New life for old lifestyle Center - Hoar Construction breaks ground on GreenStreet

09/18/2013 | Hoar Construction

After months of fanfare, including a party to unveil commissioned graffiti murals and build excitement, Hoar Construction mobilized in early August to begin the transformation of Houston Pavilions into GreenStreet. Midway Companies and Canyon-Johnson Urban Funds purchased the three-story lifestyle center that spans three city blocks in downtown Houston last year. It is home to the House of Blues, Lucky Strike, Forever 21, McCormick & Schmick’s, and several other restaurant, retail, and office tenants. These businesses will remain open throughout construction and leasing efforts will be accelerated in the coming months.

Midway’s plan is to inject energy into this partially vacant mixed-use center through rebranding, events and entertainment. After construction, GreenStreet will be more pedestrian-friendly, feature more green space, and function as a hub for activity. The project will raise San Jacinto and Fannin, the streets that separate GreenStreet’s three buildings from one another, to be level with the curb where the pedestrian walkway meets the street. The existing concrete walkways will be removed and replaced with a continuous stretch of pavers that will connect each building, even across the streets. The mall will be re-landscaped with event space, fountains and an elaborate lighting plan. Architect Munoz + Albin has also added Ipe wood cladding to existing canopies and escalators to enhance the look.

“Hoar Construction is a key partner in the success of Midway’s project team for the GreenStreet repositioning efforts,” Jamie Bryant, Midway’s Vice President of Development, said. “Having successfully executed several Class-A office/retail buildings at CITYCENTRE, Hoar demonstrates their ability to operate within dense, urban settings with demanding quality and schedule requirements. Midway is pleased to partner with Hoar to transform GreenStreet into an urban linear park in Downtown Houston.”

To contain construction and keep tenants and guests safe, Hoar will section off portions of the walkway with 8-foot, rated, mesh barricades. Initial work will include demolition of the existing concrete and installation of electrical conduit for the lighting and fountains within the barricades, while maintaining access to the businesses with walkways to their entrances. Since concrete cannot be poured and pavers cannot be laid in small sections, this work will be done during off-peak times to minimize impact to tenants and guests.

Hoar recently completed CITYCENTRE THREE and CITYCENTRE FOUR, two adjacent office and retail buildings on a tiny site within Midway’s busy CITYCENTRE mixed-use development. Project superintendent Lance Smith has moved from the CITYCENTRE projects, which were completed last month, to GreenStreet.

“Hoar won Midway’s trust to build the CITYCENTRE THREE project with our experience working on tight sites. We had just completed work on the Harris County Jury Assembly building in downtown Houston when we were selected for CITYCENTRE THREE, which had several similarities in size of construction and limited laydown space. Midway needed a contractor that could deal with not only tight site logistics, but also with the safety aspects of work being performed in an area that was open to the public. GreenStreet was our next opportunity to work together on another tight site,” Smith said.

GreenStreet is scheduled to be complete in spring 2014. The owners are planning ongoing event programming for the new outdoor spaces.

About Hoar Construction
Hoar Construction, established in 1940, provides construction management, general contracting, preconstruction and design/build services. With annually construction volume of approximately $500 million, Hoar provides services to retail, healthcare, educational, commercial, hospitality and industrial clients. Hoar employs over 500 people in seven offices across the southeast. Representative projects include the Benjamin Russell Hospital for Children, Birmingham, AL; Community Maritime Park, Pensacola, FL; 200 Renaissance Tower, Ridgeland, MS; Lakeway Regional Medical Center, Lakeway, TX; and City Centre Three and Four, Houston, TX. Visit www.hoar.com for more information.