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Crystal Ballroom at the Rite Hotel, circa the 1920s. DECONSTRUCTIN (/ o &

Crystal Ballroom at Hotel, mid-1990s, following initial demolition of interior.

BY B R U C E C. W E B B

Crystal Ballroom of the Rice Hotel, 1998, showing restored stogc and mural. t p > i n IS _1_ 1 L"B

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t the short stink of historically significant the derelict building was the subject of a what do you do? Exactly what I'm doing. /(.)») / — In April, Ihe first Capitol of the & buildings left unclaimed in 's number ol schemes ih.ii would have Si.o out iii the country. That is the new Republic ol , a two slaty wooden downtown at the advent of the current returned it to service, among them a downtown," structure, is built by John und wave of inner city revivalism, none was I''77 proposal to reopen it as an apart- A feeling ol desperation about losing Augustus Allen on ihe site where the more compelling, or s bigger challenge, mem building with 20 percent of Its pro- their centers altogether propelled cities Rice Holel will eventually stand. In than the old Rice 1 lotel. Boarded up in posed >>S apartments reserved as subsi- into modem formats that traded historic May, the Texas legislature moves in. II 19 . the substantial building had resist- dized housing for low income families — identity lor new symbols of corporate meets here until September 10, 1839, ed both demolition and renovation foi a plan surprisingly similar to the one pul prosperity. The collaboration between when the government is relocated to more than 20 years. Standing vacant with together in the mid '90s by developer developer capitalism and modern archi- Austin The Allen brothers retain own- its once elegant interiors rotting and Randall Davis that finally led to the tecture promoted a species ol urhanism ership of ihe Capitol building, and in December open it as a hotel. crumbling, it had become a taded memo Rice's renovation. Rut before Davis, the based on the high-rise office tower, which ry ot a bygone era as well as a symbol ol deals somehow never got done. The aging gobbled up much of the scale and charm A > //— The Capitol Hotel is leased to M. the (lagging fortunes of downtown's building became more of a liability than ol older cities and converted them into Norwood. Following the Mexican invo north end. an asset, both to its owners and to the nine-to-five workplaces. The more pros- sion of 1842, ihe Capital Holel again I'hc Rice was the third in a series ol city's plans for downtown redevelopment. perous a city became, the more gobbling becomes ihe Capitol building when three hotels to occupy the prominent site Slipping deeper into the shadows ot the it did, and the fewer older buildings were moves ihe legislature on the corner of Travis and Texas prosperous-looking cluster of downtown left for anyone who cared. back to Houston lor seven months. Avenues where the capitol of the office towers to the south, it became a Rut modernizing downtown was an had once stood. The haven for a collection of transients who incomplete project. By the time it reached AS // —The hotel is sold by the Allen first, .1 conversion of the old wooden found the generous awning that sur- the limits of its success, cities still har- family to R. S. Blount for SI2,000. capitol building, was demolished in IKN1 rounds the building a commodious shel- bored a shadowy ring of plaees with After going through a few owners and and replaced by a Second hotel that was ter from the elements. unabated historic flavor. Although mar- a few name changes — ol various limes it's called the Houston House bought by and, fol- ginalized and left to deteriorate, they still and Barnes House — it is razed in lowing his death, ceded to the Rice retained a character that couldn't be May 1881. The then owner ol the Institute. Jesse ! I. Jones bought the Strut I ike man) American cities, I louston's found in the ubiquitous outward migrat- properly, Colonel Abraham Groesbetk, tu re in I''I I and had it razed to make attitude about us downtown during the ing sprawl, with its endless subdivisions, etects o new Capitol Hotel, an elobo way lor ihe present building, designed hv - r> 0s and 1980s was ambivalent at best, malls, and strips ot fast food chains. rale live story brick and stucco strut St. I outs architects Mauran, Russell, and Many ot the city's commercial attractions Several high profile downtown reviraliza- lure thai quickly becomes the cenlet Crowell, The classically detailed building dlifted away, lured out to the open spaces tion projects, most notably in Cleveland of Houston's social life with red brick l.u mgs and terra COtta in the suburbs where the affluent popula- and Baltimore, brought considerable architectural decorations was constructed tion w.is settling. I ell behind was an attention to the development potentials of A ' i' () — Following Colonel Groesbetk's in 1913 as twin 17-story tower wings in expanding cluster ot corporate and specu- inner-city projects. Both cities plotted death, William Marsh Rice buys the a (..-shaped arrangement; a third tower lative office towers intermixed with hold- strategies to catalyze downtown develop- Capitol Hotel lot taxes. He adds a wing was added by I louston architect three-story annex. ing sites temporarily outfitted for on- ment by, among other things, construct- Alfred C. Finn in 1925 ro form the pre- grade parking. Holey"s, the lone remaining ing new retro baseball stadiums attached sent I shaped configuration. /'/1 H '— William Marsh Rite is murdered downtown department store, cut back its to the gritty, 19th-century urban tissue. by his valel. His will leaves ihe hotel More than am other building ol its operation to only six lloors, smaller in Seeking to create a sense of place by and the land it sils an fa his namesake rime, the Rice served as a marker for the square footage than its suburban ston it reinvesting in their histories, these university, the Rice Institute. The Facili- aspirations ol the emerging c m . During Sharpstown Mali. Sakowitz, its upscale cities began to view the older sections ty continues to be run as a holel, its nearly 65 years ol operation it shel- competitor across the street, closed, leav- of their downtowns as marketable com- which is renamed the Rice. Then in tered many of the notables who visited ing the prominent building to suffer an modities tor attracting people back to the 1911 Jesse Jones purchases the build- the t i n , and us refined public rooms dig- ignominious future first as a storage central city. ing, though the land, which Jones leas- nified Houston's social lite MM\ high- warehouse and later as a thinly disguised Unlike Cleveland and Baltimore, es, remains in Ihe hands ol the Rice Institute. st.ikes political wheeling and dealing. Hut multi-level parking garage. though, Houston wasn't built on near-in by the I y"t)s, the Rice had become an Mosl ol the smaller retail shops thai working-class urban neighborhoods and O The original Rice Hotel is demol- antiquated hotel, one badly in need of once lined the downtown streets also heavy industry that had bottomed out. As &'• ished. On February 12, Jesse Jones modernization both to meet 1 loustou's gave up, leaving behind empty storefronts one ol the cities that had led the way in gets a permit lo build a 17-slory struc- new and more stringent lire codes and to and equally empty sidewalks. Visitors to creating an impressive modern sk\hne, ture on ihe site. He goes lo the Si. compete with newer hotels such as 1972's I louston looking for the night life and I louston had lew buildings and little in Louis orchitetlurol firm ol Mauran, John-I'orini.in look-alike I ly.itt Regency shopping that conventioneers and tourists the was of contiguous hloiA districts lell Russell, and Crowell to design his new downtown, with it-, soaring lobby, glass crave were usually directed away from to inspire revitalization. Backtracking was holel, which is erected in the form ol a elevators, and revolving Spindletop cock- the central ciry. They were frequently told a short trip, and led to places such as the C, with two parallel wings jutting out tail lounge. as well to stay off the downtown streets relentlessly dull and obtrusive hull ol the from the main building. According to a Altei passing through the hands oi .11 night. Albert "Thomas Convention Center, which promotional brochure of the lime, the cost ol the new Rice Holel is S2.S mil- several owners, among them the Houston The action was moving our of town, became vacant when the new dcorge R. lion. Interest in the new landmark is Endowment (the Jones' family founda- fueled by the kind ol thinking summed Brown Convention Center was completed so high that when il opens an May 17, tion!. , and the up by shopping center magnate Edward .ILIOSS t o w n . 1913, some 10,000 people pass Rittenhouse t apital t orporation, the fail DeBartolo in a 1973 article in the New Sitting idle tor many years, its rhree- through its doors — a number iug hotel was sold to C arl luce and York Tunes: "I wouldn't put a penny in block-long, blank concrete walls p r o v i d - enhanced by o trainlaad of Shriners Associates, who operated it for only downtown. It's bad. Face it, win should ing a dismal background view f r o m the who've come lo town and stop by for about four mouths before closing it tor people come in? I hev don't want the has- formal w i n d o w of the W o r t h . i m Theater something lo eat. The Shriners are good in 1977. Over the ensuing 21) years, sle. They don't want the danger.... So Center's lobbv, the Albert T h o m a s was exactly the sotl of people Janes hopes J A i p t i I! I I 9 *> I I t"

