Total Plaza facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Total Plaza |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Former names | Entex Building Louisiana Place United Gas Building |
| General information | |
| Status | Complete |
| Type | Office |
| Location | 1201 Louisiana Street, Downtown Houston, Texas |
| Coordinates | 29°45′23″N 95°22′07″W / 29.7565°N 95.3685°W |
| Completed | 1971 |
| Owner | 1201 Louisiana Co LP |
| Management | Brookfield Properties |
| Height | |
| Roof | 158 m (518 ft) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 35 |
| Floor area | 847,200 sq ft (78,710 m2) |
| Lifts/elevators | 18 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Lloyd Morgan and Jones |
| Structural engineer | I.A. Naman & Associates Walter P. Moore |
| Main contractor | Miner Dedrick Co. |
Total Plaza is a tall office building in Downtown Houston, Texas. It's located just one block from the Allen Center complex. This building is managed by Brookfield Properties and first opened its doors in 1971.
The building has 35 stories and was designed by architects Lloyd, Morgan & Jones. It was updated in 1981 and again in 1996. The outside of the building is covered in shiny, reflective glass. Each floor is quite large, and the whole building has a lot of space for offices. Total Plaza is named after its main tenant, Total Petrochemicals USA, which is part of a bigger company called Total S.A.. This building was also once the main office for Houston's public transportation system, known as METRO. It is connected to the special underground tunnel system in Downtown Houston.
Contents
Building History
The building, found at 1201 Louisiana Street, first opened in 1971. It was originally known as the Entex Building. For a while, it was the main office for a company called Entex.
In 1975, a company from the Netherlands bought the Entex Building. Later, in 1994, the main offices for the University of Houston System were located here.
Name Changes and Updates
In 1996, the building got a new look and was renamed Louisiana Place. This happened after some big updates to the building. Around that time, new companies started to manage the office spaces.
The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas (METRO), which runs Houston's public transport, used to have its main offices in the Louisiana Place. They used 10 floors of the building. By 2002, METRO announced they would move to their own new building. Their lease in Louisiana Place ended in 2005.
Total Petrochemicals Moves In
In early 2005, Total Petrochemicals USA decided to lease a lot of space in the Louisiana Place. By late 2005, hundreds of their employees moved into the building. Because Total Petrochemicals USA became the main tenant, the building's name changed again to Total Plaza.
The company signed a 15-year agreement for a large amount of space. They also had the option to take even more space later. The space they moved into was exactly where METRO used to be. Before METRO left, almost all the offices in the building were full. After METRO moved out and Total moved in, the building was still mostly full.
In 2006, the building was still very busy with offices. Another company, Hilcorp Energy Company, decided to stay in the building and even get more space. In 2007, a company from San Francisco sold Total Plaza to Brookfield Properties. At that time, the building was still very popular with businesses. Besides Total S.A., other companies like Hilcorp Energy and Reliant Energy Retail Services also had offices there.
What's Inside Total Plaza
The Petroleum Club of Houston is located on the 35th floor of Total Plaza. This club had to move from its old location in the ExxonMobil Building. Their old space closed in January 2015, and their new club in Total Plaza opened just two weeks later.
The club's new space has a design that reminds you of the energy industry. It uses colors like gold, bronze, and metallic shades. Younger members of the club wanted a bar, so the new club has one with a great view of the Houston skyline. A Houston-based architecture company called Kirksey designed the new club. Many people think the new space looks much more modern than the old one.
