In the News

Nov 6, 2025

I don't understand everything that goes into what makes a Michelin-worthy taco, but I like to think I know what good food tastes like. It's how I felt about Papalo Taqueria in Downtown Houston's The Finn (formerly Finn Hall). The taco joint spinoff of the celebrated Casaema in the Heights was one of a handful of taquerias in Texas to earn a nod in the Texas Michelin Guide's 2025 update.

Last week, Papalo earned a Bib Gourmand at Michelin's 2025 ceremony in Houston. The Bib is reserved for restaurants that serve quality food at an affordable price. And it seems pretty apt for the bright little restaurant that's nestled in the corner of Finn Hall.

Oct 31, 2025

The University of Houston-Downtown is entering the second phase of its $45 million "Gator Expansion" initiative to expand and reconfigure campus spaces to support student success.

This summer, the university started the 38,500-square-foot build-out of the Girard Street Building's fourth floor and an 8,350-square-foot renovation on the third floor to support the Welcome Center student registration experience.

That $20.5 million phase is slated to be delivered in August 2026. After that, the third phase will be a renovation of 30,200 square feet at the adjacent One Main Street building to reconfigure instructional and administrative spaces. The $18 million project will renovate levels 3, 7, 8 and 9.

Oct 30, 2025

Don’t call it a comeback, but downtown Houston is preparing to reintroduce itself to the world next year via a series of global sporting events. And Downtown Houston+ President and CEO Kris Larson thinks the city couldn’t be better positioned for such an opportunity.

During a packed “State of Downtown” event Oct. 30 at Post Houston’s 713 Music Hall, Larson said the city’s central business district is preparing to enter a new era just as it is set to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the World Baseball Classic — two events that are expected to draw huge crowds to Houston.

A series of new development projects that are either planned or are already underway will only help to spur more economic activity downtown, he said.
Even without events as high-profile as the World Cup, downtown Houston drew nearly 40 million non-employee visitors last year, continuing a steady uptick that has been underway since the Covid-19 pandemic.

Oct 29, 2025

A multimillion-dollar renovation is underway at the 50-story 910 Louisiana St. tower, which was once known as One Shell Plaza.
The tower will add new restaurant and retail spaces on the first floor and a new amenity floor for tenants.
The renovation project comes as 910 Louisiana's anchor tenant, NRG Energy, is preparing to to move to another downtown office tower.
...
In a statement to the Houston Business Journal, Kris Larson, president and CEO of Downtown Houston+, the organization charged with promoting the city's central business district, said downtown is becoming more interesting, comfortable and dynamic thanks to design upgrades, retrofitting and other key moves like those planned for 910 Louisiana.

"Downtown Houston boasts many unique destinations, but a constant refrain we hear is the need for improved human experiences, connectivity, and vitality between its buzzing activity centers," Larson said. "From theaters and parks to food halls, sports venues, and office towers, the experience of moving between these activity centers has fallen short of contemporary expectations.

"Today’s downtown attracts many audiences with new expectations for street experiences. We’ve been advocating for and supporting the kinds of interventions that the investor team will bring to 910 Louisiana: softening hard edges of buildings with landscaping, adding transparency and shade, and introducing opportunities for more consumer-facing services at the street level."

Oct 27, 2025

...One month out from Thanksgiving — and less than 60 days until Christmas — the city of Houston is transitioning into holiday mode. City and community leaders shared their plans Monday for some of the city's biggest holiday festivities.
...
City Lights Downtown Holiday Magic

City leaders also offered a sneak preview of the annual City Lights Downtown Holiday Magic events taking place this December.

Kris Larson, president and CEO of Downtown Houston+, said Monday the events will be set up in two spots — called the North and South Poles.

The “North Pole” is going to be around the Theater District. Lynn Wyatt Square is going to be centered around live performances, popup locations for hot cocoa, movies and fun activities after shows and performances in downtown Houston. Market Square Park will have singalong concerts, photos with Santa and an ugly sweater-edition of the popular blanket bingo.

Meanwhile, the “South Pole” will focus on Discovery Green's ice rink as well as lights along Avenida Plaza. Plus, the Houston Astros are launching their new "Light Up the Park" event at Daikin Park, starting Nov. 22, with Astros-themed light shows and displays. Tickets for Astros Light Up the Park go on sale Nov. 4.

