Houston’s Downtown High-Rise Guide: Everything You Need to Know About Living Large and Up High in the City

With nearly 50 new luxury high-rise and mid-rise buildings in various stages of construction, it’s difficult to find a Houston neighborhood that does not have a steely new pinnacle shimmering above it. There are epicenters of this building boom, though, and downtown is clearly one of them.

A number of ambitious new high-end projects are betting on the notion that living in downtown Houston has never been more desirable. From an upstart looking to change what a rooftop pool can be to a massive skyscraper from Houston’s most storied developer, all the new big-money buildings are selling a lifestyle even more than their amenities. That lifestyle centers around the picture of big-city entertainment and yes, a very walkable downtown — in Houston.

Many of these buildings are locked in a virtual arms race, trying to one up themselves with competing perks and amenities. This being Texas, you’ll also have your choice of selecting energy providers — one of the stalwarts, Direct Energy looks to make that decision less confusing with transparency and empowering you with knowledge. Its Direct Your Energy tools allow you to see exactly where your energy use is going. After all, no one heads to the sky for a more complicated and frustrating life.

Let’s look at the downtown high-rises and mid-rises that are changing the city — and compare them. Consider this your sky-high guide.

Project: ARIS MARKET SQUARE
Address: 409 Travis Street.
Developer: Hines.
Floors & Units: 32 floors, 274 units.
Status: Under construction.
Square Footage: 575 to 2,250 square feet.
Starchitect/Designer: Houston-based Ziegler Cooper; Dallas-based SJL Design Group.
Amenities: Movie theater lounge, aqua lounge, dog wash, bicycle repair room.
Luxe Factor: This high-rise combines the best of both worlds with a historic brick-and-cast-stone base and a gleaming modern tower of glass and steel.
Walkability: Market Square Park is outside the lobby doors, and the restaurants and bars of the re-emerging Main Street corridor are ultra-close.
Why We’d Live Here: Having restaurants, a cafe and maybe even a boutique grocery on the ground floor of your building is no small perk. The high-rise’s own planned pocket park and dog-friendly Market Square Park give you green spaces galore.
Dollar: For lease; rates to be determined.
Move-In Date: Late 2017.

Project: CATALYST
Address: 1423 Texas Avenue.
Developer: Illinois-based Marquette Companies, Hunt Companies and L.A.-based Ares Management.
Floors & Units: 28 floors, 361 units.
Status: Construction began November 2014.
Square Footage: 600 to 1,800 square feet.
Starchitect/Designer: Houston-based Ziegler Cooper.
Amenities: Fitness with on-demand exercise videos, yoga room, dog run, hospitality suite, rooftop deck.
Luxe Factor: Top two floors reserved for 19 penthouses, which will have their own private garage, elevators and clubroom.
Walkability: Discovery Green, Phoenicia grocery and Toyota Center.
Why We’d Live Here: It’s a true tower, Irma’s Southwest Grill is moving into the building’s ground floor and it’s modeled after a very successful Chicago project, Catalyst Chicago.
Dollar: For lease; $1,500 to $6,900.
Move-In Date: Summer.

Project: 500 CRAWFORD
Address: See above.
Developer: The Finger Companies.
Floors & Units: 7 floors, 397 units.
Status: Open.
Square Footage: 850 to 2,000 square feet.
Starchitect/Designer: Atlanta-based Niles Bolton Associates.
Amenities: Vegas-style pool private cabanas outfitted with HDTVs, fitness center, library lounge, clubroom party center.
Luxe Factor: Floors separated by six inches of concrete and double-paned glass windows keep the stadium noise outside. Two on-site restaurants owned by Houston Astros owner Jim Crane. Potente aims to be the best Italian restaurant in Houston and Osso & Kristalla is a more casual cafe and everyday building hangout spot.
Walkability: No need to pay for stadium parking — Minute Maid Park and BBVA  Compass Stadium are close by, and Toyota Center is a reasonable stroll away.
Why We’d Live Here: Houston is getting its own version of the Wrigley Field rooftops. While 500 Crawford only stands seven stories tall, its rooftop deck looks into the Houston Astros’ home field. When Minute Maid’s roof is open, you’ll have one of the most distinctive views in all of Houston.
Dollar: For lease; $1,300 to $2,800 monthly.
Move-In Date: Now.
Contact: On-site rental office, 713.222.0500, 500crawford.com.

Project: MARKET SQUARE TOWER
Address: 777 Preston Street on block bounded by Preston, Louisiana, Milam and Congress streets.
Developer: Woodbranch Investments Corp, affiliate of Houston-based BMS Management.
Floors & Units: 40 floors, 463 units.
Status: Open.
Square Footage: 564 to 1,950 square feet. Penthouses starting at 2,933 square feet.
Starchitect/Designer: Houston-based Jackson & Ryan Architects.
Amenities: Indoor basketball court, virtual golf simulator, movie-screening room with lie-flat recliners, cantilevered rooftop pool with glass bottom, spa facilities, sunless tanning suite, game room (equipped with air Hockey, skee-Ball, ping-pong and arcade games), poker suite.
Luxe Factor: It’s one of the tallest residential high-rises in Houston and will have 22,000 square feet of ground-floor retail and restaurants.
Walkability: Market Square Park, restaurants and Main Street area’s resurgent bar scene.
Why We’d Live Here: The ultimate adult playground. It’s a large tower for living large.
Dollar: For lease; $1,800 to $5,800 monthly.
Move-In Date: Now.
Contact: Off-site leasing office at 300 Milam Street, 713.777.7000, marketsquaretower.com.

