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Fom The Houston Chronice

CONSTRUCTION

Hermann ready to start building

After winning tax breaks from the city of Houston and Harris County, Memorial Hermann Healthcare System will break ground this month on a long-awaited medical center and office building.

The 30-story tower, which will include more than 500,000 square feet of space, will be built at the corner of Fannin and MacGregor in the Texas Medical Center.

Mischer Healthcare Services is a partner in development of the building, Memorial Hermann Medical Plaza.

The $155 million facility will include an ambulatory care center, an imaging center and surgical and endoscopy suites.

Holliday Fenoglio Fowler arranged a $117.5 million construction and permanent loan for the project through Teachers Insurance Annuity Association and GMAC Commercial Mortgage Bank.

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Memorial Hermann granted tax breaks for Med Center building

Mary Ann Azevedo

From Houston Business Journal

After receiving requested tax breaks from the city and county, Memorial Hermann Healthcare System is set to break ground in the next two weeks on a $155 million plaza that officials say will be the largest medical office building in the Texas Medical Center.

The project is the first of its kind in the Med Center in 13 years.

"This has been on a wish list for years," says Memorial Hermann spokesperson Jamie O'Roark. "We know Houston needs it, and Memorial Hermann wanted to do it. It was just a matter of putting all the pieces together."

Indeed, the system first announced the project in 2002 and had been seeking tax abatements from Harris County and the city of Houston.

O'Roark confirmed that the city granted Memorial Hermann a 77 percent property tax abatement for 10 years. Memorial Hermann had requested a 90 percent abatement from the city. Meanwhile, the county granted a 56 percent abatement.

Memorial Hermann is currently working to clear out the land on 6400 Fannin, where a surface tax-exempt parking lot currently sits.

"We'll spend the next two weeks getting the vehicles off the site," O'Roark says. "We wanted to give those who parked there time to find other places to put their cars."

The facility will include more than 500,000 rentable square feet and a 2,400-vehicle parking garage. The office space will house up to 200 physicians at the corner of Fannin and MacGregor Streets. It will offer an onsite, 100,000-square-foot ambulatory care center with eight surgical suites, four endoscopy suites and a full-modality imaging center.

Retail shops, services and restaurants will take up another two floors on the lobby/concourse levels and will connect, via the gateway skybridge, to the Memorial Hermann Hospital and Memorial Hermann Children's Hospital.

Memorial Hermann officials estimate that the project will create 375 construction jobs for the duration of the two-year construction period and 191 permanent jobs upon opening.

The facility will be developed in partnership with health care developer Mischer Healthcare services. The Houston office of Holliday Fenoglio Fowler arranged a $117.5 million construction and permanent loan provided by Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association and GMAC Commercial Mortgage Bank. JP Morgan Chase provided supporting letters of credit.

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Here are larger renderings of the project. Yes, H-town, I agree. Perhaps seeing this project come to fruition illustrates the difference between a legitimate development team - those who truly have the endurance and resources to get the job done - from those that can make headlines - but little else...

BTW, when ground breaks, this Memorial Hermann project will be the largest commercial real estate project under development in the Houston area. Its kind of amazing its not getting more attention around town... esp. when we hear over and over about "The Shamrock" (which seems as elusive as a four-leaf clover in Houston). I would contend that the Memorial Hermann project, with its ground floor retail and large ambulatory care facilities - is a much more important (and real!) project for Houston. Additionally, this will be the first major project announced to be built at a METRORail station since the light rail system opened in January. Kudos to Memorial Hermann and the development team for having the vision for this project!

memorialHermann1.jpg

MemorialHermann3.jpg

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Great renderings! I actually like the newer version better than the old and I can't help but notice that the crown looks like it might light up at night. Additionally, kudos to the design team for integrating ground floor retail space along the light rail route. I also appreciate how the garage portion looks relatively hidden as opposed to some monstrous cement eyesore.

As for the Hermann Professional Building, it will become a primary care center for Memorial Hermann and will be preserved. It is obvious that the design team also placed the new taller Memorial Hermann tower on the Northern fringes of the lot so as to not completely overshadow the Hermann Prof. Bldg. Notice too that the pedestrain bridge will go over the light rail and has the familiar red tile roofing of the older Memorial Hermann facilities.

Kudos to Kirksey Architects for producing a beauty!

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  • 3 weeks later...

From The Medical Center News

Memorial Hermann to Construct Area's Largest Medical Office Building

Jamie O' Roark

memorial Hermann Healthcare System

With the turning of dirt the shovels at a ground breaking ceremony later this month, Memorial Hermann Healthcare Sysstem will begin construction on the city's largest commercial construction project - the $155 million Memorial Hermann Medical Plaza. When complete, the building will be the largest medical office in the Texas Medical Center area.

Designed in partnership with one of Houston's leading health care developers, Mischer Healthcare Services, the new facilty to be located at the corner of Fannin and McGregor Strees will encompass more than 500,000 rentable square feet. This includes office space for up to 200 physicians, and a 2,400-vehicle parking garage. Services offered include an onsite ambulatory care center with either surgical suites, four endoscopy suites, and a full-modality imaging center. The ambulatory care center will occupy 100,000 square feet on two of the project's 30 floors.

Another two floors on the lobby/concourse levels will be filled by retail shops, services, and restaurants and will conveniently connect, via the existing skybridge, to comprehensive resources at Memorial Hermann and Memorial Hermann Children's Hospitals. Also easily accessible via skybridge are The University of Texas Health Science Center Professional Building and UT-Houston Medical School.

"With its modern design, sophisticated construction, state-of-the-art services, and skybridge access to the TMC's founding hospital, this facility will be home to the best and brightest in Houston's medical community," said Dan Wolterman, Memorial Hermann Healthcare System president and CEO. "It represents, once again, our system's leadership commitment to innovation."

The Project will create 375 construction jos during the two-year construction period and 191 permanent jobs upon opening.

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Is that what there Building by The Zoo Light-Rail station?

Yes. The new tower will be on the block between Main and Fannin on the south side of MacGregor, and directly across Fannin from the Memorial Hermann/Houston Zoo MetroRail platform.

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...

This may be slightly dated, but the renderings I posted earlier seem to have disappeared. I thought I'd post again for those interested (I really like this project - and it is the largest commercial office project currently under construction in Houston, after all!).

I've also included a couple of panoramic pics which show the impact of this new project on the Medical Center skyline - both day and night.

renderingPanoramaDay.jpg

renderingPanoramaNight.jpg

renderingfront-020504.jpg

renderingback-020504.jpg

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