Larson also said the city will be bringing back its popular Elf on the Shelf scavenger hunts across the city.

Oct 17, 2025

Acclaimed Houston chef Hugo Ortega and his wife and business partner, Tracy Vaught, are ready to open their latest restaurant in downtown's newest office tower.

The couple's company, H Town Restaurant Group, will open Zaranda in the Norton Rose Fulbright Tower at 1550 Lamar St. on Oct. 18. The tower overlooks Discovery Green and was previously known as 1550 on the Green until its anchor tenant moved in last year under a 15-year lease.

Oct 13, 2025

Today, Market Square Park and the surrounding district is now a lively pocket of lofts, restaurants, hotels and an urban park with a new restaurant. A major redevelopment by Downtown Houston + is underway on a neighboring stretch of Main Street.

“We didn’t set out to romanticize the past. We set out to make the past useful again so the city could grow around it,” said [Minnette] Boesel, founding Director of the Market Square Historic District Project.

...

After the completion of the Market Square Park renovation in 2010, the Downtown Management District entered into an operational agreement with the City to manage the park in terms of maintenance, programming and food operations. This has been a game changer for the Historic District.

Sep 20, 2025

The inaugural edition of Untitled Art, Houston, though half the size of its Miami Beach counterpart with 88 participating galleries, was a buzz, with robust sales, strong attendance, and a commitment from local collectors that seems to be following a shifting market all the way to Texas.

By the end of opening day on Thursday, September 18, Los Angeles–based gallery Megan Mulrooney, who showed artists Mason Owens and TJ Rinoski, completely sold out, while others like Rajiv Menon from Los Angeles and Swivel Gallery from New York reported steady sales.
Leading the sales was Houston–based gallery Sicardi | Ayers | Bacino, which sold a work by Carlos Cruz-Diez for $415,000. Additionally notable acquisitions include San Francisco’s Jessica Silverman who sold a bronze piece by Clare Rojas to the tune of $150,000 and Houston’s McClain Gallery, which fetched between $70,000 and $125,000 for two John Alexander paintings.

Most galleries reported consistency with strong mid-market sales in the $25,000–$50,000 range. A mix of local and (somewhat) regional collectors from Houston, Dallas, Austin, the Bay Area, New Orleans, Los Angeles, and San Francisco were in attendance and acquiring. Houston’s Laura (The Gallery) said it had sold five works by Shuling Guo to prominent local collectors, a trend echoed by other dealers.

Aug 29, 2025

Downtown Houston officials and stakeholders are preparing for one of the most unique sporting events of their lives: the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Houston will host seven matches at NRG Stadium, including two knockout rounds. While the matches will be played away from downtown, the city's core will still serve as a hub for hotels, transportation and the official fan festival in East Downtown. Officials expect about 500,000 people to visit the fan fest over the 39-day tournament.

Downtown’s hotel inventory will expand just in time, with occupancy expected to spike. The matches will be held in June and July — typically slow months for Houston’s hospitality industry — providing a significant boost. The World Cup is projected to generate $1.5 billion in regional economic impact.

Aug 26, 2025

Houston is transforming downtown's Main Street with a massive cooling project designed to reduce temperatures by 10 degrees ahead of the World Cup, which is less than a year away. The Main Street Promenade will span seven blocks from Commerce to Rusk Street, creating a pedestrian-friendly corridor with expanded shade and cooling elements.

Construction crews have been working on the project for two months, with workers currently digging tree wells to accommodate 80 new trees that will be planted starting next month. The ambitious undertaking aims to make downtown more comfortable for both visitors and locals in Houston's notorious heat.

Aug 5, 2025

Buffalo Bayou Park visitors can now charge electric vehicles there after Houston City Council member Abbie Kamin launched newly constructed chargers at the park Tuesday.

The charging station with two chargers is the first to be built using city council district funds, with a $100,000 allocation from Kamin's District C office.

[...]

The charging station, located off Allen Parkway in the Buffalo Bayou Park lot near Eleanor Tinsley Park, was constructed by Houston-based company EV Bolt. The initiative was organized through a partnership between city departments and District C; Downtown Houston+, a coalition of organizations and authorities that oversee downtown Houston's development; CenterPoint Energy; and Evolve, an organization that encourages electric vehicle adoption in Houston.

