Total Plaza (formerly the Entex Building , Louisiana Place , and United Gas Building ) is a tower in Downtown Houston , Texas , one block from the Allen Center complex. The building, managed by Brookfield Properties , opened in 1971. The 35-story building, designed by the architect Lloyd, Morgan & Jones, was renovated in 1981 and 1996, and features a mirror-finished reflective glass on its exterior. Each floor has about 24,000 sq ft (2,200 m), with a total of 847,200 sq ft (78,710 m). The building is named after its major tenant, Total Petrochemicals USA , a subsidiary of TotalEnergies SE . The complex was formerly the headquarters of the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (METRO).
41-615: The building is connected to the Downtown Houston tunnel system . The building, located at 1201 Louisiana, opened in 1971. The building was the headquarters of Entex . In 1975, Mercure Co. N.Y., a Dutch company, bought the Entex Building for US$ 40 million . The plaza, which had Class B space, was sold in 1984. In 1994, the main offices of the University of Houston System were in the Entex Building. In 1996, after
82-797: A cathedral, the Bell Centre (home of the Montreal Canadiens), and 3 exhibition halls: the Place Bonaventure, the Convention Centre (Palais des Congrès de Montréal) and the Olympic Centre. The vision for the underground city was originally that of urbanist Vincent Ponte , for whom a commemorative plaque was unveiled in November 2006 at Place Ville Marie. The first link of the underground city arose with
123-558: A large mall complex linking Metro stations—they may not even know they are in it. Many Canadian cities have some kind of tunnel or skywalk system downtown to help people avoid the weather. Most parts of the Montreal underground city are open while the Metro is in operation (5:30 AM to 1:00 AM), though some are closed outside of business hours. Maps of the underground city and the Metro can be obtained free of charge from all Metro stations, and
164-520: A major shopping mall. They are widely and heavily used by office workers and tourists. Only two buildings, Wells Fargo Plaza and McKinney Garage on Main, offer direct access from the street to the Tunnel; other entry points are from street-level stairs, escalators, and elevators inside buildings that are connected to the tunnel. Access is allowed to the general public into these buildings with few restrictions, during normal operating hours, in order to reach
205-572: A renovation, the building was renamed from the Entex Building to the Louisiana Place. During that year, brokers Jay Bonano and Jesse Amundsen left Koll Real Estate to start their own company. The leasing contract for Total Plaza was taken with Bonano and Amundsen. Previously, the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas (METRO) headquarters were in the Louisiana Place. The agency occupied 10 floors in
246-572: A spokesperson for the Hudson's Bay Company , city workers may have caused the damage by hitting a nearby pillar. During the weekend, city workcrews worked non-stop to shore up the sagging slab of concrete, installing more than 1,000 temporary metal supports. On Monday, August 27, 2007, service was restored to the Green Line, and all streets but the block of de Maisonneuve boulevard between Union and Aylmer were reopened to traffic. The one block that
287-544: A subsidiary of Total S.A. , signed a lease to occupy space in the Louisiana Place. In late 2005, Total Petrochemicals USA moved hundreds of employees into the building. The building's name changed to the Total Plaza. The company signed a 15 year lease for 150,000 sq ft (14,000 m) and had scheduled to relocate 250 employees by November 2005. It had an option for an additional 75,000 sq ft (7,000 m). The space that Total Petrochemicals USA moved into
328-643: Is located in the centre of downtown, delimited by the Peel and Place-des-Arts Metro stations on the Green Line and the Lucien-L'Allier and Place-d'Armes stations on the Orange Line . The underground city is promoted as an important tourist attraction by most Montreal travel guidebooks, and as an urban planning achievement it is impressive. For most Montrealers, however, it tends to be considered more as
369-565: Is more of an indoor city (ville intérieure) than a truly subterranean city, although there are vast commercial sectors located entirely underground. The network is particularly useful during Montreal's long winters, during which time well over half a million people are estimated to use it every day. The network is largely climate controlled and well-lit, and is arranged in a U-shape with two principal north–south axes connected by an east–west axis. Combined, there are 32 kilometres (20 mi) of tunnels over 12 square kilometres (4.6 sq mi) of
