After sitting vacant for nearly three decades, the former home of Texaco, Inc. has been converted into a 17-story, 286-unit apartment building in the heart of downtown Houston.
Dallas-based Provident Realty Advisors, which led the $99.5 million enterprise, renamed the property “The Star” as a tribute to the oil giant’s logo—“the big bright Texaco star!” in the old advertising jingle. The redevelopment came on the heels of several unsuccessful attempts to turn the building into a hotel in the years following Texaco’s relocation to the Houston suburbs in 1989.
“It was a beautiful but derelict building right in the center of the new downtown core, surrounded by new office developments, shopping, entertainment, and nightlife,” said Kip Platt, Director of Development and Acquisitions at Provident Realty Advisors.
The Renaissance Revival–style building features a brick, terracotta, and limestone façade, with signature vaulted arcades at street level that promote pedestrian activity. The original 13-story building, completed in 1915, was designed by Warren and Wetmore, a New York architecture firm whose portfolio includes Manhattan’s Grand Central Terminal. A 1938 annex expansion and a 16-story addition, completed in 1958, bulked up the structure to fill a city block. In 2003, the building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The redevelopment team worked closely with the National Park Service and the Texas Historical Commission to qualify for federal and state historic tax credits. The Star was also the first project to benefit from Houston’s new Downtown Living Initiative, which awards $15,000/unit in tax incentives to developers who create new residential projects in the urban core.
At one time a “ beautiful but derelict building,” according to developer Kip Platt, Provident Realty Advisors, The Star now provides 286 luxury apartments in downtown Houston. The original 17-story structure, completed in 1915, was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003. Photo: Peter Molick
“Most of the structural elements were in really good shape. The building just needed some thorough cleaning, repair, and restoration,” said Robert Jurbergs, AIA, LEED GA, Principal at HBG Design, the Memphis-based architecture firm that oversaw the redesign.
HBG followed strict historic preservation requirements in restoring the structure’s distinctive features, notably its limestone columns, mosaic tiles, decorative chandeliers, bronze grilles, and historic clock. To improve thermal performance, the project team added exterior envelope insulation and specified new energy-efficient windows. “We went back to the original blueprints to ensure the new window profiles were as true to the original wood detailing as possible,” said Jurbergs.
The most pressing problem was how to fit a high-efficiency mechanical system with an additional layer of plumbing, fire protection lines, and mechanical ducts for apartments into a century-old office building.
According to Mark Weaver, FAIA, Principal at HBG Design, the project team circumvented this obstacle by building a 66,000-sf extension on the back side of the original L-shaped building, where historic preservation restrictions were less stringent. This gave them five more high-ceiling apartments with balconies on each floor. They also carved out a cozy outdoor courtyard for a heated, resort-style swimming pool.
The project team squeezed in a nine-level, 750-space parking garage for use by both residents and the general public. The Star sits on the city’s light rail system and ties into the Houston tunnel system, a network of subterranean pedways that links 95 city blocks.
STEPPING BACK INTO HISTORY
The Star’s interior spaces blend contemporary styling with intentional nods to its origins. Large-scale historical photos of the original structure are prominently displayed in the majestic ground-floor lobby. The original Texaco brass elevators have been emboldened with a black geometric design that runs throughout the building.
“It made sense to highlight this amazing, architecturally significant building rather than trying to hide it or make people think it was a new building,” said Lauren Parsons, a design and branding consultant who led the interior design of the amenity spaces. “I wanted it to have a timeless look.”
Photos of Albert Einstein, Muddy Waters, and others linked to the year 1915 embellish the 17th-floor amenities space, which has a lounge, display kitchen, and Equinox-inspired fitness center. Photo: Lauren Parsons
Parsons lived in the building as it was being completed. She curated an eclectic mix of Texaco memorabilia from former employees and collectors for display in the expansive basement game room and lounge area, a dimly lit space that takes its cue from Prohibition-era speakeasies.
The property has 207 one-bedroom and 79 two-bedroom units, with 22 different floor plans ranging from 730 to 1,730 sf, on levels two through 16. Apartments have 11-foot ceilings, quartz countertops, custom cabinetry, stainless steel appliances, and oversized soaking tubs. Monthly rents range from $1,750 to $3,860.
A 1915 design motif extends to the building’s 17th-floor penthouse level, which showcases large-scale black-and-white portraits of Billie Holiday and other cultural figures loosely linked to the year the original building was completed.
AN INTERESTING MIX OF TENANTS
The location can’t be beat. The property is adjacent to the city’s shopping and historic districts and located within 160 feet of 8,000 jobs. The Star is about 90% leased, according to Provident Realty Advisors’ Platt.
“It’s an eclectic group of people who live in the building—from professional basketball players, to artists, to attorneys,” he said. “Anybody can go live in a shiny glass high-rise, but you can’t duplicate the look or character of a historic building. There’s just a unique vibe to it.”
On the project team
DEVELOPER: Provident Realty Advisors ARCHITECT HBG Design INTERIOR DESIGNER Lauren Parsons MECHANICAL/PLUMBING ENGINEER Haltom Engineering ELECTRICAL ENGINEER DePouw Engineering ELEVATOR CONSULTANT Lerch Bates Company GC Provident Realty Advisors Construction
Related Stories
Multifamily Housing | Feb 8, 2022
Suffolk to build Alba Palm Beach
The project will feature 55 residences.
| Feb 4, 2022
New apartment complex Dixon Place honors the history of Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City’s Sugar House neighborhood has been experiencing somewhat of a renaissance as of late, and the opening of new apartment community Dixon Place continues that trend. MVE + Partners took leadership in the design of the 59-unit, Class A development.
Sponsored | Steel Buildings | Jan 25, 2022
Multifamily + Hospitality: Benefits of building in long-span composite floor systems
Long-span composite floor systems provide unique advantages in the construction of multi-family and hospitality facilities. This introductory course explains what composite deck is, how it works, what typical composite deck profiles look like and provides guidelines for using composite floor systems. This is a nano unit course.
Multifamily Housing | Jan 20, 2022
Texas’ first cohousing residential community breaks ground in East End Houston
The design will include sustainability elements.
Coronavirus | Jan 20, 2022
Advances and challenges in improving indoor air quality in commercial buildings
Michael Dreidger, CEO of IAQ tech startup Airsset speaks with BD+C's John Caulfield about how building owners and property managers can improve their buildings' air quality.
Multifamily Housing | Jan 13, 2022
Astra Tower will be Salt Lake City’s tallest high-rise
HKS designed the project.
3D Printing | Jan 12, 2022
Using 3D-printed molds to create unitized window forms
COOKFOX designer Pam Campbell and Gate Precast's Mo Wright discuss the use of 3D-printed molds from Oak Ridge National Lab to create unitized window panels for One South First, a residential-commercial high-rise in Brooklyn, N.Y.
Multifamily Housing | Jan 12, 2022
Nabr, co-founded by Bjarke Ingels, looks to reimagine the future of urban living
The company’s first development is slated to break ground in summer 2022.
Multifamily Housing | Jan 12, 2022
Construction begins on downtown Phoenix’s PALMtower
The multifamily tower will rise 28-stories.
ProConnect Events | Jan 8, 2022
ProConnect Events 2022: Multifamily, Sustainability, Education, and Single Family – watch the video to learn how to participate!
At ProConnect events, building product manufacturers meet with AEC professionals and real estate developers to discuss upcoming building projects, new products, and technical solutions.