Setting
Uptown is a Houston business district about 6.2 miles west of Downtown. It is centered along Post Oak Boulevard and Westheimer Road, and the Uptown District is roughly framed by Woodway Drive to the north, I-610 to the east, Richmond Avenue to the south, and Yorktown Street to the west. The district covers 1,010 acres.
Several residential areas border Uptown, including Afton Oaks, Briarcroft, Briargrove, Broad Oaks, Briarmeadow, Del Monte, Larchmont, St. George Place, Tanglewood, and Westhaven Estates.
Business and Retail
Uptown has 23.6 million square feet of office space and accounts for more than 11 percent of Houston’s total office space. Around 2,000 companies operate in the district, and many international hotel chains have locations here.
The district also has about 5 million square feet of retail space. Its shopping areas include upscale boutiques, Houston-based high-fashion designers, restaurants, and entertainment venues. Uptown’s hotels host about 20 million visitors a year.
The Galleria
The Galleria is a major feature of Uptown and is described as the largest shopping mall in Texas and the seventh-largest in the United States. It contains many of the area’s upscale shops along with chain stores found in other Houston-area malls.
The Galleria also includes several well-regarded restaurants and a large indoor ice skating rink.
History
In 1948, the area that is now Uptown was 3 miles outside Houston’s city limits. A local reporter described its roads as isolated, unlit, and rough at night. Development increased in the 1960s after Gerald D. Hines and others began developing properties in the area.
By 1987, Uptown had more hotel rooms and retail shopping centers than Downtown Houston. At that time, it also had 55,000 employees and more office space than Downtown Atlanta and Downtown Denver.
Architecture and Public Spaces
Uptown’s office growth in the 1970s and early 1980s brought mid-rise buildings along the West Loop. Williams Tower, designed by Philip Johnson and formerly known as Transco Tower, rises 901 feet and is one of the district’s landmarks.
At the south end of Williams Tower is the Williams Waterwall, a multi-story sculptural fountain set within a surrounding park. The fountain is 64 feet tall, stands among 118 Texas live oak trees, and carries about 11,000 U.S. gallons of water over both sides each minute. The City of Houston also operates Post Oak Park, and Hidalgo Park sits south of The Galleria.
What it is like
Uptown Houston is in the heart of Houston and is described as a mixed-use urban center, key economic engine and urban community with business and residential addresses, shopping, hotels, dining and entertainment. It has 28 million square feet of commercial office space, about 2,000 companies, 39 hotels and nearly 8,400 rooms. The Galleria, located in the heart of Uptown Houston a short drive from downtown and 25 miles from George Bush Intercontinental Airport, is Texas’ largest mall and a major shopping and tourist attraction.
Sources: Uptown Houston (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA); uptown-houston.com