HOUSTON – (Realty News Report) – After constructing military bases, guard towers, barracks and bunkers in Afghanistan and other Middle East and North African countries as a contractor for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Abie Musa is turning his attention to a project in his former hometown of Houston, Texas.
His new challenge is an historic brown brick building near the Harris County Courthouse.
Built 113 years ago, the structure was originally known as the Paul Building, named for its owner Allen Paul. About a century ago it became known as the Republic Building.
When the building first rose on the corner of Preston and Fannin, Houston streets were filled with Packards, Studebakers and Ford Model As. Many neighboring office buildings from that era are long gone, but the Republic Building endures.
Abie Musa, a University of Houston graduate who later built an international government contracting career, is the founder and CEO of MVL Group. An affiliate of MVL Group recently acquired the Republic Building with the intent to transform it into the company’s corporate headquarters.
Following a comprehensive renovation, the eight-story, 19,850-square-foot building at 1018 Preston Street will house MVL Corp.’s executive offices. MVL Group maintains additional offices in Beirut, the United Kingdom, Lansing, Michigan, and an 80-person office in Dubai, Musa said.
“As a former Houstonian of 15 years, it gives me personal satisfaction to invest in Houston’s iconic downtown, especially given the present economic environment. The historically important Republic Building, and its connection to the U.S. Government as the previous U.S. District Court, is a fitting location for the headquarters for MVL Group’s core business as a U.S. Government contractor,” Musa said.
The Republic Building sits directly across from the Harris County Courthouse in downtown Houston. MVL Group plans a significant refurbishment that will both restore historic features and upgrade the building systems for modern office use.
Musa described the immediate improvements: “We will be implementing a series of beautification projects such as replacing the missing cornice, adding artwork to the previously sealed exterior walls, reworking the main entrance, and completing a full overhaul of the HVAC system and elevator.”
The HOK architecture firm has been engaged to redesign the interior and exterior spaces that will house MVL Group executives.
The seller, Republic Building TX LP, was represented by Scott Miller, David Cook and Jeff Peden of Cushman & Wakefield. MVL Group was represented in the acquisition by veteran Houston broker Fred Ghabriel of Bejjani & Associates.
Throughout its history the building has served multiple civic roles. It housed the United States District Court in 1910 and at one point accommodated the YMCA. In 1979 the Republic Building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Occupying Block 45 in downtown Houston, the building’s proximity to the county court system makes it attractive to law firms and other professional tenants. Musa also noted that changes in federal tax law enacted during the Trump administration encouraged some companies to repatriate operations to the U.S., a factor that supported MVL’s decision to establish its headquarters in Houston.
The Republic Building is approximately two blocks from historic Market Square and near the new Texas Tower, a 47-story office project currently under construction by Hines, adding to the neighborhood’s growing commercial presence.
July 1, 2020 Realty News Report Copyright 2020
