Alfred Charles Finn (July 2, 1883 – June 26, 1964) was an American architect. He started in the profession with no formal training in 1904 as an apprentice for Sanguinet & Staats. He worked in their offices in Dallas, Fort Worth, and Houston. His credits during his tenure residential structures, but firm was a leader in steel-frame construction of skyscrapers.
106-647: The Rice , formerly the Rice Hotel , is an historic building at 909 Texas Avenue in Downtown Houston , Texas , United States . The current building is the third to occupy the site. It was completed in 1913 on the site of the former Capitol building of the Republic of Texas , and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places . The old Capitol building was operated as a hotel until it
212-503: A $ 6 million loan from Wells Fargo Bank , replacing the $ 5 million from the Davis group under the original plan. As head of HHFC, Stevens committed another $ 8 million to the project, $ 3 million of which would go toward buying the Rice outright. HHFC would recover its investment through selling federal tax credits for restoring historic buildings. Stevens sold most of the municipal interest in
318-560: A Houston residence there in 1904. The hotel had been losing money and its taxes unpaid. Jesse H. Jones offered to lease the land from the Rice Institute and replace the existing hotel through his company, the Houston Hotel Association. Jones obtained a ninety-nine year lease with an option for a ninety-nine year extension. The Rice Institute also invested funds from its endowment to assist Jones in building
424-612: A carpenter and draftsman. In 1904, he started as an apprentice for Sanguinet & Staats in Dallas. After three years, he transferred to the firm's headquarters in Fort Worth , a position he held until 1912. Sanguinet & Staats transferred him to Houston, but he left the firm in 1913 to establish a private practice. However, before leaving the firm, Finn worked on two private residences at Courtlandt Place (both NRHP-listed) for A.S. Cleveland (1911) and James L. Autry (1912), and he
530-532: A donation from the Houston Endowment. The university had already owned the land since 1900, and the hotel had been operating under a ninety-nine year lease. The hotel ran profitably for a couple of years. However, Rice University estimated compliance to a new 1974 Houston fire code would cost as much as $ 1.2 million. In December 1974, the university warned that they might demolish the hotel if they could not sell it. Rittenhouse Capital Corporation purchased
636-774: 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
742-526: A home for Earl K. Wharton in the wealthy enclave of Shadyside. Already known in the Courtlandt Place subdivision through his work on the A.S. Cleveland House and James L. Autry House while under the employ of Sanguinet & Staats, Finn moved and remodeled an 1890 Victorian house for Sarah Brashear Jones ( Jones-Hunt House , NRHP-listed) in 1920. Other homes in Houston designed by Finn include
848-567: A hotel before finally shutting down in 1977. After standing vacant for twenty-one years, The Rice was renovated as apartments and reopened in 1998 as the Post Rice Lofts . It was sold in 2014 and renamed simply The Rice . When Augustus Chapman Allen and John Kirby Allen commissioned the first survey of Houston in the fall of 1836, they made plans to set aside property for use by the Republic of Texas. Eventually they chose property on
954-568: A jazz club, opened in ground floor space at the Post Rice Lofts on October 28, 1998. Sambuca, which was still operating at the same location as of November 19, 2014, announced plans to open a new bar "Lawless" on the second floor. In early 2014, Post Properties listed the Post Rice Lofts for sale, while claiming an apartment occupancy rate of ninety-five percent and an average rental price of $ 1,700 per month. Later that year, CH Realty/MF Houston Rice VI (Crow Holding Capital Partners) acquired
1060-408: A luxury hotel. The business plan was based on federal aid of $ 9.7 million, which was not forthcoming. Rovi Texas allowed its bank, Frankfurt BFG-Bank AG, to assume ownership of the property. The German Bank was asking $ 15 million to $ 17 million to sell until they discovered structural problems with the building, leading them to cut their asking price in half. Randall Davis inquired about redeveloping
1166-464: A new hotel. After demolishing the original Rice Hotel in 1912, Jones hired Mauran, Russell & Crowell to design the new hotel. The new seventeen-story, C-shaped (or U-shaped) hotel opened in May 1913. The hotel featured four restaurants, a banquet room, a small concert hall, and a rooftop deck. The construction cost was about $ 3.5 million, equivalent to $ 64,000,000 in 2016. In the first five years,
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#17327733248991272-618: A new wing for the hotel, increasing the number of rooms to over 1,000 and creating the building's current E-shaped configuration. The Crystal Ballroom was air-conditioned in 1928, the same year that Houston hosted the National Democratic Convention. More than preparing the Rice Hotel for convention delegates, Jones lured the Democratic Convention to Houston in the first place, donating $ 200,000 to
