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90-462: It is located 18 mi southeast of downtown Houston at Interstate 45 South and Bay Area Blvd. It has five major anchors and more than 170 stores and restaurants. It has 1,240,000 sq ft (115,000 m) of retail space. Officially announced in April 1977 as the first Houston development of Homart Development Company , Baybrook mall was purposely built smaller than other regional area centers at

180-634: A 40% interest in Centermark Properties from Prudential Financial . In 1995, the company sold 25% of its 40% stake, yielding a profit of over $ 100 million. In 1995, the company also purchased the Homart Development Company from Sears for $ 1.85 billion. In 1995, co-founder and CEO Martin Bucksbaum died and the company moved its headquarters from Des Moines to Chicago. In 1999, John Bucksbaum succeeded his father as CEO. In 2000,

270-401: A 96%-97% occupancy rate, commanded an average lease rate of $ 220 per square foot, had more than 160 stores, 1.2 million square feet of retail space, and parking for 5700 cars. With more than 500,000 people in its trade area, Baybrook's average shopper visited the mall more than 3 times per month, and spent an average of $ 84 each visit. These sales figures resulted in a 10% increase in revenue from

360-623: A dock, commercial district, the capitol building of the Republic of Texas , and an estimated population of 1,500. 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. 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

450-762: 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. The Gulf Hotel fire occurred in 1943. Areas which are now considered part of Downtown were once within Third and

540-401: A fourth location for the grocery store founded by their father. By 1964, the company owned five malls and moved its headquarters to Des Moines, Iowa . In 1970, General Management became General Growth Properties (GGP) and became a public company via an initial public offering . In 1984, the company sold its holdings to Equitable Real Estate Investment Management for $ 800 million in

630-519: A later expansion raising the lease space to almost 1 million square feet. The first anchor tenants were announced to be Montgomery Ward , Sears , and Joske's . The land was graded in July 1977 in preparation of an August 1978 opening. The ribbon cutting for Baybrook Mall was held July 26, 1978. The mall opened with 77 merchants, including: Joske's , Montgomery Ward , Sears , Luby's , Radio Shack , and Zale Corporation . A major expansion to Baybrook Mall

720-777: A result, Downtown's residential population has increased to 10,165 people in 4,777 units, up from 900 units in the 1995. 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. In spring 2009, luxury high-rise One Park Place opened-up with 346 units. 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

810-573: A result, in 1839 the Texas Capitol was moved to Austin . 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. The boundaries of the original four wards of Houston radiated out from the intersection of Main and Congress streets; the First Ward

900-469: A return of a theater to Baybrook, as Star Cinema grill constructed a 42,000 square ft flagship location; and Baybrook had not had a theater since General Cinema closed their location in 1998. The second phase 270,000 sq. ft. Power Center opened in November 2016. The power center, constructed adjacent to the lifestyle expansion, features Dick's Sporting Goods (one of five throughout Greater Houston) as one of

990-522: 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 m ) in size. 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. Each block

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1080-503: A store at Baybrook Mall in the space vacated by Ward's. Foley's moved in to the vacated anchor spot in November 2001. Upon Foley's move to the renovated original Joske's building in 2004, J.C. Penney announced they would open a store at Baybrook. J.C. Penney chose to demolish the original two-story Ward's building and build a new 93,000 square foot one-story store in its place. Penney's store at Baybrook opened November 2005. Mervyn's 80,000 square foot anchor store opened in 1984 as part of

1170-478: 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

1260-434: Is Houston's single largest office market, containing 50 million square feet (4,600,000 m ) of space. A premium submarket, Downtown commands the highest office rental rates in the city and was one of the ten most expensive office markets in the United States in 2016. Louisiana Street, which runs through the heart of the district, is one of the fifteen most expensive streets in the United States. 3,500 businesses in

1350-655: The Bank of the Southwest Tower . 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

1440-522: 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. By 2022 activity at hotel and entertainment establishments recovered. In May 2024, a derecho struck the downtown Houston causing damage. In the 1960s, downtown comprised a modest collection of mid-rise office structures, but has since grown into one of the largest skylines in

1530-617: 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. From 1971 to 2018, about 40 downtown buildings and other properties have been listed on

1620-489: The "new" Main Street, a plaza with many eateries, bars and nightclubs, which brings many visitors to a newly renovated locale. Phoenicia Specialty Foods opened a downtown grocery store in 2011, located in One Park Place . 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. Office traffic declined during

