Total Plaza

Total Plaza
Former names Entex Building
Louisiana Place
United Gas Building
General information
Status Complete
Type Office
Location 1201 Louisiana Street, Downtown Houston, Texas
Coordinates 29°45′23″N 95°22′07″W / 29.7565°N 95.3685°W / 29.7565; -95.3685Coordinates: 29°45′23″N 95°22′07″W / 29.7565°N 95.3685°W / 29.7565; -95.3685
Completed 1971
Owner 1201 Louisiana Co LP
Management Brookfield Properties
Height
Roof 158 m (518 ft)
Technical details
Floor count 35
Floor area 847,200 sq ft (78,710 m2)
Lifts/elevators 18
Design and construction
Architect Lloyd Morgan and Jones
Structural engineer I.A. Naman & Associates
Walter P. Moore
Main contractor Miner Dedrick Co.
References
[1][2][3]

Total Plaza (formerly the Entex Building, Louisiana Place, and United Gas Building) is a tower in Downtown Houston, Texas, one block away from the Allen Center complex.[4] The building, managed by Brookfield Properties, opened in 1971. The 35 story building, designed by the architect Lloyd, Morgan & Jones, was renovated in 1981 and 1996, and features a mirror-finished reflective glass on its exterior.[5] Each floor has about 24,000 sq ft (2,200 m2), with a total of 847,200 sq ft (78,710 m2).[6] The building is named after its major tenant, Total Petrochemicals USA, a subsidiary of Total S.A..[7] The complex was formerly the headquarters of the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (METRO).

The building is connected to the Downtown Houston tunnel system.[8]

History

The building, located at 1201 Louisiana, opened in 1971.[9] The building was the headquarters of Entex.[10] In 1975 Mercure Co. N.Y., a Dutch company, bought the Entex Building for US$40 million.[11] The plaza, which had Class B space, was sold in 1984.[12]

In 1994 the main offices of the University of Houston System were in the Entex Building.[13] In 1996, after a renovation, the building was renamed from the Entex Building to the Louisiana Place.[14] During that year brokers Jay Bonano and Jesse Amundsen left Koll Real Estate to start their own company. The leasing contract for Total Plaza was taken with Bonano and Amundsen.[15]

Previously the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas (METRO) headquarters were in the Louisiana Place.[5][16] The agency occupied 10 floors in the building and did not receive any federal funds to cover the US$3.8 million annual rent.[17] The METRO Board Room was located on the 16th floor.[18] By 2002 the agency announced that it was moving into a new administration building, scheduled for completion in 2004, owned by the agency.[17] METRO's lease of 193,000 sq ft (17,900 m2) expired in April 2005.[19]

In early 2005 Total Petrochemicals USA, a subsidiary of Total S.A., signed a lease to occupy space in the Louisiana Place.[6] In late 2005 Total Petrochemicals USA moved hundreds of employees into the building. The building's name changed to the Total Plaza.[9] The company signed a 15 year lease for 150,000 sq ft (14,000 m2) and had scheduled to relocate 250 employees by November 2005. It had an option for an additional 75,000 sq ft (7,000 m2). The space that Total Petrochemicals USA moved into was previously occupied by METRO, which planned to move into a new administration building in January 2005. In addition Total Holding U.S., a 20 person office representing Total S.A.'s North American holdings, was scheduled to move to Downtown Houston.[20] Before METRO moved out, the building had a 96 percent occupancy rate. After METRO left and after Total moved in, the occupancy rate was 86 percent.[6]

In 2006 the building was 88 percent occupied. During that year Hilcorp Energy Company signed a lease to stay in the building and increase its space. Hilcorp previously leased around 72,000 sq ft (6,700 m2) on three floors. After it re-signed its lease, it will take an additional floor.[9] In 2007 Coast Range Investments, a privately held company in San Francisco, sold the Total Plaza to Brookfield Properties, previously known in Houston as Trizec Properties, for an undisclosed amount. During that year the building was 88 percent occupied. During that year, aside from Total S.A., its tenants included Hilcorp Energy and Reliant Energy Retail Services.[4]

