Houston Endowment selects design, architects for new building near Buffalo Bayou

After a monthslong international competition, Houston Endowment Inc. has found the architects and design for its new facility on Buffalo Bayou.

A team led by Los Angeles-based Kevin Daly Architects along with Mexico City-based PRODUCTORA and Berkeley, California-based TLS Landscape Architecture, was selected from among 120 proposals for a 40,000 square foot building to serve as a headquarters for the endowment as well as offer meeting spaces and "innovative engagement facilities."

The project is valued at an estimated $20 million and is expected to open in 2022.

"We wanted to bring outstanding architecture to Houston to complement Houston’s notable architectural wonders, and this design successfully communicates openness and transparency while also providing a tranquil and inviting presence," Houston Endowment President Ann Stearn said in a release.

The endowment, which currently occupies a downtown Houston office space, acquired the 1.5 acre site at 3615-3683 Willia St. near Spotts Park in February.

The foundation was founded by Jesse and Mary Gibbs Jones in 1937 and holds about $1.8 billion in assets. It distributed about $47 million to 120 organizations and institutions in 2018 and $79 million in 2017.