410-566: The Montreal World Trade Centre . Although these buildings have only a secondary commercial sector, they use their connection to the underground city as a selling point for their office space. Also, the construction of a tunnel between Eaton Centre and Place Ville-Marie consolidated the two central halves of the underground city. The construction of the Bell (originally Molson) Centre connected Lucien-L'Allier Metro station to
451-542: The UQAM Sherbrooke Pavilion at the corner of Sainte Famille Street and Sherbrooke Street to the Lucien-L'Allier Metro station just south-west of the Bell Centre , without going outside—a span of 1.7 km (1.1 mi) as the crow flies, or approximately 3 kilometres (2 mi) walking distance. On Friday, August 24, 2007, construction crews discovered a seven-meter (23 foot) long fissure in
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#1732798212296492-664: The Université du Québec à Montréal also have campus tunnel networks separate from the underground city. In 2004, the downtown network of the underground city was re-branded and given the name RÉSO , which is a homophone of the French word réseau , or network. The "O" at the end of the word is the logo of the Montreal Metro. Schematic maps bearing the RÉSO logo are found throughout the network. The largest and best-known segment
533-646: The Complexe Guy Favreau federal government building, and the Palais des Congrès (convention centre). Between 1984 and 1992, the underground city expanded, with the construction of three major linked shopping centres in the Peel and McGill Metro station areas: Cours Mont-Royal, Place Montréal-Trust, and the Promenades Cathédrale (built underneath Christ Church Cathedral ). McGill station
574-582: The Metro began running in 1966, ten buildings were already connected directly to Metro stations; development would continue until only three free-standing station entrances ( Square-Victoria-OACI , St-Laurent and Place-des-Arts ) remained in the central segment. In 1974, the Complexe Desjardins office tower complex was constructed, spurring the construction of a "second downtown" underground city segment between Place-des-Arts and Place-d'Armes station, via Place des Arts, Complexe Desjardins ,
615-562: The Metro network located two Metro stations east of Place-des-Arts at the eastern edge of downtown is the transfer point for changing between the Green , Orange and Yellow lines. Located one Metro station west of Peel , this station is at the center of the Sir George Williams campus of Concordia University . One Metro station west of Guy-Concordia , this station is at the western edge of downtown and just inside
656-789: The Place du Canada office tower, Place Bonaventure , Central Station, and Windsor Station , forming the core of the Underground City. Square-Victoria-OACI station connected to the Tour de la Bourse, Montreal's stock exchange building. Adding to the development of the underground city was the Montreal Urban Community Transit Commission's policy of offering the aerial rights above Metro station entrances for construction through emphyteutic leases , an advantageous way to acquire prime real estate. When
697-583: The St. Joseph Medical Center are connected via skywalks at the southeast corner of downtown near the Pierce elevated . The Houston Chronicle complex, at 801 North Texas, was connected to the Tunnel until those buildings were imploded in 2017; the newspaper's operations relocated to the former Houston Post complex (off the Southwest Freeway ) in 2014. Other parts not connected to the main Tunnel are
738-522: The Total Plaza were scheduled to open two weeks later. The club space at the Total Plaza has an energy industry theme as it uses gold, bronze, and metallic colors. Younger club members had requested a bar, so the new club has a bar with the view of the skyline of Houston. Kirksey, an architecture company based in Houston, designed the facility. Nancy Sarnoff of the Houston Chronicle wrote that
779-515: The Tunnel. Most of the retail areas of the Tunnel are in the basements of these buildings, connected by passageways. While walking through, one can determine which building one is in by the unique signage and/or architectural design of that building, as well as the wayfinding system and Houston Tunnel maps. Most of the Tunnel is in the western half of downtown Houston. The tunnel is generally open during weekday business hours only. The Tunnel has been criticized for its numerous stairways, especially in
820-511: The building and did not receive any federal funds to cover the US$ 3.8 million annual rent. The METRO Board Room was located on the 16th floor. By 2002, the agency announced that it was moving into a new administration building, scheduled for completion in 2004, owned by the agency. METRO's lease of 193,000 sq ft (17,900 m) expired in April 2005. In early 2005, Total Petrochemicals USA ,
