HOUSTON – (Realty News Report) – The 47-story Texas Tower, developed by Hines and Ivanhoé Cambridge, has opened in downtown Houston. It is the city’s first new major tower in nearly three years and brings a distinctive slanted silhouette to the northern edge of the downtown skyline, designed by Pelli Clarke & Partners.
Far from ordinary, the Texas Tower incorporates features that set it apart from typical office buildings. It includes eight elevators where many towers have six, landscaped outdoor terraces on the 12th floor, and exterior stone sourced from Italy and Turkey. The building offers an upscale fitness club and street-level restaurants with glass walls and landscaping that create an inviting pedestrian experience. Oriented on a diagonal on its block, the tower maximizes views for its tenants.
The tower stands among a cluster of landmarks associated with the late Gerald D. Hines and the global development firm he founded. Positioned across from the 75-story JPMorgan Chase Tower and close to Pennzoil Place, 609 Main at Texas and the distinctive red-granite building originally known as RepublicBank Center, Texas Tower occupies the same vibrant downtown area where Hines developed One Shell Plaza more than five decades ago.
“Texas Tower is emblematic of the values which my father, Gerald Hines, instilled in all of us at Hines and will forever represent the legacy he left behind of pairing best-in-class design and engineering with innovative, sustainable and functional spaces to create remarkable buildings and to continually be raising the bar,” said Jeffrey Hines, chairman and CEO. “We are so proud to continue his legacy and introduce this next-generation workspace to the city of Houston and welcome our Houston workforce into our new headquarters next year.”
Hines, a developer with hundreds of towers worldwide, has signed a 15-year lease for 180,000 square feet across five floors and will relocate its global headquarters to Texas Tower.
The building opened with roughly 45 percent of its 1.2 million square feet leased. Cushman & Wakefield represents the property, which has attracted tenants from older buildings even as Houston’s office market faces pressure from the energy-sector downturn and post-Covid downsizing; downtown vacancy remains near 25 percent.
Anchor tenants include law firms Vinson & Elkins, McGuireWoods and DLA Piper. Vinson & Elkins—one of Houston’s largest and longest-established firms—signed a 16-year lease for 208,000 square feet across the top seven floors. McGuireWoods signed an 11-year lease for 30,000 square feet on the 24th floor, and DLA Piper signed a 14-year lease for more than 31,000 square feet on the 38th floor. Hines’ managing director Seth Flechsig noted that another tenant has agreed to lease part of one of the 30,000-square-foot floors, with an announcement expected soon.
The tower occupies the block bounded by Texas Avenue, Milam, Travis and Prairie streets. The site was previously home to the Houston Chronicle building, which Hines acquired for $50 million in 2015 and subsequently demolished to make way for the new development.
Advancing the Art of Creating Spaces
John Mooz, senior managing director at Hines, led the planning to ensure the building responds to current market needs and the evolving expectations for workplace design. Texas Tower reflects a 2020s approach—prioritizing natural light, outdoor access, health and safety, a layered amenity program, and an active street presence—rather than the fortress-like or sealed office towers of past decades.
“Today, we are proud to officially open Texas Tower, delivering a human-centered combination of flexible physical spaces, service-driven amenities, and innovative wellness offerings guided by the highest standards of workplace design,” Mooz said. “Texas Tower provides space for work at the intersection of quality, functionality, sustainability, and well-being that focuses on individuals’ desire to work in spaces that maximize their performance, their health and their happiness.”
The tower includes boardrooms and meeting facilities sized for large gatherings, and several cantilevered collaboration spaces with three walls of glass that offer expansive views across the Houston area. “You don’t want to collaborate in a dungeon,” Mooz noted. “You want to collaborate in a great space.”
Texas Tower will host The Square, Hines’ flexible co-working concept. The 18,000-square-foot facility is designed to let companies expand on short notice and will overlook the tower’s lobby. The lobby itself is furnished with hotel-style seating areas to create additional informal gathering spots for tenant employees.
Key building features include bike parking and electric vehicle charging stations, high-efficiency chillers, improved curtainwall U-values, and an innovative underfloor air-delivery system to enhance energy performance. Low-flow water fixtures reduce potable water use by more than 47 percent compared to code requirements, and a rainwater-harvesting and condensate-recovery system will supply all irrigation needs. The underfloor HVAC system also gives occupants more control over their comfort.
Located at 845 Texas Ave, Texas Tower is certified LEED Platinum and has achieved WiredScore and WELL Building Standard certifications.
Adjacent to Houston’s Theater District, the tower will feature a 6,410-square-foot restaurant called etta, led by What If Syndicate partner and two-time Michelin-starred chef Danny Grant. A second concept, Café Sophie, will occupy roughly 2,000 square feet in the pavilion area. Both restaurants are slated to open in 2022. Despite pandemic-related disruptions and global supply chain challenges, the office tower met its 2021 opening target.
Hines operates in 255 cities across 27 countries and has more than 171 developments underway. Over time the firm has developed, redeveloped, or acquired 1,486 properties totaling more than 492 million square feet.
Dec. 16, 2021 Realty News Report Copyright 2021
File: Hines. Houston’s Newest Skyscraper is Open for Business.