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Downtown Houston

February 16, 2024

Downtown is the largest central business district in the city of Houston and the largest in the state of Texas, located near the geographic center of the metropolitan area at the confluence of Interstate 10, Interstate 45, and Interstate 69. The 1.84-square-mile (4.8 km2) district, enclosed by the aforementioned highways, contains the original townsite of Houston at the confluence of Buffalo Bayou and White Oak Bayou, a point known as Allen's Landing. Downtown has been the city's preeminent commercial district since its founding in 1836.

Downtown Houston
Neighborhood
The Downtown skyline from the west.
Road map of Downtown Houston.
Country United States
StateTexas
CountyHarris County
CityHouston
Settled1836
Subdistricts
List
Area
[1]
 • Total4.8 km2 (1.84 sq mi)
Population
 (2017)[1]
 • Total10,165
 • Density2,100/km2 (5,500/sq mi)
 Greater Downtown (within 2 miles): 74,791
ZIP Code
77002
Area code(s)281, 346, 713, and 832
Websitedowntownhouston.org

Today home to nine Fortune 500 corporations, Downtown contains 50 million square feet (4,600,000 m2) of office space and is the workplace of 150,000 employees.[1] Downtown is also a major destination for entertainment and recreation. Nine major performing arts organizations are located within the 13,000-seat Theater District at prominent venues including Alley Theatre, Hobby Center for the Performing Arts, Jones Hall, and the Wortham Theater Center. Two major professional sports venues, Minute Maid Park and the Toyota Center, are home to the Houston Astros and Houston Rockets, respectively. Discovery Green, an urban park located on the east side of the district adjacent to the George R. Brown Convention Center, anchors the city's convention district.

Downtown is Houston's civic center, containing Houston City Hall, the jails, criminal, and civil courthouses of Harris County, and a federal prison and courthouse. Downtown is also a major public transportation hub, lying at the center of the light rail system, park and ride system, and the metropolitan freeway network; the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (METRO) is headquartered in the district. Over 100,000 people commute through Downtown daily.[1] An extensive network of pedestrian tunnels and skywalks connects a large number of buildings in the district; this system also serves as a subterranean mall.

Geographically, Downtown is bordered by East Downtown to the east, Third Ward to the south, Midtown to the southwest, Fourth Ward to the west, Sixth Ward to the northwest, and Near Northside to the north. The district's streets form a strict grid plan of approximately 400 square blocks,[2] oriented at a southwest to northeast angle. The northern end of the district is crossed by Buffalo Bayou, the banks of which function as a linear park with a grade-separated system of hike-and-bike trails.

Composition edit

  •  
    Nighttime view of the Downtown skyline.
  •  
    View of Downtown from the west.
  •  
    Main Street Square station in the heart of the business district.
  •  
    Branding monument at a northern entrance to Downtown.
  •  
    Satellite image of Downtown Houston.

Downtown Houston is a 1,178-acre (1.841 sq mi) area bounded by Interstate 45, Interstate 69/U.S. Highway 59, and Interstate 10/U.S. Highway 90.[3] Several sub-districts exist within Downtown, including:[4]

History edit

See also: History of Houston
 
Marker in Downtown Houston commemorating the founding of Houston by the Allen Brothers

Downtown Houston encompasses the original townsite of Houston. After the Texas Revolution, two New York real estate investors, John Kirby Allen and Augustus Chapman Allen, purchased 6,642 acres (2,688 ha) of land from Thomas F.L. Parrot and his wife, Elizabeth (John Austin's widow), for US$9,428 (equivalent to $251,242 in 2022).[6] The Allen brothers settled at the confluence of White Oak and Buffalo bayous, a spot now known as Allen's Landing.

A team of three surveyors, including Gail Borden, Jr. (best known for inventing condensed milk) and Moses Lapham, platted a 62-square-block townsite in the fall of 1836, each block approximately 250 by 250 feet, or 62,500 square feet (5,810 m2) in size.[7] The grid plan was designed to conform to the winding route of Buffalo Bayou; east–west streets were aligned at an angle of north 55º west, while north–south streets were at an angle of south 35º west.[8] Each block was subdivided into 12 lots – five 50-by-100 foot lots on each side of the block, and two 50-by-125 foot lots between the rows of five.[8] The Allen brothers, motivated by their vision for urban civic life, specified wide streets to easily accommodate commercial traffic and reserved blocks for schools, churches, and civic institutions.[9] The townsite was then cleared and drained by a team of Mexican prisoners and black slaves.[9] By April 1837, Houston featured a dock, commercial district, the capitol building of the Republic of Texas, and an estimated population of 1,500.[9] The first city hall was sited at present-day Market Square Park in 1841; this block also served as the city's preeminent retail market.[10]

The relocation of the Texan republic's capital to Houston required a significant political campaign by the Allen brothers. The Allens gifted a number of city blocks to prominent Texas politicians and agreed to construct the new capitol building and a large hotel at no cost to the government.[8] The Allens also donated blocks to celebrities, relatives, prominent lawyers, and other influential people in order to attract additional investment and speculation to the town.[8] During the late 1830s and early 1840s, Houston was in the midst of a land boom, and lots were selling at "enormous prices," according to a visitor to the town in 1837.[8]

Despite the efforts of the Allen brothers and high economic interest in the town, first few years of Houston's existence were plagued by yellow fever epidemics, flooding, searing heat, inadequate infrastructure, and crime.[9] Houston suffered from woefully inadequate city services; the Allens failed to accommodate transit, water service, sewerage, road paving, trash service, or gas service in their plans.[8] As a result, in 1839 the Texas Capitol was moved to Austin.[9]

In 1840, Houston adopted a ward system of municipal governance, which, at the time, was considered more democratic than a strong-mayor system and had already been adopted by the United States' largest cities.[11] The boundaries of the original four wards of Houston radiated out from the intersection of Main and Congress streets; the First Ward was located to the northwest, Second to the northeast, Third to the southeast, and Fourth to the southwest.[11] Fifth Ward was created in 1866, encompassing the area north of Buffalo Bayou and east of White Oak Bayou; Sixth Ward, the final addition to the system, replaced the section of Fourth Ward north of Buffalo Bayou in 1877.[11] The ward system, which featured elected aldermen who served as representatives of each neighborhood, remained Houston's form of municipal government until 1905, when the city switched to a commission government and the wards, as political entities, were dissolved.[11]

Houston grew steadily throughout the late 19th century, and the neighborhoods within the boundaries of modern Downtown diversified. To the northeast, around present-day Minute Maid Park, Quality Hill emerged as an elite neighborhood, occupied by entrepreneurs like William Marsh Rice (namesake of Rice University), William J. Hutchins, and William L. Foley (namesake of Foley's department stores).[12] The neighborhood was well known for its opulent residential architecture, often in the Greek Revival style.[12] To the north, along a bend in Buffalo Bayou, the working-class neighborhood of Frost Town welcomed immigrants from Europe and Mexico during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.[13]

Prior to the arrival of the first streetcars in Houston in the 1870s, most development in the city had been centered in and around the present-day Downtown area. One of the first systems, the Houston City Street Railway, opened in 1874 with four lines along the principal commercial thoroughfares in the heart of the business district.[14] While generally focused on the most prosperous areas of town, the Houston City Street Railway extended one line a full mile south of the center of the city, making it the first streetcar network designed to spur residential development.[14] By the 1890s, new, larger local streetcar companies finally accumulated the capital necessary to begin constructing streetcar suburbs beyond the conventional boundaries of the city.[14] This led to the development and rapid growth of areas like the Houston Heights and Montrose.[14] Residential development subsequently moved out of the central business district; Quality Hill was virtually abandoned by the turn of the 20th century.[12]

Downtown's growth can be attributed to two major factors: The first arose after the Galveston Hurricane of 1900, when investors began seeking a location close to the ports of Southwest Texas, but apparently free of the dangerous hurricanes that frequently struck Galveston and other port cities. Houston became a wise choice, as only the most powerful storms were able to reach the city. The second came a year later with the 1901 discovery of oil at Spindletop, just south of Beaumont, Texas. Shipping and oil industries began flocking to east Texas, many settling in Houston. From that point forward the area grew substantially, as many skyscrapers were constructed, including the city's tallest buildings. In the 1980s, however, economic recession canceled some projects and caused others to be scaled back, such as the Bank of the Southwest Tower.[15]

In the 19th century much of what was the Third Ward, the present day east side of Downtown Houston, was what Stephen Fox, an architectural historian who lectured at Rice University, referred to as "the elite neighborhood of late 19th-century Houston." Ralph Bivins of the Houston Chronicle wrote that Fox said that area was "a silk-stocking neighborhood of Victorian-era homes." Bivins said that the construction of Union Station, which occurred around 1910, caused the "residential character" of the area to "deteriorate." Hotels opened in the area to service travelers. Afterwards, according to Bivins, the area "began a long downward slide toward the skid row of the 1990s" and the hotels devolved into flophouses. Passenger trains stopped going to Union Station in 1974.[16] The construction of Interstate 45 in the 1950s separated portions of the historic Third Ward from the rest of the Third Ward and brought those portions into Downtown.[17]

Beginning in the 1960s the development of the 610 Loop caused the focus of the Houston area to move away from Downtown Houston. Joel Barna of Cite 42 said that this caused Greater Houston to shift from "a fragmenting but still centrally focused spatial entity into something more like a doughnut," and that Downtown Houston began to become a "hole" in the "doughnut." As interchange connections with the 610 Loop opened, according to Barna Downtown "became just another node in a multi-node grid" and, as of 1998, "has been that, with already established high densities and land prices." In the mid-1980s, the bank savings and loan crisis forced many tenants in Downtown Houston buildings to retrench, and some tenants went out of business. Barna said that this development further caused Downtown Houston to decline.[18]

The Gulf Hotel fire occurred in 1943.

Areas which are now considered part of Downtown were once within Third and the Fourth wards; the construction of Interstate 45 in the 1950s separated the areas from their former communities and placed them in Downtown. Additional freeway construction in the 1960s and 1970s solidified the current boundaries of Downtown. Originally, Downtown was the most important retail area of Houston. Suburban retail construction in the 1970s and 1980s reduced Downtown's importance in terms of retail activity.[17]

From 1971 to 2018, about 40 downtown buildings and other properties have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The onset of the 1980s oil glut had devastating economic consequences for Downtown. In the mid-1980s, a bank savings and loan crisis forced many tenants in Downtown Houston buildings to retrench, and some went out of business. This development further caused Downtown Houston to decline.[18] In 1986, Downtown's Class A office occupancy rate was 81.4%.[19] The Downtown Houston business occupancy rate of all office space increased from 75.8% at the end of 1987 to 77.2% at the end of 1988.[20] By the late 1980s, 35% of Downtown Houston's land area consisted of surface parking.[18] In the early 1990s Downtown Houston still had more than 20% vacant office space.[21] By 1987 many of the office buildings in Downtown Houston were owned by non-U.S. real estate figures.[22]

Downtown began to rebound from the oil crisis by the mid-1990s. A dozen companies relocated to Downtown in 1996 alone, bringing 2,800 jobs and filling 670,000 square feet (62,000 m2) of space.[23] In 1997 Tim Reylea, the vice president of Cushman Realty, said that "None of the major central business districts across the country has seen the suburban-to-downtown shift that Houston has."[24] Circa 2000 the Ballpark at Union Station/Enron Field, now Minute Maid Park, opened, Houston Downtown Management District president Bob Eury stated that this promoted subsequent development in Downtown.[25]

By 2000, demand for Downtown office space increased, and construction of office buildings resumed.[21] The cutbacks by firms such as Dynegy, in addition to the fall of Enron, caused the occupancy rate of Downtown Houston buildings to decrease to 84.1% in 2003 from 97.3% less than two years previously. In 2003, the types of firms with operations in Downtown Houston typically were accounting firms, energy firms, and law firms. Typically newer buildings had higher occupancy rates than older buildings.[19] In 2004, the real estate firm Cresa Partners stated that the vacancy rate in Downtown Houston's Class A office space was almost 20%.[26] The Texas Legislature established the Downtown Houston Management District in 1995.[3]

Circa/after the 1990s, Downtown has experienced a boom in high-rise residential construction, spurred in large part by the Downtown Living Initiative (DLI), a tax incentive program created by the city. Between 2013 and 2015, the DLI subsidized 5,000 proposed residential units. As a result, Downtown's residential population has increased to 10,165 people in 4,777 units, up from 900 units in the 1995.[1][27] Many of Downtown's older residential units are located in lofts and converted commercial space, many of which are located around the performance halls of the Houston Theater District and near Main Street in the Historic District.[citation needed] In spring 2009, luxury high-rise One Park Place opened-up with 346 units.[28] In early 2017 Downtown's largest residential building opened when Market Square Tower's 463 units were completed.

