First City Tower
Encyclopedia
First City Tower is a skyscraper
in Houston
, Texas
. The building rises 662 feet (202 m) in height. It contains 49 floors, and was completed in 1981. First City Tower currently stands as the 14th-tallest building in the city. The architectural firm who designed the building was Morris-Aubry, and was built by W. S. Bellows Construction Corporation. The structure is an example of late-modernist architecture
. The tower, which formerly housed the headquarters of the now-defunct First City National Bank, now serves as the global headquarters of Waste Management, Inc
, and the headquarters of Vinson & Elkins. It also houses the U.S. headquarters of Campus Living Villages
.
The building, with Class A office space, has 1300000 square foot of office space. The building is noted for its distinctive "staircase cuts" on the north and south facade
s, and is composed mostly of aluminum and green-tinted glass
. These designs were designed to represent the letter "F
" for the building's developer and first major tenant, First City Bank, which was itself founded by attorneys of the international law firm Vinson & Elkins. First City Tower was constructed in a diagonal rotation away from Houston's main north-south street grid
, which gives the impression that the structure has a larger footprint than it actually does.
owned one third of First City Tower since the late 1980s. In 2003, JMB Realty bought the First City Tower and a 10-story parking garage, which houses the Houston Club, for an amount reported by the Houston Business Journal as $114 million. In 2002 Waste Management, Inc., and Vinson & Elkins, and Ocean Energy Inc. were the major tenants and Insignia/ESG
, the managing agent, was also a tenant. In October 2002, the building became the first in Houston to implement an in-house courier
intercept center in order to provide a central collection point for all inbound and outbound deliveries serving its several tenants. As of 2003, the largest tenant is Vinson & Elkins, which by that year had renewed its lease until 2020. By 2004, Ocean Energy, after being acquired by Devon Energy
, vacated 250000 square foot of space in the First City Tower. In 2004, renovations to the tower began. FC Tower Property Partners, the owner and a limited partnership operated by an affiliate of JMB Realty, selected Morris Architects to design the public spaces in the tower. CB Richard Ellis
, the property manager, oversaw the construction management. Granite
pavers and landscaped planters were placed in the north and south plazas. The entrance columns were re-clad in stainless steel. A limestone
monument, displaying the address and tenants of the First City Tower, was erected at the intersection of Fannin and Lamar. A private garden, used by tenants to host performances and receptions, was added. In November 2010 SSY Chemicals leased space in the building. By January 2011, Black Stone Minerals renewed its lease for its headquarters in the First City Tower and expanded its space by 13119 square foot, giving it a total of 55082 square foot.
Skyscraper
A skyscraper is a tall, continuously habitable building of many stories, often designed for office and commercial use. There is no official definition or height above which a building may be classified as a skyscraper...
in Houston
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. The building rises 662 feet (202 m) in height. It contains 49 floors, and was completed in 1981. First City Tower currently stands as the 14th-tallest building in the city. The architectural firm who designed the building was Morris-Aubry, and was built by W. S. Bellows Construction Corporation. The structure is an example of late-modernist architecture
Postmodern architecture
Postmodern architecture began as an international style the first examples of which are generally cited as being from the 1950s, but did not become a movement until the late 1970s and continues to influence present-day architecture...
. The tower, which formerly housed the headquarters of the now-defunct First City National Bank, now serves as the global headquarters of Waste Management, Inc
Waste Management, Inc
Waste Management, Inc. is a waste management, comprehensive waste, and environmental services company in North America. Founded in 1894, the company is headquartered in Suite 4000 at the First City Tower in Downtown Houston, Texas, in the United States....
, and the headquarters of Vinson & Elkins. It also houses the U.S. headquarters of Campus Living Villages
Campus Living Villages
Campus Living Villages Pty Ltd is a student housing development company. Its headquarters are located in the City of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.CLV is one of the largest post-secondary education student housing provider companies in the world...
.
