Articles - Downtown Houston

Green Means Go

2013-06-01T13:00:00Z

How do you turn three lackluster blocks – plus a parking garage – into a lively destination people not only want to visit, but also don’t want to leave?

You roll out the green carpet.

That’s just one key tactic Houston-based Midway is using to pump life into the former ...

Game On!

2013-06-01T11:00:00Z

Standing outside the big, plate-glass window on the concrete plaza between Caroline and San Jacinto streets in downtown’s GreenStreet complex, you might – just for a minute – think you’ve stumbled into a mini Rockefeller Center in New York. That’s because on game days for the Houston Rockets, Astros ...

Batanga Falls Into Place

2013-06-01T11:00:00Z

Restaurant owner Brian Fasthoff has been visiting his brother in Houston for more than 20 years. An Atlanta native, he saw something special happening in Houston.

“The scene is exploding, and not just the culinary scene. Every time you turn around there’s another national article about Houston,” says Fasthoff ...

Backstage Profile: Hans Graf

2013-03-02T12:00:00Z

Houston Symphony Music Director Hans Graf will take his last bow from the Jones Hall podium this May, after 12 seasons leading our city’s oldest performing arts organization. Ahead of his last string of concerts at the post, Graf sat down with us to talk about his time with ...

Sweet Sounds

2013-03-01T12:00:00Z

It’s no secret that the diversity of Houston is one of the traits that make it great. This diversity is displayed in numerous ways, one of the most prevalent being the music scene – more specifically, the downtown music scene. Whether you’re looking for something small and intimate or ...

Savory Selections: What's New at Morton's?

2013-03-01T12:00:00Z

Morton’s, the classic Chicago steakhouse, opened in 1978 when steak lunches were popular with a male-dominated work crowd. While the prime steaks never failed to please, the steakhouse scene began to dwindle as baby boomers began to retire and a younger workforce sought out more diverse menus.

In 2011 ...

90 Years of Building Houston

2013-03-01T12:00:00Z

For nine decades Fretz Construction has built – and preserved – a vast catalogue of Houston’s iconic structures. For the company, which celebrates 90 years in 2013, the ideals put into place by its founder Edmond A. Fretz remain pillars of the company today.

After 10 years as the City of ...

Dynamic Duos – Making Downtown Even Better

2013-03-01T12:00:00Z

Houston is known for its can-do spirit. Have an idea? A dream? Willing to work to make it happen? Then Houston’s your city – and Houstonians will help you make your vision a reality.

The dynamic duos in this issue are dreamers and doers, working together to mold their unique ...

Growing OKRA Downtown

2012-12-01T18:00:00Z

In November 2011, a group of 12 restaurant and bar owners gathered in Bobby Heugel’s 600-square-foot garage apartment to pool their strengths for the good of independent restaurants and bars in Houston – and for the good of all who enjoy visiting these establishments.

This determined dozen named themselves OKRA ...

Neighborhood Noshing

2012-12-01T18:00:00Z

It’s easy to feel at home when you walk through the door at the newly opened Barnaby’s Cafe in Market Square. The casual-fare favorite opened its doors downtown in September, offering its signature combination of comfort food and friendliness. Barnaby’s team members greet you as you walk ...

Emerging Leaders

2012-12-01T12:00:00Z

One of Houston’s original and longest-running young professionals groups, Emerging Leaders, has taken 2012 by storm with its rebirth, including a new look, new leadership and new programming. The 500+ member group was founded more than 10 years ago under the parent umbrella of the Houston Downtown Alliance. It ...

Arts & Entertainment Profile

2012-09-01T17:00:00Z

On the dawn of Da Camera of Houston’s 25th anniversary season, we talked to Artistic and General Director Sarah Rothenberg about her role, the changing landscape of the organization and what the future holds.

Your role at Da Camera of Houston has recently changed. What has that transition been ...

Houston Cinema Arts Festival Rolls Out The Red Carpet In The City's Urban Core

2012-09-01T17:00:00Z

From its undisputed world-class opera, ballet, and symphony companies to the internationally acclaimed nonprofit photographic education and arts organization FotoFest – not to mention a staggering number of public art works by internationally renowned artists – downtown Houston just might be the world’s least-known haven for art and art lovers of ...