Tenants

The Petroleum Club of Houston occupies the building's 35th floor.[21] The club was forced to move from the ExxonMobil Building due to the building's impending sale and renovation. The club's ExxonMobil space was scheduled to close after January 10, 2015, and its new quarters in the Total Plaza were scheduled to open two weeks later. The club space at the Total Plaza has an energy industry theme as it uses gold, bronze, and metallic colors.[22] Younger club members had requested a bar, so the new club has a bar with the view of the skyline of Houston.[8] Kirksey, an architecture company based in Houston, designed the facility. Nancy Sarnoff of the Houston Chronicle wrote that the space has a "more modern look" compared to the previous space at the ExxonMobil Building.[22]

References

  1. ↑ Total Plaza at Emporis
  2. ↑ "Total Plaza". SkyscraperPage.
  3. ↑ "Total Plaza Fact Sheet". Brookfield Properties. 5 June 2007. Retrieved 2010-04-04.
  4. 1 2 Nancy Sarnoff (June 9, 2007). "Brookfield acquires Total Plaza downtown". The Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 2010-04-06.
  5. 1 2 "Total Plaza". Brookfield Properties. Retrieved 2010-04-06.
  6. 1 2 3 "Louisiana Place, 1201 Louisiana, Renamed Total Plaza". McDaniel & Co. 2010. Retrieved 2010-04-06.
  7. ↑ "Total Holdings Usa, Inc." Manta. Retrieved on April 5, 2010.
  8. 1 2 "A look inside the new Petroleum Club" (Archive). Houston Chronicle. March 6, 2015. Retrieved on March 9, 2015.
  9. 1 2 3 Dawson, Jennifer. "Hilcorp increases downtown presence." Houston Business Journal. Thursday June 22, 2006. Retrieved on April 5, 2010.
  10. ↑ William K. Stevens (17 May 1978). "Foreigners Buying Houston Properties". The New York Times. p. D7. Retrieved 2010-04-09.
  11. ↑ William K. Stevens (May 21, 1978). "Houston a Magnet for Foreigners and Their Money". The Palm Beach Post. p. F19. Retrieved 2010-04-09.
  12. ↑ Stromberg, Laura A. "Arena Towers find buyer." Houston Business Journal. Friday July 25, 1997. Retrieved on April 24, 2010.
  13. ↑ Tim Fleck (September 1, 1994). "Crisis on Cullen Boulevard". The Houston Press. Retrieved 2010-04-09. (Archive)
  14. ↑ Staff and Wire Reports (July 20, 1996). "Houston developer convicted of bank fraud Kenneth Schnitzer, 2 others face up to 5-year prison terms, $250,000 fines". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved 2010-04-06.
  15. ↑ Tanya Rutledge (September 13, 1996). "Koll Real Estate's local office down to a handful of brokers". The Houston Business Journal. Retrieved 2010-04-09..
  16. ↑ "Contacting METRO." Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas. March 4, 2001. Retrieved on April 5, 2010.
  17. 1 2 Sallee, Rad. "Metro touting future savings from building." Houston Chronicle. Wednesday August 21, 2002. A25. Retrieved on April 5, 2010.
  18. ↑ Sallee, Rad. "Metro digs up $65 million for rail / Project to go without federal funds." Houston Chronicle. Wednesday October 25, 2000. A1. Retrieved on April 5, 2010.
  19. ↑ Sarnoff, Nancy. "Metro gets rolling on downtown transit center." Houston Business Journal. Friday January 4, 2002. Retrieved on April 5, 2010.
  20. ↑ Dawson, Jennifer. "ATOFINA to move from Greenspoint to downtown." Houston Business Journal. Monday July 19, 2004. Retrieved on April 5, 2010.
  21. ↑ "Contact." Petroleum Club of Houston. Retrieved on March 9, 2015. "Map and Directions: Physical Address: 1201 Louisiana, 35th Floor Houston, TX 77002"
  22. 1 2 Sarnoff, Nancy. "Bucks for the memories: Petroleum Club auctions off some of its relics." Houston Chronicle. November 13, 2014. Retrieved on March 9, 2015.
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