Developers have invested more than US$4 billion in the first decade of the 21st century to transform Downtown into an active city center with residential housing, a nightlife scene and new transportation.[29] The Cotswold Project, a $62 million project started in 1998, has helped to rebuild the streets and transform 90 downtown blocks into a pedestrian-friendly environment by adding greenery, trees and public art.[30] January 1, 2004, marked the opening of the "new" Main Street, a plaza with many eateries, bars and nightclubs, which brings many visitors to a newly renovated locale.[31]

Phoenicia Specialty Foods opened a downtown grocery store in 2011, located in One Park Place.[32][33]

In June 2019 Dianna Wray of Houstonia wrote that Downtown Houston had an increased amount of pedestrian traffic and residents compared to the post-oil bust 1980s.[25]

Office traffic declined during the COVID-19 pandemic in Texas. By 2022 many offices had split shifts to where workers only went to offices for some days of the week.[34] By 2022 activity at hotel and entertainment establishments recovered.[35]

Architecture edit

See also: Architecture of Houston
 
Wells Fargo Plaza

In the 1960s, downtown comprised a modest collection of mid-rise office structures, but has since grown into one of the largest skylines in the United States. In 1960, the central business district had 10 million square feet (930,000 m2) of office space, increasing to about 16 million square feet (1,500,000 m2) in 1970. Downtown Houston was on the threshold of a boom in 1970 with 8.7 million square feet (800,000 m2) of office space planned or under construction and huge projects being launched by real estate developers. The largest proposed development was the 32-block Houston Center. Only a small part of the original proposal was ultimately constructed, however. Other large projects included the Cullen Center, Allen Center, and towers for Shell Oil Company. The surge of skyscrapers mirrored the skyscraper booms in other cities, such as Los Angeles and Dallas. Houston experienced another downtown construction spurt in the 1970s with the energy industry boom.[citation needed]

 
JPMorgan Chase Tower

The first major skyscraper to be constructed in Houston was the 50-floor, 218 m (714 ft) One Shell Plaza in 1971. A succession of skyscrapers were built throughout the 1970s, culminating with Houston's tallest skyscraper, the 75-floor, 305 m (1,002 ft) JPMorgan Chase Tower (formerly the Texas Commerce Tower), which was completed in 1982. In 2002, it was the tallest structure in Texas, ninth-tallest building in the United States, and the 23rd tallest skyscraper in the world. In 1983, the 71-floor, 296 m (970 ft) Wells Fargo Plaza was completed, which became the second-tallest building in Houston and Texas, and 11th-tallest in the country. Skyscraper construction in downtown Houston came to an end in the mid-1980s with the collapse of Houston's energy industry and the resulting economic recession.[citation needed]

Twelve years later, the Houston-based Enron Corporation began constructing a 40-floor, 1,284,013sq.ft[36] skyscraper in 1999 (which was completed in 2002)[37] with the company collapsing in one of the most dramatic corporate failures in the history of the United States only two years later. Chevron bought this building to set up a regional upstream energy headquarters, and in late 2006 announced further consolidation of employees downtown from satellite suburban buildings, and even California and Louisiana offices by leasing the original Enron building across the street. Both buildings are connected by a second-floor unique walk-across, air-conditioned circular skybridge with three points of connection to both office buildings and a large parking deck. Other smaller office structures were built in the 2000–2003 period. As of January 2015, downtown Houston had more than 44 million square feet (4,087,733 m2) of office space, including more than 29 million square feet (1,861,704 m2) of class A office space.[38][39]

Notable buildings edit

 
Sweeney, Coombs & Fredericks Building
 
Heritage Plaza

Notable buildings that form Houston's downtown skyline:

  • The Sweeney, Coombs, and Fredericks Building is a late Victorian commercial building with a 3-story corner turret and Eastlake decorative elements that was designed by George E. Dickey in 1889. Evidence indicates that the 1889 construction may have been a renovation of an 1861 structure built by William A. Van Alstyne and purchased in 1882 by John Jasper Sweeney and Edward L. Coombs. Gus Fredericks joined the Sweeney and Coombs Jewelry firm before 1889. The building is on the corner of Main Street and Congress Street at 301 Main Street. The jewelry firm is still in business. It is one of the very few Victorian structures in the Bayou City.
  • The Gulf Building, now called the JPMorgan Chase building, is one of the preeminent Art Deco skyscrapers in the southern United States. Completed in 1929, it remained the tallest building in Houston until 1963, when the Exxon Building surpassed it in height.
  • The Esperson Buildings, 'Neils' built in 1927 and 'Mellie' in 1942, were modeled with Italian architecture.
  • The Houston City Hall was started in 1938 and completed in 1939. The original building is an excellent example of the Art Deco Era. In front of City Hall is the George Hermann Square.
  • The Alley Theatre was completed in 1968. It is home to the Tony Award winning theatre company by the same name, the oldest professional theatre company in Texas. Its nine towers and brutality style give it a castle appearance.
  • One Shell Plaza was, at its completion in 1971, the tallest building in Houston. It stands 715 feet (218 m) tall, and when the antenna tower on its top is included, the height of One Shell Plaza is 1,000 feet (300 m).
  • Houston Public Library's Central Library, consists of two separate buildings: the Julia Ideson Building (1926) and the Jesse H. Jones Building (1976).
  • The Houston Industries Building, formerly known as the 1100 Milam Building, was built in 1973. It went through major renovations in 1996.
  • Pennzoil Place, designed by Philip Johnson, built in 1976, is Houston's most award-winning skyscraper, known for its innovative design. Johnson's forward thinking brought about a new era in skyscraper design.
  • The First City Tower was built in 1981.
  • The JPMorgan Chase Tower, designed by I.M. Pei, was built in 1981. Formerly the Texas Commerce Tower, it is the tallest in Houston and the second tallest in the United States west of the Mississippi River.
     
    Scanlan Building, Houston, Texas (postcard, circa 1912–1924)
  • The Chevron Tower, formerly the Gulf Tower, was built in 1982.
  • The Bank of America Center, formerly the RepublicBank Center and the NationsBank center, designed by Philip Johnson, was built in 1983.
  • The Wells Fargo Bank Plaza, formerly the Allied Bank Plaza and First Interstate Center, also built in 1983, is the second tallest building in the Houston Area.
  • The Heritage Plaza was completed in 1987.
  • The Enron Center North, also known as the Four Allen Center, was also built in 1983.
  • The Enron Center South, also the Enron II, designed by Cesar Pelli was completed in 2002. (Note: Enron went bankrupt before the building's completion and was sold soon after it was completed for about half of its $200 million construction cost).
  • The Hobby Center for the Performing Arts was started in 2000 and completed in 2002.
  • The Lyric Centre, named for its adjacency to the Theater District.
  • The Carter Building, once the tallest building in Texas, more recently re-purposed as a hotel.
  • The Scanlan Building, at Main and Preston, was built on the site of the first official "White House" of the Republic of Texas. Constructed in 1909 by the daughters of Thomas Howe Scanlan to honor their father, former mayor of Houston (1870–1873). The Scanlan Building is listed in the U.S. National Register of Historic Places and was the largest building in the city at the time of its construction.

Demographics edit

In 2017 the Downtown Super Neighborhood #61, which includes Downtown and East Downtown, had 12,879 people. 34% were non-Hispanic White, 28% were Hispanic, 32% were non-Hispanic Black, 4% were non-Hispanic Asians, and 2% were non-Hispanic people of other racial identities.[40]

In 2015 there were 12,407 residents. 33% were non-Hispanic White, 32% were non-Hispanic Black, 29% were Hispanic, 5% were non-Hispanic Asian, and 1% were non-Hispanics of other racial identities.[41]

In 2000 there were 12,407 residents. 5,083 (41%) were non-Hispanic Black, 4,225 (34%) were non-Hispanic White, 2,872 (23%) were Hispanic, 156 (1%) were non-Hispanic Asians, 56 were of two or more races, 11 were non-Hispanic American Indian, and two each were non-Hispanic Native Hawaiian and non-Hispanic people of other racial identities.[42]

Economy edit

Downtown is Houston's single largest office market, containing 50 million square feet (4,600,000 m2) of space.[1] A premium submarket, Downtown commands the highest office rental rates in the city[43] and was one of the ten most expensive office markets in the United States in 2016.[44] Louisiana Street, which runs through the heart of the district, is one of the fifteen most expensive streets in the United States.[45]

3,500 businesses in the district employ approximately 150,000 workers. Major employers include Chevron, JPMorgan Chase, and United Airlines.[3] Downtown Houston has between 35% and 40% of the Class A office locations of the business districts in Houston.[46]

Companies based in Downtown edit

 
One Shell Plaza, Shell Oil Company's headquarters until 2017

Firms which are headquartered in Downtown include:

Companies with operations in Downtown edit

Continental Airlines (now known as United Airlines) formerly had its headquarters in Continental Center I.[64] At one point, ExpressJet Airlines had its headquarters in Continental's complex.[65][66] In September 1997 Continental Airlines announced it would consolidate its Houston headquarters in the Continental Center complex;[67] the airline scheduled to move its employees in stages beginning in July 1998 and ending in January 1999. Bob Lanier, Mayor of Houston, said that he was "tickled to death" by the airline's move to relocate to Downtown Houston.[68] Tim Reylea, the vice president of Cushman Realty, said that the Continental move "is probably the largest corporate relocation in the central business district of Houston ever."[24]

Hotel operators in Downtown reacted favorably, predicting that the move would cause an increase in occupancy rates in their hotels.[69] In 2008 Continental renewed its lease in the building. Before the lease renewal, rumors spread stating that the airline would relocate its headquarters to office space outside of Downtown. Steven Biegel, the senior vice president of Studley Inc. and a representative of office building tenants, said that if Continental's space went vacant, the vacancy would not have had a significant impact in the Downtown Houston submarket as there is not an abundance of available space, and the empty property would be likely that another potential tenant would occupy it. Jennifer Dawson of the Houston Business Journal said that if Continental Airlines left Continental Center I, the development of Brookfield Properties's new office tower would have been delayed.[70] As of September 2011 the headquarters moved out, but Continental will continue to house employees in the building. It will have about half of the employees that it once had.[71]

JPMorgan Chase Bank has its Houston operations headquartered in the JPMorgan Chase Building (Gulf Building).[72] LyondellBasell has offices in the LyondellBasell Towers formerly known as 1 Houston Center.[73] Hess Corporation has exploration and production operations in One Allen Center.,[74] but will move its offices to the under construction Hess Tower (Named after the company) upon its completion.[75]

ExxonMobil has Exploration and Producing Operations business headquarters at the ExxonMobil Building.[76] Qatar Airways operates an office within Two Allen Center;[77] it also has a storefront in the Houston Pavilions.[78][79] Enbridge has its Houston office in the Enterprise Plaza.[80] KPMG has their Houston offices in the new BG place at 811 Main St. Mayer Brown has his Houston office in the Bank of America Center.[81][82]

Former economic operations edit

When Texas Commerce Bank existed, its headquarters were in what is now the JPMorgan Chase Building (Gulf Building).[72] Prior to its collapse in 2001, Enron was headquartered in Downtown.[83] In 2005 Federated Department Stores announced that it will close Foley's 1,200 employee headquarters in Downtown Houston.[84]

Houston Industries (HI, later Reliant Energy) and subsidiary Houston Power & Lighting (HL&P) historically had their headquarters in Downtown.[85]

Halliburton's corporate headquarters office was in 5 Houston Center.[86] In 2001, Halliburton canceled a move to redevelop land in Westchase to house employees; real estate figures associated with Downtown Houston approved of the news. Nancy Sarnoff of the Houston Business Journal said it made more sense for the company to lease existing space instead of constructing new office space in times of economic downturns.[87] By 2009 Halliburton closed its Downtown Office, moved its headquarters to northern Houston, and consolidated operations at its northern Houston and Westchase facilities.[88]

Government edit

Local government edit

 
Houston City Hall
 
Fire Station 8 Downtown

Two city council districts, District H and District I, cover portions of Downtown.[89][90] As of 2015 Mayor Pro-Tem Ed Gonzalez and Robert Gallegos, respectively, represent the two districts.[91]

Houston City Hall, the Margaret Helfrich Westerman Houston City Hall Annex, and the Bob Lanier Public Works Building are all located in Downtown Houston.

The community is within the Houston Police Department's Downtown Division.[92] The Edward A. Thomas Building, headquarters of HPD, is located in 1200 Travis Downtown.[93]

Houston Fire Department Station 8 Downtown at 1919 Louisiana Street serves the central business district. Station 8 is in Fire District 8.[94] The fire station "Washington #8" first opened in 1895 at Polk at Crawford. The station was closed in 2001 after a sports arena was built on the site.[95] Fire Station 1, which was located at 410 Bagby Street, closed in 2001,[94] as it was merged with Station 8. Station 8, relocated to a temporary building at the corner of Milam and St. Joseph, reopened in June 2001. The current "Super Station" at 1919 Louisiana opened on April 21, 2008.[95] "Stonewall #3," organized in 1867, was located in the current location of the Post Rice Lofts. It 1895 it moved to a location along Preston Street, between Smith and Louisiana, in what is now Downtown. The station, currently Station #3, moved outside of the current day Downtown in 1903.[96] Fire Station 5, originally in what was then the Fifth Ward, moved to Hardy and Nance in what is now Downtown in 1895. The station was rebuilt at that site in 1932, and in 1977 the station moved to Spring Branch.[97] Station 2 moved from what is now the East End to what is now Downtown in 1926. The station moved to the Fourth Ward in 1965.[98]

The Houston Downtown Management District and Central Houston, Inc. is headquartered in Suite 1650 at 2 Houston Center, a part of the Houston Center complex.[99]

County representation edit

 
The 1200 Jail, the headquarters of the Harris County Sheriff's Office

Downtown is divided between Harris County Precinct 1 and Harris County Precinct 2.[100] As of 2016, Gene L. Locke heads Precinct 1.[101] As of 2016, Jack Morman heads Precinct 2.[102] Harris County Precinct Two operates the Raul C. Downtown Courthouse annex in Downtown.[103]

The Harris County court system is located within a five block area bounded by Franklin, San Jacinto, Caroline, and Congress Streets. This complex includes the following:[104][105]

  • Harris County Civil Court
  • Harris County Family Court
  • Harris County Juvenile Court
  • Harris County Criminal Court
  • Harris County Justice of the Peace, Precinct 1, Place 2

All are located around a central plaza, nicknamed "Justice Square", located above the underground Harris County Jury Plaza.[106] Along with Harris County's facilities, there are several constable courts and support facilities nearby.

The Harris County jail facilities are in northern Downtown on the north side of the Buffalo Bayou. The 1200 Jail,[107] the 1307 Jail, (originally a Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) facility, leased by the county),[108] and the 701 Jail (formed from existing warehouse storage space) are on the same site.[109]

The nearest public health clinics of Harris Health System (formerly Harris County Hospital District) were as of 2000 Ripley Health Center (for ZIP codes 77002, 77003, and 77010) in the East End and Casa de Amigos Health Center (for ZIP code 77007).[110] In 2000 Ripley was replaced by the Gulfgate Health Center.[111] The nearest public hospital is Ben Taub General Hospital in the Texas Medical Center.[110]

State representation edit

Much of Downtown is located in District 147 of the Texas House of Representatives. As of 2016, Garnet F. Coleman represents the district.[112] Some of Downtown is located in District 148 of the Texas House of Representatives. As of 2016, Jessica Farrar represents the district.[113] Downtown is within District 13 of the Texas Senate; as of 2016 Rodney Ellis represents that district.[114]

Joe Kegans Unit, located in Downtown, is a Texas Department of Criminal Justice state jail for men. It is adjacent to the county facilities on the north side of the Buffalo Bayou.[115] Kegans opened in 1997.[116] The South Texas Intermediate Sanction Facility Unit, a parole confinement facility for males operated by Global Expertise in Outsourcing, is in Downtown Houston, west of Minute Maid Park.[117]

As of 2011, the Texas First Court of Appeals and the Texas Fourteenth Court of Appeals are located in the renovated 1910 Courthouse.[118][119]

Federal representation edit

 
Mickey Leland Federal Building

Downtown Houston is in Texas's 18th congressional district.[120] As of 2016, its representative is Sheila Jackson Lee.[121]

The United States Postal Service previously operated a 16-acre (65,000 m2) Houston Post Office at 401 Franklin Street.[122] The building, named after Barbara Jordan, was designed by the architects who designed the Houston Astrodome, opened in 1962 and received its current name in 1984.[123] When it was a post office it had mail sorting machines. It has 555,000 square feet (51,600 m2) of space.[124] However, following the sale of the property, the U.S. Postal Service ceased operations at the facility on May 15, 2015, and consolidated its sorting operations.[125][126] The Sam Houston Station,[127] the new Houston Post Office on Hadley Street in Midtown Houston assumed the role held by the previous one.[128] In 2010 the Houston Press ranked the former Downtown post office as the best post office in Houston.[129] It became an event venue called Post HTX after the company Lovett Commercial took control of it in 2015.[130] By 2021 it was being redeveloped as a shopping center.[124]

In addition the USPS operates the 2 Houston Center and Civic Center postal units. In July 2011 the USPS announced that the two postal units may close.[131]

Regional offices of U.S. government agencies are located at the Mickey Leland Federal Building at 1919 Smith Street. The 22 story building, with a 6-story parking garage, was designated an Energy Star efficient building in 2000.[132]

The United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas has its offices in 515 Rusk in Downtown Houston.[133]

The Federal Bureau of Prisons operates the Federal Detention Center, Houston in Downtown.[134]

Diplomatic missions edit

The Consulate-General of the United Kingdom is located in Wells Fargo Plaza,[135] while the Consulate-General of Japan is located in Two Houston Center.[136] The Consulate-General of Switzerland, which resided in Downtown Houston, closed in 2006.[137][138][139][140]

Parks, recreation, and culture edit

Downtown contains fifteen public parks, varying from linear parks along Buffalo Bayou to block parks and plazas.

