Market Square Park is a public park in Downtown Houston , Texas, United States. Originally set aside by the Houston Town Company as "Congress Square," the public square was used as a marketplace and city hall, which assumed the name, "Market Square." The City of Houston constructed four different market house/city halls, the first of which opened in 1840. The fourth was constructed in 1904. Market Square is a central feature of the Main Street/Market Square Historic District , a historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places . The square is surrounded by a combination of nineteenth-century architecture and modern residential towers, with ground leases housing a variety of restaurants and bars.
31-472: Market Square is a public plaza bounded by Travis and Milam streets, and Congress and Preston avenues. Numbered as Block 34 and named "Congress Square" in the original Borden Survey of Houston, it was renamed Market Square after Augustus Allen chose a site for the capitol at the northwest corner of Main Street and Texas Avenue in 1837. Houston City Council commissioned its first market house and its first city hall on
62-587: A concrete-paved wharf , designed to replicate the original port; a trail/walkway; a promenade ; and a terrace overlooking Buffalo Bayou . The campus of the University of Houston–Downtown (UHD) straddles Allen's Landing. The university's One Main Building, which is housed in the former Merchants and Manufacturers Building (renovated in the 1980s), is just across the bayou at One Main Street, and UHD's 95,000-square-foot (8,800 m ) Commerce Street Building, which
93-486: A new city hall and market house began. Edwin J. Duhamel won the architectural design competition sponsored by Mayor Irvin Capers Lord , and the architect hired Britton and Long to construct the new civic house atop the old foundation. The city paid $ 100,000 for this new building, which was less elaborate in ornamentation and lacked a theater, but was similar in style to the 1873 Italianate City Hall and Market Place, and it
124-494: A site for university forums, meetings, and receptions. Exhibitions are free and open to the public. The university once maintained a student dormitory in the former Continental Houston Hotel, located south of the Buffalo Bayou, from 1982 to August 1991; the facility began its use as a hotel in 1961. The students were forced to leave the dormitory the month it closed, and the facility was demolished in 1993. UHD decided to raze
155-646: Is a public university in Houston, Texas . Established in 1974 as University of Houston–Downtown College ( UH–DC ), it has a campus that spans 40 acres (0.16 km ) in Downtown Houston with a satellite location, UHD–Northwest, inside Lone Star College–University Park . The university is one of four institutions in the University of Houston System . As of Fall 2023 , UHD enrolled 14,105 students in 4 academic colleges and offers 57 degree programs—45 bachelor's and 12 master's. Awarding more than 2,700 degrees annually,
186-599: Is located near the site where Houston was founded, Allen's Landing . Two of the university's buildings—One Main Building (formerly the Merchants and Manufacturers Building ) and the Willow Street Pump Station—are listed in the National Register of Historic Places . UHD also offers classes online at three campuses: UHD-Northwest, Lone Star College Kingwood, and Lone Star College CyFair. In 2020, UHD opened
217-467: Is located south of the University of Houston–Downtown Commerce Street Building. In August 1836, just months after the Republic of Texas won its independence from Mexico , two New York real estate developers, John Kirby Allen and Augustus Chapman Allen , purchased 6,642 acres (26.88 km ) of coastal prairie and settled the town of Houston on the banks of Buffalo Bayou. The present-day landing area
248-518: Is one of four institutions in the University of Houston System . The institution is separately accredited, offers its own academic programs and confers its own degrees, and has its own administration. The organization and control of the University of Houston–Downtown is vested in the Board of Regents of the University of Houston System. The board has all the rights, powers, and duties that it has with respect to
279-569: Is the officially recognized birthplace of the city of Houston , Texas , United States , the largest city in Texas and the fourth largest in the United States. Located in Downtown Houston between the Main Street and Fannin Street viaducts, the landing encompasses the southern bank of Buffalo Bayou , the city's principal river, at its confluence with White Oak Bayou , a major tributary. Allen's Landing
310-570: The Harris County Navigation District. In addition, a marker was placed at the park to indicate where, in 1837, townspeople erected a liberty pole to commemorate Sam Houston 's victory over Santa Anna at the Battle of San Jacinto the previous year. For a brief period in the 1990s, Allen's Landing was once again the docking site for the Laura, a sightseeing boat that was a namesake of