Aug 1, 2025

You’ll miss it if you’re just driving by, but head up three flights of stairs (or hop in the elevator) and you’ll discover something unexpected at POST Houston.

Sitting atop the former Barbara Jordan Post Office is the largest rooftop park in the country, a five-acre green space that’s as innovative as it is beautiful.

When Lovett Commercial took over the building four years ago, they set out to reimagine, not just the design of the building, but what Downtown Houston could be. Partnering with NASA, they have since designed an environmentally friendly building and then took it a step further by creating a living roof.

Jul 12, 2025

As cars speed by on winding highways taking thousands of Houstonians to their jobs and schools across the city, high above there are thousands of other workers buzzing along.

More than 750,000 bees thrive under the care of urban beekeepers across the tops of parking garages and skyscrapers in the heart of Houston.

There are over 15 beehive communities across commercial buildings downtown, Ann Taylor, Downtown Houston+ director of engagement, said.

Jul 11, 2025

Downtown living is booming.

[...]

For Kris Larson, president and CEO of Downtown Houston+, the management district of the area, the rise of residential living simply represents a return to fundamental principles of urban development.

“Residential density is a critical component of building a multifaceted downtown," he said. "This is not even just a Houston story, but a lot of what’s happening in American cities is really putting the pieces back together from the cities that we tore down in the 1970s and building back the multifaceted communities that once occupied the core of our cities.”

Jul 10, 2025

As of the third quarter of 2025, the vacancy rate stands at 11%, a six-year low.

[...]

Downtown Houston is home to a thriving cultural scene, ranking second nationally for the most number of theater seats, behind only New York. Amenities here include the Downtown Aquarium, sporting and music venues such as Minute Maid Park, the Toyota Center, the Wortham Theater and Discovery Green Park. Furthermore, downtown is transit-rich, with several Metro Rail stops running through the area. It holds a distinct advantage in capturing renters looking for density, walkability and public transit options in an infamously car-centric metropolitan area.

Jun 30, 2025

When it comes to great comeback stories, Downtown Houston is one for the books. Five years ago, the COVID-19 pandemic did a number on the neighborhood—office towers hollowed out overnight, restaurant lights flicked off, and the tunnels and streets echoed like empty subway platforms.

In 2025, the numbers tell a different story. Data from Downtown Houston+ show residential inventory climbing from 6,729 apartments at the end of 2020 to 8,222 today. At the same time, vacancy shrank from 17.4 percent to about 12 percent. Downtown Houston+ CEO Kris Larson notes that the district now welcomes roughly 30 million tourist visits each year, surpassing the 22 million annual work trips taken by Houston residents with jobs downtown.

Jun 27, 2025

Struggling office districts have emerged as a major economic and urban planning challenge for cities across the country.

As older, Class-B and C office buildings become emptier and owners have less money to put into them, they become a drag on the surrounding area while contributing little to the tax base.

[...]

“When we look at the genesis for a lot of our local mechanisms to facilitate economic development, they're around that notion of blight remediation, because blight creates a sprawling effect on real estate around it,” [Kris Larson] said.

Jun 23, 2025

Kris Larson, President and CEO of Downtown Houston+ sits down with the Hello Houston crew to discuss new economic developments in Downtown, including office-to-residential conversions, return-to-office trends, the visitation economy, the Main Street Promenade, and more.

Jun 18, 2025

“The fact that you can leave and walk around, and there’s so much culture… I really embrace all that stuff,” [Resident Stephanie] Rojas said. “The other day, I walked to Discovery Green and they had 100 people out there doing yoga, and I was like, ‘Man, that’s kind of cool.’”

Rojas is one of thousands of people who moved to Downtown between 2018 and 2023, making Houston’s central business district one of the fastest-growing residential areas in the city, according to a Houston Chronicle analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data.

Long burdened with the reputation of a place where the daily life cycle is dictated by the hours in the workday, Downtown leaders are trying to reimagine the area as a genuine urban hub where people don’t just come to work — they come to live and take advantage of everything a global city like Houston should offer.

May 30, 2025

Downtown Houston+ CEO Kris Larson: 'We're expecting the biggest event that Houston's ever hosted'

Ahead of the start of a $12 million project to modify seven blocks of Main Street into a pedestrian walkway, Downtown Houston+ President and CEO Kris Larson sat down for an exclusive interview with the Houston Business Journal.