On the west side of Downtown along Bagby Street, Sam Houston Park is home to the Houston Heritage Society, which maintains a collection of historic houses from throughout the city's history. Nearby, Tranquility Park uses open green spaces and a series of interconnected fountains to commemorate NASA's landing on the moon's Sea of Tranquility. These parks tie into the larger civic complex anchored by City Hall and the main branch of Houston Public Library.

 
Tranquility Park

In the Historic District to the north, Market Square Park occupies a block formerly covered by Houston's open air market which fronted the old City Hall. Renovations completed in 2010 added two dog runs, a Greek restaurant, and Houston's only memorial to the September 11 attacks.[141][142]

 
George H. W. Bush statue in Sesquicentennial Park looking towards Downtown Houston.

Buffalo Bayou's route through Downtown contains multiple parks which segue together to form a continuous greenway. Allen's Landing, near the intersection of Smith and Preston, commemorates the landing site of the Allen brothers, the New York entrepreneurs who founded the city. Sesquicentennial Park, across Buffalo Bayou from Allen's Landing, commemorates the 150-year anniversary of the city's founding. The park contains a statue of former President George H. W. Bush, who represented a portion of west Houston during his time in the United States House of Representatives.

 
Discovery Green

In the Convention District, Discovery Green, immediately west of the George R. Brown Convention Center, contains an amphitheater, two restaurants, a dog run, a jogging trail, multiple lawns, and an artificial lake on nearly 12 acres (49,000 m2) of land.[143] Since its opening in 2008, Discovery Green has become one of Downtown's main attractions, hosting approximately 1.2 million visitors a year and serving as one of the city's premier public spaces.[144] Discovery Green's environs, formerly covered by surface parking lots, have seen over US$600 million in new development since the park's opening.[145]

A number of other smaller parks and plazas are spread throughout Downtown. Main Street Square is a pedestrian-only promenade with a reflection pool and fountains on the METRORail line between Lamar and Dallas streets.[146] Near the Toyota Center, Root Square occupies a single block and features a public basketball court.[147] Harris County Precinct One operates the 2-acre (8,100 m2) Quebedeaux Park near the county court complex.[148] The park includes a stage area, picnic tables, and benches. The park surrounds the Harris County Family Law Center.[149]

A park in the southern part of Downtown, Trebly Park, began construction in March 2021 on the site of a former automobile repair center. The park had the provisional name Southern Downtown Park; its chosen name refers to how there are three street corners adjacent to the park.[150] The area is in the shape of an "L".[151]

Entertainment venues edit

 
Hobby Center for the Performing Arts
 
The Wortham Theater Center
 
Minute Maid Park
 
Toyota Center

Downtown Houston has two major league sports venues. Minute Maid Park, opened in 2000, is home to MLB Houston Astros, and the Toyota Center, opened in 2003, is home to the NBA Houston Rockets. From 2004 to 2007, Toyota Center was also home to the now defunct WNBA Houston Comets.

The Theater District is one of the largest in the country as measured by the number of theater seats.[citation needed] Houston is one of only five cities in the United States with permanent professional resident companies in all of the major performing art disciplines of opera, ballet, music, and theater.[citation needed] Venues in the theater district include the Wortham Center (opera and ballet), the Alley Theatre (theater), the Hobby Center (resident and traveling musical theater, concerts, events), the Bayou Music Center (concerts and events) and Jones Hall (symphony).

The George R. Brown Convention Center is located on the east side of Downtown, between Discovery Green and Interstate 69, and contains 1,800,000 square feet (170,000 m2) of convention space and two adjoining hotels. In the mid-2010s, the promenade between the Center and Discovery Green was transformed into Avenida Houston, a mixed-use corridor featuring restaurants and retail spaces.[152]

Hotels and accommodations edit

Major hotels in downtown Houston are:

Boutique hotels include:

Retail and restaurants edit

 
GreenStreet

The Shops in Houston Center, located within the Houston Center complex, is an enclosed shopping mall. A few blocks away, GreenStreet is an open-air shopping center. The Houston Downtown Tunnel System is also home to many shops and restaurants. Several restaurants in Downtown Houston are in the Tunnel system, only open during working hours.[citation needed]

Katharine Shilcutt of the Houston Press said in 2012 that because of the Houston tunnel system taking traffic during the daytime and many office workers leaving for suburbs at night, many street level restaurants in Downtown Houston have difficulty operating. She added that the popularity of business-related lunches and dinners resulted in steakhouses in Downtown becoming successful.[155]

Fitness centers edit

Downtown hosts a branch of the YMCA, featuring a center for teenagers, a wellness center for females, a child watch area, a community meeting space, a chapel, group exercise rooms, and a racquetball court.[156] The Downtown YMCA provided dormitory space beginning in 1908, and continued to do so in its 1941 building, but the new YMCA to open in 2010 was not to have any. The current branch had a projected cost of $55 million.[157]

Artwork edit

In 2018 the street artist Dual made a mural representing Produce Row, which was a group of produce businesses on Commerce Street, on the Main & Co. building; at the time the area was in the first ward.[158]

Media edit

The Houston Chronicle, the citywide newspaper, previously had its headquarters in Downtown, but has since relocated c. 2014.[159] Beginning in 1998,[160] Houston Press headquarters was located in Downtown,[161] in the former Gillman Pontiac dealership building.[162] On the weekend after Friday October 25, 2013, the Houston Press was scheduled to move to its new offices in Midtown Houston.[160]

The magazine Houston Downtown was a Downtown-oriented magazine published by Rosie Walker.[163] Most area residents called it the "Downtowner." Walker was originally an office worker in Downtown Houston who was upset that she had learned of events occurring in Downtown Houston after they had already occurred. Walker said "Several people in our office decided to start a newsletter. It sort of expanded throughout our company and throughout our building."[164] It had been published for 14 years. In 1991 the business had paid off its debts. Walker decided not to take out loans to update her equipment and printing processes and instead closed the magazine during that year.[163]

The Downtown, Inc./Downtown Voice was another Downtown-related magazine. Kevin Clear of the Creneau Media Group planned to establish a magazine about Downtown Houston that would be published by Creneau. In January 1990 his company had developed a business plan aimed towards competing with Houston Downtown magazine. Houston Downtown was closed before Clear could develop a new magazine. Clear said "I hate to say we danced on their grave, but we weren't unhappy about the way things turned out."[163] Clear planned to introduce his magazine in May 1991. As of January 1991 he had not decided on a name for the magazine.[163] Elise Perachio became the editor of the magazine, which was ultimately named Downtown, Inc.[165] On August 1, 1994, the magazine, then called Downtown Voice, was sold to company Media Ink.[166]

Regional sports network AT&T SportsNet Southwest is headquartered in Downtown at GreenStreet.[167]

Transportation edit

 
Light rail station at the Downtown Transit Center

The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (METRO) operates Houston's public transportation systems. Downtown lies at the convergence of the three lines of Houston's light rail system, known as METRORail. The Red Line, which runs along Main Street, contains the following stations (from south to north): Downtown Transit Center, Bell, Main Street Square, Preston, and UH–Downtown.[168] The Southeast/Purple Line and East End/Green Lines stop at the Central, Convention District, and Theater District stations.

METRO operates many bus lines through Downtown.[169] Greenlink, a free-to-ride circulator shuttle, follows a 1.5-mile (2.4 km) circular route around the district. Greenlink is the successor to a trolley-style free-to-ride bus service which carried over 10,000 riders each day on five different routes prior to its disbandment in 2005.[170]

Taxicabs can be hailed from the street, at one of 21 taxi stands, or at various hotels. Taxi trips within Downtown have a flat rate of US$6, mandated by the city.[171] Uber operates within the city and surrounding areas.

Education edit

 
University of Houston–Downtown
One Main Building (formerly the Merchants and Manufacturers Building)

Colleges and universities edit

The University of Houston–Downtown (UHD) is a four-year state university, located at the northern-end of Downtown. Founded in 1974, it is one of four separate and distinct institutions in the University of Houston System. UHD has an enrollment of 14,255 students—making it the 15th largest public university in Texas and the second-largest university in the Houston area.[172]

The South Texas College of Law is a private law school located within Downtown and is one of three law schools in Houston.[173]

Downtown is within the Houston Community College System, and it is in close proximity to the Central Campus in Midtown.[174][175]

Primary and secondary education edit

Public schools edit

 
Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts
 
Young Scholars Academy for Excellence

The grade-school children of Downtown are served by the Houston Independent School District (HISD).

One public K-8 school, an HISD-affiliated charter school called Young Scholars Academy for Excellence (Y.S.A.F.E.), is in Downtown.[176] It was established on May 15, 1996, by Kenneth and Anella Coleman.[177] HISD's High School for the Performing and Visual Arts (HSPVA), a public magnet high school, broke ground on a new downtown campus in 2014,[178] and classes began there in 2019, replacing HSPVA's previous Montrose-area campus.[179]

Three public district elementary schools have zoning boundaries that extend to areas of Downtown with residential areas; they are:

Gregory Lincoln Education Center[183] (in the Fourth Ward) takes most of Downtown's students at the middle school level. [184] (in Northside) takes students at the middle school level from a small section of northern Downtown. Northside High School (formerly Jefferson Davis High School),[185] also in Northside, takes students from almost all of Downtown at the high school level. Heights High School (formerly Reagan High School),[186] in the Houston Heights, take students in the high school level from a small section of northwest Downtown.

History of public schools edit

The block bounded by Austin, Capitol, Caroline, and Rusk held schools for many years. Houston Academy was established there in the 1850s. In 1894 the groundbreaking for Central High School occurred there. Central burned down in March 1919. In 1921 Sam Houston High School opened at the site.[187] The current Sam Houston building in the Northside opened in 1955.[188] The previous building became the administrative headquarters of the Houston Independent School District. By the early 1970s HISD moved its headquarters out of the building, which was demolished. As of 2011 a parking lot occupies the former school lot; a state historical marker is located at the lot.[187]

Booker T. Washington High School's first location, 303 West Dallas, served as the school's location from 1893 to 1959, when it moved to the north. Lockett Junior High School was established in the former Washington campus and closed in 1968.[189]

Anson Jones Elementary School served a portion of Downtown until its closing in Summer 2006.[189][190] Anson Jones opened in 1892 as the Elysian Street School; its first campus was destroyed in a fire, and that was replaced in 1893 with a three-story building at 914 Elysian in what is now Downtown. It was named after Anson Jones in 1902. In the 1950s many students resided in Clayton Homes and the students were majority Hispanic and Latino. In 1962 it had 609 students. Anson Jones moved to a new campus in the Second Ward in 1966, and its original campus in Downtown was demolished.[191]

Brock Elementary School served a portion of Downtown until its closing in Summer 2006 and repurposing as an early childhood center; its boundary was transferred to Crockett Elementary.[189][192] Before the start of the 2009–2010 school year J. Will Jones was consolidated into Blackshear Elementary School, a campus in the Third Ward.[193][194] During its final year of enrollment J. Will Jones had more students than Blackshear. Many J. Will Jones parents referred to Blackshear as "that prison school" and said that they will not send their children to Blackshear.[195] By Spring 2011 Atherton Elementary School and E.O. Smith were consolidated with a new K-5 campus in the Atherton site.[196] Middle school students in Downtown were rezoned to Gregory-Lincoln.[183][197]

As part of rezoning for the 2014–2015 school year, in Downtown all areas previously under the Blackshear attendance zone and many areas in the Bruce attendance zone were rezoned to Gregory-Lincoln K-8.[198]

Private schools edit

 
Incarnate Word Academy
 
The former Sacred Heart School

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston oversees the Incarnate Word Academy, a Catholic all-girls school founded in 1873 and the only high school located in Downtown until the opening of the new HSPVA campus in 2017.[199] Trinity Lutheran School, a PreK-8 Lutheran School, is located at 800 Houston Avenue, northwest of and in close proximity to Downtown. Its early childhood center is located at 1316 Washington Avenue, near the K-8 center and in proximity to Downtown.[174][200]

On September 27, 1897, a school in the two-story annex to the Sacred Heart Parish, staffed by Dominican sisters, opened with 28 enrolled students.[201] St. Thomas College (now known as St. Thomas High School) opened in Downtown in 1900.[202] In 1902 the parish bought a building used by St. Thomas and moved it from Franklin Street at Crawford Street to Pierce Street and Fannin Street. In 1905 the parish sought and received approval from the state to start a high school; in January 1907 Saint Agnes Academy, outside of Downtown, opened and high school students were transferred to St. Agnes. In 1911 the former school building, known as the Green House, was demolished and replaced by a church building. In 1922 the existing Sacred Heart School building opened; the parish spent $52,800 ($923,000 in today's currency) to build the building.[201] St. Thomas moved to its current location, outside of Downtown, in 1940.[202] The Sacred Heart School provided Catholic elementary education for 70 years until its closing in May 1967 after declining enrollment and increased operation costs. As of 2009 the former Sacred Heart building houses the diocese's parish religious education program.[201]

Public libraries edit

 
Jesse H. Jones Building
 
Julia Ideson Building

Houston Public Library has the Central Library in Houston. It consists of two buildings, including the Jesse H. Jones Building, which contains the bulk of the library facilities, and the Julia Ideson Building, which contains archives, manuscripts, and the Texas and Local History Department.[203]

Houston's first public library facility opened on March 2, 1904.[204] The Ideson building opened in 1926, replacing the previous building. The Jesse H. Jones Building opened in 1976 and received its current name in 1989.[205] The Jones Building closed for renovations on Monday April 3, 2006.[206] It reopened May 31, 2008.[207] After renovations began the Houston Public Library headquarters moved from the Jones Building to the Marston Building in Neartown Houston.[208][209][210]

In addition, HPL operates the HPL Express Discovery Green at 1300 McKinney R2, adjacent to Discovery Green Park.[211][212] HPL Express facilities are library facilities located in existing buildings.[213] The library opened in 2008.[214]

Harris County Public Library operates the Law Library,[215] located on the first floor of Congress Plaza.[216]

See also edit

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Further reading edit

  • "Downtown Parking Management Program Planning." Central Houston, Inc. ()
  • Gonzales, J.R. "Downtown Houston by air and in color." Houston Chronicle. Monday August 5, 2013.
  • "Downtown retail: A glimpse into the future." Houston Chronicle. Friday September 13, 2013.
  • Sarnoff, Nancy and Mike Morris. "Downtown subsidies could skew market, experts say." Houston Chronicle. April 22, 2014.