1710-457: The 1890s, new, larger local streetcar companies finally accumulated the capital necessary to begin constructing streetcar suburbs beyond the conventional boundaries of the city. This led to the development and rapid growth of areas like the Houston Heights and Montrose . Residential development subsequently moved out of the central business district; Quality Hill was virtually abandoned by

1800-526: The 1950s separated portions of the historic Third Ward from the rest of the Third Ward and brought those portions into Downtown. 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

1890-404: The 23rd tallest skyscraper in the world. In 1983, the 71-floor, 296 m (971 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. Twelve years later,

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1980-423: The 285,000 square foot Lifestyle Center. The Lifestyle expansion included a green space, stage, 22' x 12' digital screen, retail stores, restaurants, and entertainment venues. New tenants included Dave & Buster's , Star Cinema Grill, Bar Louie , Z Gallerie , Kendra Scott, Yard House , Perry's Steakhouse, Zara (retailer) , Arhaus , Maggiano's Little Italy and many other establishments. The expansion remarked

2070-470: The Clear Lake area continued to grow. The area growth was reflected at Baybrook, and many stores expressed interest in leasing space. Other area malls were fully occupied, so Baybrook became a logical alternative. 1984 and 1985 saw an economic downturn in the area, but Baybrook continued to see a consistent increase in sales. Baybrook Mall became one of the many retail establishments to open on Sundays prior to

2160-672: The Continental Center complex; 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. 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." Hotel operators in Downtown reacted favorably, predicting that

2250-532: The Dillard's name. Therefore, the Joske's original anchor store at Baybrook Mall was the first anchor at the mall to undergo a name change when it became Dillard's in 1987. Baybrook Mall advertising was using the Dillard's name, instead of Joske's, as of August 1987. Ten years later, in 1997, this location became the Dillard's store for men and home departments only when Dillard's moved the women's and children's departments to

2340-890: 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. 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. 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. Downtown

2430-580: The Houston-based Enron Corporation began constructing a 40-floor, 1,284,013sq.ft skyscraper in 1999 (which was completed in 2002) 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

2520-666: The Joske's building, and one in the Macy's building. The Macy's location became the Dillard's store for women's and children's departments. In 2004 Dillard's renovated and expanded the former Macy's location, from 218,000 square feet to 330,000 square feet. With the greatly expanded store, they consolidated their two Baybrook locations into one. After 128 years in business, Montgomery Ward announced in December 2000 they were filing for bankruptcy, and closing all stores. The Baybrook location closed in early 2001. After much speculation, Foley's opened

2610-546: 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. In 1986, Downtown's Class A office occupancy rate was 81.4%. The Downtown Houston business occupancy rate of all office space increased from 75.8% at

2700-680: 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

2790-520: The Sears at Baybrook Mall, into Seritage Growth Properties. On June 22, 2017, Sears announced that its Baybrook store would be closing, along with one other Greater Houston store, as part of a plan to close 20 stores nationwide. The Baybrook store, which was an original anchor from 1978, closed in September 2017 and sits vacant. Downtown Houston Downtown is the largest central business district in

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2880-445: The United States. In 1960, the central business district had 10 million square feet (930,000 m ) of office space, increasing to about 16 million square feet (1,500,000 m ) in 1970. Downtown Houston was on the threshold of a boom in 1970 with 8.7 million square feet (800,000 m ) of office space planned or under construction and huge projects being launched by real estate developers . The largest proposed development

2970-445: The acquisition of Foley's parent company, The May Department Stores Company , Macy's returned to the mall. Previously, in 1987, Dillard's (on the south side) and Macy's (on the north side) faced off against each other at Baybrook Mall. Because of acquisitions and name changes, 20 years later Dillard's held the north side anchor, and Macy's became the south anchor. In March 2014 Baybrook was at almost 100% leasing capacity, and considered

3060-482: The anchor tenants. Other retailers in the power center included The Container Store and Total Wine & More , which would be their first locations in the southeast side of Houston . The combined expansion has made it the second largest mall in the Houston area, after The Galleria . In April 1987, Dillard's purchased the Joske's chain of stores. This change of ownership resulted in all Joske's stores being renamed with

3150-831: The building, and added an additional 100,000 square feet of retail space. The renovation and expansion of the building was completed in nine months. The new store opened November 2004. Foley's owner, May Company, sold all of their stores to Federated Stores , and Federated changed Foley's name to the Macy's nameplate. The Macy's name change took effect in 2006, and marked the return of Macy's to Baybrook. To focus on their Texas locations in Houston , Dallas and San Antonio , Macy's sold their three suburban Houston stores to Dillard's in March 1997. This change resulted in Baybrook having two Dillard's stores, one in