to imprest, since he's built his new peddled as I louston's version ol ,i poten- Rite os a convention hotel Jones tial Fannuel H a l l , eliciting, a m o n g other himsell moves into an oportment on proposals, project l.uminiere, the h i g h - the 17th floor. tech product ot a collaboratio n between developer Kenneth Schnii/.er and vision- Ty<- -- — The Rite Hotel Cofeterio becomes ary f i l m impresario George 1 ucas. the first air conditioned public room in Brought hack to life lasi year as Bayou Houston; when it's expended in 1924, Place, a IMWs-siylc pedestrian strip cen- it's billed as the largest hotel coleleria in the U.S. By the 1970s, when its ter, n added several restaurants, a Concert (opacity has grown to 840, the Rite venue, and a movie house to the d o w n management louts the eatery as the town repertoire. A n d despite Us still largest holel tofelerio in the world. rather o r d i n a r y appearance, w h i c h deco ration ol its ungainly concrete hide and /y-1 (>— Houston orthitetl Alfred C. Finn, massive frame could not errectivelj dis who had worked on the original 1913 guise. Bayou l'lace has pi oven to h e n construction and whom Jesse Jones successful a d d i t i o n ro the theater district, had hired in 1921 to redesign his affirming what many had contended: penthouse apartment, adds a third [here was a viable market for night life wing to the Rite Holel, giving it ils Familiar "E" shape and increasing the downtown. It was just such a belief that hotel's number ol guest rooms and helped set the stage for the resurrection suites from 535lo 1,000. of the Rice.

