Hines, an affiliate of Cerberus Capital Management, executed a new lease with a global financial services firm at 600 Travis Street in downtown Houston. Hines and Cerberus acquired 600 Travis Street and the adjacent 601 Travis Street last year. The 75-story tower will undergo major improvements including significant updates to the lobby and exterior plaza; the addition of connected, collaborative workspaces and enhancements to other building common elements; and the addition of a state-of-the-art conference center that can accommodate up to 150 people in various rooms over two floors, including the lobby level with a large, versatile gallery space. The comprehensive revitalization, designed by HOK, will welcome forward-thinking tenants for years to come. “The planned changes to the building’s ground-floor plane will be some of the most transformative in our firm’s history,” Hines senior managing director, John Mooz, said. “For several years, our team has contemplated the unique untapped potential of the building’s large plaza area. The renovation takes strong advantage of that opportunity and that vision resonated with our new tenant.” The currently underutilized plaza area will be transformed into a vibrant urban garden featuring a variety of seating areas to enjoy, featuring increased green space, an expanded canopy and more connections from the outdoors to the building. With the addition of retail to the lobby, the plaza will also be activated by new food and beverage for tenants and visitors. The plaza space will allow for outdoor meetings and meals, collaborative sessions with colleagues and more secluded spaces for contemplative time. The largest Joan Miró sculpture ever commissioned, entitled “Personage and Birds” will remain on site. A new feature of the building will be the reimagined entrance and building processional. Paying homage to one of I.M. Pei’s most celebrated achievements, the five-story curtainwall will be transformed from its current chrome and glass grid into a dramatic new trapezoidal pyramid that will add almost 3,000 square feet to the lobby. In additional to more square footage, the remodeled lobby will also enjoy immense natural sunlight and biophilic qualities as the outdoors are brought in. The newly designed pyramid entrance creates a spacious, hospitality-focused lobby for tenants with updated finishes and artistic light features. Building security systems will be upgraded and enhanced to reflect the more modern office environment. Finally, the former Sky Lobby on the 60th floor will be redesigned as an exclusive “Sky Lounge” for tenants to enjoy. With comfortable, elegant furnishings and seating vignettes, tenants will be welcome to use this space as a “third place” for meetings and collaboration. Hines developed and manages both buildings, which were designed by New York-based I.M. Pei & Partners. 600 Travis Street was originally developed for Texas Commerce Bancshares and is the tallest building in Texas at 75 stories. The five-sided, polished gray granite structure contains more than 1.7 million square feet. The 20-story 601 Travis Street contains 407,896 square feet and was also recently renovated. The building also features a 7,000-square-foot fitness center available to tenants of both buildings, a 280-seat auditorium and 12 floors of parking. Michael Anderson, Diana Bridger, and Margaret Elkins of Cushman & Wakefield as well as Chanse McLeod with Hunton Andrews Kurth represented the landlord.