External links edit

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Downtown Houston.
  •   Houston/Downtown travel guide from Wikivoyage
  • Downtown Houston Management District (Desktop, Mobile)
  • Downtown Houston Alliance

29°45′23″N 95°21′51″W / 29.756334°N 95.364037°W / 29.756334; -95.364037

February 16, 2024
downtown, houston, downtown, largest, central, business, district, city, houston, largest, state, texas, located, near, geographic, center, metropolitan, area, confluence, interstate, interstate, interstate, square, mile, district, enclosed, aforementioned, hi. Downtown is the largest central business district in the city of Houston and the largest in the state of Texas located near the geographic center of the metropolitan area at the confluence of Interstate 10 Interstate 45 and Interstate 69 The 1 84 square mile 4 8 km2 district enclosed by the aforementioned highways contains the original townsite of Houston at the confluence of Buffalo Bayou and White Oak Bayou a point known as Allen s Landing Downtown has been the city s preeminent commercial district since its founding in 1836 Downtown HoustonNeighborhoodThe Downtown skyline from the west Road map of Downtown Houston Country United StatesStateTexasCountyHarris CountyCityHoustonSettled1836SubdistrictsList BallparkCivic CenterConventionHarris CountyHistoricMedicalShoppingSkylineTheaterWarehouseArea 1 Total4 8 km2 1 84 sq mi Population 2017 1 Total10 165 Density2 100 km2 5 500 sq mi Greater Downtown within 2 miles 74 791ZIP Code77002Area code s 281 346 713 and 832Websitedowntownhouston wbr orgToday home to nine Fortune 500 corporations Downtown contains 50 million square feet 4 600 000 m2 of office space and is the workplace of 150 000 employees 1 Downtown is also a major destination for entertainment and recreation Nine major performing arts organizations are located within the 13 000 seat Theater District at prominent venues including Alley Theatre Hobby Center for the Performing Arts Jones Hall and the Wortham Theater Center Two major professional sports venues Minute Maid Park and the Toyota Center are home to the Houston Astros and Houston Rockets respectively Discovery Green an urban park located on the east side of the district adjacent to the George R Brown Convention Center anchors the city s convention district Downtown is Houston s civic center containing Houston City Hall the jails criminal and civil courthouses of Harris County and a federal prison and courthouse Downtown is also a major public transportation hub lying at the center of the light rail system park and ride system and the metropolitan freeway network the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County METRO is headquartered in the district Over 100 000 people commute through Downtown daily 1 An extensive network of pedestrian tunnels and skywalks connects a large number of buildings in the district this system also serves as a subterranean mall Geographically Downtown is bordered by East Downtown to the east Third Ward to the south Midtown to the southwest Fourth Ward to the west Sixth Ward to the northwest and Near Northside to the north The district s streets form a strict grid plan of approximately 400 square blocks 2 oriented at a southwest to northeast angle The northern end of the district is crossed by Buffalo Bayou the banks of which function as a linear park with a grade separated system of hike and bike trails Contents 1 Composition 2 History 3 Architecture 3 1 Notable buildings 4 Demographics 5 Economy 5 1 Companies based in Downtown 5 2 Companies with operations in Downtown 5 3 Former economic operations 6 Government 6 1 Local government 6 2 County representation 6 3 State representation 6 4 Federal representation 6 5 Diplomatic missions 7 Parks recreation and culture 7 1 Entertainment venues 7 2 Hotels and accommodations 7 3 Retail and restaurants 7 4 Fitness centers 7 5 Artwork 8 Media 9 Transportation 10 Education 10 1 Colleges and universities 10 2 Primary and secondary education 10 2 1 Public schools 10 2 1 1 History of public schools 10 2 2 Private schools 10 3 Public libraries 11 See also 12 References 13 Further reading 14 External linksComposition edit nbsp Nighttime view of the Downtown skyline nbsp View of Downtown from the west nbsp Main Street Square station in the heart of the business district nbsp Branding monument at a northern entrance to Downtown nbsp Satellite image of Downtown Houston Downtown Houston is a 1 178 acre 1 841 sq mi area bounded by Interstate 45 Interstate 69 U S Highway 59 and Interstate 10 U S Highway 90 3 Several sub districts exist within Downtown including 4 Ballpark Includes Minute Maid Park and surrounding restaurants lofts and office space Convention Includes the George R Brown Convention Center Discovery Green the Toyota Center and some of the largest hotels in the city Civic Center Contains the core of Houston s government including City Hall the Houston Public Library Central Library is also here Harris County The district includes the Harris County courts complex and the University of Houston Downtown is on the edge of the district 5 Historic This was the original town center of Houston and dates from the 19th century The center of the historic district is the Market Square where the original city hall building stood Medical located along Interstate 45 in the southern corner of the district includes St Joseph Medical Center residential properties and the Sacred Heart Co Cathedral campus Shopping Main Street Square has a pavilion and fountains built around the Main Street Square Station GreenStreet and the Shops at Houston Center are in the area Skyline Includes many skyscrapers and forms the base of Downtown s employment The buildings are connected by the extensive tunnel network Theater The 17 block area includes many performing arts venues Bayou Place and the Houston Aquarium 5 Warehouse Home to Houston s alternative art scene unique dining options live music artists studios and downtown s first lofts History editSee also History of Houston nbsp Marker in Downtown Houston commemorating the founding of Houston by the Allen BrothersDowntown Houston encompasses the original townsite of Houston After the Texas Revolution two New York real estate investors John Kirby Allen and Augustus Chapman Allen purchased 6 642 acres 2 688 ha of land from Thomas F L Parrot and his wife Elizabeth John Austin s widow for US 9 428 equivalent to 251 242 in 2022 6 The Allen brothers settled at the confluence of White Oak and Buffalo bayous a spot now known as Allen s Landing A team of three surveyors including Gail Borden Jr best known for inventing condensed milk and Moses Lapham platted a 62 square block townsite in the fall of 1836 each block approximately 250 by 250 feet or 62 500 square feet 5 810 m2 in size 7 The grid plan was designed to conform to the winding route of Buffalo Bayou east west streets were aligned at an angle of north 55º west while north south streets were at an angle of south 35º west 8 Each block was subdivided into 12 lots five 50 by 100 foot lots on each side of the block and two 50 by 125 foot lots between the rows of five 8 The Allen brothers motivated by their vision for urban civic life specified wide streets to easily accommodate commercial traffic and reserved blocks for schools churches and civic institutions 9 The townsite was then cleared and drained by a team of Mexican prisoners and black slaves 9 By April 1837 Houston featured a dock commercial district the capitol building of the Republic of Texas and an estimated population of 1 500 9 The first city hall was sited at present day Market Square Park in 1841 this block also served as the city s preeminent retail market 10 The relocation of the Texan republic s capital to Houston required a significant political campaign by the Allen brothers The Allens gifted a number of city blocks to prominent Texas politicians and agreed to construct the new capitol building and a large hotel at no cost to the government 8 The Allens also donated blocks to celebrities relatives prominent lawyers and other influential people in order to attract additional investment and speculation to the town 8 During the late 1830s and early 1840s Houston was in the midst of a land boom and lots were selling at enormous prices according to a visitor to the town in 1837 8 Despite the efforts of the Allen brothers and high economic interest in the town first few years of Houston s existence were plagued by yellow fever epidemics flooding searing heat inadequate infrastructure and crime 9 Houston suffered from woefully inadequate city services the Allens failed to accommodate transit water service sewerage road paving trash service or gas service in their plans 8 As a result in 1839 the Texas Capitol was moved to Austin 9 In 1840 Houston adopted a ward system of municipal governance which at the time was considered more democratic than a strong mayor system and had already been adopted by the United States largest cities 11 The boundaries of the original four wards of Houston radiated out from the intersection of Main and Congress streets the First Ward was located to the northwest Second to the northeast Third to the southeast and Fourth to the southwest 11 Fifth Ward was created in 1866 encompassing the area north of Buffalo Bayou and east of White Oak Bayou Sixth Ward the final addition to the system replaced the section of Fourth Ward north of Buffalo Bayou in 1877 11 The ward system which featured elected aldermen who served as representatives of each neighborhood remained Houston s form of municipal government until 1905 when the city switched to a commission government and the wards as political entities were dissolved 11 Houston grew steadily throughout the late 19th century and the neighborhoods within the boundaries of modern Downtown diversified To the northeast around present day Minute Maid Park Quality Hill emerged as an elite neighborhood occupied by entrepreneurs like William Marsh Rice namesake of Rice University William J Hutchins and William L Foley namesake of Foley s department stores 12 The neighborhood was well known for its opulent residential architecture often in the Greek Revival style 12 To the north along a bend in Buffalo Bayou the working class neighborhood of Frost Town welcomed immigrants from Europe and Mexico during the late 19th and early 20th centuries 13 Prior to the arrival of the first streetcars in Houston in the 1870s most development in the city had been centered in and around the present day Downtown area One of the first systems the Houston City Street Railway opened in 1874 with four lines along the principal commercial thoroughfares in the heart of the business district 14 While generally focused on the most prosperous areas of town the Houston City Street Railway extended one line a full mile south of the center of the city making it the first streetcar network designed to spur residential development 14 By the 1890s new larger local streetcar companies finally accumulated the capital necessary to begin constructing streetcar suburbs beyond the conventional boundaries of the city 14 This led to the development and rapid growth of areas like the Houston Heights and Montrose 14 Residential development subsequently moved out of the central business district Quality Hill was virtually abandoned by the turn of the 20th century 12 Downtown s growth can be attributed to two major factors The first arose after the Galveston Hurricane of 1900 when investors began seeking a location close to the ports of Southwest Texas but apparently free of the dangerous hurricanes that frequently struck Galveston and other port cities Houston became a wise choice as only the most powerful storms were able to reach the city The second came a year later with the 1901 discovery of oil at Spindletop just south of Beaumont Texas Shipping and oil industries began flocking to east Texas many settling in Houston From that point forward the area grew substantially as many skyscrapers were constructed including the city s tallest buildings In the 1980s however economic recession canceled some projects and caused others to be scaled back such as the Bank of the Southwest Tower 15 Image gallery Downtown Houston in the early 20th century nbsp Bird s eye view looking up Main Street Houston Texas postcard circa 1912 1924 nbsp Bird s eye view Houston Texas circa 1907 nbsp Hotel Brazos and Grand Central Station Houston Texas postcard circa 1911 nbsp Downtown Houston in 1927 nbsp View from the Scanlan Building Houston Texas postcard circa 1910 nbsp City Auditorium Houston Texas postcard circa 1910 nbsp Opera House Houston Texas postcard circa 1958 In the 19th century much of what was the Third Ward the present day east side of Downtown Houston was what Stephen Fox an architectural historian who lectured at Rice University referred to as the elite neighborhood of late 19th century Houston Ralph Bivins of the Houston Chronicle wrote that Fox said that area was a silk stocking neighborhood of Victorian era homes Bivins said that the construction of Union Station which occurred around 1910 caused the residential character of the area to deteriorate Hotels opened in the area to service travelers Afterwards according to Bivins the area began a long downward slide toward the skid row of the 1990s and the hotels devolved into flophouses Passenger trains stopped going to Union Station in 1974 16 The construction of Interstate 45 in the 1950s separated portions of the historic Third Ward from the rest of the Third Ward and brought those portions into Downtown 17 Beginning in the 1960s the development of the 610 Loop caused the focus of the Houston area to move away from Downtown Houston Joel Barna of Cite 42 said that this caused Greater Houston to shift from a fragmenting but still centrally focused spatial entity into something more like a doughnut and that Downtown Houston began to become a hole in the doughnut As interchange connections with the 610 Loop opened according to Barna Downtown became just another node in a multi node grid and as of 1998 has been that with already established high densities and land prices In the mid 1980s the bank savings and loan crisis forced many tenants in Downtown Houston buildings to retrench and some tenants went out of business Barna said that this development further caused Downtown Houston to decline 18 The Gulf Hotel fire occurred in 1943 Areas which are now considered part of Downtown were once within Third and the Fourth wards the construction of Interstate 45 in the 1950s separated the areas from their former communities and placed them in Downtown Additional freeway construction in the 1960s and 1970s solidified the current boundaries of Downtown Originally Downtown was the most important retail area of Houston Suburban retail construction in the 1970s and 1980s reduced Downtown s importance in terms of retail activity 17 From 1971 to 2018 about 40 downtown buildings and other properties have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places The onset of the 1980s oil glut had devastating economic consequences for Downtown In the mid 1980s a bank savings and loan crisis forced many tenants in Downtown Houston buildings to retrench and some went out of business This development further caused Downtown Houston to decline 18 In 1986 Downtown s Class A office occupancy rate was 81 4 19 The Downtown Houston business occupancy rate of all office space increased from 75 8 at the end of 1987 to 77 2 at the end of 1988 20 By the late 1980s 35 of Downtown Houston s land area consisted of surface parking 18 In the early 1990s Downtown Houston still had more than 20 vacant office space 21 By 1987 many of the office buildings in Downtown Houston were owned by non U S real estate figures 22 Downtown began to rebound from the oil crisis by the mid 1990s A dozen companies relocated to Downtown in 1996 alone bringing 2 800 jobs and filling 670 000 square feet 62 000 m2 of space 23 In 1997 Tim Reylea the vice president of Cushman Realty said that None of the major central business districts across the country has seen the suburban to downtown shift that Houston has 24 Circa 2000 the Ballpark at Union Station Enron Field now Minute Maid Park opened Houston Downtown Management District president Bob Eury stated that this promoted subsequent development in Downtown 25 By 2000 demand for Downtown office space