changed its name to Reliant Energy . When Reliant Energy moved out of the building and moved into the new Reliant Energy Plaza in 2003,

8526-634: Was built in 1979 and had 15 bus bays. Additional buses came to the Midtown bus station after the 1990 closing of a bus terminal east of Downtown. In 2008 the Houston Press named the Greyhound Terminal as "best place to people watch." In 2023 the Greyhound station is scheduled to close after November 30, 2023 and consolidate with a bus station in Magnolia Park , East End serving other lines. As criminal activity had occurred around

8624-780: Was in 5 Houston Center . In 2001, Halliburton canceled a move to redevelop land in Westchase to house employees; real estate figures associated with Downtown Houston approved of the news. Nancy Sarnoff of the Houston Business Journal said it made more sense for the company to lease existing space instead of constructing new office space in times of economic downturns. By 2009 Halliburton closed its Downtown Office, moved its headquarters to northern Houston, and consolidated operations at its northern Houston and Westchase facilities. Two city council districts, District H and District I, cover portions of Downtown. As of 2015 Mayor Pro-Tem Ed Gonzalez and Robert Gallegos, respectively, represent

8722-555: Was located in the current location of the Post Rice Lofts . It 1895 it moved to a location along Preston Street, between Smith and Louisiana, in what is now Downtown. The station, currently Station #3, moved outside of the current day Downtown in 1903. Fire Station 5, originally in what was then the Fifth Ward , moved to Hardy and Nance in what is now Downtown in 1895. The station was rebuilt at that site in 1932, and in 1977

8820-649: Was officially named "Little Saigon" by the city of Houston. The redevelopment of Midtown Houston from run-down to upscale increased property values and property taxes , forcing many Vietnamese-American businesses out of the neighborhood into other areas. By 2003 the number of Vietnamese business declined, with many of them moving to the Southwest Houston Little Saigon , despite the beautification projects occurring. Hope Roth stated c.  2017 that pressure from other new developments and increase in costs related to land and space caused

8918-473: Was referring to big box stores . As of 2010 five flower shops are located along Fannin in a section of Midtown. One decade before 2010 there were over one dozen flower shops in that area. In 2003 the flower shop owners were mostly Asian. The shops, along four city blocks , were centered on Rosedale Street. The number declined after the establishment of the METRORail Red Line. Nancy Sarnoff of

9016-404: Was scheduled to house Houston Community College classes after its closure as a school. Supporters of keeping J. Will Jones created a campaign to try to keep J. Will Jones open. The Jones campus became the campus of Houston Academy for International Studies . Blackshear and Gregory-Lincoln elementary took portions of J. Will Jones's former territory in Midtown. The portion zoned to Cullen Middle

9114-541: Was the 32-block Houston Center . Only a small part of the original proposal was ultimately constructed, however. Other large projects included the Cullen Center, Allen Center, and towers for Shell Oil Company . The surge of skyscrapers mirrored the skyscraper booms in other cities, such as Los Angeles and Dallas . Houston experienced another downtown construction spurt in the 1970s with the energy industry boom. The first major skyscraper to be constructed in Houston

9212-476: Was the 50-floor, 218 m (715 ft) One Shell Plaza in 1971. A succession of skyscrapers were built throughout the 1970s, culminating with Houston's tallest skyscraper, the 75-floor, 305 m (1,001 ft) JPMorgan Chase Tower (formerly the Texas Commerce Tower), which was completed in 1982. In 2002, it was the tallest structure in Texas, ninth-tallest building in the United States, and

9310-571: Was the highest number of homeless students during his career as a principal at Jones. In 2008 99% of the students were on free or reduced lunch. Every year the school held its "Gift of Giving" ceremony. Before the start of the 2009–2010 school year Jones was consolidated into Blackshear Elementary School, a campus in the Third Ward . During its final year of enrollment J. Will Jones had more students than Blackshear. Many J. Will Jones parents referred to Blackshear as "that prison school" and said that they will not send their children to Blackshear. Jones

9408-544: Was then cleared and drained by a team of Mexican prisoners and black slaves . By April 1837, Houston featured a dock, commercial district, the capitol building of the Republic of Texas , and an estimated population of 1,500. The first city hall was sited at present-day Market Square Park in 1841; this block also served as the city's preeminent retail market. The relocation of the Texan republic's capital to Houston required

9506-534: Was well known for its opulent residential architecture, often in the Greek Revival style. To the north, along a bend in Buffalo Bayou, the working-class neighborhood of Frost Town welcomed immigrants from Europe and Mexico during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Prior to the arrival of the first streetcars in Houston in the 1870s, most development in the city had been centered in and around

9604-615: Was zoned to Ryan Middle School until 2013. As part of rezoning for the 2014–2015 school year, all areas in Midtown previously under the Blackshear attendance zone were rezoned to Gregory-Lincoln K-8. As of 2019 the British International School of Houston in Greater Katy has a school bus service to Midtown. The Kinkaid School , a private school, was located in the house of Margaret Kinkaid, what

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