The project, which kicks off officially on June 2, is part of preparations the city is doing to be ready for the onslaught of soccer fans that will be traveling throughout the city during the 2026 FIFA World Cup next summer.

Larson also discussed Downtown Houston+'s newest grant program to expand outdoor dining in downtown, the importance of supporting connectivity to the East End as Polk Street gets swallowed up by the massive George R. Brown Convention Center expansion and the goal to end homelessness in downtown Houston by the end of the year.

May 23, 2025

Two electric vehicle charging stations are being installed along Allen Parkway at Buffalo Bayou Park, the latest in the city's clean energy initiative.

Each station will support two vehicle connections and is expected to be operational by the end of the summer.

[...]

The Downtown Redevelopment Authority, also known as Downtown Houston+, will manage the installation and maintenance of the charging stations.

May 8, 2025

Cassie Hoeprich explained that connecting communities goes beyond a single block—it's about linking major destinations...[Downtown Houston+] will continue enhancing walkable areas and improving safety in dark locations by initiating the underpasses project.

“It's also great for us to get the installation up now, because we have people moving there every day (and) we want to create a safer passage right away,” Hoeprich said.

“We heard from the people,” she added. “The people said they want cooler places, well-lit places to walk between their favorite destinations.”

May 5, 2025

Walking around some stretches of downtown Houston after dark is going to get a lot brighter –and playful — as Downtown Houston+ implements part of its masterplan for a better pedestrian experience.

At the organization’s quarterly update and outlook event, held earlier this week, Moon Papas Art’s team of creatives debuted the color-filled, animated pathway installation they’ve designed, dubbed “Underpassage.”

Apr 16, 2025

Houston’s office workers lead the nation in the return-to-office trend which helps to keep Downtown Houston hopping with foot traffic, according to a new report.

Houston has been on a winning streak in 2025, ranking No. 1 among 10 top U.S. metros in employee return to office, Downtown Houston+ announced this week.

[...]

In March, Downtown Houston broke its own monthly record for employee recovery at 74.3% of pre-pandemic levels.

Apr 11, 2025

A new, nonstop bus route between Downtown Houston and George Bush Intercontinental Airport is launching...offering an alternative to rideshare, longer bus routes and parking at the terminal.

...Metro will begin service on the 500 IAH Downtown Direct, which will run every 30 minutes between the George R. Brown Convention Center and IAH's Terminal C from 5:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., seven days a week.

Apr 8, 2025

Downtown Houston was once known more for its parking lots than its art, but these days, the city center looks Instagram-ready.

That’s thanks to a coordinated effort that has brought dozens of vibrant murals from local and international artists to Houston’s central business district, beautifying the city and turning it into a massive, open-air art gallery.

Mar 28, 2025

Several downtown businesses will soon be getting facelifts thanks to several new grant programs offered by Downtown Houston+.

[...]

Cassie Hoeprich, the director of planning and economic development for Downtown Houston+, said the goal of the grants is to help develop a more cohesive Downtown environment.

"The hope is that [residents] can come Downtown in a year, park their car once or hop off the light rail and say, ‘Oh, I know how to get around. I'm going to take these streets because they're always cooler, they're always really well lit and it makes me feel comfortable and it's fun."

Mar 25, 2025

A new initiative is transforming Downtown Houston into a bustling area with up to $750,000 available in grant money for eligible businesses to expand their outdoor presence with patios, greenery or facade improvements.

The funds are part of the Thrive Storefront Grant program launched by Downtown Houston+, the organization leading the previously announced $12 million project to modify seven blocks of Main Street into a pedestrian walkway.

Mar 5, 2025

Danish wind turbine manufacturer Vestas has opened an office in downtown Houston.

The new office at 609 Main St. has space for up to 80 employees. A spokesperson for Vestas told the Houston Business Journal the company will be hiring new employees consistently over the next few years.

[...]

“Houston is the ideal location to expand our office operations in the U.S. due to its central proximity to many of our wind projects, customers, and suppliers,” Vestas North America President Laura Beane said in a statement.

Feb 6, 2025

A new collection of murals is decorating the streets of Downtown Houston while expanding on an ongoing beautification initiative.

Ten larger-than-life works of art are being created as the latest installments in the "Big Art. Bigger Change" project, which launched in the fall of 2022. Four of the new murals were unveiled Monday, bringing the total number of Downtown-area murals to 50.

