Houston's Signature "Parking Garage"/Zebra Architecture

[Clementine]

Be forewarned: This is a bit of a read with lots of Google Maps screenshots of skyscrapers.

 

I don't think I've seen this iconically Houston style of office architecture discussed anywhere before. I know it's not the most exciting style or the most interesting or the most creative, but I find it very interesting how ubiquitous it seems to be in the metro area while being relatively uncommon in the rest of the country. This isn't to say that it is the only style in Houston, nor that it is exclusive to Houston--in fact, every major city I've checked has had at least one example.

To clarify, the type of architecture I'm talking about is roughly as follows:

1) Emphasis on horizontal (or "layered") pattering with little to no vertical elements. Windows almost always continuously wrap around corners where one might expect to see a panel that might be covering a vertical structural element. When the windows don't wrap around corners, the actual vertical element is relatively slim and unnoticeable.

2) Characterized by a color palette of (usually) two contrasting colors for the façade; common examples of panel-window color pairs include white and black, brown and black, white and blue. Occasionally a third or even fourth color might be included for extra contrast. Panels are usually matte, but there are plenty of exceptions to this.

3) Footprints and floorplates are almost always complicated, yet well defined and undetailed ("untextured"?) polygons. Angles of 90° and especially 45° are extremely common, but ~30° and ~15° angles are not uncommon. Some buildings might also opt to use similarly well-defined sections of a circle (e.g. half circles, quarter circles and 45° section of a circle), especially where a corner might go instead.

4) Each floor's outer wall is flush and sheer. No cantilevered shades (see: ExxonMobil Building) or balconies, windows are flush with panels and walls, and architectural "scaffoldings" and external details are absent. Well-defined (e.g. 45° or 30°) slopes might be used in the crown, but the rooftop is usually flat and probably has a similarly styled utility/HVAC box.

5) Geometric setbacks and overhangs at a new floor level are a common element, furthering the "complicated, yet well defined" aspects of each floorplate. "Obliqueness" of the footprint and floorplates compared to the full lot is also common; this leads to a relatively "inefficient" use of the lot compared to a box of a building, but it also adds a lot more character to the style. There are examples that are literally boxes (4 sides, no setbacks, no "obliqueness"), but these are possibly the most boring of the boring.

The timeframe for construction for most of the more well-documents buildings seems to have been the 70s and 80s, with a lot of them popping up circa 1980-1985. While the style can range in size from a 2-story local business offices to a downtown skyline icon, most examples lie somewhere in between as 10-30 story, unnamed office towers forgotten behind more glamorous skyscrapers or scattered in the suburbs somewhere along a highway.

In case it's still not clear from my descriptions, here are some of the many examples from Houston and other cities around the country:

Houston:

Downtown:

Fulbright Tower (1982) and 4 Houston Center (1982) perfectly exemplify the key features and diversity of this style. Even First City Tower (1981) tried to get in on the action.

o

Lyric Center (1984) shows how a slanted crown can add some extra pizzazz.

Uptown:

How many can you count? Four Oaks Place's original four (1983) pushed boundaries of the style with a "futuristic" color palette that included a reflective "techno" teal. Post Oak Central's towers (1975, 1979, and 1982) exemplify the use of circular sections on their corners instead of the more common straight cuts. Uptown is possibly the most dense concentration of this style in the US.

Several more "parking garage" buildings in the area. Also a strange example of a related/earlier style is found in 1177 W Loop S (1978), with a less well-defined, not quite quarter-circular shape.

Just west of Uptown, another collection of 6 of these buildings. Two of them even went for the interesting color choices of blue+black and red+black.

Greenway Plaza:

A conventional example of the style is hiding away from the main skyline here, but even Phoenix Tower (1984) subtly sneaks in horizontal layers as seen here: 

Greenspoint:

While seemingly boring at first, a closer look at the examples in the Greenspoint skyline will reveal complex and well-defined notches and floorplates overhanging floors below them.

A few more examples in Greenspoint alongside more boring "glass box" architecture.

Energy Corridor:

Spot the 4 story, sprawling example.

Just west of the EC's skyline. Which are offices and which are garages?

Several more EC examples a bit south of I-10

Other areas:

America Tower (1983) stands in contrast to earlier '60s and '70s "boring box" buildings at the AIG Center.

The North Loop has a small collection of these buildings (1982, 1981, 1984, and 1981 from left to right)

And at the intersection of 290 and 610. Brookhollow Central II and III (1980 and 1982, respectively) take unique advantage of circles in their design that create a strikingly unforgettable impression, despite their lackluster size and patterning.

59S is dotted with examples...

...lots of examples.

Compaq enjoyed variations on the theme (and even a few examples of the exact style to its south).

And another cluster by IAH

Not even The Woodlands was safe from the style for a time (Timberloch Tower, 1998, demolished 2017).

The style is rare to find in the east and south of the metro, but some of the more dense areas do have some sparse examples here and there.

Other examples in Texas:

San Antonio:

San Antonio lacks examples in downtown, but there are a few clusters just south of the airport.

Austin:

In all, Austin might have a dozen total throughout the metro. Here is one of the largest at 290 and I35.