increased and construction of office buildings resumed 21 The cutbacks by firms such as Dynegy in addition to the fall of Enron caused the occupancy rate of Downtown Houston buildings to decrease to 84 1 in 2003 from 97 3 less than two years previously In 2003 the types of firms with operations in Downtown Houston typically were accounting firms energy firms and law firms Typically newer buildings had higher occupancy rates than older buildings 19 In 2004 the real estate firm Cresa Partners stated that the vacancy rate in Downtown Houston s Class A office space was almost 20 26 The Texas Legislature established the Downtown Houston Management District in 1995 3 Circa after the 1990s Downtown has experienced a boom in high rise residential construction spurred in large part by the Downtown Living Initiative DLI a tax incentive program created by the city Between 2013 and 2015 the DLI subsidized 5 000 proposed residential units As a result Downtown s residential population has increased to 10 165 people in 4 777 units up from 900 units in the 1995 1 27 Many of Downtown s older residential units are located in lofts and converted commercial space many of which are located around the performance halls of the Houston Theater District and near Main Street in the Historic District citation needed In spring 2009 luxury high rise One Park Place opened up with 346 units 28 In early 2017 Downtown s largest residential building opened when Market Square Tower s 463 units were completed Developers have invested more than US 4 billion in the first decade of the 21st century to transform Downtown into an active city center with residential housing a nightlife scene and new transportation 29 The Cotswold Project a 62 million project started in 1998 has helped to rebuild the streets and transform 90 downtown blocks into a pedestrian friendly environment by adding greenery trees and public art 30 January 1 2004 marked the opening of the new Main Street a plaza with many eateries bars and nightclubs which brings many visitors to a newly renovated locale 31 Phoenicia Specialty Foods opened a downtown grocery store in 2011 located in One Park Place 32 33 In June 2019 Dianna Wray of Houstonia wrote that Downtown Houston had an increased amount of pedestrian traffic and residents compared to the post oil bust 1980s 25 Office traffic declined during the COVID 19 pandemic in Texas By 2022 many offices had split shifts to where workers only went to offices for some days of the week 34 By 2022 activity at hotel and entertainment establishments recovered 35 Architecture editSee also Architecture of Houston This section needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section Unsourced material may be challenged and removed May 2009 Learn how and when to remove this template message nbsp Wells Fargo PlazaIn the 1960s downtown comprised a modest collection of mid rise office structures but has since grown into one of the largest skylines in the United States In 1960 the central business district had 10 million square feet 930 000 m2 of office space increasing to about 16 million square feet 1 500 000 m2 in 1970 Downtown Houston was on the threshold of a boom in 1970 with 8 7 million square feet 800 000 m2 of office space planned or under construction and huge projects being launched by real estate developers The largest proposed development was the 32 block Houston Center Only a small part of the original proposal was ultimately constructed however Other large projects included the Cullen Center Allen Center and towers for Shell Oil Company The surge of skyscrapers mirrored the skyscraper booms in other cities such as Los Angeles and Dallas Houston experienced another downtown construction spurt in the 1970s with the energy industry boom citation needed nbsp JPMorgan Chase TowerThe first major skyscraper to be constructed in Houston was the 50 floor 218 m 714 ft One Shell Plaza in 1971 A succession of skyscrapers were built throughout the 1970s culminating with Houston s tallest skyscraper the 75 floor 305 m 1 002 ft JPMorgan Chase Tower formerly the Texas Commerce Tower which was completed in 1982 In 2002 it was the tallest structure in Texas ninth tallest building in the United States and the 23rd tallest skyscraper in the world In 1983 the 71 floor 296 m 970 ft Wells Fargo Plaza was completed which became the second tallest building in Houston and Texas and 11th tallest in the country Skyscraper construction in downtown Houston came to an end in the mid 1980s with the collapse of Houston s energy industry and the resulting economic recession citation needed Twelve years later the Houston based Enron Corporation began constructing a 40 floor 1 284 013sq ft 36 skyscraper in 1999 which was completed in 2002 37 with the company collapsing in one of the most dramatic corporate failures in the history of the United States only two years later Chevron bought this building to set up a regional upstream energy headquarters and in late 2006 announced further consolidation of employees downtown from satellite suburban buildings and even California and Louisiana offices by leasing the original Enron building across the street Both buildings are connected by a second floor unique walk across air conditioned circular skybridge with three points of connection to both office buildings and a large parking deck Other smaller office structures were built in the 2000 2003 period As of January 2015 downtown Houston had more than 44 million square feet 4 087 733 m2 of office space including more than 29 million square feet 1 861 704 m2 of class A office space 38 39 Notable buildings edit nbsp Sweeney Coombs amp Fredericks Building nbsp Heritage PlazaNotable buildings that form Houston s downtown skyline The Sweeney Coombs and Fredericks Building is a late Victorian commercial building with a 3 story corner turret and Eastlake decorative elements that was designed by George E Dickey in 1889 Evidence indicates that the 1889 construction may have been a renovation of an 1861 structure built by William A Van Alstyne and purchased in 1882 by John Jasper Sweeney and Edward L Coombs Gus Fredericks joined the Sweeney and Coombs Jewelry firm before 1889 The building is on the corner of Main Street and Congress Street at 301 Main Street The jewelry firm is still in business It is one of the very few Victorian structures in the Bayou City The Gulf Building now called the JPMorgan Chase building is one of the preeminent Art Deco skyscrapers in the southern United States Completed in 1929 it remained the tallest building in Houston until 1963 when the Exxon Building surpassed it in height The Esperson Buildings Neils built in 1927 and Mellie in 1942 were modeled with Italian architecture The Houston City Hall was started in 1938 and completed in 1939 The original building is an excellent example of the Art Deco Era In front of City Hall is the George Hermann Square The Alley Theatre was completed in 1968 It is home to the Tony Award winning theatre company by the same name the oldest professional theatre company in Texas Its nine towers and brutality style give it a castle appearance One Shell Plaza was at its completion in 1971 the tallest building in Houston It stands 715 feet 218 m tall and when the antenna tower on its top is included the height of One Shell Plaza is 1 000 feet 300 m Houston Public Library s Central Library consists of two separate buildings the Julia Ideson Building 1926 and the Jesse H Jones Building 1976 The Houston Industries Building formerly known as the 1100 Milam Building was built in 1973 It went through major renovations in 1996 Pennzoil Place designed by Philip Johnson built in 1976 is Houston s most award winning skyscraper known for its innovative design Johnson s forward thinking brought about a new era in skyscraper design The First City Tower was built in 1981 The JPMorgan Chase Tower designed by I M Pei was built in 1981 Formerly the Texas Commerce Tower it is the tallest in Houston and the second tallest in the United States west of the Mississippi River nbsp Scanlan Building Houston Texas postcard circa 1912 1924 The Chevron Tower formerly the Gulf Tower was built in 1982 The Bank of America Center formerly the RepublicBank Center and the NationsBank center designed by Philip Johnson was built in 1983 The Wells Fargo Bank Plaza formerly the Allied Bank Plaza and First Interstate Center also built in 1983 is the second tallest building in the Houston Area The Heritage Plaza was completed in 1987 The Enron Center North also known as the Four Allen Center was also built in 1983 The Enron Center South also the Enron II designed by Cesar Pelli was completed in 2002 Note Enron went bankrupt before the building s completion and was sold soon after it was completed for about half of its 200 million construction cost The Hobby Center for the Performing Arts was started in 2000 and completed in 2002 The Lyric Centre named for its adjacency to the Theater District The Carter Building once the tallest building in Texas more recently re purposed as a hotel The Scanlan Building at Main and Preston was built on the site of the first official White House of the Republic of Texas Constructed in 1909 by the daughters of Thomas Howe Scanlan to honor their father former mayor of Houston 1870 1873 The Scanlan Building is listed in the U S National Register of Historic Places and was the largest building in the city at the time of its construction Demographics editIn 2017 the Downtown Super Neighborhood 61 which includes Downtown and East Downtown had 12 879 people 34 were non Hispanic White 28 were Hispanic 32 were non Hispanic Black 4 were non Hispanic Asians and 2 were non Hispanic people of other racial identities 40 In 2015 there were 12 407 residents 33 were non Hispanic White 32 were non Hispanic Black 29 were Hispanic 5 were non Hispanic Asian and 1 were non Hispanics of other racial identities 41 In 2000 there were 12 407 residents 5 083 41 were non Hispanic Black 4 225 34 were non Hispanic White 2 872 23 were Hispanic 156 1 were non Hispanic Asians 56 were of two or more races 11 were non Hispanic American Indian and two each were non Hispanic Native Hawaiian and non Hispanic people of other racial identities 42 Economy editDowntown is Houston s single largest office market containing 50 million square feet 4 600 000 m2 of space 1 A premium submarket Downtown commands the highest office rental rates in the city 43 and was one of the ten most expensive office markets in the United States in 2016 44 Louisiana Street which runs through the heart of the district is one of the fifteen most expensive streets in the United States 45 3 500 businesses in the district employ approximately 150 000 workers Major employers include Chevron JPMorgan Chase and United Airlines 3 Downtown Houston has between 35 and 40 of the Class A office locations of the business districts in Houston 46 Companies based in Downtown edit nbsp One Shell Plaza Shell Oil Company s headquarters until 2017Firms which are headquartered in Downtown include Calpine Dynegy in Wells Fargo Plaza 47 KBR 48 49 Baker Botts in One Shell Plaza 50 51 Bracewell LLP in Pennzoil Place 52 Total Petrochemicals USA in Total Plaza 53 54 CenterPoint Energy in CenterPoint Energy Plaza 55 56 Vinson amp Elkins in First City Tower 57 58 Waste Management in First City Tower 59 El Paso Corp 60 Plains All American Pipeline in Allen Center 61 Enterprise GP Holdings in Enterprise Plaza 62 EOG Resources in Heritage Plaza 63 Companies with operations in Downtown edit Continental Airlines now known as United Airlines formerly had its headquarters in Continental Center I 64 At one point ExpressJet Airlines had its headquarters in Continental s complex 65 66 In September 1997 Continental Airlines announced it would consolidate its Houston headquarters in the Continental Center complex 67 the airline scheduled to move its employees in stages beginning in July 1998 and ending in January 1999 Bob Lanier Mayor of Houston said that he was tickled to death by the airline s move to relocate to Downtown Houston 68 Tim Reylea the vice president of Cushman Realty said that the Continental move is probably the largest corporate relocation in the central business district of Houston ever 24 Hotel operators in Downtown reacted favorably predicting that the move would cause an increase in occupancy rates in their hotels 69 In 2008 Continental renewed its lease in the building Before the lease renewal rumors spread stating that the airline would relocate its headquarters to office space outside of Downtown Steven Biegel the senior vice president of Studley Inc and a representative of office building tenants said that if Continental s space went vacant the vacancy would not have had a significant impact in the Downtown Houston submarket as there is not an abundance of available space and the empty property would be likely that another potential tenant would occupy it Jennifer Dawson of the Houston Business Journal said that if Continental Airlines left Continental Center I the development of Brookfield Properties s new office tower would have been delayed 70 As of September 2011 the headquarters moved out but Continental will continue to house employees in the building It will have about half of the employees that it once had 71 JPMorgan Chase Bank has its Houston operations headquartered in the JPMorgan Chase Building Gulf Building 72 LyondellBasell has offices in the LyondellBasell Towers formerly known as 1 Houston Center 73 Hess Corporation has exploration and production operations in One Allen Center 74 but will move its offices to the under construction Hess Tower Named after the company upon its completion 75 ExxonMobil has Exploration and Producing Operations business headquarters at the ExxonMobil Building 76 Qatar Airways operates an office within Two Allen Center 77 it also has a storefront in the Houston Pavilions 78 79 Enbridge has its Houston office in the Enterprise Plaza 80 KPMG has their Houston offices in the new BG place at 811 Main St Mayer Brown has his Houston office in the Bank of America Center 81 82 Former economic operations edit When Texas Commerce Bank existed its headquarters were in what is now the JPMorgan Chase Building Gulf Building 72 Prior to its collapse in 2001 Enron was headquartered in Downtown 83 In 2005 Federated Department Stores announced that it will close Foley s 1 200 employee headquarters in Downtown Houston 84 Houston Industries HI later Reliant Energy and subsidiary Houston Power amp Lighting HL amp P historically had their headquarters in Downtown 85 Halliburton s corporate headquarters office was in 5 Houston Center 86 In 2001 Halliburton canceled a move to redevelop land in Westchase to house employees real estate figures associated with Downtown Houston approved of the news Nancy Sarnoff of the Houston Business Journal said it made more sense for the company to lease existing space instead of constructing new office space in times of economic downturns 87 By 2009 Halliburton closed its Downtown Office moved its headquarters to northern Houston and consolidated operations at its northern Houston and Westchase facilities 88 Government editLocal government edit nbsp Houston City Hall nbsp Fire Station 8 DowntownTwo city council districts District H and District I cover portions of Downtown 89 90 As of 2015 Mayor Pro Tem Ed Gonzalez and Robert Gallegos respectively represent the two districts 91 Houston City Hall the Margaret Helfrich Westerman Houston City Hall Annex and the Bob Lanier Public Works Building are all located in Downtown Houston The community is within the Houston Police Department s Downtown Division 92 The Edward A Thomas Building headquarters of HPD is located in 1200 Travis Downtown 93 Houston Fire Department Station 8 Downtown at 1919 Louisiana Street serves the central business district Station 8 is in Fire District 8 94 The fire station Washington 8 first opened in 1895 at Polk at Crawford The station was closed in 2001 after a sports arena was built on the site 95 Fire Station 1 which was located at 410 Bagby Street closed in 2001 94 as it was merged with Station 8 Station 8 relocated to a temporary building at the corner of Milam and St Joseph reopened in June 2001 The current Super Station at 1919 Louisiana opened on April 21 2008 95 Stonewall 3 organized in 1867 was located in the current location of the Post Rice Lofts It 1895 it moved to a