From new landscaping and a glass curtain that captures Houston's streetspaces, to a 13th-floor patio, the plans for the updated Heritage Plaza promise to bring the historic skyscraper into the city's ever-evolving modern vibe. Brookfield Properties, the global real estate management firm that oversees the property (located at 1111 Bagby St.), announced that construction will begin October 2019 with an estimated completion in January 2021.
Led by Houston-based Kirksey Architecture, the tower’s redesign will enhance the volume and geometry of the space and focus on creating a clean and modern design using a brighter material palette with softer, lighter finishes. Starting at street level, the revamp calls for a totally reimagined arrival experience that incorporates a new exterior glass curtain wall at the corner of Dallas and Brazos Streets.
Refreshed landscaping brings new pavers and integrated seating, creating a more approachable, inviting space. The lobby plans call for details that extend on that inviting vibe, including live plant wall and a new social staircase with flexible sitting areas. The idea is to showcase the lobby's new natural lighting, as well as provide spaces for meetings and collaboration.
Heritage Plaza's 13th floor will boast a revamped sky lobby with exterior patio, offering a completely unobstructed view overlooking Buffalo Bayou Park and beyond. New tenant amenities offer a boardroom-style conferencing space and collaborative seating area on the sky lobby level, as well as significant upgrades to the large, ground-level conferencing center, including state-of-the-art AV technology. Eucalyptus wood, new stone tile flooring with bronze accents, and updated furniture highlight the interior finishes and fixture upgrades.
The 53-story office tower was completed in 1987, its glass facade stretching 762 feet into the Houston skyline. It arrived on the scene as Houston was clawing its way from the oil bust, and would be the last late-20th century skyscraper built in the Bayou City. (1500 Louisiana came along in 2002, ushering in Houston's more diversified 21st century economy). With more than a million square feet of leasable space, Heritage Plaza spoke to Houston's identity as a city that always looks forward and continues to dream big.
This office renovation is the latest in a string of similar revamps throughout the city core.
“Through the ongoing renovations at Houston Center, Allen Center, Total Plaza, and now Heritage Plaza, Brookfield Properties continues to believe in the strength and vitality of downtown Houston,” said Travis Overall, executive vice president and head of the Texas region for Brookfield Properties, in a statement. “Brookfield Properties prides itself as a landlord that is thoughtful in design and operations, and the announced renovations to Heritage Plaza are reflective of that.”
Earlier this year, Brookfield Properties launched renovation projects at Houston Center and Allen Center, both of which will further evolve the campuses into vibrant destinations that foster innovation and productivity for current and future tenants. The Houston Center and Allen Center projects have an estimated completion in late 2020.
Included in the renovation of Allen Center is the new C. Baldwin Hotel, previously the DoubleTree, which will house an ambitious new restaurant from San Francisco chef Chris Cosentino, new Sloan/Hall store just off the main lobby, and a 1,300-square-foot Paloma salon. This summer, Brookfield Properties also announced upgrades to the tunnel, street, and second-floor lobby levels of Total Plaza. Construction, which began in August 2019, is expected to be completed in early 2020.
Heritage Plaza's transformed entrance.