And another singular example just south of downtown.

DFW:

A decent example is found in downtown Dallas with Ross Tower (1984).

Finding clusters of these buildings is not difficult in Dallas by any means, but they are still not as common as they are in Houston.

A parking-garage building seen overshadowed by more Dallas-like styles. Even the actual parking garage itself is larger than the building. This building is still a great example of how the style likes to take normal shapes and put a twist (or in this case a shift) in them; notice the "steps" in the building's rectangular form.

The oblique and stretched hexagon is a common trope in the parking-garage style.

Other examples in the US:

Seattle:

A classic example in downtown Seattle (Wells Fargo Center, 1983). The entrance at ground level makes nice use of setbacks.

And two more that are reminiscent of Post Oak Central's trio of rounded towers (MetroPark West: 1980, MetroPark East: 1988)

Los Angeles Southern California:

San Diego has a Wells Fargo Plaza (1984), but you'll be hard-pressed to find much else in this city that's exploding with new glass towers and other modern styles.

After meticulously combing through Los Angeles proper for a while, I realized that the style--with its oblique edges and "inefficient" use of space--does not exist in the densest parts of the city. Many parts of Greater LA prioritize using as much of the lot as possible, but it seems that Santa Monica is not *as* strict. In fact, just a few miles east, near Brentwood...

...is this pair (coincidentally near Texas Ave).

Boston:

Boston is not unfamiliar with the style either (on left: One Financial Center, 1983)

Baltimore:

The style has made its way here too (250 W. Pratt St., 1986)

NoVa Suburbs:

But I think that the best examples of the architecture outside of Houston is in the western suburbs of Washington, D.C.. Here, we see Tysons Corner, VA filled with examples galore. Tysons Corner is comparable to Uptown Houston in many ways and serves as an edge city of Washington.

And another angle within Tysons Corner.

Reston, VA (Another edge city of Washington along the Silver Line) is similarly parking-garage-y.

 

And so, if you've made it this far without quitting, thank you! What do you think? Do you think this could be considered a truly Houston-style of architecture? Do you know of another city that has a high concentration of this style? What would you call this specific style of modernist/post-modernist architecture? Do you know of any other architectural styles that seem to have a location concentration as biased as this? Do you have any interesting anecdotes relating to a building like this? The floor is open and I hope this sparks some interesting thoughts on the topic. :)

 

 

 

 

Edited October 22, 2021 by Clementine
Deleted double-posted images

[Montrose1100]

This has to do more with time frame these buildings were built - the early 1980s, as you noted. When we were booming growing with our skyline this was the style. I believe it fits more in "International" rather than postmodern, but certainly has elements with the building shape. It would be similar to addressing "stepped" art deco skyscrapers with their abundance and birth in New York. Sure it also became the style in many other cities where there were not ordinances to have the buildings gradually step to avoid blocking sunlight. We own that time frame. You can tell when economic times were great in most cities, because there is usually a style more present than the rest (even in the burbs or outer lying business districts).

 

[Luminare]

On 10/22/2021 at 11:03 AM, Montrose1100 said:

This has to do more with time frame these buildings were built - the early 1980s, as you noted. When we were booming growing with our skyline this was the style. I believe it fits more in "International" rather than postmodern, but certainly has elements with the building shape. It would be similar to addressing "stepped" art deco skyscrapers with their abundance and birth in New York. Sure it also became the style in many other cities where there were not ordinances to have the buildings gradually step to avoid blocking sunlight. We own that time frame. You can tell when economic times were great in most cities, because there is usually a style more present than the rest (even in the burbs or outer lying business districts).

 

It is most definitely post-modern both in design philosophy, and post-modern as a philosophy in general. The only element one could even pretend this is linked to the International style is the continuous ribbon windows, but even that is merely a farce when it comes to post-modernism. In essence this style is an abstract reduction of the international style, but not for its aesthetics, but instead because its cheap and easy to build. Even your claim of booming and growth during this period is a farce as well because this period was highlighted not by object growth, but speculative subjective growth. These buildings were designed not with a client in mind, but a hypothetical, fictional, lowest common denominator client or market in mind. Its this era where we started to see the ultimate reduction in architecture as an art form. From one that is a personal service for a specific need, to purely an exercise in creating a building for the purpose of stuffing money into an asset or product, and nothing else. If these buildings get filled up, that's just icing on the cake, but their real purpose is simply to exist as an asset held by a development company. Its not like we have learned much from this period either as their degenerate cousins of today, the all curtain wall box building, has become the new template for speculative development (even more abstract than their predecessor one could argue...in essence a copy of a copy of a copy). It really can't even be compared to the Art Deco movement in New York, as that movement not only represented an actual aesthetic that made a marketed difference in the environment, but were also built with expressed purposes. In a way these stripped abstract nothings are the antithesis of not only architecture, but the Art Deco movement you described. If Art Deco was a true manifestation of the ideals of modernism, then these stripped abstract nothings were the manifestations of the ideals of post-modernism.

