Vertical living is no longer a concept that draws perplexed looks. No one has to sell Houstonians THE NEXT on the advantages of the high life, especially not in the wake of Hurricane Harvey. A flurry of high- rise openings over the last few years made power HIGH-RISE players from River Oaks to Katy aware of the ben- efits of this lock-and-leave urban lifestyle. Now, a new wave of buildings is raising the stakes — a spectacular view and valet parking is no longer enough. Houston’s new cloud-huggers must stand out to make their mark. These next-gen buildings WAVE will change how the city looks at the sky. BY CHRIS BALDWIN A NEW GENERATION OF ULTRA-AMBITIOUS HOUSTON HIGH-RISES AND MID-RISES RAISES THE CEILING ON THE SKY-HIGH LIFESTYLE. hen it comes to high- 32-story downtown tower — to comple- lobby and a cool façade, but then inside, rises, most people tend tion, knows the lines have been drawn. it’s like a generic prison.” to look up — to gawk Now it's “May the best towers win.” at a building stretching Sitting in his own old-school offices The Land-Hunt Pressure toward the clouds. It’s near the Galleria, developer Marvy Finding a prime swath of land for such Winstinctive to imagine what life must be Finger notes the escalation with a sense ambitious developments has become so like, swaddled in a cocoon of sky-high of nostalgia. In many ways, Finger is difficult that making a mistake is not an luxury, literally above it all — this sense the godfather of the modern high-rise in option. The power brokers behind this of looking up and being able to escape is Houston, with his then-audacious One new generation of high-rises know that powerful and almost primal. Park Place heralding a new era with many of these projects are their one shot Hines director William Elser, how- its 2009 opening. “The demands are so to get it right. ever, knows it’s often just as important much greater from people who live in Hines had to make nine separate to look down the hall. These seemingly these buildings now,” he says. “People land purchases to cobble together a innocuous corridors can set a tone for expect much more. Everyone wants to space for Aris Market Square. By Elser’s a tower — which is really, if one thinks live in a Class A building [the highest calculations — and he’s one of Hines’ about it, supposed to be a home first. rated]. People who used to live in a Class numbers guys, as data driven as any “That’s one of the first things Mr. Hines B building won’t accept anything but sabermetrics-obsessed baseball GM — looks at when he tours a building,” Elser Class A amenities. Whatever you do, it the site secured for Hines’ Southmore says, referencing Gerald Hines, founder, had better be special in some way.” high-rise, across from Asia Society, is chairman and still very active 91-year-old one of only two that could have worked visionary for the company that bears his The Power of Distinction for such a tower in the Museum District. name. “He looks down the hallways. It Customization rules in this next wave Developer Jacob Sudhoff relentlessly, and can’t look institutional.” of buildings. No project embodies this fruitlessly, pursued a Rice Village site for Therefore, Elser and the rest of the more than The Sophie at Bayou Bend. years before taking over a stalled project team orchestrating the development and This six-story, 39-residence condomin- and reimagining it as The Moderne. build of the Southmore, a new 24-story ium from Jacob Sudhoff and Mirador “There are no do-overs,” Sudhoff says. Hines high-rise in the Museum District, Group architect Jerry Hooker, offers “We’re not going to find a spot like this made sure that its hallways are not simply near-complete customization — which is in Rice Village again.” In other words, long rows of doors. Instead, doorways are vital, considering most of its future resi- the pressures centered around this new recessed, the lighting is muted, and fresh dents are accustomed to living in nearby wave of buildings is intense. outside air is pumped in. elaborate private homes. Veteran developers Robert Bland This kind of attention to detail marks When one power couple considered and Derek Darnell of Pelican Builders the next wave of high-rises now trans- buying at The Sophie (a $1.6 million- see The Wilshire, a 17-story high-rise in forming Houston’s skyline — and our and-up proposition), they said they’d the shadow of River Oaks District, and way of life. Why does every little detail only do it if they could have a wine cel- The Revere at River Oaks, a nine-story matter so much now? “It’s certainly an lar with room for 2,000 bottles. Sudhoff building that