Feb 6, 2025

More visitors, more in-office workers and more residents are helping Downtown Houston evolve as it heads into the new year as a place to live, work, play – and invest.

A high energy 2025 outlook event by Downtown Houston+ highlighted 20 of the management and vision organization’s 180 initiatives for this year. While “Downtown is back,” speakers said, its future is taking on a more vibrant, connected and layered environment.

Feb 4, 2025

Downtown Houston is well positioned to convert some of its neglected office properties into residential towers — but not just any residential towers, a new study has found.

Between the central business district’s relatively low barriers to construction and the number of buildings with high vacancy rates, developers have greater opportunities for office conversions than in many other parts of the country, according to the study, which was authored by San Francisco-based Gensler in collaboration with the Pew Charitable Trusts.

Feb 3, 2025

On a stretch of Main Street that will soon be closed to auto traffic in a transformative promenade design, a 116-year old historic office building is being converted into a boutique hotel.

Yes, Houston’s newest hotel will open in the oldest part of Houston.

The site – at the southeast corner of Main and Preston streets – was once the location of the Texas “White House” when Texas was an independent nation in the 1800s.

...Decades later, the 11-story Scanlan Building was erected there. When the office tower opened in 1909, it was the tallest building in Texas.

Today, the rebirth of the Scanlan Building is about to unfold.

Dec 27, 2024

“My ‘love letter’ to Downtown Houston, Petite Lucie will be the perfect spot to start your day with a freshly baked croissant and a steaming cup of coffee,” says Chef Pereney. “We’ll be open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. As the day progresses, the café transforms into an inviting lunch spot, offering a variety of savory dishes and refreshing beverages, as well as an expertly curated selection of wines, handcrafted cocktails, aperitifs, and premium beers.”.

In the evening, Petite Lucie exudes a romantic ambiance, ideal for a leisurely dinner or a drink at the bar. Their market-driven bistro menu is a global tribute to the culinary genre, drawing inspiration from regions like Provence, Normandy, and the Mediterranean coast. Chef Pereney also plans to customize the menu for fan-favorite events, including Movies Under the Stars, Blanket Bingo, and other park programming.

Dec 19, 2024

At Barbacana, chef Christian Hernandez is serving what he calls Houston-inspired cuisine, giving American dishes a flare of international flavors.

The restaurant opened this week downtown in the Bayou Lofts building, 907 Franklin. For now, it is serving a tasting menu before debuting its a la carte options in a couple of weeks. Hernandez, 34, has a resume of working at fine dining restaurants in Houston and New York, including Michelin-starred establishments.

Nov 20, 2024

The plan – a joint effort by the Coalition for the Homeless in Houston and Harris County, the city, the county and their partners – involves an increased focus on preventing people from falling into homelessness and providing those who do with a place to stay off the streets while they’re awaiting housing.

Nov 13, 2024

Downtown Houston+ invites Houstonians to embrace the magic of the holiday season at Historic Allen’s Landing Park with the debut of Snow Glow on the Bayou, a captivating light and music spectacular that combines cutting-edge technology with the natural beauty of Buffalo Bayou. Presented by the Houston Downtown Management District, this immersive installation brings the bayou to life with music, dazzling digital art, and light projections on a water screen that is four stories tall and six stories wide.

Oct 30, 2024

There’s a big change coming to Downtown Houston, one designed to make it more of a destination in time for the eyes of the world to be on the city.

Downtown Houston+ is teaming up with the City of Houston to permanently turn a stretch of Main Street into a pedestrian promenade with restaurants and bars along the walkway. It should be completed before the FIFA World Cup matches are played at NRG Stadium. Houston is hosting seven World Cup matches that will run from June 14 through July 4.

Oct 28, 2024

Neway Hospitality marked a construction milestone at the 17-story Holiday Inn Express/Staybridge Suites going up near Daikin Park.

The dual-branded hotel at 1319 Texas Ave. at Austin Street topped out, reaching a final height of 204 feet, last week. Sugar Land-based developer Neway Hospitality broke ground on the 275-room hotel in early October 2023 and plans to open it in October 2025.

[...]Neway will build an Urban Street Market grocery to serve guests of the 131-room extended stay Staybridge Suites and area residents.