1378-607: A permanent estrangement between Augustus and Charlotte Allen. Augustus left Houston in 1852. The Capital building was also a home to Holland Lodge #36 F.& A.M (later Holland Lodge #1 A.F.&A.M.) and the founding location for the Grand Lodge of the Republic of Texas A.F& A.M. (later Grand Lodge of Texas A.F. & A.M.) . The lodge met in the Senate Chamber. Sam Houston , Anson Jones , and William Marsh Rice were all members of Holland Lodge. Anson Jones ,
1484-632: A plan to limit public rooms to the ground floor. Alternatively, the Texas State Historical Association proposed restoring the Crystal Ballroom. Davis decided to model the public area after the 1913 Rice Hotel. This included restoration of the former two-story lobby, the Crystal Ballroom, and the Empire Room. The ground floor reserved 25,000-square feet of retail space, with a wide cast iron awning covering
1590-429: 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
1696-409: A project manager for the Rice Hotel project. He collaborated on many projects in Houston with Jesse Jones as the pair changed the face of downtown Houston in the 1910s and 1920s. Meanwhile, Finn also supervised or designed buildings in various parts of Texas , including Brenham, Dallas, Galveston, Palestine, and Tyler. He continued architectural work for residential properties in the Houston area. During
1802-799: 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
1908-463: 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
2014-603: A temporary structure, was larger than Madison Square Garden , and equipped with heavy-duty fans and apertures between the roof and the walls to facilitate air flow. Jones contracted with Finn on another project in downtown Houston, this time with in collaboration with Franzheim and J.E.R. Carpenter, to finish the 37-story, art deco Gulf Building in 1929 — at that time the tallest building in Texas. Finn designed theaters in Brenham , Dallas, Fort Worth and Houston. Only one of these
2120-594: A wide range of styles and syntheses. Along with Joseph Finger , Finn was one of the two leading architects in Houston during the first half of the twentieth century. A number of his works are listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). Alfred Charles Finn was born to Edwin E. and Bertha (Rogge) Finn in Bellville, Texas , the second of eight children. He grew up in Hempstead, Texas , and moved to Houston in 1900 to work for Southern Pacific Railroad as
2226-497: 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
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#17327733248992332-707: 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
2438-471: Is credited with the Link-Lee House on Montrose Boulevard (1912, NRHP-listed). Finn's first commission was as project manager for the Rice Hotel , under contract with the firm of Mauran, Russell & Crowell . The owner of the new hotel, Jesse H. Jones , soon after established a collaboration with Finn which would change the face of Downtown Houston . Finn designed two buildings for Jones across
2544-649: Is still extant (as of October 12, 2017): the Simon Theatre in Brenham, designed in 1925. Finn and Jones collaborated in the fruition of two theaters in Downtown Houston, the Metropolitan in 1926 and the Loew's State in 1927. Finn established a robust practice for residential architecture, especially in some wealthy Houston subdivisions such as Courtlandt Place , Montrose, and Shadyside . His first work in
2650-433: 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 ,
2756-609: Is zoned to the Houston Independent School District . Residents are zoned to Crockett Elementary School, Gregory Lincoln Education Center (for middle school), and Northside High School (formerly Davis High). By Spring 2011 Atherton Elementary School and E.O. Smith Education Center were consolidated with a new K-5 campus in the Atherton site. As a result, the building was rezoned from Smith to Gregory Lincoln. Downtown Houston Downtown
2862-680: 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
2968-479: 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
3074-570: 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
3180-468: 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;
3286-503: 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
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3392-823: The San Jacinto Monument in Baytown, Texas . While no longer reporting directly to the federal government, Finn did contract architecture work for the United States War Department and the Defense Homes Corporation during World War II. His office built the China Springs Air Force Base near Waco, Texas , temporary buildings for Texas A&M , and defense housing in Freeport, Texas . After
3498-496: 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
3604-671: 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
3710-464: 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
3816-601: The 1930s, partly because of his relationship with Jones, Finn worked for the federal government, and later his firm performed contract work for federal agencies. His public buildings included federal buildings, a college administration building and a complex of dormitories, and he designed the San Jacinto Monument. He was one of the leaders in the development of the Art Deco style in Texas , though his work reflects
3922-482: 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