3240-638: The central business district. Station 8 is in Fire District 8. 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. Fire Station 1, which was located at 410 Bagby Street, closed in 2001, 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. "Stonewall #3," organized in 1867,

3330-441: 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 km ) 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

3420-529: The city switched to a commission government and the wards, as political entities, were dissolved. 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). The neighborhood

3510-475: The city's preeminent commercial district since its founding in 1836. Today home to nine Fortune 500 corporations, Downtown contains 50 million square feet (4,600,000 m ) of office space and is the workplace of 150,000 employees. 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

3600-444: 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

3690-404: The company and Sandeep Mathrani , formerly the head of the retail division of Vornado Realty Trust , was named CEO. In 2011, the company sold Faneuil Hall for $ 140 million. In January 2012, the company completed the spin off of Rouse Properties to its shareholders. In 2013, co-founder Matthew Bucksbaum died. In February 2014, Bill Ackman sold his remaining shares in the company back to

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3780-456: The company for $ 556 million. In April 2015, the company acquired the Crown Building for $ 1.78 billion. In January 2017, the company changed its name to GGP Inc. On August 28, 2018, GGP was acquired by Brookfield Property Partners and management of its former portfolio was transferred to its Brookfield Properties subsidiary for $ 9 billion in cash. The transaction reunited

3870-421: The company had taken on $ 25 billion in debt and the company was facing required debt payments. John Bucksbaum was ousted as CEO, though he remained chairman of the board , and Adam Metz was named CEO. In December 2008, hedge fund manager Bill Ackman disclosed a 25% ownership stake in the company. In 2009, the company missed a deadline to repay $ 900 million in loans backed by two Las Vegas properties, putting

3960-435: The company in danger of filing for bankruptcy protection. At that point, the stock price was down 98% in 12 months. The Bucksbaum family's stake in the firm, which was worth $ 2.5 billion in 2005, had declined in value by a similar amount. On April 16, 2009, the company filed one of the largest real estate bankruptcies ever and received $ 375 million in debtor-in-possession financing from Pershing Square Capital Management ,

4050-415: The company moved its headquarters from Des Moines to Chicago. The company occupied a historic building on North Wacker Drive designed by architectural firm Graham, Anderson, Probst & White , that was later demolished. In 2004, the company acquired The Rouse Company , which owned 37 regional shopping malls and Howard Hughes Corporation , a land development company, for $ 7.2 billion in cash. By 2008,

4140-422: 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. The construction of Interstate 45 in

4230-700: The district employ approximately 150,000 workers. Major employers include Chevron , JPMorgan Chase , and United Airlines . Downtown Houston has between 35% and 40% of the Class A office locations of the business districts in Houston. Firms which are headquartered in Downtown include: Continental Airlines (now known as United Airlines ) formerly had its headquarters in Continental Center I . At one point, ExpressJet Airlines had its headquarters in Continental's complex. In September 1997 Continental Airlines announced it would consolidate its Houston headquarters in

4320-434: The district. Over 100,000 people commute through Downtown daily. 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

4410-536: The end of 1987 to 77.2% at the end of 1988. By the late 1980s, 35% of Downtown Houston's land area consisted of surface parking. In the early 1990s Downtown Houston still had more than 20% vacant office space. By 1987 many of the office buildings in Downtown Houston were owned by non-U.S. real estate figures. 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 m ) of space. In 1997 Tim Reylea,

4500-405: 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. In 2004, the real estate firm Cresa Partners stated that

4590-408: The first decade of the 21st century to transform Downtown into an active city center with residential housing, a nightlife scene and new transportation. 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. January 1, 2004, marked the opening of

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4680-668: 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. JPMorgan Chase Bank has its Houston operations headquartered in the JPMorgan Chase Building (Gulf Building). LyondellBasell has offices in the LyondellBasell Towers formerly known as 1 Houston Center . Hess Corporation has exploration and production operations in One Allen Center ., but will move its offices to

4770-540: The hedge fund managed by Bill Ackman. In February 2010, Brookfield Asset Management made a $ 2.625 billion equity investment in the company. In November 2010, the company exited bankruptcy protection. Creditors were paid in full and equity holders made a "substantial" recovery of their investment, both of which are unusual in bankruptcy filings. In conjunction with the reorganization, the company spun off Howard Hughes Corporation to its shareholders. In December 2010, CEO Adam Metz and President and COO Thomas Nolan left