7y~- l' — Jesse Jones lures the Democrolit Convention to Houston. Tax records Before f i x i ng Ins sights on the Rice I lotel, Before: To prepare Isr renovation into lofts, the upper floors ol the Rite Hotel were stripped down to their bate walls. indicate some rooms in the Rice are Randal! Davis had tested the waters t• • i altered so lhat more delegates con be downtown living w n h several smaller loft housed there. Some stories suggest o conversion projects, a m o n g them the apartment and condominiu m buildings ed by a 1997 city tax abatement p r o - few conventioneers may even have Dakota Lofts, the Tribcca l.ofts, and the with grotesque architectural decoration gram, abetted a d o / e n such projects using bunked on the roof though lhat's I logg Palace l.ofts. all ol w h i c h had met (the G o t h a m , the Metropolis) , his treat- older buildings to add an additional unlikely. By this time the roof opened with considerable success. ment of the remodeling of older buildings 1,000 d o w n t o w n apartments. A January originally os the Roof Garden at the 17 New York Timet arnele reported that Rice and eventually known simply os Rescuing an old b u i l d i n g and return- is considerably more restrained. On his the Rite Roof, has become one of ing it to usefulness is a complicated and web page he has himself described in although most ot these apartments were Houston's more popular entertainment risky business. The old building must he expansive terms: " T h e idea of loft living for standard leasing arrangements, others venues, offering dining and dancing. brought up to modern health and safety in d o w n t o w n H o u s t o n has changed dra- were being made over into extended-stay regulations, a task thai can require every- matically due to Randall Davis, a true corporate apartments tor relocating exec- ( >— The Rite Hotel Borber Shop thing f r o m meeting new emergency exit urban pioneer. He is part of the d o w n utives and long-term consultants. & u,?0 is remodeled. By the time it closes requirement!! to abating asbestos and town r e b i r t h . " The page goes on to note Based on a law devised tor lower 47 years iatei, it has become a other hazardous materials. O f t e n , the thai Davis takes care to preserve the his- Manhattan, the Philadelphia tax abate- Houston institution. entire utility infrastructure — p l u m b i n g , toric integrity of each of his loft p r o l y l * , ment p r o g r a m allows developers to avoid heating and air conditioning , electricity SO they can he "...nominate d to ihe taxis based on the higher values accruing /'/r ) ( ) — The Crystal Ballroom is — iniisr be replaced, a major expense. National Registry of i listoric Places," from redevelopment. Portland, O r e g o n , air-conditioned, the first mojoi Interior finishes, the fragile linings of which resulted in several awards, among which has been viewed as something ot meeling/enterlainmenl room in the buildings, suiter troin m i l d e u and mois- an urban miracle, has p r o m o t e d its vision cily to enjoy the amenity. them a G o o d Brick A w a r d f r o m the ture damage in the h u m i d I loiiston cli- Greater H o u s t o n Preservation Alliance. ot d o w n t o w n by using both incentives mate once the air-conditionin g is turned y< > 1 1 — Beginning in September, major As an inducement to developers, gov and disincentives to mandate that b u i l d - & interior remodeling of the hotel's lower ott. A n d carving out new, purpose-built ernments, both local and federal, provide ings have display w i n d o w s at street level, functional spaces w i t h i n an old structural Hoots is done, resulting in, among incentives for projects that undertake the encourage d o w n t o w n apartments, and system can be a challenge, particularly other things, the development ol the challenge of preserving and restoring old put a cap on d o w n t o w n p a r k i n g spaces, Empire Room, a large dining room of when changing Iroin one k i n d ot occu- buildings. Typical is the preservation p r o thus reducing ihe impact ot large tracts ot art deco design. pancy to another. Finally, there is the downtown p a r k i n g lots a n d , by encour- gram sponsored by the National Parks problem of meeting today's p a r k i n g aging people to use the light rail system, Service, w h i c h doles out tax credits to / y /( '— More inlerior remodeling begins. requirements. In a badly deteriorated unburdening the vehicular arteries. encourage preserving America's historic The Rice becomes ihe first hotel in building the si/e of the Rice, these d i f f i - Compared to these programs, Houston to make major use of fluores structures as a part of the nation's her- culties proved sufficiently d a u n t i n g to cent lighting and plastic upholstery, itage, l o c a l governments, t o o , can create I louston's experience in using incentives discourage a number ol developers both of which are introduced when the incentive programs or deals, usually in io achieve planning objectives seems ama- until Randall Davis became interested coffee shop is converted to the Skyline the f o r m ot tax abatements, to encourage teurish, particularly w i t h regard to the in the project. Room. At this lime ihe two story lobby developers to further CIVIC goals. deal put together for developing ihe Rice. is closed in to odd more space oa the Davis, w h o is wholeheartedl) devoted In many other American cities, where Both the rax incentives w o r k e d our w i t h mezzanine floor. The lobby will be io the loll concept, has the necessary a project like the Rice w o u l d not he con- the N a t i o n a l Parks Service and the remodeled a number of times over the chutzpah required tor tackling difficult sidered extraordinary , the use of these financing arrangement negotiated w i t h next few decodes, but it remains one- problems. Despite his predilection tor strategies is c o m m o n . For example, over the H o u s t o n H o u s i n g Finance A u t h o r i t y story until it's renovated in the 1990s. building intrusive and oittsi/ed new the last t w o years Philadelphia, stimulat- seemed like ad hoc arrangements devel- t I T I* 1 9 9 9 splint r

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through a party c r o w d in the dispropor- tionately small lobby on the way to the t<)y / ^ — The Rite Roof is shul down in elevators. Rising over this splendid social response to a blackout imposed during setting are an array of living units of vari- Wofld Wat II. Il never reopens. Some ous sizes and configurations f r o m 500 to suggest thai the Rite management. unhappy lhat people going lo the Rice 1,50(1 square feet culminatin g in lux t w o - Roof were lying up elevators and incon- and three-story penthouse apartments veniencing the hotel's guests, was look (two of them w i t h their o w n private ing lor an excuse to shut the dance spol courts). W i t h i n the existing fire exit down, and used the blackout for lhat mains, the plans lor the apartment levels purpose. have been generally well conceived, par-

f ticularly the connecting corridors and ele- & y / ( — The Rice becomes Ihe lirsl hotel in vator lobbies on each floor, w h i c h are Houston lo install an escalator uncharacteristically generous in w i d t h and allowed Co amble along the exterior / y // — Work begias on air-conditioning the walls, where they enjoy access to w i n d o w enlire hotel. By 1949, all rooms are air- conditioned. views to the outside. The i l 2 rental units themselves show / y f ) /— An 18fh door designed by the signs of the necessary shoehorning. w h i c h Houston atchilecturol firm ol Sloub and creates a considerable a m o u n t of m a r g i n - Rolhei is added lo the hotel enclosing ally uselul space as well as a scarcity of what had been the Rice Rool. The steel, windows w i t h i n . To relieve the claustro- glass, and masonry addition becomes phobic feeling of « indowlcss spaces and the home ol ihe Pelroleum Club. After: The same space, post-renovation. The brick was left exposed, pleasing tenants, but displeasing preservationists. nominally c o n f o r m to w i n d o w require- ments for residential construction , many / y r ) 0— Jesse Jones dies and wills the Rice of the Hour plans have been treated as lo the Hauslon Endowment which con oped on the r u n , and w o u l d continue to incorporate restoration of the Crystal one more or less continuous space. tinues lo operale the hotel. A year later, the Empire Room is converted into the be a point of contention even as the p r o - Ballroom, but also to include replication In the smaller units, windowless bed- Old Capitol Club and the Flag Room, ject moved to completion . o f the original two-stor y lobby, w i t h its rooms h a w been foi med into alcovi s both ol whith remain in use over the stained glass skylight and paintings, and sometimes located along the procession next two decodes. the I inpire R o o m on the mezzanine level. from entrance to living r o o m . In some of