4028-540: The 1998 HBO miniseries From the Earth to the Moon . At the time, the hotel's general manager was named Max Peck. United States President John F. Kennedy visited the Rice Hotel on September 12, 1962, following his " We choose to go to the Moon " speech, and on November 21, 1963, before traveling to Fort Worth , and then Dallas , where he was assassinated . Kennedy used a suite at the Rice Hotel to hold meetings, which
4134-404: 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,
4240-539: 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
4346-461: The City of Houston. However, as cost estimates for the renovation increased, private investors backed out. Stevens developed a tax increment financing (TIF) scheme in which the Rice project would borrow against future tax revenue increases. The City of Houston planned a Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone (TIRZ), placing the Rice within its boundaries. Based on projected tax revenue of $ 700,000, he coaxed
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4452-742: 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
4558-901: 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
4664-457: The Flag Room, a casual first-floor coffee shop, and the underground Rice Hotel Cafeteria, known for its signature dish, rice pudding. It had a variety of retail shops, including a lobby news stand, a hat store, and Bilton's Fine Jewelry. In 1962 the Rice Hotel was used for a meeting of NASA Astronaut Group 2 - The New Nine - all of whom booked in with the code name "Max Peck" as portrayed on
4770-593: The Houston Club, and the Rotary Club. Finn died on June 26, 1964, and is interred at Forest Park Cemetery in Houston. The Houston Metropolitan Research Center is the repository for the Alfred C. Finn Papers. The JPMorgan Chase building in downtown Houston underwent a major conversion of its lobby and mezzanine into a 20,000 square-foot dining hall. The new facility is called "Finn Hall," in honor of Finn,
4876-741: The Houston Ship Channel with a bay-side portico design based on the south facade of the White House . The next year Finn's office completed a commission for William Lewis Moody III . Smallwood designed the Georgian neo-classical home in Galveston's Cedar Lawn Subdivision , and this neighborhood is now NRHP-listed. Finn was an architect for the Capitol Lofts , and the L. A. and Adelheid Machemehl House . Finn designed
4982-593: 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
5088-596: The Lamar Hotel, where Jones established his new residence. The Jones apartment consumed the whole top floor, though he hired John F. Staub for the interior design. Jones also promised a venue for the 1928 Democratic National Convention without consulting the city of Houston, pledging $ 200,000 of his own capital. He engaged Finn and Kenneth Franzheim to design and erect the Sam Houston Hall in just four months. The Sam Houston Hall , ostensibly built to be
5194-554: 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
5300-763: The Rice Hotel property in 1995. He had already rehabilitated old buildings and repurposed them as loft apartments. Three examples are the Dakota Lofts, the Hogg Palace, and the Tribeca Lofts. Michael Stevens , head of the Houston Housing Finance Corporation (HHFC), proposed a public-private partnership, which included $ 5 million in capital from the Randall Davis investment group with a $ 5 million matching funds from
5406-463: The Rice are Texas Governor William P. Hobby and Captain James A. Baker of Baker and Botts . Other notable guests of the Rice Hotel include Groucho Marx and Liberace . Notable musicians who have performed at the Rice include Tommy Dorsey , Perry Como , Xavier Cugat , Woody Herman , Lawrence Welk , and a young Illinois Jacquet . Rice University assumed ownership of the Rice Hotel through
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#17327733248995512-675: The Rossmoyne subdivision was the Sterling-Berry House (NHRP-listed), which he completed in 1916 and enhanced with a large portico in 1919. He designed a new house on nearby Montrose Boulevard for Henry H. Dickson, President of the Dickson Wheel Car Company (1917). In the Houston Heights , his early work included the Woodward House (NRHP-listed), which he completed in 1918. In 1920, he designed
5618-422: The Sid Westheimer house (1920), and one for oil mogul, Walter Fondren (1923). He designed the Benjamin Apartments (NRHP-listed), a synthesis of Renaissance Revival style and Arts and Crafts principles. Perhaps Finn's most ambitious residential project was the Ross Sterling House in Bay Ridge Park near Morgan's Point , completed in 1928. He and Robert Smallwood designed a two-and-one-half story house overlooking
5724-445: 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
5830-602: The building from Post Properties and renamed it The Rice. In 2014, Crow Holding Capital Partners announced plans for renovations. The owners hired architectural firm Page to design the renovations. The plan includes installing appliances and remodeling each apartment, and moving a swimming pool and fitness center from the basement to the second floor. Along with new appliances for the apartments, there were plans for remodeling of each kitchen and bathroom. The management company also announced valet service would be offered to tenants. Early in 2014 Post Properties claimed that average rent
