A $5.3 Million Historic Makeover

Houston's own Plymouth Rock finally gets respect: $5.3 million makeover for historic coffee building

Allen's Landing, the mythical founding spot of Houston at the confluence of the Buffalo and White Oak bayous where brothers John and Augustus Allen and Augustus's wife Charlotte first departed the steamship Laura, lacks the status of say, Plymouth Rock, but construction has begun to give the historic site the respect it deserves.

The Houston First Corporation and the Buffalo Bayou Partnership have begun work on a $5.3 million project to renovate the Sunset Coffee building that sits atop Allen's Landing (CultureMap first reported on the project back in February of last year). When the year-long project is complete, the site will pay tribute to historic Houston and serve as an access point for people who want to explore the bayou on foot, bike, kayak or canoe. An outdoor plaza will offer snacks and rental facilities, with outdoor lighting for various events. A rooftop terrace also will be available for private events.

"It will give Allen’s Landing the attention it deserves as the focal point of Houston’s history.”

Access to the facility will be enhanced with a pedestrian bridge that connects to Commerce Street and a link to the hike and bike trail that runs along Buffalo Bayou.

"We are so excited to see construction start on this project,” Dawn Ullrich, chief executive officer and president of Houston First, said in a statement. “Once the work is done, this building will create a welcoming attraction where people will rediscover Buffalo Bayou. It will give Allen’s Landing the attention it deserves as the focal point of Houston’s history.”

The Sunset Coffee building had a brief moment of notoriety in the 1960s when it housed famed nightclub the Love Street Light Circus and Feel Good Machine, which was operated by celebrated local artist David Adickes.

"This is a dream come true for everyone at Buffalo Bayou Partnership, something many people have worked on for more than a decade,” said Anne Olson, president of the Buffalo Bayou Partnership.

When the renovation is complete, the former Sunset Coffee building will serve as a hub for activitiy along Buffalo Bayou.

Sunset Coffee Building, renovation, rendering 2

Rendering courtesy of Houston First Buffalo Bayou Partnership

When the renovation is complete, the former Sunset Coffee building will serve as a hub for activitiy along Buffalo Bayou.

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a major award

$2.6 million grant funds UH research towards a fentanyl vaccine

Photo by Jellybee on Unsplash

UH has received a new financial gift towards the Michael C. Gibson Addiction Research Program, which is developing a fentanyl vaccine.

The estate of Dr. William A. Gibson has granted the University of Houston a $2.6 million gift to support and expand its opioid addiction research, including the development of a fentanyl vaccine that could block the drug's ability to enter the brain.

The gift builds upon a previous donation from the Gibson estate that honored the scientist’s late son Michael, who died from drug addiction in 2019. The original donation established the Michael C. Gibson Addiction Research Program in UH's department of psychology. The latest donation will establish the Michael Conner Gibson Endowed Professorship in Psychology and the Michael Conner Gibson Research Endowment in the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences.

“This incredibly generous gift will accelerate UH’s addiction research program and advance new approaches to treatment,” Daniel O’Connor, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, said in a news release.

The Michael C. Gibson Addiction Research Program is led by UH professor of psychology Therese Kosten and Colin Haile, a founding member of the UH Drug Discovery Institute. Currently, the program produces high-profile drug research, including the fentanyl vaccine.

According to UH, the vaccine can eliminate the drug’s “high” and could have major implications for the nation’s opioid epidemic, as research reveals Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) is treatable.

The endowed professorship is combined with a one-to-one match from the Aspire Fund Challenge, a $50 million grant program established in 2019 by an anonymous donor. UH says the program has helped the university increase its number of endowed chairs and professorships, including this new position in the department of psychology.

“Our future discoveries will forever honor the memory of Michael Conner Gibson and the Gibson family,” O’Connor added in the release. “And I expect that the work supported by these endowments will eventually save many thousands of lives.”

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This story originally was published on our sister site, InnovationMap.

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