location along Preston Street between Smith and Louisiana in what is now Downtown The station currently Station 3 moved outside of the current day Downtown in 1903 96 Fire Station 5 originally in what was then the Fifth Ward moved to Hardy and Nance in what is now Downtown in 1895 The station was rebuilt at that site in 1932 and in 1977 the station moved to Spring Branch 97 Station 2 moved from what is now the East End to what is now Downtown in 1926 The station moved to the Fourth Ward in 1965 98 The Houston Downtown Management District and Central Houston Inc is headquartered in Suite 1650 at 2 Houston Center a part of the Houston Center complex 99 County representation edit This section needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section Unsourced material may be challenged and removed April 2021 Learn how and when to remove this template message nbsp The 1200 Jail the headquarters of the Harris County Sheriff s OfficeDowntown is divided between Harris County Precinct 1 and Harris County Precinct 2 100 As of 2016 Gene L Locke heads Precinct 1 101 As of 2016 Jack Morman heads Precinct 2 102 Harris County Precinct Two operates the Raul C Downtown Courthouse annex in Downtown 103 The Harris County court system is located within a five block area bounded by Franklin San Jacinto Caroline and Congress Streets This complex includes the following 104 105 Harris County Civil Court Harris County Family Court Harris County Juvenile Court Harris County Criminal Court Harris County Justice of the Peace Precinct 1 Place 2All are located around a central plaza nicknamed Justice Square located above the underground Harris County Jury Plaza 106 Along with Harris County s facilities there are several constable courts and support facilities nearby The Harris County jail facilities are in northern Downtown on the north side of the Buffalo Bayou The 1200 Jail 107 the 1307 Jail originally a Texas Department of Criminal Justice TDCJ facility leased by the county 108 and the 701 Jail formed from existing warehouse storage space are on the same site 109 The nearest public health clinics of Harris Health System formerly Harris County Hospital District were as of 2000 Ripley Health Center for ZIP codes 77002 77003 and 77010 in the East End and Casa de Amigos Health Center for ZIP code 77007 110 In 2000 Ripley was replaced by the Gulfgate Health Center 111 The nearest public hospital is Ben Taub General Hospital in the Texas Medical Center 110 State representation edit Much of Downtown is located in District 147 of the Texas House of Representatives As of 2016 Garnet F Coleman represents the district 112 Some of Downtown is located in District 148 of the Texas House of Representatives As of 2016 Jessica Farrar represents the district 113 Downtown is within District 13 of the Texas Senate as of 2016 Rodney Ellis represents that district 114 Joe Kegans Unit located in Downtown is a Texas Department of Criminal Justice state jail for men It is adjacent to the county facilities on the north side of the Buffalo Bayou 115 Kegans opened in 1997 116 The South Texas Intermediate Sanction Facility Unit a parole confinement facility for males operated by Global Expertise in Outsourcing is in Downtown Houston west of Minute Maid Park 117 As of 2011 the Texas First Court of Appeals and the Texas Fourteenth Court of Appeals are located in the renovated 1910 Courthouse 118 119 Federal representation edit nbsp Mickey Leland Federal BuildingDowntown Houston is in Texas s 18th congressional district 120 As of 2016 its representative is Sheila Jackson Lee 121 The United States Postal Service previously operated a 16 acre 65 000 m2 Houston Post Office at 401 Franklin Street 122 The building named after Barbara Jordan was designed by the architects who designed the Houston Astrodome opened in 1962 and received its current name in 1984 123 When it was a post office it had mail sorting machines It has 555 000 square feet 51 600 m2 of space 124 However following the sale of the property the U S Postal Service ceased operations at the facility on May 15 2015 and consolidated its sorting operations 125 126 The Sam Houston Station 127 the new Houston Post Office on Hadley Street in Midtown Houston assumed the role held by the previous one 128 In 2010 the Houston Press ranked the former Downtown post office as the best post office in Houston 129 It became an event venue called Post HTX after the company Lovett Commercial took control of it in 2015 130 By 2021 it was being redeveloped as a shopping center 124 In addition the USPS operates the 2 Houston Center and Civic Center postal units In July 2011 the USPS announced that the two postal units may close 131 Regional offices of U S government agencies are located at the Mickey Leland Federal Building at 1919 Smith Street The 22 story building with a 6 story parking garage was designated an Energy Star efficient building in 2000 132 The United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas has its offices in 515 Rusk in Downtown Houston 133 The Federal Bureau of Prisons operates the Federal Detention Center Houston in Downtown 134 Diplomatic missions edit The Consulate General of the United Kingdom is located in Wells Fargo Plaza 135 while the Consulate General of Japan is located in Two Houston Center 136 The Consulate General of Switzerland which resided in Downtown Houston closed in 2006 137 138 139 140 Parks recreation and culture editDowntown contains fifteen public parks varying from linear parks along Buffalo Bayou to block parks and plazas On the west side of Downtown along Bagby Street Sam Houston Park is home to the Houston Heritage Society which maintains a collection of historic houses from throughout the city s history Nearby Tranquility Park uses open green spaces and a series of interconnected fountains to commemorate NASA s landing on the moon s Sea of Tranquility These parks tie into the larger civic complex anchored by City Hall and the main branch of Houston Public Library nbsp Tranquility ParkIn the Historic District to the north Market Square Park occupies a block formerly covered by Houston s open air market which fronted the old City Hall Renovations completed in 2010 added two dog runs a Greek restaurant and Houston s only memorial to the September 11 attacks 141 142 nbsp George H W Bush statue in Sesquicentennial Park looking towards Downtown Houston Buffalo Bayou s route through Downtown contains multiple parks which segue together to form a continuous greenway Allen s Landing near the intersection of Smith and Preston commemorates the landing site of the Allen brothers the New York entrepreneurs who founded the city Sesquicentennial Park across Buffalo Bayou from Allen s Landing commemorates the 150 year anniversary of the city s founding The park contains a statue of former President George H W Bush who represented a portion of west Houston during his time in the United States House of Representatives nbsp Discovery GreenIn the Convention District Discovery Green immediately west of the George R Brown Convention Center contains an amphitheater two restaurants a dog run a jogging trail multiple lawns and an artificial lake on nearly 12 acres 49 000 m2 of land 143 Since its opening in 2008 Discovery Green has become one of Downtown s main attractions hosting approximately 1 2 million visitors a year and serving as one of the city s premier public spaces 144 Discovery Green s environs formerly covered by surface parking lots have seen over US 600 million in new development since the park s opening 145 A number of other smaller parks and plazas are spread throughout Downtown Main Street Square is a pedestrian only promenade with a reflection pool and fountains on the METRORail line between Lamar and Dallas streets 146 Near the Toyota Center Root Square occupies a single block and features a public basketball court 147 Harris County Precinct One operates the 2 acre 8 100 m2 Quebedeaux Park near the county court complex 148 The park includes a stage area picnic tables and benches The park surrounds the Harris County Family Law Center 149 A park in the southern part of Downtown Trebly Park began construction in March 2021 on the site of a former automobile repair center The park had the provisional name Southern Downtown Park its chosen name refers to how there are three street corners adjacent to the park 150 The area is in the shape of an L 151 Entertainment venues edit nbsp Hobby Center for the Performing Arts nbsp The Wortham Theater Center nbsp Minute Maid Park nbsp Toyota CenterDowntown Houston has two major league sports venues Minute Maid Park opened in 2000 is home to MLB Houston Astros and the Toyota Center opened in 2003 is home to the NBA Houston Rockets From 2004 to 2007 Toyota Center was also home to the now defunct WNBA Houston Comets The Theater District is one of the largest in the country as measured by the number of theater seats citation needed Houston is one of only five cities in the United States with permanent professional resident companies in all of the major performing art disciplines of opera ballet music and theater citation needed Venues in the theater district include the Wortham Center opera and ballet the Alley Theatre theater the Hobby Center resident and traveling musical theater concerts events the Bayou Music Center concerts and events and Jones Hall symphony The George R Brown Convention Center is located on the east side of Downtown between Discovery Green and Interstate 69 and contains 1 800 000 square feet 170 000 m2 of convention space and two adjoining hotels In the mid 2010s the promenade between the Center and Discovery Green was transformed into Avenida Houston a mixed use corridor featuring restaurants and retail spaces 152 Hotels and accommodations edit Major hotels in downtown Houston are Hilton Americas Convention Center Hotel Marriott Marquis Houston Four Seasons Hotel and Residences JW Marriott Downtown Houston 153 Doubletree Hotel Downtown Houston Hyatt Regency Houston which features a revolving restaurant the Spindletop located on the hotel s 30th floor 154 The Whitehall Club Quarters Hotel Courtyard Houston Downtown Marriott Residence Inn Marriott Westin Hotel SpringHill Suites Marriott Hotel AlessandraBoutique hotels include The Lancaster Magnolia Hotel Hotel Icon Marriott The Sam Houston HotelRetail and restaurants edit nbsp GreenStreetThe Shops in Houston Center located within the Houston Center complex is an enclosed shopping mall A few blocks away GreenStreet is an open air shopping center The Houston Downtown Tunnel System is also home to many shops and restaurants Several restaurants in Downtown Houston are in the Tunnel system only open during working hours citation needed Katharine Shilcutt of the Houston Press said in 2012 that because of the Houston tunnel system taking traffic during the daytime and many office workers leaving for suburbs at night many street level restaurants in Downtown Houston have difficulty operating She added that the popularity of business related lunches and dinners resulted in steakhouses in Downtown becoming successful 155 Fitness centers edit Downtown hosts a branch of the YMCA featuring a center for teenagers a wellness center for females a child watch area a community meeting space a chapel group exercise rooms and a racquetball court 156 The Downtown YMCA provided dormitory space beginning in 1908 and continued to do so in its 1941 building but the new YMCA to open in 2010 was not to have any The current branch had a projected cost of 55 million 157 Artwork edit In 2018 the street artist Dual made a mural representing Produce Row which was a group of produce businesses on Commerce Street on the Main amp Co building at the time the area was in the first ward 158 Media editThe Houston Chronicle the citywide newspaper previously had its headquarters in Downtown but has since relocated c 2014 159 Beginning in 1998 160 Houston Press headquarters was located in Downtown 161 in the former Gillman Pontiac dealership building 162 On the weekend after Friday October 25 2013 the Houston Press was scheduled to move to its new offices in Midtown Houston 160 The magazine Houston Downtown was a Downtown oriented magazine published by Rosie Walker 163 Most area residents called it the Downtowner Walker was originally an office worker in Downtown Houston who was upset that she had learned of events occurring in Downtown Houston after they had already occurred Walker said Several people in our office decided to start a newsletter It sort of expanded throughout our company and throughout our building 164 It had been published for 14 years In 1991 the business had paid off its debts Walker decided not to take out loans to update her equipment and printing processes and instead closed the magazine during that year 163 The Downtown Inc Downtown Voice was another Downtown related magazine Kevin Clear of the Creneau Media Group planned to establish a magazine about Downtown Houston that would be published by Creneau In January 1990 his company had developed a business plan aimed towards competing with Houston Downtown magazine Houston Downtown was closed before Clear could develop a new magazine Clear said I hate to say we danced on their grave but we weren t unhappy about the way things turned out 163 Clear planned to introduce his magazine in May 1991 As of January 1991 he had not decided on a name for the magazine 163 Elise Perachio became the editor of the magazine which was ultimately named Downtown Inc 165 On August 1 1994 the magazine then called Downtown Voice was sold to company Media Ink 166 Regional sports network AT amp T SportsNet Southwest is headquartered in Downtown at GreenStreet 167 Transportation edit nbsp Light rail station at the Downtown Transit CenterThe Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County METRO operates Houston s public transportation systems Downtown lies at the convergence of the three lines of Houston s light rail system known as METRORail The Red Line which runs along Main Street contains the following stations from south to north Downtown Transit Center Bell Main Street Square Preston and UH Downtown 168 The Southeast Purple Line and East End Green Lines stop at the Central Convention District and Theater District stations METRO operates many bus lines through Downtown 169 Greenlink a free to ride circulator shuttle follows a 1 5 mile 2 4 km circular route around the district Greenlink is the successor to a trolley style free to ride bus service which carried over 10 000 riders each day on five different routes prior to its disbandment in 2005 170 Taxicabs can be hailed from the street at one of 21 taxi stands or at various hotels Taxi trips within Downtown have a flat rate of US 6 mandated by the city 171 Uber operates within the city and surrounding areas Education edit nbsp University of Houston Downtown One Main Building formerly the Merchants and Manufacturers Building Colleges and universities edit The University of Houston Downtown UHD is a four year state university located at the northern end of Downtown Founded in 1974 it is one of four separate and distinct institutions in the University of Houston System UHD has an enrollment of 14 255 students making it the 15th largest public university in Texas and the second largest university in the Houston area 172 The South Texas College of Law is a private law school located within Downtown and is one of three law schools in Houston 173 Downtown is within the Houston Community College System and it is in close proximity to the Central Campus in Midtown 174 175 Primary and secondary education edit Public schools edit nbsp Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts nbsp Young Scholars Academy for ExcellenceThe grade school children of Downtown are served by the Houston Independent School District HISD One public K 8 school an HISD affiliated charter school called Young Scholars Academy for Excellence Y S A F E is in Downtown 176 It was established on May 15 1996 by Kenneth and Anella Coleman 177 HISD s High School for the Performing and Visual Arts HSPVA a public magnet high school broke ground on a new downtown campus in 2014 178 and classes began there in 2019 replacing HSPVA s previous Montrose area campus 179 Three public district elementary schools have zoning boundaries that extend to areas of Downtown with residential areas they are Bruce Elementary School in the