caters to River Oaks empty arms race,” says Hines director David and Hooker had it built into one of the nesters, as legacy-type projects. “I re- Haltom. “Our competitors are putting residences. To Hooker, this is the way ally do think these are the best buildings out some high-quality product, too, and special buildings should be done — and we’ve ever done,” Bland says. They’d we need to stay ahead.” it’s a change long needed in Houston. better be. In this next wave of showcase Haltom, who shepherded the newly “All too often, especially in Houston,” buildings in Houston, expectations are opened Aris Market Square — Hines’ Hooker says, “you’ll get this decked-out sky-high. (continued on page 84) 82 082_088hstd1017.indd 82 9/20/17 3:04 PM RESIDENCES AT The River Oaks LA COLOMBE D’OR Developer: Hines Address: 3410 Montrose Boulevard Completion Date: 2020 Hines may have only been in the multi- family residential segment for six years, but no one can say the company hasn’t jumped in full force. Besides having THE RIVER OAKS Developer: Richard Leibovitch, opened both Southmore and Aris high- The Sophie at Bayou Bend Arel Capital rises, Hines is taking on a new 34-story Address: 3433 Westheimer Road tower with 285 luxury apartments that condo project in Houston, and maybe Completed Date: Early 2018 will be connected to the historic La anywhere, where everyone has a private When the mailroom’s been obsessed over Colombe d’Or hotel. Developed in a outdoor living space,” Hooker says. — and made into “the best mailroom in joint venture with Steve Zimmerman and “These are 42 custom homes.” all of Houston, maybe anywhere,” in sons Dan and Mark, long-time owners of developer Richard Leibovitch’s words — the historic 1923-era La Colombe d’Or, you know the $10 million penthouses and The Residences at La Colombe d’Or will garden townhomes will be showstoppers. attach to the hotel via an art gallery. The THE SOUTHMORE With this high-rise, which converted rather outdoor plaza with fireplace and a second Developer: Hines than demolished the 17-story River Oaks 14,000 square feet of green space make Address: 5280 Caroline Street Luxury Apartments that stood on this this an exceptional — and historic — Completion Date: Open now land, the anticipation is real. “This is my high-rise project. To say no expense was spared on this baby,” Leibovitch says. “We’ve done a 24-story tower, which takes design cues number of buildings in New York, but from its stunning Asia Society neighbor, this is truly special. This is the one where is an understatement. Hines spent more THE REVERE AT RIVER OAKS I’m going to come back in 50 years and than a million dollars just to make sure Developer: Pelican Builders say, ‘We built that.’” Designed by EDI its parking garage is hidden behind a Address: 2325 Welch International and Rottet Group, with limestone façade. Italian cabinetry is Completion Date: 2019 landscape architects McDugald-Steele, standard (as it is at Hines’ Aris), and Pelican Builders’ Robert Bland envisions and marketed by Sudhoff Companies, the wraparound floor-to-ceiling windows and this 32-unit luxury mid-rise as Houston’s building has a staggering 13,229-square- corner glass give many units dramatic version of a Park Avenue palace. foot penthouse, with another coming in at views of the city on three sides. A Architecture and interiors are classic. It’s 6,541 square feet; three-bedroom garden 10,000-square-foot private Japanese- designed by Kirksey Architecture as an residences; and one-, two-, and three- style park keeps things green and iconic building, with fireplaces and 11- bedroom tower apartments. minimal, and there's also a sports lounge with shuffleboard and a poker table. “We wanted to make it a peaceful escape,” Elser says. During Hurricane Harvey, the The Sophie at Bayou Bend few residents who had moved into the recently opened building and the staff hunkered down in the tower’s Screening Room to watch movies on an 80-inch screen. A tenant to fill a 3,000-square- The Revere at River Oaks foot ground-floor restaurant is being pursued.. foot ceilings standard in all units. Expansive white walls, rather than the floor-to-ceiling- The Southmore glass approach of many Houston high-rise buildings, appeal to serious art collectors. Like a number of next-wave buildings, The THE SOPHIE AT BAYOU BEND Revere is geared toward attracting current Developer: Stolz Partners Houstonians rather than transplants. “We Address: 6017 Memorial Drive expect that the majority of our residents Completion Date: Fall 2018 will come from a five-mile radius from the Even the building’s name is a nod to property,” Bland says.