Historic Inner Loop Bowling Alley to Become Southside Commons Redevelopment
Rendering of Southside Commons.
HOUSTON – The Palace Bowling Lanes, a 63-year-old landmark inside the Inner Loop, is being transformed into a mixed-use development.
Named Southside Commons, the 80,000-square-foot project sits at 4191 Bellaire Boulevard, roughly three miles west of the Texas Medical Center.
The bowling alley, which opened in 1955, closed more than a year ago after decades as a local entertainment destination. The property sits within the city of Southside Place, an upscale enclave bordered by Bellaire and West University Place.
“Among all the options our team evaluated during redevelopment, the best—though not necessarily the most economical—was to preserve the existing structure and reintroduce family entertainment and amenities the community wants,” said John Morton, managing partner of Triple Crown Investments.
Morton engaged Austin-based design architect Michael Hsu and Tramonte + Johnson Architects as the architect of record for the conversion.
Arch-Con Construction began work Friday to remove and replace the building’s front façade. The new frontage will combine fiber-reinforced concrete panels, interlocking zinc tile, a wood rainscreen and perforated metal sunshades.
The redevelopment will dedicate the first floor to roughly 10,000 square feet of retail and about 30,000 square feet for restaurants and entertainment uses. The second floor will offer approximately 40,000 square feet of office and medical office space.
“One challenge was that the original second-floor ceiling heights are lower than current market expectations,” said Marc MacConnell, senior vice president for Arch-Con. To solve this, Arch-Con will remove the roof structure and existing second-level columns and install new columns four feet longer to increase the interior height.
“We are honored to give new life to this important community asset and will carefully curate a tenant mix that makes Southside Commons a balanced destination for families to dine, shop and play,” Morton said.
Southside Commons is scheduled to open in late summer 2019.