Fifth Ward 180 Crockett Elementary School northwest of Downtown 181 Gregory Lincoln Education Center 182 in the Fourth Ward Gregory Lincoln Education Center 183 in the Fourth Ward takes most of Downtown s students at the middle school level Marshall Middle School 184 in Northside takes students at the middle school level from a small section of northern Downtown Northside High School formerly Jefferson Davis High School 185 also in Northside takes students from almost all of Downtown at the high school level Heights High School formerly Reagan High School 186 in the Houston Heights take students in the high school level from a small section of northwest Downtown History of public schools edit The block bounded by Austin Capitol Caroline and Rusk held schools for many years Houston Academy was established there in the 1850s In 1894 the groundbreaking for Central High School occurred there Central burned down in March 1919 In 1921 Sam Houston High School opened at the site 187 The current Sam Houston building in the Northside opened in 1955 188 The previous building became the administrative headquarters of the Houston Independent School District By the early 1970s HISD moved its headquarters out of the building which was demolished As of 2011 a parking lot occupies the former school lot a state historical marker is located at the lot 187 Booker T Washington High School s first location 303 West Dallas served as the school s location from 1893 to 1959 when it moved to the north Lockett Junior High School was established in the former Washington campus and closed in 1968 189 Anson Jones Elementary School served a portion of Downtown until its closing in Summer 2006 189 190 Anson Jones opened in 1892 as the Elysian Street School its first campus was destroyed in a fire and that was replaced in 1893 with a three story building at 914 Elysian in what is now Downtown It was named after Anson Jones in 1902 In the 1950s many students resided in Clayton Homes and the students were majority Hispanic and Latino In 1962 it had 609 students Anson Jones moved to a new campus in the Second Ward in 1966 and its original campus in Downtown was demolished 191 Brock Elementary School served a portion of Downtown until its closing in Summer 2006 and repurposing as an early childhood center its boundary was transferred to Crockett Elementary 189 192 Before the start of the 2009 2010 school year J Will Jones was consolidated into Blackshear Elementary School a campus in the Third Ward 193 194 During its final year of enrollment J Will Jones had more students than Blackshear Many J Will Jones parents referred to Blackshear as that prison school and said that they will not send their children to Blackshear 195 By Spring 2011 Atherton Elementary School and E O Smith were consolidated with a new K 5 campus in the Atherton site 196 Middle school students in Downtown were rezoned to Gregory Lincoln 183 197 As part of rezoning for the 2014 2015 school year in Downtown all areas previously under the Blackshear attendance zone and many areas in the Bruce attendance zone were rezoned to Gregory Lincoln K 8 198 Private schools edit nbsp Incarnate Word Academy nbsp The former Sacred Heart SchoolThe Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Galveston Houston oversees the Incarnate Word Academy a Catholic all girls school founded in 1873 and the only high school located in Downtown until the opening of the new HSPVA campus in 2017 199 Trinity Lutheran School a PreK 8 Lutheran School is located at 800 Houston Avenue northwest of and in close proximity to Downtown Its early childhood center is located at 1316 Washington Avenue near the K 8 center and in proximity to Downtown 174 200 On September 27 1897 a school in the two story annex to the Sacred Heart Parish staffed by Dominican sisters opened with 28 enrolled students 201 St Thomas College now known as St Thomas High School opened in Downtown in 1900 202 In 1902 the parish bought a building used by St Thomas and moved it from Franklin Street at Crawford Street to Pierce Street and Fannin Street In 1905 the parish sought and received approval from the state to start a high school in January 1907 Saint Agnes Academy outside of Downtown opened and high school students were transferred to St Agnes In 1911 the former school building known as the Green House was demolished and replaced by a church building In 1922 the existing Sacred Heart School building opened the parish spent 52 800 923 000 in today s currency to build the building 201 St Thomas moved to its current location outside of Downtown in 1940 202 The Sacred Heart School provided Catholic elementary education for 70 years until its closing in May 1967 after declining enrollment and increased operation costs As of 2009 the former Sacred Heart building houses the diocese s parish religious education program 201 Public libraries edit nbsp Jesse H Jones Building nbsp Julia Ideson BuildingHouston Public Library has the Central Library in Houston It consists of two buildings including the Jesse H Jones Building which contains the bulk of the library facilities and the Julia Ideson Building which contains archives manuscripts and the Texas and Local History Department 203 Houston s first public library facility opened on March 2 1904 204 The Ideson building opened in 1926 replacing the previous building The Jesse H Jones Building opened in 1976 and received its current name in 1989 205 The Jones Building closed for renovations on Monday April 3 2006 206 It reopened May 31 2008 207 After renovations began the Houston Public Library headquarters moved from the Jones Building to the Marston Building in Neartown Houston 208 209 210 In addition HPL operates the HPL Express Discovery Green at 1300 McKinney R2 adjacent to Discovery Green Park 211 212 HPL Express facilities are library facilities located in existing buildings 213 The library opened in 2008 214 Harris County Public Library operates the Law Library 215 located on the first floor of Congress Plaza 216 See also edit nbsp Texas portalNational Register of Historic Places listings in downtown Houston Texas Architecture of Houston Houston Downtown Tunnel System Houston Theater District Midtown Houston Greenway Plaza Houston Neartown Houston Uptown Houston Greenspoint Houston Westchase Houston Memorial City Houston Houston Energy Corridor Central business districtReferences edit a b c d e f Downtown at a Glance June 2017 PDF Downtown District June 2017 Retrieved October 19 2017 Downtown Houston Block Numbering HCAD PDF Downtown District January 2014 Archived from the original PDF on February 9 2014 Retrieved October 20 2017 a b c Fact Sheet Downtown Houston Management District Retrieved on April 7 2009 Downtown Districts Downtown Houston Retrieved on June 11 2016 a b Eclectic variety of lively districts comprise downtown Houston Houston Business Journal November 17 2006 Retrieved on March 11 2010 Livingston Ronald Howard June 15 2010 June 1 1995 Parrott Thomas F L Handbook of Texas TSHA Archived from the original on August 18 2016 Retrieved June 11 2016 Protected Landmark Designation Report Stuart Building PDF City of Houston March 21 2011 Retrieved October 25 2017 a b c d e f Glass James L 1994 The Original Book of Sales of Lots in the Houston Town Company from 1836 Forward PDF The Houston Review 16 167 194 via Houston History Magazine a b c d e Kirkland Kate Sayan 2009 The Hogg Family and Houston Philanthropy and the Civic Ideal Austin Texas University of Texas Press pp 3 4 ISBN 9780292748460 Theis David 2010 Back to the Future PDF Market Square Park Retrieved October 25 2017 a b c d Chapman Betty Trapp Fall 2010 A System of Government Where Business Ruled PDF Houston History Magazine 8 29 33 a b c Sturrock Sidonie Spring 2015 Uncovering the Story of Quality Hill Houston s First Elite Residential Neighborhood A Detective on the Case PDF Houston History Magazine 12 2 7 12 George Cindy September 4 2016 Frost Town offers a peek into the past Houston Chronicle Retrieved October 26 2017 a b c d Baron Steven 1994 Streetcars and the Growth of Houston PDF The Houston Review 16 67 100 Information from Emporis Bivins Ralph ON DECK The stadium vote Stadium gives hope to downtown landowners Archived 2012 06 17 at the Wayback Machine Houston Chronicle Sunday September 29 1996 A1 Retrieved on August 12 2010 a b Study Area 11 Archived May 30 2010 at the Wayback Machine City of Houston Accessed October 21 2008 a b c Barna Joel Warren Filling the Doughnut Cite 42 Summer Fall northern hemisphere 1998 Published in Scardino Barrie and Bruce Webb Ephemeral City University of Texas Press 2003 Google Books Page 73 ISBN 0 292 70187 X 9780292701878 a b Bivins Ralph SURVIVAL OF THE NEWEST OCCUPANCY DOWNTOWN TUMBLING BUT THREE TOWERS DEFY TREND Houston Chronicle Sunday July 27 2003 Business 1 Retrieved on November 11 2009 Bivins Ralph Houston office occupancy increases Survey 3 1 million square feet of space absorbed last year Houston Chronicle Tuesday January 17 1989 Retrieved on August 3 2009 a b Bivins Ralph Downtown to get 27 story tower Opening planned for 2002 Houston Chronicle Thursday August 10 2000 Business 1 Retrieved on November 12 2009 Nichols Bruce The Selling of a City The Dallas Morning News June 7 1987 Retrieved on November 11 2009 Rutledge Tanya Continental picks Cullen Center as destination for downtown HQ Houston Business Journal Friday January 31 1997 Retrieved on August 23 2009 a b Zehr Leonard TrizecHahn nabs U S leasing deal Continental Airlines enticed to move head office to downtown Houston from suburbs The Globe and Mail September 11 1997 Report on Business B7 Retrieved from LexisNexis on April 1 2010 a b Wray Dianna June 25 2019 How Downtown Houston Went from Barren to Bustling Houstonia Retrieved July 12 2019 Sarnoff Nancy Cullen Center snags new leases Houston Business Journal Wednesday February 18 2004 Retrieved on November 11 2009 Barna Joel Warren Filling the Doughnut Cite 42 Summer Fall northern hemisphere 1998 Published in Scardino Barrie and Bruce Webb Ephemeral City University of Texas Press 2003 Google Books Page 72 ISBN 0 292 70187 X 9780292701878 Kudela amp Weinheimer Award Winning Landscape Architecture Firm Creates High Rise Oasis in Downtown Houston Press Release PR Newswire Archived from the original on December 21 2011 Retrieved July 14 2009 Microsoft Word General Release doc PDF Archived from the original PDF on February 29 2008 Retrieved November 26 2007 Cotswold Archived from the original on December 25 2007 Retrieved November 26 2007 Downtown Houston Development Project List Greater Houston Partnership Retrieved on April 23 2010 Phoenicia Downtown Ribbon Cutting Retrieved June 16 2012 permanent dead link Shilcutt Katharine Lebanese Queso and More at the Fabulous New Phoenicia Downtown Archived November 21 2011 at the Wayback Machine Houston Press Thursday November 17 2011 Retrieved on November 19 2011 Luck Marissa May 19 2022 In downtown Houston a rebound is underway but where are the full time office workers Houston Chronicle Retrieved May 26 2022 Luck Marissa May 20 2022 Houstonians are out to play fueling a revival for downtown s hotels and venues Houston Chronicle Retrieved May 26 2022 1500 Louisiana St CrediFi Retrieved October 10 2016 Architecture of Enron Center South Houston Texas United States of America Microsoft Word 02 FactSheet doc Why downtown PDF www downtownhouston org Archived from the original PDF on January 16 2017 Retrieved June 11 2016 No 61 Super Neighborhood Assessment PDF City of Houston June 2019 Retrieved April 29 2021 No 61 Super Neighborhood Assessment PDF City of Houston November 2017 Retrieved April 29 2021 Census 2000 Demographic Data by Super Neighborhood DOWNTOWN AREA 61 City of Houston Archived from the original on September 4 2006 Retrieved April 29 2021 Percentages were from the 2017 document 1Q 2016 Market Report Houston Office Market PDF Cresa 2016 Archived from the original PDF on October 25 2017 Retrieved October 25 2017 Sarnoff Nancy November 22 2016 Report Houston has some of the priciest office space in U S Houston Chronicle Retrieved October 25 2017 Feser Katherine November 19 2015 Louisiana Street is Houston s most expensive report says Houston Chronicle Retrieved October 25 2017 Office Uptown Houston Retrieved on January 18 2009 Contact Us Archived 2008 12 22 at the Wayback Machine Dynegy Retrieved on December 10 2008 Locations Archived January 8 2009 at the Wayback Machine KBR Retrieved on January 13 2009 Locations amp Office Hours Archived 2008 12 21 at the Wayback Machine KBR Heritage Federal Credit Union Retrieved on December 10 2008 Baker Botts hires corporate partner Austin Business Journal Wednesday January 21 2004 Retrieved on August 25 2010 Houston Texas Archived August 31 2010 at the Wayback Machine Baker Botts Retrieved on August 25 2010 One Shell Plaza 910 Louisiana Street Houston Texas Locations Bracewell Retrieved on May 21 2022 Corporate Driving Directions Total Petrochemicals USA Retrieved on April 5 2010 Contact Gas amp Power Archived 2008 11 20 at the Wayback Machine Total S A Retrieved on January 25 2009 Contact Information CenterPoint Energy Retrieved on January 14 2009 CenterPoint Energy Tower Archived July 5 2012 at the Wayback Machine Berger Iron Works Retrieved on January 14 2009 Selden Jonathan Law firms in Austin help Houston offices Austin Business Journal Thursday September 22 2005 Retrieved on May 5 2010 At Vinson amp Elkins LLP the Austin office is accommodating evacuated attorneys from the Houston headquarters as well as some clients says Don Wood administrative partner Houston Vinson amp Elkins Retrieved on May 5 2010 Contact Us Archived August 12 2020 at the Wayback Machine Waste Management Inc Retrieved on January 14 2009 Corporate Archived March 3 2009 at the Wayback Machine El Paso Corporation Retrieved on January 16 2009 Welcome to Plains All American Pipeline Plains All American Pipeline Retrieved on December 8 2009 Contact Us Archived 2009 11 25 at the Wayback Machine Enterprise GP Holdings Retrieved on December 8 2009 Contact Us Directory Archived 2010 02 09 at the Wayback Machine EOG Resources Retrieved on December 8 2009 Headquarters Location Archived 2012 03 01 at the Wayback Machine Continental Airlines Retrieved on December 7 2008 Air Transportation Opportunity Houston Retrieved on December 10 2008 Expressjet com Terms Conditions And Notices ExpressJet Airlines June 8 2003 Retrieved on May 19 2009 Company History 1991 to 2000 Archived 2012 03 01 at the Wayback Machine Continental Airlines Retrieved on February 11 2009 Boisseau Charles Airline confirms relocation Continental moving offices downtown Houston Chronicle Wednesday September 3 1997 Business 1 Retrieved on August 23 2009 Bivins Ralph Hotels see high occupancy rates Archived 2012 06 17 at the Wayback Machine Houston Chronicle Friday September 26 1997 Business 1 Retrieved on August 23 2009 Dawson Jennifer Continental renews lease decides to stay downtown Houston Business Journal Friday September 19 2008 Retrieved on November 11 2009 Moreno Jenalia CEO aims for smooth landing in United Continental merge Houston Chronicle Sunday September 25 2011 2 Retrieved on October 10 2011 a b Sarnoff Nancy Historic downtown Chase building sold Houston Chronicle February 12 2010 Retrieved on February 24 2010 Houston Office amp Refining Operations LyondellBasell Retrieved on February 5 2010 Contact Hess Archived February 27 2009 at the Wayback Machine Hess Corporation Retrieved on February 9 2009 Central Houston Inc Business Development Archived from the original on July 25 2011 Retrieved March 14 2011 contact us business headquarters ExxonMobil Retrieved on January 26 2009 Houston Qatar Airways Retrieved on February 9 2009 Fact Sheet June 2007 Archived July 10 2007 at the Wayback Machine Houston Pavilions Retrieved on January 13 2009 Retail Leasing permanent dead link Houston Pavilions Retrieved on January 13 2009 Spearhead Pipeline Expansion Project Open Season Is Now Closed Archived February 27 2009 at the Wayback Machine Enbridge Retrieved on December 8 2009 Offices KPMG Retrieved on December 17 2009 Contact Information Archived December 17 2009 at the Wayback Machine Mayer Brown Retrieved on December 17 2009 Company News Enron Plans to Sell Its Headquarters in Houston The New York Times Thursday August 21 2003 Retrieved on October 20 2009 Colley Jenna Federated to cut jobs at Foley s distribution center Houston