NewcrestImage has begun transforming a 104-year-old building in downtown Houston into a 195-room, 10-floor AC Hotel by Marriott, with Houston-based Arch-Con Construction serving as general contractor. The property is expected to open during the summer of 2019.
The property, located at 723 Main Street, will have a large fitness center, a business center, a cocktail lounge and a dining area that will be integrated with the Zoe Theatre, originally opened in 1914 as a silent movie theatre on the building’s ground floor. There will also be approximately 4,000 square feet of meeting and ballroom space, with the latest technology for large-screen presentations and interactive video calls.
“We are creating bold, modern grandeur in the heart of the city’s business district, while respecting the rich historic pedigree of this building,” Mehul Patel, chairman and CEO of NewcrestImage, said in a statement. “Our hotel will symbolize everything the AC brand stands for – vibrant artwork, upscale furnishings, and the latest high-tech amenities all coming together to give guests an elegant, contemporary experience in an urban location.”
The AC Hotel’s customized interior design and furnishings will reflect minimalistic European-style such as guest rooms with “floating” furniture and public space featuring wood and stone finishes accented by chrome. Local commissioned artwork throughout the property will complete the sophisticated signature look.
The building was originally developed in 1914 by Houston entrepreneur Jesse Jones as the headquarters of Gulf Oil. Since then, it has also been home for the National Bank of Commerce, which became Texas National Bank of Commerce and eventually was assumed into JP Morgan Chase in 2008. Most recently, the building served as The Houston Bar Center.
“The building’s history reflects where Houston has been and now it will represent where our city is going,” Michael Vaughn, SVP of Arch-Con Construction, said in a statement. “It’s exciting for our company to both honor the past and bring alive a fresh new purpose for this prime property.”
This will be the seventh comprehensive adaptive reuse property for NewcrestImage. The company currently owns and operates 25 hotels, with another 10 properties under construction or in development, including historic sites in Cincinnati and New Orleans. The company has three divisions: real estate development, construction and hotel management.