Barbara Jordan-Mickey Leland School Breaks Ground

A ceremonial groundbreaking was held recently for TSU's new building named in honor and remembrance of U.S. Congresswoman Barbara Jordan and U.S. Congressman Mickey Leland.

TSU Hosts Historic Groundbreaking

A rendering shows the future Barbara Jordan-Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs building on the TSU campus. Kirksey of Houston is the project's architect.

Texas Southern University in Houston recently hosted a groundbreaking for its new $15 million Barbara Jordan-Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs building. University dignitaries at the event included president Priscilla Slade and provost Bobby Wilso, deans Don Anthony Woods and Merline Pitre and members of the TSU board of regents. Barbara Jordan's sister, Rosemary McGowan, spoke at the event.

The 82,000-sq.-ft. building will house the academic programs of the Barbara Jordan-Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs, the Barbara Jordan Public Policy Research Institute, the Mickey Leland Center on World Hunger and Peace and several academic programs associated with the College of Liberal Arts and Behavioral Sciences.

The building features a new auditorium for academic and community programming including a formal entrance that opens into a multipurpose lobby, general and special-use instructional classrooms, and high-tech videoconference and wireless connections.

Kirksey is the project's architect and J.E. Dunn Construction is the general contractor. Both firms are based in Houston. Consruction is scheduled to be completed in August 2006.

Diggs, Cadence McShane to Build Parking Facilities at TSU

In a joint venture with Wichita, Kan.-based Diggs Construction LLC, the Houston office of Cadence McShane Corp. recently began construction of two five-story parking garages on the campus of Texas Southern University in Houston. Each garage will be comprised of 340,000 sq. ft. and accommodate 1,000 cars to provide expanded parking capabilities on the campus.

Integrity Parking is the developer of the parking garage assignment and Horizon Group International is serving as construction manager. Architectural services are being provided by Smith & Co. Architects of Houston. A program of coordinated construction of the two garages while classes are in session will provide for a December 2005 completion of the first garage and a March 2006 completion for the second structure.

Each garage will be constructed on an existing surface parking lot at the campus. Diggs Construction and Cadence McShane will construct the garages with precast spandrel panels accented by a cast-in-brick façade. The Cleburne Avenue garage will feature metal panel accents at various locations while the Ennis Street garage will by highlighted by aluminum curtain-wall panels.

Tellepsen Awarded More Than $60M in Multi-Family Contracts

Tellepsen Builders of Houston has recently been awarded five multi-family housing projects for The Sanctuary Lofts, The >> Boulevard, and Las Canteras Apartments; Carmel Apartments; and Village Park at Tanglewood, totaling $60.6 million.

One of the most unique student housing projects, The Sanctuary Lofts, will turn a 70-year-old church in San Marcos into student housing with 204 units that will also house the main office and a health club. The sanctuary of the former First Baptist Church, built in 1927, will be renovated for retail and residential use and two new buildings as well as a new seven-story pre-cast parking garage will also be added to the existing structure.

"In addition to Houston, we're seeing strong activity in many other areas of Texas," said Howard Tellepsen, Jr., president and CEO. "There are many bright spots on the Texas map."

The Sanctuary Lofts, The Boulevard and Las Canteras Apartments are owned by Austin-based Tekoa Partners. The Boulevard, located in Austin, will consist of 120 condominiums and clubhouse. The 100-unit Las Canteras project is located in Pharr, near McAllen.

Carmel Apartments, a 184-unit complex to be built in Laredo, will be comprised of 12 buildings, plus a clubhouse, cabana, mail kiosk and pool house. The high-end senior living facility, Village Park at Tanglewood, located in the Galleria-area of Houston, is a two-level concrete parking garage with a four-story apartment building on top consisting of 180 units.

Developers Announce Partnership, Plans for Victory Park

Momentum at Dallas' Victory Park continues to build as Hines and Hillwood recently announced plans to develop a two-phase, two-building 800,000-sq.-ft. class A office complex.

The first phase, One Victory Park, is an 18-story building overlooking Victory's urban park, park-side restaurants and patio dining. The office tower adds a new facet to the district and prime tenant opportunities to the Victory Park phase of development, which was formally announced in May.

Encompassing the southern end of the 75-acre Victory district and surrounding a one-acre urban park, the Victory Park phase will debut a dynamic collection of mid- and high-rise buildings.

In addition to One Victory Park, eight buildings are scheduled for completion between 2006 and 2008, comprising an unprecedented mix of high-end urban residential, boutique retail, world-class dining, modern and technologically advanced office space and Texas' first W Hotel. (For more about W Dallas Victory Hotel, see page 54.)