A joint venture between Pagewood and Wile Interests unveiled plans to transform a collection of mid-20th-century warehouses into a contiguous 10-block mixed-use development called East Blocks in Houston’s East Downtown.
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The two Houston-based real estate owners, operators and developers will turn the neighborhood of warehouses beginning at McKinney and Hutchins streets into a district of walkable restaurants, shops, offices and green space, the joint venture announced.
“We know EaDo deserves a dynamic destination with a unique mix of the best shopping, dining, and office available in the city,” Paul Coonrod, founder and managing principal of Pagewood, said in a news release.
East Blocks will be a multiphase development built over three years.
Phase 1, scheduled to begin in the second quarter of 2024, will feature nearly 513K SF of mixed-use space, including 196K SF of retail and restaurants, 112K SF of offices and about 650 parking spaces. More than four connected city blocks of green space — former railways turned into gathering and event promenades — will connect multiple buildings.
Two businesses are already operating in the development area: 8th Wonder Brewery, a brewery and taproom, and Pitch 25, an urban beer garden. Both will remain open in their existing buildings, but the exterior landscape will be improved to match the rest of the redevelopment, a spokesperson told Bisnow.
“By almost every measure, it would be easier to demolish and redevelop these blocks from a clean slate,” Randolph Wile, president of Wile Interests, said in the release. “Instead, we, along with our architects, engineers and land planners, chose to embrace the charm and authenticity that is EaDo, and adapt the 80-year-old warehouses to meet code requirements and the desired uses.”
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Gensler designed the development, paying homage to its industrial railway roots and using a mix of materials, including steel, brick, concrete, glass and stucco. Above the existing structure, new office spaces will offer downtown views.
East Blocks will feature an open-air alleyway concept utilizing existing warehouse shells to connect three of the buildings along Hutchins and McKinney streets.
The project’s landscape architect and urban designer, SWA, is focusing on the pedestrian experience, which will include oversized walkways, awnings, mature trees, street lighting and seating areas.
East Blocks will also have a walking and biking loop connecting the district to downtown and the Columbia Tap trails that run from EaDo throughout the East End.
The Blue Ox Group is managing East Blocks’ retail and restaurant leasing, and Pagewood is handling office leasing.
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