Lovett Commercial: Repositioning and Office Relocation
Project Stats
- Location
Houston, Texas
- Size
22,500 SF
- Market
- Expertise
A repurposed printhouse makes way for a real estate firm.
Originally built in 1944, the former Houston Post printing press facility remained largely unaltered for nearly 20 years after the paper closed in 1995. Lovett Commercial repositioned and transformed this historic building into a mixed-use retail and office development named Printhouse with the aim to attract tenants and revitalize the area.
When Lovett decided to relocate their headquarters to the building, they tapped Corgan to design their workplace offices as well as the interiors of the entrance lobby and common areas. Wanting to keep the historical significance and integrity of the building, our design team salvaged and repurposed many of the original surfaces and artifacts left in the building — from glazed brick masonry and paint splattered walls to concrete floors and printing press antiques.
Historic preservation
One challenge was inserting a new, modern office into the historic context. The historic preservation authorities had deemed many of the interior rooms to be historically significant in size, location, and architectural features, therefore space planning was crucial to meeting historic requirements to qualify our client to receive substantial tax credits.
Improving the core and shell
Corgan designed improvements to the core and shell along with stairwells, restrooms, entrance lobby and overall building improvements. The elevated industrial design includes private offices and open workstations, collaborative training and conference rooms, a work café for employees and guests to interact and entertain as well as a showroom to market Lovett Custom Homes.
A lasting legacy
Honoring the building’s history and purpose, the design incorporated repurposed metal handrails and concrete, reclaimed ink tanks and printing press parts to use as accents, and incorporated artwork and black and white historic photography from the 1950s to tell the building’s story. Pops of bright color in the lobby brand the space while plaster, glazed subway tile, industrial light fixtures, and reclaimed furnishings and doors characterize the bygone era.
In recognition for their thoughtful repositioning and renovation, Lovett was honored with the 2023 “Good Brick” Award from Preservation Houston for Printhouse and Corgan was recognized as the Interior Architect for contributing to the core and shell modifications of the building.
In a town that has a reputation of tearing down and rebuilding, Frank Liu, founder of Lovett, has built a company that is making a big impact in revitalizing older buildings and historic neighborhoods, helping to preserve and give life to architectural heritage that may otherwise be lost.