5936-410: The building to various hotel operators. Charlotte Allen sold the property to R.S. Blount in 1857. There were various hotel operators between 1857 and 1881 with a few name changes (Houston House and Barnes House). It is not clear how long Charlotte owned the property before it was sold in 1857. John Kirby Allen had died in 1838 without a will. After 1843, there was a dispute about his estate, which led to
6042-411: The cafeteria into the Skyline Room, replete with plastic upholstery and fluorescent lighting. A first among Houston hotels, the Rice installed an escalator in 1946. By 1949, all the guest rooms were air-conditioned. In 1951, Jones hired Staub & Rather to transform the roof deck over the seventeenth floor into an eighteenth floor edition to house the Petroleum Club of Houston. After Jones died in 1956,
6148-413: The cause, equivalent to $ 2,300,000 in 2016. A famous guest was during the convention was Franklin D. Roosevelt , the not yet Governor of New York. Jones placed a large shed on the hotel roof before the Democratic Convention to serve as temporary accommodations. This hotel deck was a popular dance venue during the 1930s. Jones continued investing in the Rice Hotel through the 1930s. The Rice Barber Shop
6254-535: 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,
6360-529: 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
6466-444: 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
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#17327733248996572-402: 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
6678-422: 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
6784-593: 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
6890-536: 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,
6996-444: The estate conveyed the Rice Hotel building to the Jones family non-profit, the Houston Endowment . The Rice continued to operate as a hotel under the management of the Houston Endowment until 1971. In 1957, Houston Endowment remodeled the Old Capital Club and the Flag Room from the previously existing Empire Room. They commissioned a five-story annex for a motor lobby and a second grand ballroom in 1958. The hotel featured fine dining in
7102-405: 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
7208-432: The fifteen-story People's National Bank Building (NRHP-listed) at Courthouse Square in Tyler, Texas . The brick-and-black-granite-faced art deco skyscraper was finished in 1932, in the middle of the Great Depression . The East Texas oil boom created a demand for office space in Tyler, and Finn designed an expansion which added six stories to a four-story wing in 1936. Finn served as the first Architectural Supervisor for
7314-408: 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
7420-481: 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
7526-427: The hotel after Groesbeck died in 1886. He added a three-story annex. Rice was murdered in 1900, and the hotel property was transferred to the Rice Institute , which he had established in 1891. The Rice Institute trustees renamed it the Rice Hotel . Jessie H. Jones, who would later redevelop the site, resided at the original Rice Hotel when he first arrived in Houston around 1898. Texas Governor James Hogg maintained
7632-448: The hotel to Columbus Properties for $ 4.5 million in cash. Columbus (later renamed Post Properties ) also assumed all the municipal debt related to the project, but also gained the tax credits and the ground lease. The city retained ownership of the property, while Davis obtained a forty-year lease. Davis hired the architectural firm of Page Southerland Page to plan the renovation of the abandoned Rice Hotel. The firm presented Davis with
7738-485: The last president of the Republic of Texas and first Grand master of Texas Masons committed suicide at the hotel in 1858. Abraham Groesbeck razed the original building and constructed a five-story Victorian hotel in 1881. The building, then known as the Capitol Hotel , was designed by George E. Dickey , and represented his first major commission since relocating to Houston in 1878. William Marsh Rice bought
7844-448: 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;
7950-410: 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,
8056-753: 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
8162-520: The new Rice Hotel was losing money, but the Houston Hotel Association was able to repay its loans. Jesse Jones continued improving the building. In 1922, he installed air-conditioning in the Rice Hotel Cafeteria, the first for a public room in Houston. In 1924, he expanded the capacity of the cafeteria, but built over a basement pool (it would be discovered and re-opened in the 1998 renovation). In 1925, Jones hired Alfred C. Finn to design
8268-522: The north side of Texas Avenue between Travis and Main streets. They also agreed to construct a capitol building for the Texas government, and leased the building on easy terms. The Republic of Texas used this as its capitol building from 1837 to 1839, and again from 1842 to 1845. In 1841, Mr. M. Norwood leased the building from Augustus Allen, and ran it as the Capitol Hotel. After the Texas government left Houston again, Augustus Allen resumed leasing
8374-575: 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
8480-671: 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
8586-527: 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
