Houston Club

The Houston Club is a private social club located in Houston, Texas. As of October 2011 the club is housed in the 811 Rusk Street building in Downtown Houston. The club members are a part of Houston's business, civic, cultural, and financial communities.[1] Members include business leaders, cultural leaders, consuls general, doctors, entrepreneurs, governors, mayors, and presidents.[2] Notable members include former President of the United States George H. W. Bush and James Baker.[1]

Contents

Club facility

The club, established in 1894, is the oldest social club in Houston. In 1948 the Houston Club moved to 811 Rusk, an 18-story building with 348,000 square feet (32,300 m2) of rentable space and a parking garage.[3] Jesse Jones had designed the building, also known as the "Houston Club Building," for the social club.[4] As of October 2011, the Houston Club occupies 100,000 square feet (9,300 m2) of space in the building and pays a below market leasing rate. The lease expires in 2015. Jennifer Dawson of the Houston Business Journal said that the parking garage is "well-utilized."[3] The main dining room of the club is the Bush Room; a buffet is offered there daily. Within Allen's Landing, another room, club members network and socialize.[1]

Previously Cameron-811 Rusk LP owned the 811 Rusk building. In March 2010 it filed for bankruptcy, which delayed an impending foreclosure. In September Wells Fargo foreclosed on the building. Cameron-811 Rusk said that, because of the club's below market lease rate, the owners could not make a profit off of the building. Jennifer Dawson of the Houston Business Journal said that 811 Rusk had "been in danger of foreclosure for some time."[4] As of September 2010, according to the Harris County Appraisal District, the owner of the building was Redus Tx Properties LLC, a bank entity. The 811 Rusk building had a value of almost $8.5 million, according to the taxation records.[4] By May 2011, Skanska was under contract to buy the building.[5] In September 2011 Skanska USA Commercial Development bought the building from Wells Fargo Bank. The parties did not state how much money was given to Wells Fargo. The club stated that it has secured the funds to occupy space in a new location in Downtown Houston, and that it will move in February 2013.[3]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "Club History." Houston Club. Retrieved on October 15, 2011.
  2. ^ "Membership Information." Houston Club. Retrieved on October 17, 2011.
  3. ^ a b c Dawson, Jennifer. "Houston Club to relocate after building sold to Skanska." Houston Business Journal. Tuesday September 13, 2011. Retrieved on October 15, 2011.
  4. ^ a b c Dawson, Jennifer. "Houston buildings in separate distress." Houston Business Journal. Friday October 22, 2010. Retrieved on October 15, 2011.
  5. ^ "Downtown Houston real estate lures buyers." Houston Business Journal. Friday May 6, 2011. Retrieved on October 15, 2011.

External links