The old Sears building on Main in Midtown Houston has come back to life in a big way since it closed in 2018. After an ambitious adaptive repositioning and $100 million in renovations, the building is now called The Ion; it is the catalyst for the emerging Ion District – Houston’s innovation community. The design by Gensler includes dedicated Class A offices and shared workspace, community classrooms, a 300-seat forum, prototyping lab, maker space, and ground floor restaurants. The footprint expanded to the south and two additional floors were added to increase the total square footage to 310,000 s.f. The Ion has already won several development and architectural awards.
And don’t forget the food! The Ion will be home to some amazing new hospitality concepts. PRISM produced the marketing rendering for the anticipated new concept from Lucille’s Hospitality Group, Late August. The name is an homage to the massive Christmas catalog Sears sent annually in late August. Chef and co-owner Dawn Burrell say the menu will “explore the soul of Afro-Asian flavors.” Juliet Serem of Studio Boma is the interior designer. Construction is expected to be complete in late fall with an early winter opening.