I'lie Rice is a near perfect urban building Restoring the lobby and party rooms the larger units, this spatial c o n t i n u i t y is /y< ) t) — A S3 million, five-slory concrete type. Vertically zoned to accommodate was a significant urban gesture, giving the extended to include a lott that overlooks and masonry annex designed by both public and private uses, it fulfills an building a more or less public /one of the living spate and h o r m w s light f r o m Houston orthilect 1. Russ Boty is added obligation to create an accommodating showcase quality that serves as both an us exterior w i n d o w s . In the "terrace to Ihe rear ot the Rice, The onnex hous- pedestrian / o n e at street level. It w o r k s elegant entrance tor tenants and a rich lofts," w h i c h open o n t o the canopy es an aii-conditioned molor lobby ond the way buildings w o r k e d before the setting for galas, parties, and receptions. veranda on the mezzanine, the single ihe Grand Ballroom. advent of modern high-rises created In the basement, the architects discovered large front w i n d o w leaves much ol the / y (' /— The lasl major interior renovation of intensely privatized blocks that eschew an o l d mosaic s w i m m i n g pool that had unit in the d a r k . ihe hotel begins. The SB million modem visible commercial activities for the been covered over years ago, which Davis By contrast, the bathrooms in these izalion program includes a SI 75,000 anonymity of high-style corporate lobbies had them restore as the centerpiece of a units are a w k w a r d l y outsiz.ed (Davis did remodeling of the lobby by Richard Kent and empty, set back plazas. new fitness center. market research w i t h tenants in some of of New Vork, along with Russ Baly By Daws approached his architects, Page The decorative cast i r o n canopies that his previous loft conversions and f o u n d this lime all ihe 1920s em omomenta Southerland Page, w i t h a general plan u> surround the b u i l d i n g , one of its best lea that bigger b a t h r o o ms were high on the lion is gone, either coveted up by plas- take advantage of some of the features of tures, used to be a c o m m o n identifying wish listl and look like swingers' plav ter or desltoyed in various improvement the building's original organizational feature of the architecture in the hot, grounds, w i t h showers resembling the schemes. framework In providing 15.(100 square muggy I loiiston climate and should In- a gang showers found in a gymnasium . a leet of shops and restaurants on the requirement lor all new d o w n t o w n c o n - Still, persons attracted to the lofl con- NO(Jf)( ) 1 _ John F, Kennedy stops in Houston ground level and apartments f r o m the struction if the city is at all serious about cept expect certain idiosyncrasies and are and relaxes at Ihe Rice for a few hours before heading lo his late in . second t h r o u g h the 14th levels, .i plan being pedestrian-friendly. The generous willing to give up some of the c o m m o d i t y that w o u l d have w i p ed out the public depth of the canopies, which extend one finds in a newer, purpose-built apart- / y / /— The Houston Endowment donales r us on the mezzanine. almost to the c u r b , leaves plenty of r o o m ment. The loss of c o m m o d i t y is partially the Rice Hotel to Rice University, which But d u r i n g meetings w i t h officials of tor sidewalk seating outside Sambuca m ottsei by the ad hoc look and ieel ol the still owns the land on which ihe building the Texas State Historical Commission it Mission BtirritO. A t o p the canopies, an loft units, a by-product ol the fact that sits. Rice University operates ihe hotel was suggested that Davis consider restor equally generous balcony extends the the new units are not at all coincidental until I97S, when it's closed down. The ing the Crystal Ballroom on the mezza- public rooms ol the mezzanine into a with the way space was divided up in the university has decided lhat bringing the nine level, an idea that the developer took veranda overlookin g the street. Rice's 1,000 hotel rooms. hotel up to ihe tily's new fire codes in heart after d o i n g some informal inai With so much going for ir, it's no Since the Rice was constructed using would be too costly, Before the holel is shuttered, it is the site of a fund raiser ket research that convinced h i m of the wonder that the Rice has become the ,i c o l u m n and beam system w i t h masonry for the Contemporary Arts Museum. The profit potentials of first rate leasable locus tor numerous gala occasions since it infill units, the architects at Page theme of the fundraiser is "Lost Dance party rooms for receptions and meetings. was dedicated last fall. In the evening, Southerland Page were able to remove at the Rice." The p r o g r a m was revised not only to tenants miisi frequently w o r k their way most ill the interior partitions and then IH spring J_L '•'•

