Art Deco 1939 Sears Building Reborn as Innovation District Hub
The shuttered Sears in Midtown Houston is being redeveloped. Photo credit: Cynthia Lescalleet
HOUSTON – (By Cynthia Lescalleet for Realty News Report) – The grand Sears flagship in Midtown Houston, long known as a haven for do-it-yourself shoppers and tool enthusiasts, is set for a major reinvention.
Closed earlier this year, the 190,000-square-foot, four-story building at 4201 Main Street at Wheeler will be renovated and repurposed as the anchor for a new innovation center focused on technology research and startups. The development, a $100 million project spearheaded by Rice University, will occupy a broader site of approximately 13 acres and has been designated the Midtown Innovation District.
Built in 1939, the historic structure has been a Midtown landmark for decades. Early site deconstruction revealed that the original Art Deco façade endured despite metal alterations added during the 1960s, and that character will inform the building’s restoration.
Sited on Metro’s light rail line and within three miles of several major universities, the planned innovation district is designed to attract and concentrate talent, resources, training and entrepreneurial activity. City, business and academic leaders envision the district as part of a growing innovation corridor — an “innovation ecosystem” — linking downtown Houston with the Texas Medical Center.
Rice Management Company, which manages the university’s endowment, has owned the primary 9.4-acre Sears site along with an adjacent strip center and grocery store. Since announcing the redevelopment in April, Rice has assembled several additional parcels to create a campus-like footprint approaching 13 acres. The project announcement was coordinated with a broader corridor strategy advocated by academic, industry and civic partners, including the Greater Houston Partnership, HX and the digital tech incubator Station Houston.
Project details, including the building’s final programming and the timeline for the larger district, remain in the planning stages as Rice consults with other Houston academic institutions and community stakeholders.
The overall redevelopment work on the Sears building will be managed by Hines, with architectural design led by Gensler and James Carpenter.
Rice University President David Leebron has emphasized that the Midtown Innovation District is intended to be an asset for the entire city, not solely for the university.