Not saying you are wrong by the way. We each have our own opinion, but this is coming from someone who studied at a grad school where the International Style began in Dessau, Germany. Where I literally went and had beers or coffee on the daily in Walter Gropius's Bauhaus building, and have visited Le Corbs masterpiece, the Villa Savoye, in Poissy, Paris, France.

[Montrose1100]

10 hours ago, Luminare said:

It is most definitely post-modern both in design philosophy, and post-modern as a philosophy in general. The only element one could even pretend this is linked to the International style is the continuous ribbon windows, but even that is merely a farce when it comes to post-modernism. In essence this style is an abstract reduction of the international style, but not for its aesthetics, but instead because its cheap and easy to build. Even your claim of booming and growth during this period is a farce as well because this period was highlighted not by object growth, but speculative subjective growth. These buildings were designed not with a client in mind, but a hypothetical, fictional, lowest common denominator client or market in mind. Its this era where we started to see the ultimate reduction in architecture as an art form. From one that is a personal service for a specific need, to purely an exercise in creating a building for the purpose of stuffing money into an asset or product, and nothing else. If these buildings get filled up, that's just icing on the cake, but their real purpose is simply to exist as an asset held by a development company. Its not like we have learned much from this period either as their degenerate cousins of today, the all curtain wall box building, has become the new template for speculative development (even more abstract than their predecessor one could argue...in essence a copy of a copy of a copy). It really can't even be compared to the Art Deco movement in New York, as that movement not only represented an actual aesthetic that made a marketed difference in the environment, but were also built with expressed purposes. In a way these stripped abstract nothings are the antithesis of not only architecture, but the Art Deco movement you described. If Art Deco was a true manifestation of the ideals of modernism, then these stripped abstract nothings were the manifestations of the ideals of post-modernism.

Not saying you are wrong by the way. We each have our own opinion, but this is coming from someone who studied at a grad school where the International Style began in Dessau, Germany. Where I literally went and had beers or coffee on the daily in Walter Gropius's Bauhaus building, and have visited Le Corbs masterpiece, the Villa Savoye, in Poissy, Paris, France.

Hey Lum,

Of course the link to International style is the ribbon windows, which is exactly what this entire topic is about - specifically. As the OP mentioned, it appears in any city, giving several examples. They lack ornamentation, are all very uniform, no culture local to the city. These are exactly the type of buildings post modernism didn't want to be. However, Given they are not just complete rectangular boxes (well, not all of them), postmodernism does come into play. You're literally seeing history in this town as the world moves from pure boxes, to slight shape changes, then on to a solid example of postmodernism like 700 Louisiana. 

And of course not every building was built with a client in mind. However, to say they were all designed without one is untrue. The first picture in the thread was built for First City Bank. 3 Houston Center/Fulbright/Chevron was rumored to have mocked the Chevron logo at the top step feature. I don't have the time to dig through the history and development of every buildings used as examples on here. 

The only comparison I made with the style of Art Deco in New York is the given time period and economic boom enabling companies to build them. Look, I'm happy that you studied architecture, and have experienced travel, but that doesn't make you an expert. Or that you prefer to dig into philosophy so much when what I said is more geared towards history as a statement or view. What if New York didn't boom in that time period? Then they wouldn't have so many examples of art deco. Same with Houston. That was it.

[strickn]

There's less artistry in section than in plan view on most of these, so I would call them alphabet pancakes:  yet the word pancake in a built environment context is rightly linked to structural collapses.  Quesadillas don't have the same custom connotations that alphabet pancakes do... so maybe alphabet griddlecakes?

Denver and Toronto (both their urban and suburban submarkets), Seattle and Northern Virginia shared with Houston and several other Sunbelt city regions east and west the characteristic of having parallel growth within many separate business sectors at the same time.  
This meant that office space on highly visible, relatively spacious sites could be financed, built, and perhaps re-sold without ever determining and designing for an intended industry of occupant, let alone an intended tenant within that industry, during the bubble period around 1980.  Texas was China before China was China.  Trying to make a property be more uniquely individual and less of a commodity -- but without spending extra for engineered inefficiencies -- made clients willing to have architects put more corner offices in the floorplans just as long as awkward wasted spaces didn't result in cross-section.  They still did make Houston skylines memorable up to a point.  
 

As I understand it, Pennzoil Place's design was probably more wasteful and therefore less directly influential in this regard, within the profession, than Johnson/Burgee's three oblique Post Oak Central towers, each of which sampled the corner detail of the Cory and Cory* architecture firm's 1929 Starrett-Lehigh Building.  Starrett-Lehigh was the member of a pre-Depression wave of intermodal warehouses with built-in showrooms and multitenant workshop floors** which Philip Johnson had, possibly personally, added to the International Style canon-forming exercise in the 1930s MoMA exhibition, although if anything it was designed in the style Paquebot.

Also, Douglas Milburn devotes two pages in his 1979 guide to Houston to appreciating Post Oak Central, and I don't know of anything earlier in this area (nor Denver nor Toronto) which set the stove or stage for praise of alphabet griddlecakes quite like they did.
 

* https://www.docomomo-us.org/designer/cory-cory

** https://hiddencityphila.org/2015/11/indestructible-at-broad-and-callowhill/