Oct 25, 2024

By the time the 2026 FIFA World Cup comes to Houston, a seven-block stretch of Main Street is expected to be a car-free, pedestrian walkway lined with retail, patios and greenery.

Downtown Houston+, the organization leading the $12 million project, is unveiling its final design and renderings this week for the Main Street Promenade.

“This is going to create an environment that's unlike anything else that we have in Downtown,” said Kris Larson, CEO of Downtown Houston+.

Oct 17, 2024

GreenStreet, the downtown development that is home of House of Blues, is about to get a multimillion dollar update aimed at transforming how Houstonians interact with the 15-year-old mixed-use project.

Oct 17, 2024

GreenStreet, the bustling downtown mixed-use development, will soon undergo an extensive reimagining that its property managers promise will make it more vibrant and sustainable than ever before.

The project was highlighted during the State of Downtown presentation at the annual meeting hosted by Downtown Houston+ on Oct. 16.

Sep 26, 2024

University of Houston-Downtown will begin its 25-year campus expansion project with an acquired space in a skyscraper, more than 1 mile down the road in the business district.

The tenth floor at 1801 Main will house programs that focus on post-college success, helping students and alumni in a location near many of the places they hope to gain employment, UHD President Loren J. Blanchard said Thursday at a “State of the University” address.

Sep 24, 2024

Public safety guides walk around downtown, and are easily identifiable by their uniforms that say "public safety guide" and baseball caps. If there isn’t one in the immediate vicinity, residents can have one dispatched to their location by calling 713-223-2003 anytime between the hours of 7 a.m. and 11 p.m. Guides are not available outside of those hours.

Sep 19, 2024

New concept from Houston chef Omar Pereney to debut in Spring 2025

HOUSTON, TX – Today, the Houston Downtown Management District board of directors officially selected Houston chef Omar Pereney to operate a new Market Square Park restaurant.

Sep 17, 2024

A Downtown Houston landmark, Jones on Main, has secured the largest office deal so far this year, signing a tenant to take over a seven-floor space previously occupied by WeWork.

Sep 17, 2024

The new owners of Jones on Main, a historic office complex that has been a fixture downtown for 100 years, said they were partnering with a Michelin-star chef to revamp the complex’s food hall. They also recently landed downtown’s biggest office lease of the year to backfill a major space vacated by coworking giant WeWork.

Aug 2, 2024

The city continues to look at ways to enhance the gameday experience for fans downtown, looking at how the business community, properties and rights of way can be more expressive as it relates to that fan engagement, Larson said. The city also plans to continue adding hotels, restaurants and other high-density, mixed-use developments on the east side of downtown.

Jul 24, 2024

The Houston City Council has approved Houston First Corp.'s proposal to acquire additional properties for the planned George R. Brown Convention Center expansion.

Jul 10, 2024

The Houston Astros’ mixed-use entertainment district project planned next to Minute Maid Park is expected to be a significant driver of economic activity downtown.

Jun 12, 2024

Nearly a month after that devastating derecho, a number of downtown Houston streets and sidewalks are still closed to repair damaged buildings. At least eight people died during that May 16 storm. Downtown windows in several high-rises shattered, among other storm debris that is still, in some cases, being replaced.

May 31, 2024

While young professionals have responded positively to urban renewal efforts across the country over the last two decades, a few key hurdles remain: namely affordability, mobility and safety. In an effort to better understand the unique challenges faced by each of Texas’ four major cities, the Austin Business Journal recently gave a platform to urban advocates from across the state.

May 3, 2024

Just as modern parks and public spaces have learned that active programming really draws interest and attendance, downtown Houston appears to be adopting the playbook to boost reasons to work, live, play – and even stay there.

In a 1Q 2024 market report shared by Downtown Houston Plus – which represents Central Houston, Downtown Houston District and Downtown Redevelopment Authority – the findings’ takeaway is in its title: On Solid Ground.

“The pandemic is in the rear-view window,” said Kris Larson, CEO and president of the organization, which stewards and monitors the economic performance of downtown.

May 2, 2024

A Florida real estate firm has purchased Jones on Main, a mixed-use complex that has been a landmark in downtown Houston for about 100 years.

The deal is a sign that some investors are still willing to bet on Houston office space in spite of the broader challenges facing landlords post-pandemic.

