ST. GERMAIN LOFTS
CA M B R I A
Photo by Patrick Bertolino
Home is Where the History Is It’s not just hotel guests that get to have all the historic fun. Downtown residents are enjoying the benefits of revitalized buildings as well. Just to name a few: H YAT T PL AC E
HERMANN LOFTS back styling,” a step-like recession inspired by the Mayan pyramids that allows more direct sunlight on the streets below. In a further nod to the Central American civilization, terracotta ornamentation was included on parts of the building’s exterior and in the interior design of the building’s main lobby. Long a scion of the city’s most prominent oil executives, in 1980, the building became the headquarters for the Great Southwest Life Insurance Company, and the building’s moniker changed from the Petroleum Building to the Greater Southwest Building. What once housed office workers is now a more glamorous venue for overnight stays. In late 2019, the Cambria Hotel opened its doors for the first time to guests, ushering them into a building with carefully restored historical elements, including original elevator cabs and doors with Mayan-influenced brass medallions.
204 Travis • Notably the first Downtown Houston building to be converted into residential loft spaces for purchase. • Currently undergoing a $2.5 million renovation which includes the restoration, repair and replacement of the building’s historic canopy by Doug McLean, who’s performed the restoration of many historic canopies along The Strand in Galveston.
HERMANN LOFTS
ST. GERMAIN LOFTS 705 Main • Maintaining the charming historic exterior of the 89-year-old S.H. Kress & Co building was important to renovators when they converted the space into the St. Germain Lofts 21 years ago. • Originally built in 1911, the now 110-yearold, eight-story building is home to 143 lofts.
COMMERCE TOWERS
FALL 2021
31