From gray to green

A Galleria-area office complex is turning a parking lot between its buildings into a lawn with shade

Lincoln Property Co. has begun the next phase of the transformation of the Galleria I and Galleria II office complex at Alabama and Sage in hope of landing new tenants when the $14 million renovation is completed early next year.

The Office of James Burnett landscape architecture firm, which recently completed the redevelopment of Levy Park in the Upper Kirby, has been hired to transform a parking lot between the buildings into a large lawn with shaded areas for dining or working, along with events and leisure activities. It will connect with new retail spaces on the first floors of the office buildings, which recently got new conference facilities, a fitness center and other updates.

“In addition to traditional tenants, we’re trying to appeal to a little more of a creative tenant, like advertising firms, tech companies and creative firms,” said Charlie Giammalva, a senior vice president at Lincoln Property Co.

The work is being done on behalf of an institutional owner that purchased the buildings from Songy Partners in 2015. Lincoln Property has hired Kirksey Architecture to design the building renovations, which include adding features such as balconies and lighting

outside Galleria Place I. O’Donnell Snider is the general contractor for the project, which will add an elevator to one of the parking garages.

“Galleria Place will be transformed into a vibrant retail and creative workplace environment,” Chip Trageser, principal with the Office of James Burnett, said in an announcement.

The buildings will have up to 18,000 square feet of retail space, primarily concentrated in Galleria Place I. Lacee Jacobs and Culver Stedman with Edge Realty Partners are handling retail leasing, while Lincoln Property continues to oversee leasing and management of the overall property.

“The entire first level of Galleria Place I is vacant,” Giammalva said. “We have partitioned the space up to attract retailers, food service and coffee shops that will be amenities to the office tenants.”

Galleria Place I, an 11-story, 216,481-squarefoot building at 5251 Westheimer, is 30 percent leased.

Galleria Place II, a 10-story, 179,472-squarefoot building at 5333 Westheimer, is 65 percent leased but has a significant amount of sublease space available.

The buildings, developed by Hines in the 1960s and 1970s, are directly across from the new luxury wing of the Galleria and near several hotels including the new Hyatt Place and Hyatt Regency developed by Songy Partners. Regions Bank occupies a retail building in the complex.

The largest tenant is Just Energy, a retail energy provider, with three floors in Galleria Place I. IHS, an energy information firm which merged with Markit last year, recently vacated a large portion of Galleria Place II.

Downtown, the Office of James Burnett is handling a similar but larger project for Brookfield Office Properties, creating a 1-acre plaza and new retail space at its Allen Center complex.

Lincoln Property Co. renderings The space between Galleria I and Galleria II will be transformed into a 1-acre grand lawn with botanical gardens.

Lincoln Property Co. will add architectural details and usable balconies to Galleria Place I, an 11-story office building at 5251 Westheimer.

Lincoln Property Co. renderings Among the features to be added in the space between the Galleria I and Galleria II office buildings are shade trees, water elements, shade pavilions, and gathering places for tenants and customers to dine and socialize.

The green space will connect with new retail spaces on the first floors of the office buildings, which recently gained new conference facilities and a fitness center.