341-631: The Kennedy Bakery Building at 813 Congress Avenue, the home of La Carafe; the Fox-Kuhlman Building at 305–307 Travis Street; and the Baker-Meyer Building , at 315 Travis. Market Square Tower at 777 Preston opened in 2017. The 43-floor glass-clad tower houses a combination of residential and guest apartments, a full commercial kitchen, a ballroom, and a top-floor with a bar and a pool. Allen%27s Landing Allen's Landing
SECTION 10
#1733085387404372-693: The United States government approved funding for the dredging of a ship channel from the Gulf of Mexico to the present turning basin four miles (6 km) to the east of Allen's Landing. In the late 1960s, Allen's Landing was home to the city's premiere psychedelic nightclub , Love Street Light Circus Feel Good Machine ("Love Street"), where bands with names like Bubble Puppy , Neurotic Sheep and American Blues performed mind-expanding music accented with strobe lights and pastel projections. The historic Sunset Coffee Building on Commerce at Main Street, which housed
403-480: The 19th century vessel. The name Allen’s Landing is a 20th-century creation not found in any historical document. According to a 2008 Houston Chronicle article, the name was the invention of the Houston Chamber of Commerce . Charlie Lansden, longtime director of the chamber's Community Betterment Division, made this claim to Janet Wagner, a local historian. The name appears in a mural of Houston commissioned by
434-770: The College of Sciences and Technology building. The new Wellness & Success Center opened its doors on January 17, 2023. The university is home to the Harry W. O'Kane Gallery (commonly known as the O'Kane Gallery, which was established in 1970 by gifts from Harry W. O'Kane, Mary W. Bingman, and the Humphreys Foundation. The O'Kane Gallery presents five to six exhibitions that meet the diverse interests of UHD students, faculty, staff, alumni, and campus visitors. Exhibitions in all media provide educational support to various university courses and to nearby schools. The Gallery also functions as
465-534: The Houston Club in 1955 and painted by artist David Adickes . After years of neglect and deterioration, Allen’s Landing, as part of Houston's Waterfront District, has undergone major revitalization and rejuvenation, much like the rest of historic downtown Houston. The first phase of the Allen's Landing revitalization project was completed in 2001. Special features of the park, located at 1001 Commerce Street, now include:
496-592: The O'Kane Gallery landed a new home featuring exhibitions for student, faculty, and local and national artists. Dedicated to the health and wellness of the Campus Community, the Wellness & Success Center opens its doors in January 2023. The UHD campus consists of eight buildings at the north end of Downtown Houston and the south end of Northside , next to the crossing of Interstate 10 and Main Street. The university
527-481: The building because the university deemed it more cost effective to do so instead of renovating the facility. The demolition expenses totaled $ 700,000 while the renovation would have been $ 8,000,000. Initially the area was to be used for parking cars while a student center was to be later established there. The UHD campus is served by METRORail 's UH–Downtown station on the Red Line. The University of Houston–Downtown
558-491: The east coast in 1871 for an inspection of various city halls in preparation for a new city hall and market house for Houston. The city hired Charles E. Hoare to design the new Italianate civic center, which included city offices, market stalls, and a theater. The project cost the city $ 400,000, but the 1873 building was consumed by a fire on July 8, 1976, leaving Houston with $ 182,500 of outstanding debt in its bond and only $ 82,500 in insurance payments. In 1876, construction on
589-509: The fall of 2013. Although UHD does not have an intercollegiate varsity athletics program, it does offer its students a number of club sports and intramural sports in addition to numerous fitness programs. UHD's club sports teams are known as the Gators. The UHD mascot is known as Ed-U-Gator. The university and its community offer additional activities for students such as clubs, organizations, fraternities, and sororities. Their student newspaper
620-1013: The landing is a popular ingress/egress spot for canoe and kayak enthusiasts traveling up and down Buffalo Bayou. In 2006, Houston Endowment, Inc., a philanthropic foundation dedicated to improving life for the people of the greater Houston area, approved a $ 600,000 grant to be used by the Buffalo Bayou Partnership toward restoring and converting the 1930s Sunset Coffee Building into usable space and further improving Allen's Landing Park. See also: List of companies in Houston See: List of colleges and universities in Houston [REDACTED] Category [REDACTED] Texas portal 29°45′55.6″N 95°21′30.5″W / 29.765444°N 95.358472°W / 29.765444; -95.358472 University of Houston%E2%80%93Downtown The University of Houston–Downtown ( UHD )