The Wideman Co., an Orlando-based real estate firm, paid an undisclosed, all-cash price for the complex on April 30, the company said. The acquisition includes the JPMorgan Chase Bank Building, a 34-story, 794,000-square-foot tower at 712 Main as well as its companion building, the Great Jones Building, a 10-story, 95,000-square-foot tower at 708 Main.

May 1, 2024

The latest progress on that effort is the More Space: Main Street 2.0 project moving into its final design and engineering phase. Downtown Houston+, the organization previously known as Central Houston, is spearheading the project that will permanently transform seven blocks of Main Street, from Rusk Street to Allen’s Landing Park, into a pedestrian promenade.

This is one part of the solution to negating Houston’s notoriety for being a place that requires a vehicle to get around, Downtown Houston+ President and CEO Kristopher Larson told Bisnow.

Apr 14, 2024

A Houston developer is planning a nearly 500-unit district in downtown Houston offering housing priced for low- and moderate-income residents — a unique offering for an area with some of highest rents in the region.
“With 25% of our employment base working in the service industry and similar jobs, providing housing for them is an essential ingredient of a healthy downtown economy,” said Kris Larson, CEO of Downtown Houston+.

Jan 10, 2024

The old days are never coming back, which is fine. Nostalgia isn’t how Houston rolls. The office vacancies today are a chance to make a better city, one where people of all income levels and backgrounds can benefit from the vast potential of creating new housing.

Dec 14, 2023

Service Corporation International (NYSE: SCI), one of Houston's largest publicly traded companies, is one step closer to building a new headquarters tower on the site of KHOU's former home.

The Downtown Redevelopment Authority board, which administers Houston's Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone No. 3, voted on Dec. 12 to authorize a tax increment reimbursement of $13.79 million for public infrastructure improvements and storm resilience related to the $150 million SCI project. The move will provide significant public benefit — including job retention, enhanced public storm water management, pedestrian amenities and environmental resiliency — without incurring upfront cost or new debt for the city, the DRA said.

Dec 2, 2023

Nearly 40 years ago, the U.S. Post Office named its regional post office at 401 Franklin St. after trailblazing congresswoman and Houston icon Barbara Jordan.

Jordan was remembered again Saturday at the same spot with the unveiling of a monument titled “I Am Barbara Jordan” at the site, now home to POST Houston, which bills itself as a dining, cultural and workplace hub.

The sculpture, designed by artist Angelbert Metoyer, features Jordan sitting, facing south toward the skyline with her right hand outstretched.

Nov 22, 2023

Houston shows it’s not inevitable or hopeless. We may not eliminate homelessness altogether, but if we could reduce it by 60 percent, as the city has, we would be a better nation. And one sign of the success of Houston’s approach is that others are copying it.

Nov 3, 2023

Sometime in the future, going to an Astros game might also include a stop at a themed bar for some pregame Karbach Crawford Bocks, shopping for a sweet Tequila Sunrise-style jacket, and shoving down some tacos al pastor with friends mere steps from Minute Maid Park. All within an hour and on the same piece of land.

That’s the idea behind the planned multi-million-dollar "entertainment district" the Astros unveiled Thursday at the 2023 State of Downtown event hosted by economic development nonprofit Central Houston.

Nov 3, 2023

Despite the well-publicized challenges facing Houston’s office market, Central Houston Inc. President and CEO Kris Larson said there are plenty of reasons to remain bullish on downtown as a place to do business.

During Larson’s annual “State of Downtown” address Nov. 2, he said downtown’s office buildings are well positioned to benefit from the ongoing flight-to-quality trend that has been underway across the city for many years.

“Seventy percent of all our downtown office space is Class A space, and 36% has either been constructed or renovated since 2020,” Larson said. “We also have another 375,000 square feet of Class A space under construction.”

Aug 4, 2023

Investments pouring into downtown promise to breathe life into the area. Kristopher Larson, president and CEO of Central Houston, is the person tasked with overseeing downtown’s revitalization. And he has some big ideas about what comes next.

Nov 28, 2022

When Kris Larson landed in the job that made him the new face of downtown Houston, he knew he had big shoes to fill. His predecessor, Bob Eury, had led the downtown economic development group Central Houston since its inception about 40 years ago. Larson is working to knit together the three organizations under a shared vision to shepherd in the next phase of growth for downtown.