8692-457: The property early in 1978 for $ 3 million, much more than the $ 542,962 paid at the 1977 foreclosure auction. The new owners secured a listing on the National Register of Historic Places and federal funding to convert the building into apartments. Portfolio Management of Texas did not raise enough capital and did not execute the federal grant. In 1981, Rovi Texas Corporation purchased the property for $ 7.75 million and announced they would operate it as
8798-638: The property in 1975, and briefly operated as the Rice Rittenhouse Hotel , opening in April 1976 after being closed for remodeling. The hotel closed again in August 1977. Several entities assumed financial interests in the Rice Hotel after the August 1977 closure. The Rice Preservation Corporation purchased the Rice Hotel property at auction in September 1977. Portfolio Management of Texas bought
8904-567: The sidewalks on the Texas Avenue side and part of the Main Street side. Post Properties (renamed from Columbus Properties) opened the Post Rice Lofts for tenants in April 1998. After renovation from 1000 hotel rooms into lofts, the building housed 312 apartments, including some 500-square foot efficiencies, many 1500-square foot apartments, and a few three-story penthouses. Efficiency apartments rented as low as $ 750 per month. Sambuca,
9010-420: 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
9116-661: 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. Alfred C. Finn Finn practiced independently between 1913 and 1953, first subcontracting as
9222-734: The then recently formed Federal Housing Administration in 1934. He took on this position while Jesse H. Jones was chairing the Reconstruction Finance Corporation during the Franklin D. Roosevelt Administration. During the 1930s, Finn also designed buildings on behalf of the Public Works Administration . These included Jefferson Davis Hospital and the Sam Houston Coliseum in Houston, the U.S. Post Office in Galveston , and
9328-482: 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
9434-707: 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
9540-677: 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
9646-668: 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
9752-515: 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
9858-590: 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
9964-716: The war, Finn won a contract to build the United States Naval Hospital at Houston. He designed the Ezekiel W. Cullen Building on the University of Houston campus, an elongated Art Deco building completed in 1950. Finn fathered two sons after marrying Mary Elizabeth Riley in 1909. In addition to membership at St. Paul's Methodist Church, he joined the Arabia Temple Shrine, the local Gray's Lodge York and Scottish Rite Freemason's chapter,
10070-759: The way from the Rice Hotel: the Foster Building, aka the Houston Chronicle Building, in 1914, and the Rusk Building in 1916. The corner of Texas and Travis was dominated by buildings built by Finn and Jones. In 1926, Finn designed a new seventeen-story wing for the Rice Hotel on behalf of Jones. Finn did architectural work for other commercial clients in the 1920s. He completed State National Bank Building (NHRP-listed) at 412 Main Street in 1923. Jones contracted with Finn to build
10176-521: 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
10282-422: Was almost $ 1,700 per month and the building had a vacancy rate of about five percent. One person interviewed late in 2014 said his one-bedroom apartment rented for $ 1,550. The Petroleum Club of Houston , founded in 1946, was originally located in the top area of the Rice Hotel. It moved to the ExxonMobil Building in 1963. Previously Amy's Ice Creams had its Houston location at the Rice Hotel. The Rice Lofts
10388-780: 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
10494-491: 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
10600-477: Was remodeled in 1930, and a major remodeling of the bottom floors in 1938 coincided with a new, art-deco dining area, the Empire Room. He opened a barber shop in 1930, which remained in business there until about 1977. Five years later, he introduced air-conditioning to the Crystal ballroom, perhaps the first dance venue with such an amenity in Houston. In 1940, Jones embarked on another major remodeling, transforming
10706-660: Was supplied with caviar, champagne, and his favorite beer. After a brief visit at a LULAC event and his speech at the Albert Thomas Convention Center , he returned to his suite for a change of clothes. After less than six hours in Houston, he headed to the airport for his flight to Fort Worth . He also delivered his famous speech on religion in politics there to the Greater Houston Ministerial Conference on September 12, 1960. Other notable people who have orated at
10812-541: 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
10918-476: 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
11024-489: 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
11130-412: Was torn down and replaced by a new hotel around 1881. Jesse H. Jones built a new seventeen-story, double-winged hotel in 1913, also called "The Rice Hotel." This building underwent major expansions: adding a third wing in 1925, adding an eighteenth floor in 1951, and adding a five-story "motor lobby" in 1958. In addition, there were several renovations during its life as a hotel. It continued to operate as
11236-534: 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
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