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723 Main in Downtown, known as the Houston Bar Center, has been sold to a new owner with plans to redevelop it as an upscale hotel. The 10-story building has been neglected for years.
The $44M project will redo the interior, but the exterior facade will likely remain unchanged. Bill Franks, a consultant on the project and longtime advocate of historic preservation, said many of the architecture features were compromised when the exterior facade was updated 50 years ago.
Construction won't begin till after the Super Bowl and will likely take about 13 months, reports the Houston Chronicle. Construction will provide about 200 jobs.
It seems there's no slowing down the revitalization of Downtown. The hotels should be put to good use, as Convention Visitors Bureau chairman Nick Massad says the number of conventions downtown will nearly triple next year. [Chron]