Business Journal Friday April 14 2006 Retrieved on October 20 2009 0000950129 97 001088 txt 19970320 Archive Securities and Exchange Commission Retrieved on April 14 2014 Houston Industries Incorporated and Houston Lighting amp Power Company Houston Industries Plaza 1111 Louisiana 47th Floor Houston TX 77002 5231 Office Location Halliburton Retrieved on January 13 2009 Sarnoff Nancy Downtown up Westchase down as Halliburton postpones project Houston Business Journal Friday December 21 2009 Retrieved on November 11 2009 Clanton Brett Halliburton to consolidate in 2 locations Houston Chronicle April 3 2009 Retrieved on April 3 2009 City of Houston Council District Maps District H Archived June 26 2012 at the Wayback Machine City of Houston Retrieved on November 5 2011 City of Houston Council District Maps District I Archived September 18 2013 at the Wayback Machine City of Houston Retrieved on November 5 2011 City Council City of Houston Retrieved on October 25 2015 Beat Map Archived October 8 2011 at the Wayback Machine Houston Police Department Retrieved on April 5 2010 Ceremony held for renaming of HPD headquarters in honor of retired officer Retrieved on October 25 2015 a b Fire Stations City of Houston Retrieved December 4 2008 a b Fire Station 8 Archived 2010 05 27 at the Wayback Machine City of Houston Retrieved on May 8 2010 Fire Station 3 Archived 2010 05 29 at the Wayback Machine City of Houston Retrieved on May 8 2010 Fire Station 5 Archived May 29 2010 at the Wayback Machine City of Houston Retrieved on May 8 2010 Fire Station 2 Archived May 27 2010 at the Wayback Machine City of Houston Retrieved on May 8 2010 Contact Us Archived February 27 2009 at the Wayback Machine Houston Downtown Management District Retrieved on April 7 2009 Maps All Precincts Archived January 8 2009 at the Wayback Machine Harris County Precinct 3 Retrieved on November 22 2008 Harris County Precinct One gt Home hcp1 net Archived from the original on March 14 2016 Retrieved June 11 2016 Harris County Commissioner Precinct 2 www hcp2 com Retrieved June 11 2016 Courthouse Annexes Archived 2010 04 22 at the Wayback Machine Harris County Precinct Two Retrieved on May 23 2010 Harris County Courts www ccl hctx net Retrieved June 11 2016 Harris County District Courts www justex net Retrieved June 11 2016 Jury Service www hcdistrictclerk com Retrieved June 11 2016 The 1200 Jail Archived February 23 2009 at the Wayback Machine Harris County Texas Accessed September 12 2008 The 1307 Jail Archived 2008 10 03 at the Wayback Machine Harris County Texas Accessed September 12 2008 The 701 Jail Archived 2008 09 18 at the Wayback Machine Harris County Texas Accessed September 12 2008 a b Clinic Emergency Registration Center Directory By ZIP Code Harris County Hospital District November 19 2001 Archived from the original on November 19 2001 Retrieved April 8 2021 See ZIP codes 77002 77003 77007 and 77010 See this map for relevant ZIP codes Gulfgate Health Center Archive Harris County Hospital District Accessed October 17 2008 Representatives George Hewitt Texas House of Texas House of Representatives house texas gov Retrieved June 11 2016 Representatives George Hewitt Texas House of Texas House of Representatives house texas gov Retrieved June 11 2016 The Texas State Senate District 13 www senate state tx us Archived from the original on August 3 2011 Retrieved June 11 2016 Kegans HM Archived September 26 2008 at the Wayback Machine Texas Department of Criminal Justice Accessed September 12 2008 Texas Department of Criminal Justice Turner Publishing Company 2004 51 ISBN 1 56311 964 1 ISBN 978 1 56311 964 4 SOUTH TEXAS XM Archived 2008 08 21 at the Wayback Machine Texas Department of Criminal Justice Accessed September 12 2008 TJB 1st COA Contact Us www txcourts gov Retrieved June 11 2016 TJB 14th COA Contact Us www txcourts gov Retrieved June 11 2016 nationalatlas gov website Archived October 2 2008 at the Wayback Machine Representative Sheila Jackson Lee Representative Sheila Jackson Lee Retrieved June 11 2016 Post Office Location HOUSTON United States Postal Service Retrieved on December 4 2008 Hernandez Pat Downtown Houston Post Office Closes Houston Public Media May 15 2015 Retrieved on October 30 2016 a b Schuetz R A Feser Katherine March 19 2021 Redesigned former post office wants to put new stamp on Houston Houston Chronicle Retrieved March 23 2021 Downtown post office designed by Astrodome architects sets closing date CultureMap Houston Retrieved June 11 2016 reporter miya shay eyewitness news December 17 2014 What will closure of downtown post office mean ABC13 Houston Retrieved June 11 2016 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint multiple names authors list link Get Your Stamps There While You Still Can Downtown Barbara Jordan Post Office on Franklin St Will Close Forever on May 15th Swamplot May 6 2015 Retrieved on October 30 2016 1500 Hadley St Replacement for Houston s Shuttering Downtown Post Office Is Actually Somewhat Close to Downtown Swamplot Retrieved on October 30 2016 Best Post Office 2010 U S Post Office on Franklin Street Houston Press Retrieved on December 12 2010 Najaro Ileana October 6 2016 Events draw attention as former post office undergoes transformation Houston Chronicle Retrieved December 31 2016 Weisman Laura Nine Houston post offices marked for closure with poll Archived October 26 2011 at the Wayback Machine Houston Chronicle July 26 2011 Retrieved on July 26 2011 Mickey Leland Federal Building Archived 2009 05 09 at the Wayback Machine U S General Services Administration Retrieved on April 16 2009 FR Doc E9 24240 Federal Register at U S Government Printing Office October 8 2009 Volume 74 Number 194 Retrieved on March 31 2010 FDC Houston Federal Bureau of Prisons Retrieved on January 1 2010 Houston Archived 2008 11 23 at the Wayback Machine Consulate General of the United Kingdom Retrieved on December 7 2008 Contact Us Consulate General of Japan in Houston Retrieved on December 7 2008 Visa Desk Consulate General of Switzerland in Houston September 5 2004 Essence of Switzerland Archived 2008 09 14 at the Wayback Machine Paul Scherrer Institute Retrieved on December 7 2008 Location Consulate General of Switzerland in Houston October 23 2002 Hodge Shelby MIXERS ELIXIRS AND IMAX SUMMER SOCIALS Party animals drink with the dinosaurs Houston Chronicle Star 3 June 22 2006 Retrieved on January 10 2009 New Market Square Park to be unveiled Shauk Zain September 11 2010 Remembering 9 11 Victim s legacy grows at Lauren s Garden in Houston Houston Chronicle Retrieved March 14 2011 Features Discovery Green Park Retrieved on January 27 2009 Kaplan David May 3 2013 Discovery Green keeps giving city a fresh image Houston Chronicle Retrieved October 23 2017 History of Discovery Green Discovery Green Conservancy Retrieved October 23 2017 Main Street Square www downtownhouston org Retrieved June 11 2016 Root Memorial Square www downtownhouston org Retrieved June 11 2016 Quebedeaux Park Harris County Retrieved on January 3 2009 Quebedeaux Park Layout Harris County Retrieved on January 3 2009 Scherer Jasper March 11 2021 Construction begins on Trebly Park in south downtown Houston Houston Chronicle Retrieved March 29 2021 Alternate link Smith Tierra March 13 2021 GALLERY Trebly Park breaks ground in downtown Houston KPRC Retrieved March 29 2021 The New Avenida www houstonconventiondistrict com Archived from the original on August 21 2015 Retrieved October 23 2016 806 Main St CrediFI Retrieved October 10 2016 Spindletop Restaurant Houston www hyatt com Retrieved June 11 2016 Shilcutt Katharine Rest aurants in Peace Notable Closings of 2012 Houston Press Monday December 10 2012 3 Retrieved on March 27 2013 Work begins on Tellepsen Family YMCA Archived 2012 06 17 at the Wayback Machine Houston Chronicle January 14 2009 Retrieved on September 21 2009 Dooley Tara It s been fun to stay at the Y Archived 2012 06 17 at the Wayback Machine Houston Chronicle August 22 2008 Retrieved on September 21 2009 Hlavaty Craig September 24 2018 New Houston mural honors downtown s Produce Row roots Houston Chronicle Retrieved September 30 2018 Houston Chronicle announces relocation and renovation Houston Chronicle July 21 2014 Retrieved June 11 2016 a b Garza Abrahan Spaced City The Houston Press Moves to New Digs From Downtown to Midtown Houston Press October 25 2013 p 1 Archive Retrieved on October 25 2013 About Us Archived April 17 2009 at the Wayback Machine Houston Press Retrieved on August 7 2009 Garza Abrahan Old Houston Photos Mashed with Modern Houston Part 2 Houston Press Monday May 7 2012 1 Archived May 10 2012 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on May 7 2012 a b c d Hassell Greg PUBLISH OR PERISH Small magazines born every year with big dreams Houston Chronicle Monday January 28 1991 Business 1 Retrieved on October 14 2012 Pope Tara Parker Last issue for Downtown Houston Chronicle Saturday January 19 1991 A35 Retrieved on October 14 2012 Staff People in business Houston Chronicle Sunday November 10 1991 Business 8 Retrieved on October 14 2012 Houston group buys neighborhood magazines from New Mexico owner Media ink Creneau Media Group Inc Houston Business Journal August 12 1994 Retrieved on October 14 2012 Contact Us ROOT SPORTS Retrieved June 11 2016 Rail Map amp Schedule Archived 2008 12 17 at the Wayback Machine Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County Texas Retrieved on December 10 2008 Central Business District Downtown Archived 2008 12 02 at the Wayback Machine Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County Texas Retrieved on December 10 2008 Patel Purva Free downtown bus rides coming in spring Houston Chronicle Monday October 10 2011 Retrieved on October 17 2011 Six in the City City of Houston 2017 Texas Higher Ed Enrollments www thecb state tx us Archived from the original on January 23 2019 Retrieved June 11 2016 Home page South Texas College of Law Retrieved on December 10 2008 a b Education Schools Downtown Houston Retrieved on April 7 2009 Land Use amp Development Map Archived December 3 2008 at the Wayback Machine Midtown Houston Retrieved on April 4 2009 Contact Us Young Scholars Academy for Excellence Retrieved on December 2 2009 About YSAFE Young Scholars Academy for Excellence Retrieved August 18 2017 Laura Houston ISD breaks ground on new campus for arts high school Houston Chronicle 14 December 21014 Selvakumar Ariya February 11 2019 Kinder HSPVA Grand Opening Downtown The Buzz Magazines Retrieved March 2 2019 Bruce Elementary Attendance Zone Houston Independent School District Retrieved on July 23 2017 Crockett Elementary Attendance Zone Houston Independent School District Retrieved on July 23 2017 Gregory Lincoln Elementary Attendance Zone Archived February 2 2017 at the Wayback Machine Houston Independent School District Retrieved on July 23 2017 a b Gregory Lincoln Middle Attendance Zone Archived February 2 2017 at the Wayback Machine Houston Independent School District Retrieved on July 23 2017 Marshall Middle Attendance Zone Houston Independent School District Retrieved on July 23 2017 Northside High Attendance Zone Houston Independent School District Retrieved on July 23 2017 Heights High Attendance Zone Houston Independent School District Retrieved on July 23 2017 a b Gonzales J R Sam Houston High School old Houston Chronicle March 30 2010 Retrieved on November 22 2011 History Archived 2012 11 04 at the Wayback Machine Sam Houston Math Science amp Technology Center Retrieved on November 22 2011 a b c School Histories the Stories Behind the Names Archived July 10 2011 at the Wayback Machine Houston Independent School District Retrieved on September 24 2008 A Jones Elementary Attendance Zone Archived February 27 2009 at the Wayback Machine Houston Independent School District Retrieved on August 21 2009 Gonzales J R January 19 2013 The colorful history of Anson Jones Elementary Houston Chronicle Retrieved December 6 2016 Brock Elementary Attendance Zone Houston Independent School District April 13 2002 Retrieved on August 21 2009 Board of Education Votes on School Consolidations Archived June 17 2009 at the Wayback Machine Houston Independent School District October 9 2008 Mellon Ericka Tears and fears at HISD board meeting UPDATED Archived 2009 05 19 at the Wayback Machine Houston Chronicle October 9 2008 Downing Margaret Backlash Upon Backlash at HISD Houston Press December 2 2008 1 Board Approves School Closings and Consolidations Archived September 28 2011 at the Wayback Machine Houston Independent School District November 14 2008 E O Smith Middle Attendance Zone Archived February 27 2009 at the Wayback Machine Houston Independent School District Retrieved on April 7 2009 AGENDA Board of Education Meeting March 13 2014 Houston Independent School District Retrieved on March 15 2014 Current Attendance Boundaries New 03 06 04 Attachment F March 2 2014 p 31 119 and Proposed Attendance Boundaries New 03 06 04 Attachment F March 2 2014 p 32 119 Contact Incarnate Word Academy permanent dead link Incarnate Word Academy Retrieved on April 5 2009 Enrolling Archived 2008 12 20 at the Wayback Machine Trinity Lutheran School Retrieved on April 7 2009 a b c History of the Co Cathedral Archived 2008 07 24 at the Wayback Machine Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Galveston Houston Retrieved on April 5 2009 a b About St Thomas St Thomas High School Retrieved on April 5 2009 Central Library Julia Ideson Building Texas Room and Archives Archived February 11 2009 at the Wayback Machine Houston Public Library Retrieved on January 27 2009 Chapman Betty T Story of public libraries took long time to write in Houston Houston Business Journal June 2 2000 Retrieved on January 27 2009 Houston Public Library from the Handbook of Texas Online It s Worth the Wait Exciting New Renovation for the Central Library Archived April 16 2008 at the Wayback Machine Houston Public Library February 23 2006 Retrieved on January 27 2009 Central Library Grand Re Opening Celebration May 31 amp June1 2008 Archived July 24 2008 at the Wayback Machine Houston Public Library Retrieved on January 27 2009 IT S WORTH THE WAIT Exciting New Renovation for the Central Library Archived 2008 10 15 at the Wayback Machine Houston Public Library Thursday February 23 2006 Retrieved on June 30 2010 Map of Neartown Archived October 5 2018 at the Wayback Machine Neartown Association Retrieved October 20 2008 GSD District Locations City of Houston Retrieved on June 30 2010 No 117 Location Code MAR Address 820 Marston Location Name Marston Building Zip Code 77019 Key Map 492M Sq Ft 22 000 HPL Express Discovery Green Archived 2008 08 02 at the Wayback Machine Houston Public Library Accessed July 12 2008 Snyder Mike Houston s new park combines green space amenities Houston Chronicle April 5 2008 Retrieved on January 27 2009 HPL Express Archived March 1 2009 at the Wayback Machine Houston Public Library Accessed July 12 2008 Take to the air for short trips from Tucson Archived February 17 2009 at the Wayback Machine Arizona Daily Star June 19 2008 Retrieved on January 27 2009 Law Library Harris County Public Library Retrieved on January 31 2016 Location 1019 Congress 1st Floor Houston TX 77002 Contact Us Harris County Law Library Retrieved on January 31 2016 The Harris County Law Library is located on the first floor of Congress Plaza at the corner of Congress and Fannin Streets in downtown Houston and Address 1019 Congress 1st floor Houston Texas 77002 Further reading edit Downtown Parking Management Program Planning Central Houston Inc Archive Gonzales J R Downtown Houston by air and in color Houston Chronicle Monday August 5 2013 Downtown retail A glimpse into the future Houston Chronicle Friday September 13 2013 Sarnoff Nancy and Mike Morris Downtown subsidies could skew market experts say Houston Chronicle April 22 2014 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Downtown Houston nbsp Houston Downtown travel guide from Wikivoyage Downtown at the official Houston web site Downtown Houston Management District Desktop Mobile Downtown District Downtown Houston Alliance Downtown Houston Interactive Map Houston Theater District 29 45 23 N 95 21 51 W 29 756334 N 95 364037 W 29 756334 95 364037 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Downtown Houston amp oldid 1206677010, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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