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replatte the space into loft apartments. the tectonic framework of the building could Mud a large chunk of unrefined liv- /y/r > — By April, demolition seems The perimeter walls were stripped hack and appear instead as immaterial column ing and working space at a reasonable inevitable. Then at the last minute the to expose nihil riles and column trusses, boxes. This process of "rehistoricizmg" price. The loft concept pushes architec- Ritlenhouse Capitol Corporation ol New York agrees to buy the Rice. After a which were then left exposed in a manner the interior, which includes a provision ture into the background, treating it as a major refurbishing, the hotel reopens a resembling the older industrial buildings requiring that units that were rented at rough container lor a citified version of year later in April 1976. The reprieve, and warehouses where the loti idea the time the agreement was reached be camping out. This kind of loft living has however, is short lived. By the following was horn. given the same sheetrock treatment om.e taken hold in a limited way in Houston's year the Rke is closed by a court order, Decorating the apartments through they become vacant, will inexorably north end warehouse district, where a and in September 1977 it's sold ol a exposing the substantive construction move the building from the specific to small colony of artists and kindred spirits foreclosure auction to the Rice chat lay beneath the aging plaster finishes the general, have created a vigorous market for Preservation Corporation. In 1978, and leaving behind the large, attractive An equally tricky issue was the need unclaimed industrial buildings. Davis' Community Investors IX, Ltd. purthases windows with their beefy wooden frames to provide sufficient adjacent parking for lofts are the designer jeans version of the building; at the same lime, Community Investors buys the property intact gave each apartment a distinct the Rice's new residents. While down- tins concept and come at a significantly Irom Rice University. Plans are Hooted character. In reoutfirting the building, town housing typically discourages car higher price. lor turning the Rke into an apartment new utilities were installed on the surface dependency and even car ownership, Many of the early tenants of the Rice complex, but they fail to come to and left exposed — electrical conduits Houston's less than adequate mass tran- are self-styled urban pioneers, eager to fruition. Over the next two decodes, the were affixed to the wall and air-condi- sit. COUpted with the attachment most step aboard a high profile adventure in properly changes hands several times. tioning ducts and sprinkler systems ! loustomans feel for their car (particular- downtown living. Along with similarly Various renovation schemes all tome to were suspended from the ceiling — a ly since the dearth of downtown shop- minded colonizers who will rake up resi- nought, and the Rke sits empty as the treatment that is both cost-effective and ping means that residents ol the central dency in the dozen or so other remodel- 1980s become the 1990s. sympathetic with the loft idea. Interior city have to outmigrate tor most con- ing projects following in the Rice's wake, designers t ynthia Stone and Pamela sumer needs) led the developer to a for- they are willing to forgo many of the / y yO~ The city, through the Houston kuhl-l.ibscoinbe were retained to create mula of providing one parking space for amenities that market researchers have Housing Finance Corporation, begins four different decor packages (the Lanier, each small apartment and two for the been building into the programs for con- looking into ways to revive the Rice to the Jones, the Kennedy, and the Rice), larger ones. No guest parking spaces ventional apartments in order to plug give a boost to downtown. Randall Davis, who has developed a reputation which were matrixed with the various are provided. into the downtown theater district and Far turning historic properties into loft unit types. These decorative treatments Few things are as incompatible with a the nascent network ot restaurants and apartments, is brought in. In 1996, are generally successful in supporting the restoration project as the addition ol a bars that is turning the north end of the city buys the Rice Hotel ond the loft theme. However, many of the new sizable parking structure. While a share downtown into a closer-set version of property it sits on for S3 million. With accoutcrments seem manifestly cheaper of the parking could be accommodated Richmond Avenue. partner Columbus Realty of Dallas and less substantial than the objects sal- underground, economy required that such but there is a difference between the (which is later bought out by Post vaged from the original building. a structure be built at the rear of the Rice pioneers and the colonizers of an idea, Properties), Davis begins redeveloping Late in the construction process, the Hotel, where a 1958 annex had once and the romance with adventure can be the Rice as a mixed use project, with referees at the National Parks Service vis- stood. A primary prescription for the short lived, a possibility that Davis antici- loll housing from the second to 18th floors and retail on the first floor. The ited the Rice and decided that the treat- eight-story structure was that it should pated when he designed a lease agreement city retains ownership of the land and ment of the apartment levels was not in screen the cars, which, after exploring a for the Rice that reportedly disallows the building, though Davis ond Post keeping with the original character of the number ol unacceptable solutions, the nearly every tenant complaint about are offered a 40 year lease in return building — a decision that could have architects did by simply surrounding the ongoing annoyances and construction for renovating the property. Page cost the developers some S-4.4 million in lower levels with split concrete block and inconveniences in the project, problems Southerland Page is brought in as pro- federal tax credits. The tirst point of con- erecting a mesh screen on the structural that have been protracted by the required ject architects, and fribble and Stephens tention was the rearrangement of the resi- Irame above, ['he result is a disappointing retinishiug of the interior. The tenants is hired as contractor. dential levels into a single loaded configu- disjunctive that disrupts the integrity of themselves liavi begun to show signs ol ration by relocating the central corridor the historic block by giving it a front side building a community by organizing a A y y C i — After three years of restoration, the to the perimeter. I lie developer/architect and back side dichotomy. The garage tenants' social group that sponsors meet- Rice is officially opened in April with team argued that the old corridors, which structure is also uncomfortably close to ings and social outings. 312 rental units ranging in price from had been subject to numerous renova- the hotel, giving the units on the lower S750 a month for an efficiency unit to tions, had little or no historic value, and floors that face onto it a view into an S4,500 a month for a three-bedroom unit. Total cost of the renovation is what remained of it was badly deteriorat- eight-foot-wide gap that is as depressing On a visit to the Rice on a pleasantly estimated to be between $30 and ed. With more than half the units already as the light wells in tum-of-the-century balmy Saturday evening in late I ehru.iiy, S32 million. occupied, the National Parks Service set- tenements. I found the building teeming with life on tled on a compromise, allowing the Rice's Despite its rough edges, tin- Rice has both its public levels. Streetsidc, Sambuca Research assistance provided Ay dice developers to keep the new plan configu- enjoyed spectacular occupancy rates, with was nearly full with a crowd that looked Hotel historian Raymond ferry ration but requiring them to cover the only some 5 percent of the units still more like tourists from the suburbs than exposed materials in the public corridors, unleased as ol March, an indication that downtown dwellers. Upstairs on the is well as any unoccupied units, with developer Davis' lofts have captured a veranda a more formally attired crowd sheetrock to create an ers.it/ plaster wall niche in the limited expectations of the in gowns and tuxes were catching a look that more closely resembled the pre-millennial Zeitgeist. breath and a smoke. A team of parking hotel's original wall finishes. The loft concept that Davis has lot attendants dressed alike m blue I- A particularly unfortunate result of turned into a successful marketing theme shirts lined the curb in front of the main the agreement was the loss of the hearty, has its roots in the warehouse districts ot entrance, from a distance the Rice looked steel-riveted column trusses that, when older cities, particularly New York, where like an ocean liner preparing to depart on clad in sheetrock, cease to be markers of an adventuresome type, often an artist. a party cruise.

