[Urbannizer]

Developers unveil plans for former post office in downtown Houston

Can we say, underwhelming?

Developers at Houston-based Lovett Commercial have unveiled plans for how they plan to transform the former Barbara Jordan Post Office into a 550,000-square-foot multiuse development that's intended to become the downtown Houston area’s newest destination location.

During a June 27 groundbreaking ceremony, Kirby Liu, Lovett's director of development, said the finished renovations will affect nearly every aspect of the existing structure, which has stood largely vacant since Lovett purchased the property in 2015 except for hosting several Day for Night festivals.

Lovett plans to deliver the renovated building, which will be known as Post Houston, next summer.

Lovett’s plan for the property involves creating three distinct “districts” within the first floor of the building, which will be centered around cultural experiences, food and a coworking space.

Kirby Liu said the dining district in particular will be modeled on a Tokyo night market, where visitors will have a variety of food options to choose from before they move onto other areas in the building.

To offset those areas, the plan calls for three atriums to be cut through the building’s second floor and roof. Three distinct staircases will run through the atriums, which Kirby Liu said will aim to promote interactions among visitors as they move between floors.

“Yes, the goal is to provide access to each floor. But the real goal is to have these staircases act as social locations where people can meet as they move around,” Kirby Liu said.

The building’s roof will feature a nearly six-acre park with views of the downtown skyline, along with space for restaurants and vendors. The atriums will be covered by new-to-Houston ETFE roof systems, which are polymer-based structures that allow sunlight to come through.

The building’s second floor will be reserved for office space, Kirby Liu said.

In all, Post Houston will offer 130,000 square feet of office space, 60,000 square feet for retail, a 45,000-square-foot market hall and 20,000 feet of coworking space.