861-580: The building was 88 percent occupied. During that year Hilcorp Energy Company signed a lease to stay in the building and increase its space. Hilcorp previously leased around 72,000 sq ft (6,700 m) on three floors. After it re-signed its lease, it will take an additional floor. In 2007 Coast Range Investments, a privately held company in San Francisco , sold the Total Plaza to Brookfield Properties , previously known in Houston as Trizec Properties , for an undisclosed amount. During that year,
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#1732798212296902-505: The building was 88 percent occupied. During that year, aside from Total S.A. , its tenants included Hilcorp Energy and Reliant Energy Retail Services. The Petroleum Club of Houston occupies the building's 35th floor. The club was forced to move from the ExxonMobil Building due to the building's impending sale and renovation. The club's ExxonMobil space was scheduled to close after January 10, 2015, and its new quarters in
943-578: The buildings installed floodgates to prevent another occurrence of tunnel flooding. 29°45′N 95°22′W / 29.75°N 95.37°W / 29.75; -95.37 Underground City, Montreal RÉSO , commonly referred to as the Underground City ( French : La ville souterraine ), is the name applied to a series of interconnected office towers, hotels, shopping centres, residential and commercial complexes, convention halls, universities and performing arts venues that form
984-580: The ceiling of an underground corridor linking the McGill station to The Bay store located under de Maisonneuve Boulevard , between Aylmer Street and Union Avenue. The station, the Underground City shops, and above ground streets and buildings were closed to assess whether there was any risk of collapse of the structure. Service on the Métro Green Line was halted between Berri-UQAM and Lionel-Groulx stations until Sunday evening. According to
1025-745: The construction of the Place Ville Marie office tower and underground shopping mall , opened in 1962 and built to cover an unsightly pit of railway tracks north of the Central Station . Two tunnels linked it to Central Station and the Queen Elizabeth Hotel . The advent of the Montreal Metro in 1966, in time for Expo 67 , brought tunnels joining Bonaventure station to the Château Champlain hotel,
1066-602: The damage. Street traffic on De Maisonneuve resumed in March 2008. The central segment interconnects the following seven Metro stations via indoor walkway. As the Berri-UQAM station, which allows transfers between the Green , Orange and Yellow lines, is two Metro stops from the closest station in this segment, in many cases it is quicker to walk than to take the Metro. The lists of connected facilities which follow are grouped by segment and nearest Metro station. The hub of
1107-406: The heart of Montreal 's central business district , colloquially referred to as Downtown Montreal . The name refers to the underground connections between the buildings that compose the network, in addition to the network's complete integration with the city's entirely underground rapid transit system, the Montreal Metro . Moreover, the first iteration of the Underground City was developed out of
1148-810: The idea for the tunnel system came when the Bank of the Southwest Building was "linked by tunnel to the 1010 Garage and the Mellie Esperson Building" in 1961. The Tunnel is a series of underground passageways that, with above-ground skywalks , link office towers to hotels, banks, corporate and government offices, restaurants, retail stores, and the Houston Theater District . Portions of the tunnel contain gift shops, newsstands, banks, technology centers, flower shops, copy centers, dry cleaners, and food courts similar to
1189-428: The main campus of the university on the northwest slope of Mount-Royal . Although part of the campus has its own private network of underground tunnels including one opening next to the station, no part of the campus is directly connected to the Metro. Situated on the blue line between Université-de-Montréal and Outremont stations, this station serves many Université de Montréal buildings and will be connected to
1230-495: The most densely populated part of Montreal. In total, there are more than 120 exterior access points to the network, not including the sixty or so Metro station entrances located outside the official limits of the RÉSO, some of which have their own smaller tunnel networks. Some of the city's larger institutions, namely McGill University , the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts , Concordia University , Université de Montréal and