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Water Room — One of the problems of renovating the Rice was the lack of as-built drawings. Instead, original i[ ink-on-linen drawings produced in the early 1900s by architect Alfred C. Finn were used as a guide. Still, the structure had undergone so many changes over the years that nobody was quite sure what would be found when demolition began. One of the surprises was the discovery on the I Nth floor of water storage tanks which, when torn out, provided extra living space for the penthouse units. THE RICE

L I Fitting In — Given their configuration and small si/.e, there was no way the Rice's existing rooms could be reworked into apartments, So instead, the residential floors were snipped down to their walls and support BS^IB beams, and then lofts were arranged to take advantage ol the found space. The clearing our of the floors revealed odd nooks and crannies, among them a mezzanine floor not found on any plans and several intermedi- ate floors over small areas, that sometimes resulted in unusually shaped living quarters, rhough the lofts were either efficiencies, one bedr n, two bedroom, or three bedroom, there was no such thing as a "standard" unit. Each was in some way unique.

3[ On the Edge — As a hotel, the Rice had a central corridor running perpendicular to the elevator shafts with rooms on either side. To allow for deeper units, the corridor was moved to the building's outer edge, a change that also provided the corridor more natural light from the exterior windows. As reasonable as this seemed in terms of residential use, it proved a sticking point with the National Parks Service, which saw the change as a degradation of the Rice's historic character.

Top to Bottom — Surprisingly, considering their age, both the elevator shafts and the exit stairs <[ proved useable. In fact, the number of elevators was reduced from the Rice's original five to three, the extra shafts being given over to house electrical rooms and other utilities. ( ustom elevator cabs were ordered, though the original elevator frames were left in place in the public areas. The stairs, which the architects had worried might not meet present day code requirements for tread and rise dimensions, were grandfathered by the city, which reasoned they'd been used safely for more than half a century, so they couldn't be too perilous.

Staying Authentic — One of the best illustrations of the difficulties encountered in trying to 5[ restore a historic structure was the problem of the balcony doors in the me/./anme-level Crystal Ballroom. Since the original doors were long gone, and the space they had occupied bricked up, copies had to be created using old pictures as a reference. After the first recreated door was installed, though, an inspector from the Texas 1 listorical (. ommission noted it was missing a single piece of wood molding. As a result, the entire door had to be removed and replaced by one that was more authentic. Luckily, the $5,000 door was able to be used as the entry into the theater in the Empire Room. Ultimately, the cost of restoring the 7,000 square toot (. ivstal ballroom reached $ I million.

6 I Opening Up — Over the years, the Rice's original two-story lobby had been closed in. When the added ceiling was removed, it was discovered thai during earlier renovations the lobby's ornate plaster coffers and crown molding had been punctured to hang ductwork. The moldings, as well as the railings along the second floor balcony and the paintings that top the lobby pillars, were recreated using historical photos as a guide. It was decided that restoring the lobby rotunda's Tiffany glass skylighr would be too expensive, so an oval-shaped mural simulating a skylight of stained glass was installed inste.nl. Interestingly enough, this passes muster with some guardians of historical accuracy because the mural is lighted by fluorescent lights, and the Rice pioneered fluorescent hotel lighting in Houston.

7[ Primed to Sell — For both historic and practical purposes, the Rice was always planned as a multiple-use building, with residences on the upper floors and retail on the ground floor. Over the years the retail space in the Rice had harbored a variety of businesses, from barber shops to haberdash- eries to finance companies, food and drink, though, is what filled the store- fronts this time around, with ten,mis ranging from the restaurant and jazz bar Sambuca to Amy's ice Cream, Jamba Juice, and Mission Burrito.

0 I The Pool That Was — While poring over old drawings, the developers found indication of a long lost pool in the Rice's basement. At some point it had been covered over with concrete to create space for a basement cafeteria, and there was question as to whether it still existed, but when the concrete was cut through, the shape of the pool was found to be intact. It has since been made part of a 900-squarc-foot fitness center.

7 I The Tunnel That Wasn't — In the beginning, the renovation of the Rice included an expansion of the city's tunnel system to hook the early 20th-centu- ry structure into a late 20th-century retreat from the elements. Randall Davis was concerned that without access to the tunnels, it would be hard to sell merchants on the Rice's retail space. Hut when retail leases began to be signed with no apparent concern ior tunnel status. Davis decided against going underground, thereby saving himself an estimated S700.000 in construction costs and enhancing the Rice's contribution to I tousfon's street life. 21 s p i i n l V v v I T I :•:•

