HOUSTON– (Realty News Report) – A historic building formerly occupied by the defunct Houston Post newspaper is being developed by Lovett Commercial.
The 76,000-SF property, which was built in 1944, will be called Printhouse, paying homage to the building history housing the printing press used for the city’s local paper the Houston Post.
The Houston Post, one of the biggest daily newspapers in Texas, ceased publication in 1995 when the Hearst Corp., publisher of the Houston Chronicle purchased the assets of the Post.
It was another sad chapter in the newspaper business as many cities became one-newspaper towns. The San Antonio Light and the Dallas Times Herald also closed down in the 1990s.
The Houston Post was founded on Feb 18, 1880.
Lovett Commercial, a Houston residential and commercial real estate developer said the project is the “latest adaptive reuse development in the city’s growing EADO neighborhood.”
Located at 2410 Polk Street, “Printhouse will preserve the building’s historical character, incorporating modern touches with rich patterns and striking lighting.”
Printhouse will be home to three large retail spaces totaling 20,000 SF on the ground floor, with office space occupying the second and third floors and a large rooftop terrace, which will feature unobstructed views of the city’s stunning skyline.
A welcomed addition to the growing neighborhood is the property’s anchor tenant CVS Pharmacy, who will be EADO’s first major retailer offering locals a place to shop. Occupying 14,000 SF, CVS and a drive-through pharmacy opened in February.
“We are thrilled to welcome CVS Pharmacy as our anchor tenant at Printhouse,” says David Foor, vice president at Lovett Commercial. “CVS is the first retail store in EADO and will be a welcomed and necessary addition to residents living in this fast-growing neighborhood.”
The second floor office space will be the new headquarters for the Lovett Companies, which is the parent company of Lovett Commercial, Lovett Homes and InTown Homes. Lovett recently sold their office building located at 1520 Oliver Street and will relocate to Printhouse to accommodate their need for more space as the company continues to grow.
Printhouse is one of six current adaptive reuse projects that Lovett Commercial is developing throughout the city including the continued development of the recently opened POST Houston, which is aa redevelopment of the old downtown Post Office on Franklin Street.
EaDo is a district just to the east of downtown where a number of older buildings have been redeveloped for housing, restaurants or nightclubs. Adjacent to the Printhouse, Lovett will start construction on a 350-unit apartment complex.
Downtown and Houston Newspapers
A number of Houston newspapers were located in downtown in the olden days.
The Houston Chronicle eventually moved to the former Houston Post building, near the Southwest Freeway and Loop 610.
The downtown site the Houston Chronicle left behind had a higher calling.
Hines developed a 47-story tower on the Chronicle site, a downtown block bounded by Texas, Milam, Travis and Prairie. In 2015, Realty News Report reported in an exclusive story that Hines was working to buy the Chronicle’s downtown property for more than $50 million and the deal closed shortly thereafter. On that site, a new skyscraper called the Texas Tower, designed by Pelli Clarke Pelli, is now Hines’ newest addition to the Houston skyline. Hines is constructing a 46-story multifamily tower nearby on the site of the old Chronicle parking garage.
March 21, 2022 Realty News Report Copyright 2022
Photo: Courtesy Lovett Commercial
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File: Old Newspaper Building Redeveloped.
File: Houston Post. Houston Chronicle. Old Newspaper Building Redeveloped in EaDo area. Lovett Commercial