1271-625: The network of buildings is indicated on most maps of the downtown core. Nearly 500,000 people use it per day. It is also the largest underground complex in the world. It stretches for 32 kilometers (20 miles) and covers 4 million square meters (one and a half square miles). According to official statistics, its corridors link up with 10 metro stations, 2 bus terminals, 1,200 offices, about 2,000 stores including 2 major department stores, approximately 1,600 housing units, 200 restaurants, 40 banks, movie theatres providing 40 screens and other entertainment venues, 7 major hotels, 4 universities, Place des Arts,
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1312-617: The northern portion, which make wheelchair use impractical in some locations. Bob Eury director of the Houston Downtown District, stated that, "These areas haven't been made ADA -compliant because it would be difficult or impossible to put in ramps and still leave enough headroom for pedestrians." The Harris County tunnel at the far north side of downtown is not connected to the rest of the system by either tunnels or skywalks. It connects Harris County courts, jails, and associated buildings totaling 10 blocks. Six blocks of
1353-477: The open pit at the southern entrance to the Mount Royal Tunnel , where Place Ville Marie and Central Station stand today. Though most of the connecting tunnels pass underground, many of the key passageways and principal access points are located at ground level, and there is also one skybridge (between Lucien-L'Allier Metro station and Gare Lucien L'Allier ). In this regard, the Underground City
1394-707: The skywalk connections between the Hilton-Americas Hotel and George R. Brown Convention Center , the skywalk connections at the Toyota Center , and at the Houston Public Library . This is a partial listing. The tunnels, being underground, are prone to flooding. They serve as channels for floodwater, allowing it to move through the tunnels from flooded buildings to unflooded buildings, flooding buildings that would not have been flooded otherwise. After Tropical Storm Allison , some of
1435-647: The space has a "more modern look" compared to the previous space at the ExxonMobil Building. Downtown Houston tunnel system The Houston tunnel system is a network of subterranean, climate-controlled, pedestrian walkways that links 95 full city blocks 20 feet (6 m) below Houston 's downtown streets. It is approximately six miles (9.7 km) long. There are similar systems in Chicago , Dallas , Oklahoma City , Montreal , and Toronto . Architectural historian Stephen Fox has stated that
1476-697: The territory of Westmount . One metro station away from Place D’Armes, Champ-de-Mars is located right next to the new Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM) . It is located near Montreal’s historic buildings and streets in Old Montreal as well as the Old Port . This station is the eastern transfer point between the Orange and Blue lines. Situated on the Blue line in between Côte-des-Neiges and Édouard-Montpetit stations, this station serves
1517-540: The underground city, as well as replacing Windsor Station with the new Gare Lucien-L'Allier commuter train station. Most recently, in 2003, the complete redevelopment of the Quartier international de Montréal consolidated several segments of the central underground city with continuous pedestrian corridors. The construction of the ICAO headquarters joined Place Bonaventure to Square-Victoria-OACI station, which in turn
1558-551: Was already linked with The Bay , Eaton's (now the Complexe Les Ailes ), Centre Eaton , and two other office/mall complexes. Between 1984 and 1989, the underground city grew from 12 km (7 mi) of passages to almost 22 km (14 mi). Mega-projects added to the size of the network throughout the 1990s, including Le 1000 De La Gauchetière (the tallest building in Montreal), Le 1250 René-Lévesque , and
1599-485: Was joined to the Palais des Congrès and Place-d'Armes station via the new Caisse de dépôt et de placement building and a tunnel under Place Jean-Paul Riopelle . Uniquely, the new tunnel sections in the Quartier International contain educational and artistic displays sponsored by major Montreal museums. As a result of this construction, one can now walk all the way across the centre of downtown, from
1640-473: Was not open to traffic was open to pedestrians. All buildings reopened, including The Bay. Officials said that it would take months to fix the problem. While inspecting the site, it was discovered that 2021 Union, the Parkade Montreal building, was in danger of having concrete side panels fall off. City engineers performed emergency repairs. A report later blamed the construction of a bike path for
1681-467: Was previously occupied by METRO, which planned to move into a new administration building in January 2005. In addition, Total Holding U.S., a 20 person office representing Total S.A.'s North American holdings, was scheduled to move to Downtown Houston. Before METRO moved out, the building had a 96 percent occupancy rate. After METRO left and after Total moved in, the occupancy rate was 86 percent. In 2006,