dozen or so years ago on a visit The Roof closed when summer was who was perturbed because the local IV to I touston, my hometown, I over and there was a period when you station had listed the time of his televi- Amade .1 sentimental journey to the couldn't go dancing at the Rice except at sion show wrong and she had missed it. Rice Hotel, which had been the center- affairs in the Crystal Hal I room. Then in He hung up and turned back to me. I piece of downtown when downtown L938 the air-conditioned Empire Roc mi thought now I'd see how he really felt was the centerpiece of the city. It was a opened and dancing was year-round. about having his privacy invaded by descried hulk. Windows facing the street After I went to work at the Houston Post some eccentric old woman. He was going were cracked and hoarded up, the Texas in the fall of ] 939 1 could get in both the to let off some steam, I was sure. and Main Street entrances barricaded, Roof and the Empire Room free. I wrote But what 1 1 be race said was, "Now the broad steps leading down to the about the bands that played in them. wasn't that nice? That lady was upset barber shop and cafeteria closed off by They were never quite the top bands like because she'd missed my show and she steel grates. Benny Goodman or Tommy and Jimmy took the trouble to find out where I was The wide porticoed sidewalk along Dorsey. And never, ever the great black and tell me they had it wrong on the Texas, where in the I1),10s Harry Grier bands such as Duke Islington, Cab schedule. Aren't people nice?" had broadcast his celebrated Man < >« the Calloway, or Jimmy l.uneeford. But they Well, some people are, and Liberace Street radio show, was untidy and almost were close to the top — Xavier Cugat, was one of them. deserted. It bad once teemed With pedes George Olsen, Vincent Lopez, Woody My interview with Groucho Marx mans whom drier interviewed at ran- I lerman, Henry King. Freddie Martin, was memorable, tot). I had a tip he was dom, including a young woman he Shep Ileitis, and a country hoy with an at the Rice Hotel and went to his suite. A stopped, thrusting a microphone into her accordion and an accent, Lawrence Welk. tousled lad in a robe and pajamas face and asking her name and then her Before 1 ever saw the inside ol ilk- answered my knock. A small girl hovered profession, "I'm a prostitute," she replied Rice Hotel I knew, and was awed by, the in the background. I asked to speak to to a shocked audience on live radio. outside. When I was a child selling Groucho. Embarrassed, the hoy said bis Within a heartbeat Grier said, "Go, and Liberty Magazine downtown 1 went father had given him strict orders not to sin no more," quickly turning to capture bravely into office buildings but never let any reporters in and had gone to bed. another passerby. dared enter the Rice lobby, And when 1 A familiar but querulous voice called In those halcyon days, the Rice Roof «as .1 freshman at Rice Institute in 1933, from a bedroom, "Who is it, Arthur?" was the place to go for dancing in sum- the upperclassmen paraded us up Main Arthur said it was someone from the Street to the Rice Hotel corner in our paper. Slime v.ips (freshmen were called Slimes), "Tell him to beat it," the voice called. green ties, and red suspenders. Tony, the So 1 did. Rite Institute gardener, would give a The first time I ever stayed at the Rice heavily-accented pep talk on a hotel I lotel, in fact the first time I ever stayed balcony for the upcoming football game. at any hotel in Houston, was the first And Tom Sawyer (his real name), the evening of my honeymoon, in October uniformed I louston policeman who 1945, Dody (Doris is her square handle) kept order at school dances, talked to and I were married earlier in the evening us as well. and after taking our entire wedding party In my band reviewing days and after, — her father and my mother — to dinner I'd often go to the hotel to interview a at Hebert's Cafe Rirz on McGowen, we celebrity. One ol the early ones was checked into the hotel and went dancing I aunt/ Melehior, the Danish heldentenor, in the Empire Room. a big man with a big voice. His petite The second time I stayed at the Rice wife let me 111. Ami there the great singer I lotel, also my second time to be a guesi stood, all pink and white ami jovial, in at any hotel 111 Houston, was in 1964. I his underwear. What we call a tank top had gained a certain amount of fame for today and boxer shorts. Silk. He was a writing Von Rycin's Express, and the Post good interview, I suppose, bin all I can had invited me to be among the speakers remember was the underwear. at a books and authors week and put Dody and me up in a suite, the first time I ever had a hotel suite anywhere. But I suppose my most rewarding visit to the Rice was in 1947. I'd starred EMORIES writing my first novel. Summer on the Water, when my wife saw an article in the Post announcing Cecil Scott, a The author of Von Rya mertime. Air-conditioning had not yet Liberace was a good interview, too, M.Kuiillan senior editor, was in Houston arrived and men sweated through their and one of the kindest celebrities I ever at the Rice Hotel and prepared to look ,11 Express recalls that when white linen suits and clasped their dates' met. I Ie came to Houston just as he manuscripts and interview authors. I took damp waists with wei palms, but the was reaching the peak of his popularity, him my unfinished novel and left it with downtown was most alive, the Roof was open to what breezes there and while we were talking the phone him After a nervous couple of days Scott were. It was the coolest place in town rang. It was a long distance call from a invited me to come see him again. When I except the movie theaters, where fans women he didn't know 111 Chicago, lie did, he got right to the point. I le said, Rue was at its heating heart blew over ice. And you couldn't dance in asked if I would mind if he took the call. "What can I offer you, short of a con- mm ie theaters, I wouldn't, and he did. tract, to be sure you'll send your novel to liven in those days there was a park- "They did?" he asked sympathetical- me at Macmillan when you finish?" ing problem. There was angle parking ly. "You did?" He spoke to her as if she He'd already offered me as much as 1 and no meters, and in the comparative were his mother or a favorite aunt. needed, an encouraging word, so I sent cool of a summer evening folks liked to "Well, you did perfectly right." He the completed novel to him. And that's BY DAVID WESTHEIMER park in front of the hotel and watch the listened some more. "Yes," he said. "I when 1 became ,1 novelist. And the Rice action on Main and Texas. So if you were certainly will see that they get it right Hotel, as with so many other things in going to the Roof you often had to park next time." my life, played a part in it. • a block or two away, thinking unkind As he spoke on the phone, lie thoughts about the sightseers. explained to me it was an older fan of his 22 $ p l i a g 1 ., .. „ I i : n