International Flavors, Entrepreneurial Ex-Pats

2012-09-01T11:00:00Z

The Veteran: Bibas Diner 233 Main

At 78, Haritos Bibas opened what he estimates is his 25th restaurant. “I am working, I am alive, and I take pride in my food,” says Bibas with a smile. “The payoff is not the money. It’s the interaction with people.”

And the ...

Backstage Fall 2012

2012-09-01T11:00:00Z

Wortham Center

DaCamera of Houston celebrates its 25th anniversary season this year, kicking things off with a celebration of masterpieces. Opening Night: 25th Anniversary Celebration on Sept. 28 includes Fanfare Da Camera, a commissioned piece by Houston composer Pierre Jalbert. DaCamera’s artistic and general director Sarah Rothenberg will sit ...

Strategic location offers access to business giants

2012-09-01T11:00:00Z

Deloitte, experts in strategic business practices, see their downtown Houston office poised for growth

Deloitte, one of the nation’s elite professional services firms, constantly seeks and dispenses advice on the smartest, most efficient, and successful methods for business in virtually every known industry. Each of the Big Four maintains ...

On a Roll

2012-06-01T17:00:00Z

In an age of thickening waistlines, a depleting ozone layer and sky-high gas prices, people are seeking alternatives when it comes to transportation, exercise and saving money. A remarkably simple answer addressing all three lies in an invention that’s been around for nearly 200 years: the bicycle.

To date ...

125 Years of Compassionate Care

2012-06-01T17:00:00Z

The venerable St. Joseph Medical Center marks its 125th birthday this June. We could say “anniversary,” but the word “birthday” seems more appropriate for the downtown hospital known as Houston’s birthplace. According to the hospital, there was a time when approximately one in three Houstonians was born at St ...

Food of the Gods

2012-06-01T17:00:00Z

Niko Niko’s Greek & American Cafe has come a long way since its first day of business 35 years ago when the owners cashed out for the evening with a measly $15 profit. In 1977, Chrisanthios Fetokakis and his wife Eleni had opened the walk-up window shop on Montrose in ...

Backstage Summer 2012

2012-06-01T17:00:00Z

Imagine it is 1987 – the world’s population had reached 5 billion; gasoline cost just under $0.90 per gallon; Margaret Thatcher was elected as prime minister of the United Kingdom and it was the year nobody put baby in the corner. It also was the year that Houstonians stood ...

For law firm Jackson Walker, downtown means business

2012-06-01T11:00:00Z

Kurt Nondorf, managing partner for the Houston branch of Jackson Walker, beams with pride about his law firm’s recently renovated and expanded offices in 5 Houston Center. From their perch 19 floors above Walker Street, the central lobby features a wide-open, double-height view of downtown looking north.

Jackson Walker ...

Neighborhood Nuances

2012-03-02T04:00:00Z

Once considered a ghost town after 5 p.m., the emergence of new retail and restaurants downtown is daring people to change their perceptions. As the largest business district in Houston, the area is flooded with people who want more than just a place to work. Downtown’s division into ...

Fantastic!

2012-03-01T18:14:24Z

Let’s face it. Whether they’re up or down, having a great season or not, the Astros have Houston’s heart.

It is easy to forget, but Houston has not always been a major league city, both literally and metaphorically. Sure, the city was known for oilmen with longhorn ...

Freshen Up!

2012-03-01T12:00:00Z

With Houston’s temperate climate, we don’t experience spring the way others around the country do, where there’s excitement about the first crocuses pushing through the earth, and the robin’s song heralds the passing of winter’s cold. Here, our sunny days grow sunnier, and we find ...

A Long-term Relationship

2012-03-01T12:00:00Z

Big Oil and big buildings have been permanently entwined with downtown Houston’s identity since the mid 20th century. Shell Oil Company recently underscored its connection to downtown by renewing its lease on its eponymous downtown properties through 2025.

Shell’s presence in downtown Houston officially began in 1970, after ...