Project: MARLOWE
Address: 1311 Polk Street.
Developer: Randall Davis Company.
Floors & Units: 20 floors, 100 units.
Status: Under construction.
Square Footage: 727 to 2,967 square feet.
Starchitect/Designer: Houston-based Powers Brown Architecture.
Amenities: Starlight pool, steam room, massage room, sauna, outdoor fire pit, state-of-the-art fitness center.
Luxe Factor: The seven penthouses have private two-car garages.
Walkability: The Toyota Center, Discovery Green, Phoenicia grocery store, George R. Brown Convention Center and Minute Maid Park are all short walks.
Why We’d Live Here: You’ll be in the heart of a downtown area that’s been reenergized by the development accompanying the 2017 Super Bowl. Houston’s newest playground beckons right outside your door.
Dollar: For purchase; $385,000 to $1.55 million.
Move-in Date: November 2017.
Contact: On-site sales center, Stefanie Cotton, 832.441.4759, stefanie@meetmarlowe.com.

Project: The Star
Address: 1111 Rusk Street.
Developer: Dallas-based Provident Realty Advisors.
Floors & Units: 16 floors, 286 units.
Status: Open.
Square Footage: Average unit is 1,042 square feet.
Starchitect/Designer: Memphis-based HBG Design.
Amenities: 26,000 square feet of ground level retail, direct access to light rail, fitness center, some ceilings over 11 feet, valet parking, resort-style pool, two-level club room, rooftop deck plus ClubCorp membership.
Luxe Factor: You’ll be living in the Old Texaco Building with its ornate architectural detailing, gargoyles and clock — one of the most storied buildings in Houston, built in 1915 and vacant since 1989. Original architect was NY’s Warren & Wetmore, which was involved with designing Manhattan’s Grand Central Terminal.
Walkability: In the heart of downtown Houston; stroll to restaurants, bars, shops, Lucky Strike and Minute Maid Park.
Why We’d Live Here: The historian in you will be wowed by the Old Texaco Building grand limestone arcades and detail. Your shallower friends will be wowed by the plush surrounding and views.
Dollar: For lease; $1,800 to $4,400 monthly (construction specials available)
Move-In Date: Now.

Project: SKYHOUSE MAIN
Address: 1725 Main Street.
Developer: Led by Jim Borders and Atlanta-based Novare Group, Batson-Cook Development Co., Houston developer Peter Dienna.
Floors & Units: 24 stories, 336 units.
Status: Open.
Square Footage: 571 to 1,331 square feet.
Starchitect/Designer: Atlanta-based Smallwood, Reynolds, Stewart, Stewart.
Amenities: Rooftop pool deck, tennis courts, fitness center.
Luxe Factor: Views of downtown from SkyLounge top deck (see SkyHouse River Oaks, below) should be unparalleled.
Walkability: Most major downtown office towers are a stroll away.
Why We’d Live Here: What’s better than eliminating the long commute and having Main Street’s bar scene nearby?
Dollar: For lease; $1,535 to $3,100 monthly.
Move In-Date: Now.
Contact: SkyHouse Main, 888.988.2630, novaregroup.com

Project: One Park Place

Address: 1400 McKinney Street.
Developer: Marvy Finger.
Floors & Units: 37 stories, 346 units.
Status: Open.
Square Footage: 808 to 3,525 square feet.
Starchitect/Designer: Jackson & Ryan Architects.
Amenities:Brasserie du Parc, a restaurant from Master Chef of France Philippe Verpiand, is on the ground floor. MKT Bar & Phoenicia Specialty Foods are also in the building. A one-acre deck featuring a sprawling pool (which is an exact replica of the pool at the Ritz Carlton Hotel & Resort in Maui), lush tropical landscaping, outdoor kitchens, 24-hour gym, clubroom, a walking track, a screening room and 24-7 valet and concierge.

Luxe Factor: This is the tower that ushered in the new wave of high-rise living in Houston. When it opened in 2009, One Park Place was the first high-rise built downtown in 40 years. It raised the bar on sky-high perks and it hasn’t fallen behind in that race yet.
Walkability: You’re right across the street from Discovery Green. The downtown park is essentially your backyard. Toyota Center and Minute Maid Park are short strolls away.
Why We’d Live Here: It’s a cool building and arguably the best downtown perch in the entire city.
Dollar: For lease; $2,400 to $14,500 monthly.
Move In-Date: Now.