j_cuevas713 Posted May 28, 2020 Share Posted May 28, 2020 On 5/17/2020 at 6:21 PM, hindesky said: Sightseers take in the view from the tempietto atop the 32-story Niels Esperson Building, the tallest in Texas upon its completion, 1927. Woah 😨 Why is this not open to the public!? 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
native_Houstonian Posted July 26, 2021 Share Posted July 26, 2021 Get your bids in by tomorrow for the Esperson Building... https://www.loopnet.com/Listing/808-Travis-Street-815-Walker-Street-Houston-TX/23477122/ 4 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sapo2367 Posted July 26, 2021 Share Posted July 26, 2021 My old office was in this building, loved the quirks: - Elevators rang an actual bell when you arrived to your floor - There was a mail slot that connected all the floors to the lobby level. If you were lucky you would catch some mail whizzing by on its way down. - Niels Esperson's family crest being mounted everywhere. - The carved cattle skulls on the stonework on the Travis street entrance. - They used to do a monthly tour of the copula (show above) and Mellie Esperson's old office. Neils passed away before his eponymous building was completed, and Mellie went blind before her expansion (Walker Street side) was completed. She lived in the building for the rest of her life, there is a set of apartments on the very top floor. - The building is allegedly haunted by Mellie. Don't really believe in that sort of thing, but also didn't stay late into the night to find out.... Fun memories!! 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houston19514 Posted July 26, 2021 Share Posted July 26, 2021 3 hours ago, native_Houstonian said: Get your bids in by tomorrow for the Esperson Building... https://www.loopnet.com/Listing/808-Travis-Street-815-Walker-Street-Houston-TX/23477122/ That could make for an amazing hotel and/or residential conversion! 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post hindesky Posted March 18, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted March 18, 2022 Under construction. 17 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BEES?! Posted March 19, 2022 Share Posted March 19, 2022 So cool! Did it sell? This would be near the top of buildings I’d love to see a conversion to residential/hotel. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post DotCom Posted August 23, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted August 23, 2022 Partial multifamily conversion. https://www.bisnow.com/houston/news/multifamily/80-year-old-landmark-office-building-downtown-to-house-luxe-apartment-units-114459 14 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BEES?! Posted August 23, 2022 Share Posted August 23, 2022 (edited) 36 minutes ago, DotCom said: Partial multifamily conversion. https://www.bisnow.com/houston/news/multifamily/80-year-old-landmark-office-building-downtown-to-house-luxe-apartment-units-114459 OMG! (anyone have an account who might be able to spill some deets on this one? I’m super curious!) Edited August 23, 2022 by BEES?! 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post editor Posted August 23, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted August 23, 2022 1 hour ago, hindesky said: Owners of the nearly century-old downtown Esperson building will convert parts of its office space into multifamily units, part of the greater trend of repurposing old office space as tenants flock to newer, highly amenitized buildings. Well, crap. I guess I'm moving again. My wife loves that building. 5 1 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross Posted August 24, 2022 Share Posted August 24, 2022 3 hours ago, editor said: Well, crap. I guess I'm moving again. My wife loves that building. Between the antenna and the building, it sounds like you and your wife need separate bedrooms. In separate buildings🤣 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tumbleweed_Tx Posted August 24, 2022 Share Posted August 24, 2022 sounds like they're converting the Mellie building, not the Neils building 2 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hindesky Posted August 25, 2022 Share Posted August 25, 2022 "An iconic piece of Houston’s downtown skyline is set to undergo a $50 million makeover as a developer adds residences to a historic commercial building, hopping on an emerging trend of real estate investors reimagining excess office space." https://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/real-estate/article/Esperson-Building-Houston-50M-makeover-17395344.php#photo-22847465 3 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
august948 Posted August 25, 2022 Share Posted August 25, 2022 On 8/23/2022 at 3:34 PM, hindesky said: Owners of the nearly century-old downtown Esperson building will convert parts of its office space into multifamily units, part of the greater trend of repurposing old office space as tenants flock to newer, highly amenitized buildings. Screen Shot 2022-08-23 at 3.30.57 PM by David, on Flickr The building at 808 Travis St. was first built in the 1940s, and was the largest office building built during the Great Depression, as well as the first Houston skyscraper to have central air conditioning. The renovations, designed by Gensler, will add multifamily units as well as an amenity space on the 17th floor, available to both residents and office tenants. Plans for the amenity space call for removing the roof on the northwest corner of the 17th floor to create an outdoor-indoor space, with a rooftop swimming pool, a dog park, a speak-easy, a wellness facility, indoor and outdoor lounge areas, and a space for catered meetings. They're opening a speak-easy? 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted August 26, 2022 Share Posted August 26, 2022 Another article. They are starting with Mellie. https://therealdeal.com/texas/2022/08/26/ornate-downtown-houston-high-rise-set-for-resi-makeover/ 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houston19514 Posted November 4, 2022 Share Posted November 4, 2022 Anyone know if they have started work on the residential conversion? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post jermh Posted November 16, 2023 Popular Post Share Posted November 16, 2023 (edited) On 11/4/2022 at 11:23 AM, Houston19514 said: Anyone know if they have started work on the residential conversion? I toured the building at the AIA Houston Soar to High Heights: Niels Esperson Building event today, and they talked a bit about this. They said it's challenging because the fire escapes must be enclosed for residential. It sounded like an expensive hurdle, but they still are entertained by the idea. Attached are a few cellphone shots from the tour. A really interesting thing was the HVAC system in the basement, which is from the 1930s. It functions similarly to a swamp cooler and the recent addition of a heat exchanger that connects the building to the Downtown chill water cooling loop. PXL_20231116_005253621.mp4 Edited November 16, 2023 by jermh 11 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobruss Posted November 16, 2023 Share Posted November 16, 2023 Those are some stunning photgraphs. Beautiful images of the most elegant building in downtown. Thanks JERMH! 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IntheKnowHouston Posted January 26 Share Posted January 26 Published in an article today on Chron.com: Eden Grow Systems, a NASA spinoff, announced that it will open its new vertical indoor farm location in downtown Houston's historic Niels Esperson Building at 808 Travis Street this Saturday. https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/vertical-farm-houston-downtown-18627630.php 5 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post hindesky Posted February 6 Popular Post Share Posted February 6 10 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChannelTwoNews Posted February 21 Share Posted February 21 Why more Houston offices aren't being converted to housing (houstonchronicle.com) "For example, Cameron Management unveiled plans more than a year ago to convert the Esperson complex, two older office towers on Travis Street, into a mixed-used project with apartments, coworking and offices. On paper, the downtown buildings would work well for a conversion. They’re in a desirable location and have narrow floorplates allowing enough light for residential units. Cameron invested nearly $4 million into studying and planning a conversion. But the estimated cost to construct 100 units is about $50 million, about $20 million more than expected, said Dougal Cameron, president of Cameron Management. As credit markets tightened over the year, Cameron hasn’t been able to secure favorable financing. Traditional lenders are “out of the game,” he said. The towers, built in the 1920s and 1940s, are old enough to qualify for federal and state historic tax credits, but Cameron is wary of the strings attached." 1 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big E Posted February 27 Share Posted February 27 They should really go for the historic tax credits, whatever strings are attached. That's the only way I see this getting done in this economic climate. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hindesky Posted February 27 Share Posted February 27 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texasota Posted February 28 Share Posted February 28 The strings would be pretty minimal for interior changes. The main thing it would add is time. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highrise Tower Posted March 16 Share Posted March 16 Believe it's my first time photographing this building. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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