1400 Smith Street

1400 Smith Street
1400 Smith Street
General information
Status	Completed
Location	1400 Smith Street; Houston, Texas; United States
Coordinates	29°45′20″N 95°22′19″W / 29.75554°N 95.37182°W
Completed	1983; 41 years ago
Owner	Chevron Corporation
Height
Roof	691 ft (211 m)
Technical details
Floor count	50
Floor area	1,266,714 sq ft (117,681.6 m2)
Design and construction
Architect(s)	Pelli Clarke Pelli (design); Kendall/Heaton Associates (AoR)
Structural engineer	CBM Engineers
Main contractor	Clark Construction

1400 Smith Street (formerly Enron Complex) is a 691 ft (211 m) tall skyscraper located in downtown Houston, Texas, United States. The building has 50 floors and is the 11th tallest building in the city. Designed by architectural firm Lloyd Jones Brewer and Associates, the building was completed in 1983.^[2] The 1,200,000-square-foot (110,000 m²) office tower is situated on Houston's six-mile (10 km) pedestrian and retail tunnel system that links many of the city's downtown towers.^[2] It was formerly Four Allen Center, a part of the Allen Center complex.^[3]

The building was the former headquarters of Enron, one of America's largest commodities trading companies during the 1990s and later infamous for its financial scandal in 2001. 1400 Smith Street was originally known as Four Allen Center prior to Enron relocating to Houston in 1985.^[4] Before Enron's collapse, the energy giant constructed a second, similar building across the street, connected to 1400 Smith Street by a circular skywalk.^[4]

In 2006, Brookfield Properties acquired the 1,200,000-square-foot (110,000 m²) Four Allen Center for $120 million. At the same time, Brookfield announced that Chevron USA signed a lease for the entire building. Brookfield held 4 Allen Center in a joint partnership with the private equity group The Blackstone Group. As of 2006, the joint venture has 7,400,000 square feet (690,000 m²) of office space in Downtown Houston, making it the largest office owner in the central business district.^[5]

Beginning in 2006, Chevron leased the entirety of the building. Earlier in 2011 Brookfield Properties, the owner of the building, searched for a prospective buyer. In June 2011, Chevron bought the building from Brookfield for $340 million. Brookfield confirmed the purchase on June 24, 2011.^[6] If Chevron had not fully occupied the building, Brookfield would have put the building on the market, and Holliday Fowler Fenoglio LP would have had the listing.^[7]

Notes

^ "FOUR ALLEN | ENERGY STAR". www.energystar.gov.
^ ^a ^b "Brookfield Properties - 1400 Smith Street". Archived from the original on 2008-06-14. Retrieved 2008-04-06.
^ "About Brookfield & 1400 Smith Street". Brookfield Properties. Archived from the original on 2012-03-17. Retrieved August 3, 2011. Allen Center is a 4.4 million square foot Class "A" office complex in downtown Houston consisting of One Allen Center, Two Allen Center, Three Allen Center and 1400 Smith Street (Four Allen Center).
^ ^a ^b "1400 Smith, Houston, TX - Skyscrapers on Waymarking.com". Retrieved 2008-04-06.
^ "Brookfield Properties Acquires Four Allen Center in Downtown Houston and Leases Entire Building to Chevron." Business Wire. October 5, 2006. Retrieved on October 1, 2010.
^ Dawson, Jennifer. "Chevron finalizes downtown Houston office tower purchase." Houston Business Journal. June 24, 2011. Retrieved on August 3, 2011.
^ "Downtown Houston real estate lures buyers". Houston Business Journal. May 6, 2011. Retrieved October 15, 2011. Holliday Fenoglio's Williamson said Brookfield also will sell Chevron USA Inc.'s building at 1400 Smith, the former headquarters of Enron Corp. Chevron may buy the asset it fully occupies, but if it doesn't, Williamson said HFF will have the listing.