HOUSTON – (By Michelle Leigh Smith) – East Downtown, commonly known as EaDo, located on the eastern edge of downtown Houston, is undergoing a notable transformation. New parks, the conversion of defunct industrial properties into residential units, and an influx of restaurants and bars catering to younger residents are reshaping the neighborhood, according to a local EaDo leader.
“Everything is progressing and becoming a vibrant neighborhood,” said Anton Sinkewich, Executive Director of the East Downtown Management District, during a presentation to CREW Houston, an organization focused on women in commercial real estate.
At the CREW meeting, Sinkewich reviewed recent progress on the Houston International Promenade, a five-block park created within the right-of-way on Bastrop Street, stretching from Bell to McKinney. The Promenade has been developed in phases and continues to grow as the community evolves.
“We just completed the second phase with a dog park in the right-of-way, and we’ll begin phase three next year,” he said. “We worked with sculptor David Adickes to install the large Beatles sculpture, and we’ve been gradually adding amenities as the neighborhood develops.”
Sinkewich highlighted several new residential projects, such as Circuit Apartments at Emancipation and Texas and the Sampson Lofts at 806 Sampson. The Sampson Lofts is a careful rehabilitation of a 1912 warehouse that preserves original materials—wood beams, brickwork, and exposed ceilings—creating authentic loft living that retains the building’s historic character.
The district is also pursuing creative public art and streetscape projects, including proposed under-bridge installations by design firms like SWA Group. Sinkewich noted commercial success stories such as 8th Wonder Brewery, which has expanded multiple times, and Sigma Brewing Co. “We try to add beer to everything in EaDo,” he quipped.
“What I’m most proud of is the strong community spirit between new businesses and residents,” Sinkewich added. He pointed to TIRZ No. 15, a tax increment reinvestment zone that helps fund infrastructure, streetscape improvements, and parks throughout the district.
On the private development side, David Denenburg, 37, described his extensive efforts to restore and repurpose the historic Cheek-Neal Coffee Building, a circa 1917, 55,000-square-foot landmark at 2017 Preston that later housed Maxwell House Coffee. Denenburg plans to lease the first floor to retail tenants and offer the upper floors as office space with large floor plates appealing to a range of businesses.
He closed on the property in July 2015, and within a day learned that TxDOT had proposed an I-45 expansion that would have affected the Cheek-Neal building’s site. Acting quickly, Denenburg pursued historic landmark designation to protect the structure.
“The right-of-way for the proposed TxDOT I-45 expansion has been adjusted to avoid the Cheek-Neal Coffee Company building because of its historic status,” he said.
Denenburg described extensive preservation work, including redesigning and upgrading all 88 steel windows to double-paned, energy-efficient, and soundproof units. “Architects, historians, and the City of Houston initially told me the windows were beyond repair and urged me to install aluminum replacements, which might last 25 years. Steel, however, lasts centuries. Look at them now—restored and as beautiful as they were in 1917,” he said. He added that he managed costs tightly, sourcing materials economically and prioritizing quality without cutting corners.
A hands-on preservationist, Denenburg works alongside skilled craftsmen, glazing glass and removing later, undesirable finishes. “I don’t need to go to the gym. Some days my Fitbit records 14,000 steps. I’m constantly on the move—up and down stairs, buying materials, clearing basements. It’s nonstop work, but seeing the results is incredibly rewarding.”
According to leasing projections, gross rates for space in the Cheek-Neal building are expected to begin around $33 per square foot for the second floor, $34 per square foot for floors three and four, and $36 per square foot for the fifth floor. Denenburg noted that operating expenses are lower in part because the building benefits from a 15-year historic property tax abatement.
Denenburg is already engaged in his next restoration project: the original North American headquarters for Schlumberger at 2720 Leeland, built in 1938. He is replicating all 110 windows as they appeared in 1938 and plans to convert the building into a mix of retail and office space, further contributing to EaDo’s revitalization.