Living

Luxury rising

New Market Square Tower is a Downtown development success story

Imagine being suspended in water, hanging 500 feet above the ground in the tallest pool in Texas with the Downtown skyline as a backdrop. Visible from almost every vantage point, this eye-catching pool demands the attention of Downtown dwellers below at any time of the day. At night, the sparkling pool is lit and becomes Houston’s own North Star.

Market Square Tower has been open for three months and is already 42 percent leased with 115 units occupied. These numbers are a testament to Market Square Tower’s position as a success story of the Downtown Living Initiative, a program created by the City of Houston, Downtown Redevelopment Authority and Downtown District, providing tax incentives to developers for new multifamily developments. The program, launched in 2012, was to increase residential, business and commercial activity in Downtown. Today there are approximately 5,400 residents within the Downtown District’s boundaries and 65,000 within greater Downtown (a two-mile radius); and the number of residents in the core of Downtown will more than double in the next few years. 

Residents attracted to Downtown living are predominantly young urban professionals working Downtown, empty nesters, reverse commuters and even small families. Despite the oil downturn, young people are moving to Houston, and Downtown is a perfect fit as they gravitate toward walkability, urban amenities and options closer to work.

Downtown life affords Millennials and empty nesters freedom from long commutes to a Downtown office, car payments and repairs. They can rely on their own two feet when it comes to transportation. They enjoy being able to walk to work, to restaurants, bars and even the movies. And if they do have a car, there is easy access to every major freeway and they are an equal distance to both major airports.  

Downtown’s offerings are growing by the day. Almost a dozen new restaurants have opened just since the first of the year. Historic Market Square continues to attract cool bars and restaurants, and the newly branded Avenida Houston is making its mark next to Discovery Green with a new pedestrian plaza with al fresco dining, public art and community programming that will launch this spring.

People naturally gravitate toward innovation and convenience. Market Square Tower provides just that. Occupying a full city block and rising 40 stories into Houston’s Downtown skyline, developer Woodbranch Investments Corp redefines luxury. Located at 777 Preston Street, the Tower with 463 residential units and designed by Jackson & Ryan Architects, stands within walking distance to nine world-renowned performing arts organizations in Houston’s Theater District and countless bars and restaurants. The Tower is the tallest residential building Downtown, a record that is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the Tower’s innovation. Market Square Tower provides a level of accommodation and luxury that is intuitive so residents can thrive in an atmosphere inspired by the surrounding arts and abundant creativity. Located next to neighborhood gem Market Square Park, the Tower is situated on the edge of Downtown Houston’s Historic District, adding another dimension to the area’s vintage, yet cosmopolitan flavor.

While it boasts a sleek design and monumental silhouette, Market Square Tower’s most attention-grabbing features are the amenities offered. The Tower is committed to providing residents with everything they need for an exclusive Downtown living experience. “The amenities at Market Square Tower were meticulously researched by our team to create a new kind of residential experience in Houston,” said Philip Schneidau, CEO of Woodbranch Investments Corp. Its amenities include upgraded connectivity to guarantee reliable cell reception throughout the tower, valet parking, pet sitting and walking, service runners for dry cleaning, package and grocery delivery. Other features include a Sky Gym with virtual fitness classes, sunless tanning suite, virtual golf simulator, billiards room, poker suite, temperature-controlled wine room, movie theater, and grand ballroom with a catering kitchen. For all other needs, CVS will be located at street level at the corner of Milam and Congress. The first of its kind in Houston, this CVS is a new urban concept with an expanded grocery space. The Tower’s two unique pool areas are the most talked-about features of the building – a rooftop infinity deck with a glass bottom pool shelf cantilevered 10 feet over the rooftop edge and a park terrace heated pool and spa with cabanas.

The Tower’s units range from 564 square foot studio apartments to 4,159 square foot penthouses. Each unit is decorated with a natural palette with custom details and custom-crafted cabinetry in three finish options, appropriately named Louisiana, Milam, and Preston, elegant lighting and hardwood floors in dining and living areas. All bedrooms are equipped with solar shades and black-out shades, fully customized closets throughout the home, and marble counters in all bathrooms. Select residences boast floor-to-ceiling windows, built-in wine coolers, spacious kitchens with islands, built-in bookshelves and art niches, oversized balconies and terraces, and large soaking tubs with separate walk-in showers.

In addition to Market Square Park, Discovery Green and Buffalo Bayou Park are also within an easy walk or bike ride from Market Square Tower. All three award-winning green spaces have been heavily credited for being an economic catalyst for growth for Downtown. With all this robust activity, combined with its strong economy, a growing urban population, and solidified status as being one of the nation’s top culinary and entertainment destinations, it’s easy to see how Houston has transformed itself into the global city it is today.

For more information please call 713.777.7000 or visit www.marketsquaretower.com.