The building, with Class A office space, has 1300000 square foot of office space. The building is noted for its distinctive "staircase cuts" on the north and south facade
Facade
A facade or façade is generally one exterior side of a building, usually, but not always, the front. The word comes from the French language, literally meaning "frontage" or "face"....
s, and is composed mostly of aluminum and green-tinted glass
Window film
There are many types of window tint available in the market for a wide variety of uses from solar heat reduction to UV protection, privacy to safety and security, decorative applications to heat retention.- Primary properties :...
. These designs were designed to represent the letter "F
F
F is the sixth letter in the basic modern Latin alphabet.-History:The origin of ⟨f⟩ is the Semitic letter vâv that represented a sound like or . Graphically, it originally probably depicted either a hook or a club...
" for the building's developer and first major tenant, First City Bank, which was itself founded by attorneys of the international law firm Vinson & Elkins. First City Tower was constructed in a diagonal rotation away from Houston's main north-south street grid
Grid plan
The grid plan, grid street plan or gridiron plan is a type of city plan in which streets run at right angles to each other, forming a grid...
, which gives the impression that the structure has a larger footprint than it actually does.
History
Morris Architects designed First City Tower, which opened in 1981. JMB RealtyJMB Realty
JMB Realty Corporation is a real estate investment company based in Chicago that at one time was one of the largest property developers in the United States. The company was founded as Robert Judelson & Co. in 1968...
owned one third of First City Tower since the late 1980s. In 2003, JMB Realty bought the First City Tower and a 10-story parking garage, which houses the Houston Club, for an amount reported by the Houston Business Journal as $114 million. In 2002 Waste Management, Inc., and Vinson & Elkins, and Ocean Energy Inc. were the major tenants and Insignia/ESG
Best Buy
Best Buy Co., Inc. is an American specialty retailer of consumer electronics in the United States, accounting for 19% of the market. It also operates in Mexico, Canada & China. The company's subsidiaries include Geek Squad, CinemaNow, Magnolia Audio Video, Pacific Sales, and, in Canada operates...
, the managing agent, was also a tenant. In October 2002, the building became the first in Houston to implement an in-house courier
Courier
A courier is a person or a company who delivers messages, packages, and mail. Couriers are distinguished from ordinary mail services by features such as speed, security, tracking, signature, specialization and individualization of express services, and swift delivery times, which are optional for...
intercept center in order to provide a central collection point for all inbound and outbound deliveries serving its several tenants. As of 2003, the largest tenant is Vinson & Elkins, which by that year had renewed its lease until 2020. By 2004, Ocean Energy, after being acquired by Devon Energy
Devon Energy
Devon Energy Corporation , is among the largest U.S.-based independent natural gas and oil producers. Based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, the company's operations are focused on North American onshore exploration and production...
, vacated 250000 square foot of space in the First City Tower. In 2004, renovations to the tower began. FC Tower Property Partners, the owner and a limited partnership operated by an affiliate of JMB Realty, selected Morris Architects to design the public spaces in the tower. CB Richard Ellis
CB Richard Ellis
CBRE Group, Inc. , a Fortune 500 and S&P 500 company headquartered in Los Angeles, is the world’s largest commercial real estate services firm . The Company has approximately 31,000 employees , and serves real estate owners, investors and occupiers through more than 300 offices worldwide...
, the property manager, oversaw the construction management. Granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
pavers and landscaped planters were placed in the north and south plazas. The entrance columns were re-clad in stainless steel. A limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
monument, displaying the address and tenants of the First City Tower, was erected at the intersection of Fannin and Lamar. A private garden, used by tenants to host performances and receptions, was added. In November 2010 SSY Chemicals leased space in the building. By January 2011, Black Stone Minerals renewed its lease for its headquarters in the First City Tower and expanded its space by 13119 square foot, giving it a total of 55082 square foot.
See also
- List of tallest buildings in Texas
- Architecture of HoustonArchitecture of HoustonThe architecture of Houston includes a wide variety of award-winning and historic examples located in various areas of the city of Houston. From early in its history to current times, the city inspired innovative and challenging building design and construction, as it quickly grew into an...