651-559: The late 1990s. The Willow Street Pump Station was renovated, and the Commerce Street Building opened, providing a new home for the College of Public Service. In the early 2000s, the Shea Street Building opened as the new home for the College of Business. UHD celebrated a milestone when it enrolled the first class of MBA students in the College of Business. In 2016, a 26,000-square-foot Welcome Center opened its doors, and
SECTION 20
#1733085387404682-512: The nightclub on its third floor, is still standing. Love Street's last show was on July 7, 1980. Once the focal point of downtown Houston , a small historical park was dedicated at the site in 1967. The Southern Pacific Railroad donated 4,000 square feet (370 m ) of land to the park project, which was to be developed and maintained by the Houston Chamber of Commerce , the City of Houston, and
713-486: The organization and control of other institutions in the system; however, UHD is maintained as a separate and distinct institution. The president is the chief executive officer of the University of Houston–Downtown, and the position reports to the chancellor of the University of Houston System. The president is appointed by the UHS chancellor and confirmed by the Board of Regents of the University of Houston System. Since March 2021,
744-630: The president of the university is Loren J. Blanchard. The UHD administration is located on the ninth floor in the One Main Building. The University of Houston–Downtown is primarily an undergraduate institution and has four academic colleges: The University of Houston–Downtown was the final state university in Texas that had not yet abolished open admissions . The University of Houston System Board of Regents unanimously approved new admissions standards in February 2012, with closed admissions for UHD in
775-418: The square in 1840. The contractor for both buildings, Thomas Stansbury and Sons, completed both buildings the following year. The Houston Market House was a single-story rectangular building which faced Milam Street, a more convenient side of the square for the purveyors of rural produce. The first City Hall was a small cubic building crowned by a cupula, located toward the north side of the square. The square
806-429: The university has more than 67,000 alumni. The University of Houston–Downtown College was established when the University of Houston acquired the assets of South Texas Junior College at One Main Street on August 6, 1974. On April 26, 1983, Senate Bill 235 (SB 235) changed name of the institution to the University of Houston–Downtown. The University of Houston–Downtown's expansion and physical growth continued in
837-444: Was advertised as the head of navigation of the bayou and served as the city's first wharf . Allen's Landing is at the confluence of White Oak Bayou and Buffalo Bayou and serves as a natural turning basin . A dock was quickly opened on the site, and the steamer Laura was the first ship to anchor at the landing on January 26, 1837. The landing was officially named a port in 1841—the original Port of Houston . In 1910,
868-519: Was completed in May 2005, sits adjacent to the park at Main Street and Commerce. Since 2001, in a celebration of Houston's Asian American community, the Texas Dragon Boat Association has held an annual spring festival at Allen's Landing, where teams of paddlers race dragon boats throughout the day and enjoy colorful entertainment, as well as some Asian cultural and cuisine . In addition,
899-403: Was donated to the city in 1854 by Augustus Allen and used as an open air produce market. Very near Allen's Landing , the original port of Houston, the downtown business district grew around the square. Early city landmarks included the briefly used Texas Capitol and White House. In addition, several City Halls rose and fell at Market Square, each destroyed by fire. Mayor Thomas Scanlan toured
930-453: Was even larger. After a fire claimed the 1876 City Hall and Market House in 1901, the city hired George E. Dickey to design a new civic center, the fourth on Market Square. The Dickey plan adhered to the building footprints of the third and fourth city hall/market houses and even retained the restored bell and clocks. Yet the 1904 civic center reflected Victorian eclecticism in style. Former Houston-area resident, Lauren Catuzzi Grandolas,
961-643: Was killed on board United Airlines Flight 93 during the September 11 attacks . A memorial bust figure of her is positioned next to a water feature and plaque created in her honor at the Congress Street side of the park. Market Square lies within the Main Street Market Square District, so designated by the City of Houston in 1997 and listed by the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. Three nineteenth-century buildings face Market Square: