The Texas Company Building
historic place
The Texas Company Building, a historic place in Houston's Harris County, first opened in 1915. The New York firm Warren and Wetmore, known for Grand Central Terminal, designed the original thirteen-story structure. It featured Renaissance Revival style with Beaux-Arts accents, constructed with a steel frame and faced in Bedford limestone. Distinctive vaulted arcades with Tuscan columns, bearing the Texas Company's five-pointed star logo, were a key architectural element. This building served as the first headquarters for a major oil company in Houston, marking its economic significance. Growth led to additions, including a three-bay extension in 1936 by the original architects. A larger sixteen-story addition, designed by Kenneth Franzheim, was completed in 1959. The Texas Company, later known as Texaco, occupied the building until 1989. After a period of vacancy, the building underwent rehabilitation, reopening in 2017 as "The Star" luxury apartments. The Texas Company Building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003. Its architectural design and role as an early oil company headquarters underscore its historical importance to Houston.