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    Real Estate Rumblings

    Luxury developers aim to bring Charleston's historic squares to Houston: A charming vision?

    Barbara Kuntz
    Barbara Kuntz
    Jan 15, 2015 | 1:38 pm

    Crain Square, a development of 62 luxury townhomes inspired by the architecture found in the historic squares of Charleston, South Carolina; Savannah, Georgia; Georgetown in Washington, D.C. and Virginia's Old Town Alexandria, is proposing to bring a bit of that traditional Southern charm to the site of the former Shell Bellaire Technology Center site.

    Developer Röhe & Wright Builders recently revealed plans for the project at 3737 Bellaire Blvd. at Edloe Street, with groundbreaking for the 5.5-acre community scheduled for summer 2015. The demolition of the former Shell Oil Technology campus is already underway.

    Prices will start at $1.2 million per townhome in the gated neighborhood.

    Prices will start at $1.2 million per townhome in the gated neighborhood.

    The planned red-brick, three-story homes with 2,600- to 5,000-square feet of living space will feature raised front porches, covered balconies and white columns. The majority of homes will face a portion of two acres of green space, while the alley-loading garages are located in back.

    The green space is set to include four open common areas: Two common quads, one dog park and one children's playground. Röhe & Wright officials say more than 60 percent of the area of the community is open space and more than 35 percent is green space.

    Other amenities include brick paved walks and manicured gardens. Operable shutters, bead board porch ceilings and gas lanterns are also in the plans to recreate a historic neighborhood feel.

    The site plan for Crane Square.

    Crain Square rendering January 2015
      
    Rendering courtesy of Röhe & Wright Builders
    The site plan for Crane Square.
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    More Marriott

    Luxurious downtown Houston hotel expands with more rooms and rooftop pool

    Jef Rouner
    Jun 16, 2025 | 1:30 pm
    A computer rendering of the new rooftop lounge and pool area at the JW Marriott Houston Downtown.
    Courtesy of the JW Marriott Houston Downtown
    A render of the future rooftop space at the JW Marriott Houston Downtown

    The JW Marriott Houston Downtown has revealed plans for a massive expansion that will add the adjacent Battelstein’s Building at 812 Main to the hotel's existing footprint.

    With an eye to impress guests coming to Houston for the June 2026 FIFA World Cup, the revitalized Battelstein's Building will include a new ground floor restaurant, additional meeting and events spaces, and a rooftop bar and lounge with a pool overlooking the downtown skyline. It will offer easy access to the planned Main Street Promenade, also set to open next June.

    “This initiative represents an exciting evolution for the JW Marriott Houston Downtown,” hotel general manager Jelle Vandenbroucke said in a statement. “We are not just adding rooms — we are redefining the guest experience by creating a hospitality destination that captures the energy, diversity and sophistication of Houston.”

    When the expansion is complete, the Marriott will have a total of 384 guest rooms (an increase of 56), including 89 suites, touted in press materials as the largest inventory of luxury lodging in the city's core. The expansion also adds 10,000 square feet of meeting space to the Marriott, bringing the total to over 23,000 square feet. Rottet Studio designed the new space, and Los Angeles-based Cole Martinez Curtis & Associates is handling the renovation. Guests should still see plenty of the original materials used in these historic constructions as they explore the Marriott's modern services.

    Built in 1924 to house the titular department store, and raised to 10 stories in 1950 by acclaimed architects Joseph Finger and George Rustay, the Battelstein’s Building is a beloved, if modest, part of the Houston skyline. Philip Battelstein opened his tailor and haberdashery in Houston in 1897 after arriving from Lithuania with almost no money. The store thrived through the post-war years, leading to its iconic expansion, but declined as the 1970s oil boom petered out and suburban shopping malls grew in popularity. The space was frequently vacant after 1980. Southwest Value Partners, the company that owns the hotel's current location, acquired the building in 2022.

    Currently, the JW Marriott occupies another historic Houston location, the adjacent, 22-story Samuel F. Carter Building at 806 Main. When Samuel Fain Carter built it in 1910, it was the tallest building in Houston. Many doubted such a towering structure could actually stand on Houston's famously swampy ground, earning it the nickname Carter's Folly. More than a century later, it remains Houston's first skyscraper. The Marriott welcomed its first guests in 2014.


    A computer rendering of the new rooftop lounge and pool area at the JW Marriott Houston Downtown.
      

    Courtesy of the JW Marriott Houston Downtown

    A render of the future rooftop space at the JW Marriott Houston Downtown.

    downtownhotelsjw marriott houston
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