4860-400: The largest-ever single-asset real estate transaction to date, but retained the property management of the assets. In 1989, the company acquired Center Companies, creating the fourth-largest shopping center management company in the United States. In 1993, the company once again became a public company via an initial public offering , raising $ 400 million. In 1994, the company purchased

4950-433: The local paper to promote an ad campaign to shop local. In February 1989 Baybrook Mall was 96% occupied, making it the mall with the second highest percentage of occupied space in the Houston area. 1990 saw a continued increase in revenue, as sales were reported to be an increase of 22% from the same period of the previous year. Baybrook underwent what was described as a major proactive renovation in 1994. The revamping of

5040-539: The mall included new rotundas at each mall entrance, rotundas at the mall entrances of each anchor store, redesigned shopping concourses, continuous vaulted skylights, and additional rest areas. The $ 8 million project also replaced the old terrazzo and quarry flooring with a more elegant marble surface, added a new center court fountain, and also added a brightly colored facade at the main external mall entrance. New amenities included additional ATM machines, stroller rental, new directories, and more signage. All construction work

5130-410: The move would cause an increase in occupancy rates in their hotels. 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,

5220-675: The new BG place at 811 Main St. Mayer Brown has his Houston office in the Bank of America Center . When Texas Commerce Bank existed, its headquarters were in what is now the JPMorgan Chase Building (Gulf Building). Prior to its collapse in 2001, Enron was headquartered in Downtown. In 2005 Federated Department Stores announced that it will close Foley's 1,200 employee headquarters in Downtown Houston. Houston Industries (HI, later Reliant Energy) and subsidiary Houston Power & Lighting (HL&P) historically had their headquarters in Downtown. Halliburton 's corporate headquarters office

5310-403: The new capitol building and a large hotel at no cost to the government. 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. 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

5400-443: The new mall expansion. It ceased operations at the end of 2005 when Mervyn's parent company closed 62 underperforming stores, 28 of them in Texas, and vacated the Houston market. The store sat empty for four years, until it was renovated for Forever 21 . Forever 21 previously had a 7000 square foot space at Baybrook, and moved to the former Mervyn's building in 2010. In 2015, Sears Holdings spun off 235 of its properties, including

5490-559: The north. The district's streets form a strict grid plan of approximately 400 square blocks, 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. 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 . Several sub-districts exist within Downtown, including: Downtown Houston encompasses

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5580-575: 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 m ) of office space, including more than 29 million square feet (1,861,704 m ) of class A office space. Notable buildings that form Houston's downtown skyline: In 2017

5670-459: 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 $ 261,584 in 2023). The Allen brothers settled at the confluence of White Oak and Buffalo bayous,

5760-438: The premiere shopping destination for the southeast quadrant of Houston. At this time it was announced Baybrook was planning a massive expansion. The expansion would include a new outdoor Lifestyle center , and retail Power Center, adding a combined additional 500,000 square feet to the mall, including more than 30 retail stores and 10 restaurants. In November 2015, Baybrook Mall completed the first part of its two-phase expansion,

5850-516: 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. 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. By

5940-450: The previous year. Retailers referred to Baybrook as "an A plus mall". The holiday shopping season of 1988 saw the City of Galveston asking their residents to shop at home at their own Galvez Mall, rather than taking their shopping dollars to Baybrook Mall. Baybrook was 27 miles away from Galveston's mall, yet was considered such an economic threat that Galveston partnered with area merchants and

6030-446: The recently acquired former Macy's location. In 2004 Dillard's renovated and expanded their store in the original Macy's building. Because of the expansion they were able to consolidate their two Baybrook stores into the now larger location, and vacate their smaller store which had served as the men's and home store. During this time, Foley's announced they would move to the location Dillard's had just vacated. Foley's completely renovated

6120-522: The repeal of the Texas Blue Law in September 1985, which prohibited many retail items being purchased on Sundays. Even though it was located in what was considered a safe suburban area, the 80's saw random violence occur at Baybrook Mall, including a kidnapping and the death of a man shot in his truck in the mall parking lot in 1985. By 1987 the mall was now owned by RREEF and underwent a 2 million dollar renovation. In July 1988 Baybrook Mall averaged

6210-618: The station moved to Spring Branch . 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. 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. GGP Inc. GGP Inc. (an initialism of General Growth Properties )

6300-432: The time. The Clear Lake area of Houston, along with northern Galveston County , were considered blue collar areas; and it was thought that a large scale shopping center wouldn't succeed in what was a still growing area. For that reason, the mall was not built on a grand scale, and instead as an energy efficient, compact shopping center. The mall's original lease space would be approximately 625,000 square feet, with hope for

