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Texaco Building (now The Star) At 1111 Rusk Street


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  • 3 months later...
  • 1 year later...

Anyone have any historic photos of the Texas Company building?

Built in 1915, it was one of the three tallest buildings in Houston (13 stories) at that time. The 11-story Scanlan Building, and the 13 story Union National Bank Building were the other two.

We can attribute its existence to Joseph S. Cullinan and Jesse H. Jones. Cullinan, for relocating The Texas Company (Texaco) from New York to Houston, and Jones for constructing the building.

The building is proposed to be converted into an upscale hotel and apartments;

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I always thought it was a beautiful building. Glad to see something is being done with it.

I tried a quick search of some of Bob Bailey's photos over here, but I couldn't find anything going back to its heyday on that site.

there are some bob bailey texas co. pictures in a miscellaneous folder, but nothing too old:

http://www.cah.utexas.edu/db/dmr/dmr_resul...ed&folder=1

i have an old postcard at home - i'll post it later

____________________

ooh - there is a neat picture of the construction of the melrose building - texaco, montagu and stowers are in the background:

http://www.cah.utexas.edu/db/dmr/image_lgs...iable=e_bb_1349

Edited by sevfiv
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Early 1920s:

TexasCompany.jpg

Is that still intended for a hotel conversion? They stopped work on it a few years ago and nothing has been announced since. I just assumed that because of the weakness in the downtown hotel market, the project had been abandoned.

Maybe the project was postponed.

It's still listed as a project on the Kirksey website:

http://www.kirksey.com/ProjectMain.asp?ID_...p;ID_Project=66

Hopefully, someone can shed some light on the building's future.

And also, thanks for the great photo!

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The Texas Company building was brilliant! When walking around downtown, we relished hitting this block for the welcome (and beautiful) colonnade and its wonderful shade. We used to ponder why other buildings had not the foresight to include something akin in the blistering hot box that is Houston.

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Early 1920s:

Is that still intended for a hotel conversion? They stopped work on it a few years ago and nothing has been announced since. I just assumed that because of the weakness in the downtown hotel market, the project had been abandoned.

i *think* that is the postcard i have - i'll check on that :D

there were signs taped to some of the windows of the building referring to the hotel project, but they were at least a couple of years old.

there is still a trailer on site (and someone in it i think), so who knows...

otherwise, there has been little to no activity there

Edited by sevfiv
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This has been a difficult building to redevelop, which is a shame because it is so nice. At one point it was going to be a condo-hotel project called "Triomphe", then Ritz-Carlton, then Renaissance. They made it as far as demolishing the old Gibraltar Savings building and gutting the interior of the remaining structures. The wing on the Fannin side had asbestos. I'm not sure if the abatement was completed or not. I hope the owners don't decide that the ceilings are too low to preserve it. <_<

The Texas Company building was brilliant! When walking around downtown, we relished hitting this block for the welcome (and beautiful) colonnade and its wonderful shade. We used to ponder why other buildings had not the foresight to include something akin in the blistering hot box that is Houston.

True about the colonnade. Partly they went out of architectural fashion, but they also became less necessary as the tunnel system was developed.

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  • 2 weeks later...
UPDATE:

Just learned that the Texaco building is scheduled for renovation.

The building was never scheduled for demolition but the construction was put on hold by the owner.

New equipment is being purchased now.

Cool once again thanks for the Update?

I love this building, back in Aug I saw pressure washing being done, I wasn't sure if it was just routine or they were actually about to start something. I couldn't remember the name of the building so I never posted the pressure wash. I knew there was a thread open I just didn't bother.

Same questions as the Ben Milam building if you don't mind Ron4Tx :blush:

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UPDATE:

Just learned that the Texaco building is scheduled for renovation.

The building was never scheduled for demolition but the construction was put on hold by the owner.

New equipment is being purchased now.

good to hear - is this information out there somewhere, or do you have inside connections? :)

Same questions as the Ben Milam building if you don't mind Ron4Tx :blush:

yeah, i'd like to know what is really going on there

last i went by, things were kind of at a stand-still - again

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good to hear - is this information out there somewhere, or do you have inside connections? :)

yeah, i'd like to know what is really going on there

last i went by, things were kind of at a stand-still - again

All I can say publicly is that the Texaco Building will definitely be renovated.

Major equipment was purchased two weeks ago.

As for my sources, see the Milam Hotel topic for a general idea.

http://www.houstonarchitecture.info/haif/i...p?showtopic=120

I wish I could say more at this time.

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All I can say publicly is that the Texaco Building will definitely be renovated.

Major equipment was purchased two weeks ago.

As for my sources, see the Milam Hotel topic for a general idea.

http://www.houstonarchitecture.info/haif/i...p?showtopic=120

I wish I could say more at this time.

thanks Ron4tx. read your post on the ben milam. wish they had pics of that room when it was unboarded.

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  • 2 weeks later...

My Dad worked for Texaco for 37 years. He was transfered from the Canal Street office in New Orleans to the Rusk Building in Houston when I was 4 years old. That was 1964. He worked in that building until he retired in '87, with only a brief stint at the Bellaire Texaco Building.

I also worked in the Rusk Texaco Building in the summers of '78 through '81 while I was at A&M. One year I worked in the file storage department with a bunch of other guys my age. That was the best summer I ever had.

My Dad watched out his window as Cassius Clay was taken into the Post Office building across the street to be inducted into the service. I remember there used to be a Roy Roger's sandwich shop across the street that my Dad used to take us to eat at whenever we'd go downtown to visit him on Christmas or summer break.

I now work for a company in Dallas that fabricates and installs lightweight precast concrete panels. Somewhere around 8 or 9 years ago, I was pricing some facade renovations to the Fannin Building. It's the one behind the Texaco Building. However, both buildings are connected . Anyway, it was an Architect in Baton Rouge and they were going to update the Fannin Building with Cornices and ornate columns to match the Texaco Building. The whole project was going to be a Ritz Carlton Hotel, but it fizzled out after a few years.

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Maybe the project was postponed.

It's still listed as a project on the Kirksey website:

http://www.kirksey.com/ProjectMain.asp?ID_...p;ID_Project=66

Hopefully, someone can shed some light on the building's future.

And also, thanks for the great photo!

The Kirksey site stated that of the 3 Bldg's {1915, 1959, & 1962} the '62 Bldg wasn't consider historic {44 years is not historic?} and was razed for watt else, parking etc.

I guess the # of years attached to the word 'HISTORIC' is judgemental.

Respectfully

Danny

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  • 3 months later...
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^ the closest corner of Texaco to HP would be at San Jacinto/Fannin and Rusk, about four blocks north

noticed that the metal plates on the columns were tied - any ideas?

texaco_column001.jpg

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