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    Big Post Office Play

    Developer has mega mixed-use plans for defunct downtown post office, call it Post HTX

    Marcy de Luna
    Marcy de Luna
    Sep 20, 2016 | 2:00 pm

    While December’s Day for Night is making headlines for its stellar lineup of musical artists, including Aphex Twin, Travis Scott and Bjork, announcement details are also bringing attention to the festival’s location: the former Barbara Jordan Post Office situated at 401 Franklin Street.

     

    A long-time staple on the Downtown scene, the facility, built in 1936, originally served as Houston's Grand Central Station until the federal government purchased it in the late 1950s. The post office, named in honor of the late Congresswoman Barbara Jordan, opened in 1962.

     

    Its closure in 2015, due to a $20 billion cut in the postal service budget, left curious minds wondering what would become of the spacious property, which boasts more than 400,000 square feet of existing building structure and 16 acres of land.

     

    Since the post office closed its doors, several avant-garde music and art groups, such as Cirque Noir, have used the raw space for events, but there's a lot more to come courtesy of Lovett Commercial.

     

    The Houston-based developer has begun renovating the architectural landmark, slotted for a mixed-used complex called Post HTX with a new private event space, plus residential, office, retail, and restaurant spaces.

     

    “Post HTX is our vision as the next centerpiece for interaction and communication in the heart of our city,” Frank Liu, Jr. with Lovett Commercial tells CultureMap. “With the decline of our reliance on the postage system, Post HTX is a new vision of human interaction and a transformative means of communication for the 21st century and the digital age.”

     

    With the goal of keeping the majority of the existing building in tact, Lovett Commercial has commenced work on phase one of the massive undertaking. In collaboration with local interior designers Jawda and Jawda, the first floor of the building is being converted into a 150,000 square-foot event center set to open in early 2017.

     

    The space will be a blank canvas in an industrial chic setting, easily transformable from an elegant setting to a casual soirée venue.

     

    Phase two of the project, which includes architectural modifications to the structure, will roll out in several stages over the course of the next five to eight years.

     

    "We want to showcase Houston in a new light by working with architects and designers around the world who are on the cutting edge of innovative ideas of how cities will function in the 21st century,” says Liu, Jr.

     

    Designed by the same architects as the Astrodome during the height of the Cold War, the post office building has unique historical elements including “spy catwalks,” used by surveillance people who walked overhead monitoring post office workers. There are also multiple bomb shelter bunkers throughout the complex, giving developers plenty of bang for their buck.

    The re-imagined downtown post office is undergoing several phases of redevelopment inluding a new name: Post HTX .

     
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    This Week's Hot Headlines

    Shaq surprises Houston restaurant with $1,000 tip and more top stories

    CultureMap Staff
    Jul 12, 2025 | 11:00 am
    Shaquille O'Neal Ninfa's Uptown
    Courtesy of Ninfa's
    Shaquille O'Neal had lunch at Ninfa's Uptown.

    Editor's note: It's time to look back at the top Houston news of the week, starting with a surprise visit — and big tip — from Shaq. Plus, Houston ranks among America's most overpriced cities, and rents rise in Sugar Land. Get the details on our most popular stories below, then find the best things to do this weekend here.

    1. Shaquille O'Neal leaves $1,000 tip at Houston Tex-Mex institution. NBA Hall of Famer and media personality Shaquille O’Neal surprised the crowd at The Original Ninfa’s Uptown when he stopped by for lunch, posing for pics and leaving a very big tip.

    2. Veteran Houston bartender shakes up the Heights with new tropical bar. The woman behind your favorite bartender’s favorite bar has quietly opened a new cocktail spot in the Heights. Called Berwick’s Birds of Paradise, it’s the latest project from Double Trouble owner Robin Berwick.

     Berwick's Birds of Paradise bar Robin Berwick Owner Robin Berwick took inspiration from hotel bars for BBOP.  Photo by Vivian Leba  

    3. Houston is one of America's most overpriced cities, study finds. In what may come as a surprise to some local residents, a new study ranks Houston among the 10 most overpriced cities in America.

    4. This Houston suburb had the highest apartment rent prices in June. Apartment rent prices in June were more expensive in Sugar Land than anywhere else in Houston, according to the latest monthly rent report from Zumper.

    5. Houston influencer opens an antiques-filled boutique hotel in Montrose. 109 Stratford Street in Historic East Avondale has recently opened as a nine-room boutique hotel, The Marlene Inn, from owner and Instagram influencer Lily Barfield.

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