6390-482: The town in 1837. 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. 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. As

6480-473: The turn of the 20th century. 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

6570-664: The two districts. 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. The Edward A. Thomas Building, headquarters of HPD, is located in 1200 Travis Downtown. Houston Fire Department Station 8 Downtown at 1919 Louisiana Street serves

6660-644: The under construction Hess Tower (Named after the company) upon its completion. ExxonMobil has Exploration and Producing Operations business headquarters at the ExxonMobil Building . Qatar Airways operates an office within Two Allen Center ; it also has a storefront in the Houston Pavilions . Enbridge has its Houston office in the Enterprise Plaza . KPMG has their Houston offices in

6750-640: The vacancy rate in Downtown Houston's Class A office space was almost 20%. The Texas Legislature established the Downtown Houston Management District in 1995. 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

6840-505: 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. As of September 2011

6930-585: 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." 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. By 2000, demand for Downtown office space increased, and construction of office buildings resumed. The cutbacks by firms such as Dynegy , in addition to

7020-629: Was an American commercial real estate company and the second-largest shopping mall operator in the United States. It was founded by brothers Martin , Matthew and Maurice Bucksbaum in Cedar Rapids, Iowa , in 1954, and was headquartered in Chicago , Illinois , from 2000. It was subject to the largest real estate bankruptcy in American history at the time of its filing in 2009. GGP was acquired by Brookfield Property Partners , and management of its portfolio

7110-454: Was announced by Homart in March 1983, which added an additional 365,000 square feet of retail space to the mall, including two new anchor stores, Mervyn's , and an additional store to be named later. Macy's announced in February 1984 they were building stores in Texas, and would become the fifth anchor store at Baybrook. The grand opening of the new expansion of 20 retail stores, plus Mervyn's ,

7200-452: Was done at night as to lessen the inconvenience to customers, and the project was completed in 10 months. The celebratory ribbon cutting was held in November 1994. In 1999 Baybrook was sold to GGP Inc. , which merged with Brookfield Property Partners in 2018, and continues to be Baybrook's owner. A botched robbery incident in August 2000 resulted in a murder at the Dillard's entrance. A woman

7290-497: Was entering Dillard's when approached by the suspect attempting to grab her purse. After a struggle, the woman was shot in the neck. The suspect fled, and the woman collapsed in the Dillard's doorway and later died. After 30 years at Baybrook, original tenant Luby's lease expired, and they left the mall to relocate to a new location across the Gulf Freeway in 2008. As of 2007, with the name change from Foley's to Macy's through

7380-407: Was held in March 1984, with Gifford Nielsen as master of ceremonies. Macy's followed by opening their new store, and becoming the fifth anchor store, in July 1985. The new Macy's store featured three stories, at least 30 departments, 220,000 square feet of retail space, and became their third store to open in the Houston area. As the Texas economy and oil prices continued to rise in the early 1980s,

7470-775: Was in 5 Houston Center . 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. By 2009 Halliburton closed its Downtown Office, moved its headquarters to northern Houston, and consolidated operations at its northern Houston and Westchase facilities. Two city council districts, District H and District I, cover portions of Downtown. As of 2015 Mayor Pro-Tem Ed Gonzalez and Robert Gallegos, respectively, represent

7560-542: 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. 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

7650-497: Was located to the northwest, Second to the northeast, Third to the southeast, and Fourth to the southwest. 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. The ward system, which featured elected aldermen who served as representatives of each neighborhood, remained Houston's form of municipal government until 1905, when

7740-462: 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. 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. The townsite was then cleared and drained by a team of Mexican prisoners and black slaves . By April 1837, Houston featured

7830-534: 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. The first major skyscraper to be constructed in Houston

7920-467: Was the 50-floor, 218 m (715 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 (1,001 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

8010-621: Was transferred to Brookfield Properties , in 2018. Its portfolio included 125 properties comprising approximately 121,000,000 square feet (11,200,000 m ) in 40 U.S. states at the time of its acquisition, ranking behind only Simon Property Group in total square footage. General Growth was founded in Iowa by three brothers, Martin , Matthew and Maurice Bucksbaum, in 1954 as General Management. That year, they borrowed $ 1.2 million to develop their first shopping center, Town & Country Shopping Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa , in order to open

8100-520: Was well known for its opulent residential architecture, often in the Greek Revival style. 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. Prior to the arrival of the first streetcars in Houston in the 1870s, most development in the city had been centered in and around

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