continued ffotn page IS prise is more apparent, with building rocketed, a precursor of more changes to dime, both import mi ind meaningful in Venturing inside, however, was not so activities and heroic construction scratch- follow. Hut as the heavy construction your life?" easy; the place was honked for three dif- ing the skv around the new baseball park slops and th< stock ol old buildings The same kind of opportunity exists ferent parties, and no one without jn — sights that were all hut unthinkable available for adaptation dwindles, the for Houston; it's found in the challenge invitation was allowed in until they were except to a handful of downtown roman- district will lose much ot its gnttiness, ol guiding and coordinating the contin- over. So I walked out into the darkness, tics only a few years ago. Projects such as and perhaps too its ability to stir ued development of the area to produce taking a stroll around the Rice block, the Rice, which has delivered a resident the imagination. something both important and meaning- which has the look and feel of a specimen population the si/.e of a small neighbor- Seeking to take full possession of the ful as a civic enterprise. Even in a poly- urban block, though much ol n still hood on half a city block, and the project to renovate the Rice, Randall nucleated city such as Houston, one with awaits salvation. ballpark at , which promis- 1>.HIS had a plaque affixed to a wall in many centers, each seeking to strike its There were other lighted spots. Caho, es to deliver crowds of 35,000 [and their the entry foyer that reads: "I went for- own identity, downtown still retains a across from the back side of the Rice, was cars) on game day, have anchored the ward as confidently as I could in the privileged status as the location of great- lull, and off in the distance the blue and redevelopment. I'hcv have helped create direction of my dream to restore the est diversity, concentration, and historic red lights of beckoned across a window of opportunity tor downtown Rice I lotel, standing vacant for 20 years, continuity, for iis part, the city is pro- the darkness. Other companion buildings, that won't come along again soon. hecaust how main nines do you have ceeding with plans to shape the identity the multi-level parking structure across Already, land prices in the area have skv the rare opportunity to accomplish some- of downtown districts with a package ot Texas Avenue and the Houston Chron- lighting standards, furnishings, and land- icle building, except for its press room scaping. Included in the plans is special window, were dark. But what caught my articulation of Texas Avenue as a link eye was a strange light show, a pattern between the new baseball stadium and of white dots configured like the holes in the theater district, and the redevelop a rotary phone dial, projected onto the ment of Preston into a link between dark sides ol buildings along Main the stadium and at Street, including the upper reaches of the . back side of the Rice. It look roe a while If the filling-in and rebuilding of to find their source, which turned out to the north end disappoints — as it will if be a small, robotic tower mounted on a what follows is conceived in the fran- trailer thai someone had set up in a chised terms ol the suburbs and the parking lot on across from the Rice in a strip — it would be a a great loss, greater desperate attempt to light up a little even than doing nothing, and holding more of the block, suburban style. out the promise ol something better yet In the daylight the downtown enter- r to come. •

FOLLOW T H E M O N E Y

hy this time? In many ways, stewiis, then head ol tin I louston empty, and so stepped in to partner with million on gutting a floor and doing the that's the most intriguing of all Housing Finance Corporation and Mayor Davis and provide the initial capital itself. initial work on hazardous materials Wthe questions surrounding the Hob I aiuer's point man on downtown Stevens came up with the notion of abatement. It was enough to convince renovation ot the Rice I lotel. In the two redevelopment, to ask if the city would creating a Tax Investment Refinancing Columbus Properties (which became Post decades that it sat empty, moldering in help him out with the Rice, Stevens was Zone with the Rice at its center, and then Properties) that the risk on the Rice was the heart of the city, the Rice attracted no willing to listen. Actually, Stevens was using the projected tax flow from a reno- worth taking. Stevens, who had been shortage of redevelopment schemes. By willing to listen to anyone with ideas vated Rice I lotel to float a $6 million talking to Columbus about some ol its some counts, there were as many as 15 to about the Rice, and he had heard more loan. Normally, a TIRZ can't be used to projects in Midtown, set up a deal in 20 different proposals floated for resur- than a few. Since he and l.anier had tar- borrow money up front; the idea general- which Columbus would buy out the city's recting the building. But until the current geted the Rice, along with Allen Parkway ly is to let development happen first, then partnership w nh Randall I >a\ is. pa; ing project began, nothing worked. In every Village and the Albert Thomas turn any increased tax How back to the the $3 million the city had already front- instance the ideas foundered on the Convention Center, as the main stum financing /one. But Stevens put together a ed, plus approximately $1.5 million in sho.ils of financing. Ming blocks to revitalizing the central package that pro|ccrcd a $700,000 annu- profit, and taking over the outstanding In part, that's because most of the business district, he was open to anyone al tax income from a restored Rice, and debt, in return, Columbus and Davis plans focused on restoring the Rice as a willing to take the Rice on. Stevens then committed that income to paying off would get the rights to the historic tax working hotel. And the cost of that, s.ns recalls that after some initial discussions a loan. After getting Harris County and ! redits and a ground lease In Rice. Randall Davis, ranged between S-1 > and he told Davis that if he and his partners the Houston Independent School District The land and the hotel would remain the SSO million. Those, at least, were the fig- could raise $5 million in capital, the citj to give up their tax revenue from the Rice property of the 111 IPC in order to guar- ures he heard when he began poking would kick in another $5 million through until well into the next century, Stevens antee the tax payments to the TIRZ. around the building, .uid he knew that at some sort of financing mechanism. With convinced Wells I'argo Bank to provide All in all, says Stevens, "It was one of that price no lender would touch it. that promise, Davis put the Rice under the needed Sfi million. At the same time, the most complex financing transactions Armed with the experience he had gar- com n e t , only to see his partners lose he had the H H F C buy the Rice for %\ I've ever been part of.... The transaction nered with historic loft projects such as interest as the $27 million projected cost million — Si million in cash, and a Si was unique. It's never been duplicated the Dakota and the Hogg Palace, though, grew to between $.>(> and S i 2 million. million note — and committed another anywhere that I know of, though some Davis felt he could turn the Rice into a Without his partners, Davis couldn't $5 million of the 111 IPC's money to the other cities are now looking at how to residential complex for much less money. come up with the needed $5 million, and project with the idea that the funds could list a I IK/ to borrow moiic; earlv on. I lis initial figure was in the neighborhood it looked like this stab at rehabbing the be recouped by selling off tax credits pro- What was required was having the right of $27 million. But even that was a lot Rice would go down the drain with the vided by the federal government to peo- people in the right place at the right time, lor a structure that, at the time, was val- others. Hut according to Stevens, this turn- ple who rehabilitate historic structures. and then making sure everybody believed ued on the tax rolls at around $1 million. around the city decided that the Rice was To let potential investors see what it would work." — Mitchell ]. Shields Still, when he went to Michael just too important to downtown to leave they were getting into, I 11 l i t spent $2