Zadok to Develop Five-Story MXU Project on Post Oak Blvd. ; Wrecking Ball to Strike Strip Center Built by Gerald D. Hines

HOUSTON – (By Kyle Hagerty for Realty News Report) – Houston’s affluent Uptown area continues to put on the polish with news that Houston-based Zadok Jewelers will develop its own five-story, 112,000-SF mixed-use project with the Texas-based and nationally-acclaimed Michael Hsu Office of Architecture at 1801 Post Oak Blvd., abutting Uptown District’s highly anticipated Boulevard project.

The plan is to demolish the one-story Post Oak Row retail strip center, originally developed by Houston-based Gerald D. Hines Interests, on the site and begin construction of the new mixed-use project.

Groundbreaking is slated to begin this August, followed by a turnover to tenants for buildout in the fourth quarter of 2020, according to the release from Zadok.

The site, south of San Felipe on the east side of Post Oak Boulevard, was home to several retail tenants including Al’s Formal Wear, BLVD Dentistry, Alfred Angelo Bridal, Post Oak Poker Club and Abrahams Rugs, but all tenants have vacated the property and construction fencing is now up around the 1.65 acre site.

“Since purchasing this prime parcel, we’ve carefully considered numerous partnership opportunities ranging from luxury hotels to office towers and also weighed many of our own ideas for what this site should be. We’re so happy to have made the decision to retain full ownership and creative control and also to be collaborating with such an incredible team at Hsu. We believe the scale and quality are very much in keeping with this stretch of Post Oak Blvd. and truly complement the world-class neighborhood that Uptown Houston has become,” Dror Zadok said in the announcement.

Dror, alongside wife Helene and sons Jonathan, Segev and Gilad, all G.I.A. Graduate Gemologists, have been operating at Zadoks’ 1749 Post Oak Blvd location since founding the company in 1976. More than four decades and several expansions later, Zadok will move from its original location to the new 26,000 square foot two-story flagship store at the new project upon completion, more than doubling the retail footprint.

The mixed-use development will be filled out by 11,000 square feet of double-height restaurant space, valet pick up and drop off (self-parking will also be available), plus a concierge lobby for three floors and 68,000 square feet of boutique offices overhead, according to announcement. Tenants have yet to be announced for the additional space.

“Our goal has been to elevate a traditional retail experience by creating an inviting and welcoming arrival – either by car or on foot – that promotes positive energy. Care was taken to define spaces by staggering entry points for the ground floor storefronts and utilizing different materials for each exterior. This not only adds texture and visual appeal, but also breaks up the mass to make it more interesting and approachable,” said Michael Hsu Office of Architecture Partner Jay Colombo.

Stylistically, the project will fit in to Uptown’s District’s expansive Boulevard project, taking advantage of Uptown’s new 15-foot setbacks to create plenty of sidewalk space for pedestrian connectivity to the surrounding area and Bus Rapid Transit line. The ground level space will be native Texas cut stone, while brick in varying colors was chosen for the restaurant spaces and a sleek glass curtain wall for the office levels above.

Acclaimed Austin-based Michael Hsu Office of Architecture has been busy in Houston, working on some of the Bayou City’s hottest new projects like Heights Mercantile, Capitol Tower’s forthcoming Understory food hall and Ninfa’s new BLVD Place location near Zadok’s new home.

Work on Uptown District’s Boulevard Project adding tree-framed sidewalks and a soon-to-debut transit lane along Post Oak Boulevard will wrap up soon, according to the district. The high-profile project has been connected to several large developments in the area, like Dinerstein Cos.’ 39-story Arise Post Oak under construction at 1650 Post Oak at San Felipe and McNair Interests’ 1.2 million SF mixed-use development at Richmond Avenue and Post Oak Boulevard expected to break ground this year.

May 29, 2019 Realty News Report Copyright 2019