After sitting vacant for nearly three decades, the former home of Texaco, Inc. has been converted into a 17-story, 286-unit apartment building in the heart of downtown Houston.
Dallas-based Provident Realty Advisors, which led the $99.5 million enterprise, renamed the property “The Star” as a tribute to the oil giant’s logo—“the big bright Texaco star!” in the old advertising jingle. The redevelopment came on the heels of several unsuccessful attempts to turn the building into a hotel in the years following Texaco’s relocation to the Houston suburbs in 1989.
“It was a beautiful but derelict building right in the center of the new downtown core, surrounded by new office developments, shopping, entertainment, and nightlife,” said Kip Platt, Director of Development and Acquisitions at Provident Realty Advisors.
The Renaissance Revival–style building features a brick, terracotta, and limestone façade, with signature vaulted arcades at street level that promote pedestrian activity. The original 13-story building, completed in 1915, was designed by Warren and Wetmore, a New York architecture firm whose portfolio includes Manhattan’s Grand Central Terminal. A 1938 annex expansion and a 16-story addition, completed in 1958, bulked up the structure to fill a city block. In 2003, the building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The redevelopment team worked closely with the National Park Service and the Texas Historical Commission to qualify for federal and state historic tax credits. The Star was also the first project to benefit from Houston’s new Downtown Living Initiative, which awards $15,000/unit in tax incentives to developers who create new residential projects in the urban core.
At one time a “ beautiful but derelict building,” according to developer Kip Platt, Provident Realty Advisors, The Star now provides 286 luxury apartments in downtown Houston. The original 17-story structure, completed in 1915, was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003. Photo: Peter Molick
“Most of the structural elements were in really good shape. The building just needed some thorough cleaning, repair, and restoration,” said Robert Jurbergs, AIA, LEED GA, Principal at HBG Design, the Memphis-based architecture firm that oversaw the redesign.
HBG followed strict historic preservation requirements in restoring the structure’s distinctive features, notably its limestone columns, mosaic tiles, decorative chandeliers, bronze grilles, and historic clock. To improve thermal performance, the project team added exterior envelope insulation and specified new energy-efficient windows. “We went back to the original blueprints to ensure the new window profiles were as true to the original wood detailing as possible,” said Jurbergs.
The most pressing problem was how to fit a high-efficiency mechanical system with an additional layer of plumbing, fire protection lines, and mechanical ducts for apartments into a century-old office building.
According to Mark Weaver, FAIA, Principal at HBG Design, the project team circumvented this obstacle by building a 66,000-sf extension on the back side of the original L-shaped building, where historic preservation restrictions were less stringent. This gave them five more high-ceiling apartments with balconies on each floor. They also carved out a cozy outdoor courtyard for a heated, resort-style swimming pool.
The project team squeezed in a nine-level, 750-space parking garage for use by both residents and the general public. The Star sits on the city’s light rail system and ties into the Houston tunnel system, a network of subterranean pedways that links 95 city blocks.
STEPPING BACK INTO HISTORY
The Star’s interior spaces blend contemporary styling with intentional nods to its origins. Large-scale historical photos of the original structure are prominently displayed in the majestic ground-floor lobby. The original Texaco brass elevators have been emboldened with a black geometric design that runs throughout the building.
“It made sense to highlight this amazing, architecturally significant building rather than trying to hide it or make people think it was a new building,” said Lauren Parsons, a design and branding consultant who led the interior design of the amenity spaces. “I wanted it to have a timeless look.”
Photos of Albert Einstein, Muddy Waters, and others linked to the year 1915 embellish the 17th-floor amenities space, which has a lounge, display kitchen, and Equinox-inspired fitness center. Photo: Lauren Parsons
Parsons lived in the building as it was being completed. She curated an eclectic mix of Texaco memorabilia from former employees and collectors for display in the expansive basement game room and lounge area, a dimly lit space that takes its cue from Prohibition-era speakeasies.
The property has 207 one-bedroom and 79 two-bedroom units, with 22 different floor plans ranging from 730 to 1,730 sf, on levels two through 16. Apartments have 11-foot ceilings, quartz countertops, custom cabinetry, stainless steel appliances, and oversized soaking tubs. Monthly rents range from $1,750 to $3,860.
A 1915 design motif extends to the building’s 17th-floor penthouse level, which showcases large-scale black-and-white portraits of Billie Holiday and other cultural figures loosely linked to the year the original building was completed.
AN INTERESTING MIX OF TENANTS
The location can’t be beat. The property is adjacent to the city’s shopping and historic districts and located within 160 feet of 8,000 jobs. The Star is about 90% leased, according to Provident Realty Advisors’ Platt.
“It’s an eclectic group of people who live in the building—from professional basketball players, to artists, to attorneys,” he said. “Anybody can go live in a shiny glass high-rise, but you can’t duplicate the look or character of a historic building. There’s just a unique vibe to it.”
On the project team
DEVELOPER: Provident Realty Advisors ARCHITECT HBG Design INTERIOR DESIGNER Lauren Parsons MECHANICAL/PLUMBING ENGINEER Haltom Engineering ELECTRICAL ENGINEER DePouw Engineering ELEVATOR CONSULTANT Lerch Bates Company GC Provident Realty Advisors Construction
Related Stories
| Nov 15, 2013
Metal makes its mark on interior spaces
Beyond its long-standing role as a preferred material for a building’s structure and roof, metal is making its mark on interior spaces as well.
| Nov 13, 2013
Installed capacity of geothermal heat pumps to grow by 150% by 2020, says study
The worldwide installed capacity of GHP systems will reach 127.4 gigawatts-thermal over the next seven years, growth of nearly 150%, according to a recent report from Navigant Research.
| Nov 8, 2013
Net-zero bellwether demonstrates extreme green, multifamily style
The 10-unit zHome in Issaquah Highlands, Wash., is the nation’s first net-zero multifamily project, as certified this year by the International Living Future Institute.
| Nov 6, 2013
Dallas’s goal of carbon neutrality by 2030 advances with second phase of green codes
Dallas stands out as one of the few large cities that is enforcing a green building code, with the city aiming to be carbon neutral by 2030.
| Oct 30, 2013
15 stellar historic preservation, adaptive reuse, and renovation projects
The winners of the 2013 Reconstruction Awards showcase the best work of distinguished Building Teams, encompassing historic preservation, adaptive reuse, and renovations and additions.
| Oct 30, 2013
11 hot BIM/VDC topics for 2013
If you like to geek out on building information modeling and virtual design and construction, you should enjoy this overview of the top BIM/VDC topics.
| Oct 28, 2013
Urban growth doesn’t have to destroy nature—it can work with it
Our collective desire to live in cities has never been stronger. According to the World Health Organization, 60% of the world’s population will live in a city by 2030. As urban populations swell, what people demand from their cities is evolving.
| Oct 25, 2013
$3B Willets Points mixed-use development in New York wins City Council approval
The $3 billion Willets Points plan in New York City that will transform 23 acres into a mixed-use development has gained approval from the City Council.
| Oct 23, 2013
Gehry, Foster join Battersea Power Station redevelopment
Norman Foster and Frank Gehry have been selected to design a retail section within the £8 billion redevelopment of Battersea Power Station in London.
| Oct 18, 2013
Meet the winners of BD+C's $5,000 Vision U40 Competition
Fifteen teams competed last week in the first annual Vision U40 Competition at BD+C's Under 40 Leadership Summit in San Francisco. Here are the five winning teams, including the $3,000 grand prize honorees.
