The Americana Re-Emerges as a Landmark

HOUSTON—One of Houston’s earliest structures to fully embrace international style–following Silverman and Rose’s 1952 Melrose building (now Le Meridien hotel)–the Americana building initially served to connect Foley’s garage with additional parking plus ground-floor and basement space for the now defunct department store’s annex. The building was completed in 1957 by Houston developer Melvin A. Silverman and his Manhattan counterpart/collaborator Bennett Rose.

And today, this key downtown Houston block with tunnel access is being reborn as a prime retail opportunity, thanks to the Bayou City-based duo of Capital Retail Properties and Identity Architects. During the past year, the former Americana building at 811 Dallas St. has been deconstructed to its original six-story podium.

With construction fences being removed and leasing formally underway this week, The Americana is poised to be a landmark once again. And at The Americana, what’s old is new again. The building’s iconic signage has been recovered and repaired, and signature details from the Lloyd & Morgan Brazilian-inspired design have been revealed after nearly two decades.

“There’s never been a more exciting time to be engaged in downtown Houston, a neighborhood that is truly coming into its own with a wealth of amenities,” Anderson Smith, Capital Retail Properties partner, tells GlobeSt.com. “Street-front retail is the final piece of the puzzle, and this prime block is poised to kick-start this dynamic pocket, steps from major employers, an increasing density of hotels and numerous new multifamily offerings.”

The project offers immediate availability for 31,000 square feet of street frontage–with an additional 63,000 square feet below–supported by 550 parking spaces in the heart of the central business district. Spanning Milam to Travis Street, The Americana marks the western gateway to a future shopping district conceived by the downtown retail task force in cooperation with the downtown district. Stretching east towards La Branch and the George R. Brown Convention Center, the span’s infrastructure is already in place with neighbors including Midway’s GreenStreet mixed-use development, plus enhanced lighting, landscaping and widened walkways.

“We’re thrilled to be part of downtown’s evolution, reawakening a dormant block with a curated tenant roster that will serve and engage nearby offices as well as a day and nighttime population rapidly increasing due to the addition of hotels and residential properties,” said Capital Retail Properties’ Jacob Weersing, who is overseeing leasing.

While Weersing is already encouraged by interest from established local restaurateurs, Capital Retail Properties is also marketing The Americana to specialty retailers and as a site for a fitness park with several operators sharing locker facilities.

“We were challenged with re-envisioning the existing garage levels and presenting them to the public in an age where the pedestrian experience and street-level activity is undergoing a major resurgence,” says Thomas De Froy, Identity Architects design director. “Conscious of celebrating the raw materials original to design, we suggested removing aluminum cladding installed in 1999, which unapologetically screamed ‘mechanical equipment’. By uncovering the pierced terra cotta tiles and giving them a warm gray paint refresh, the porous nature and recognizable stacking immediately brought more interest to what was a monotonous, forgettable block.”

Adding to the visual appeal as well as integrating a sense of warmth, variety and invitation is the introduction of a living wall system and wood-like material interspersed throughout the facade.

Multiple construction projects have hit the market this summer, amounting to more than 736,000 square feet during third quarter, according to CBRE. Meanwhile, Houston remains a landlord’s market. Rents have refused to soften, holding steady at $26.59 from the previous quarter, while occupancy levels continue to creep upwards, hitting 94.2%, a 10 basis points increase from the last quarter.