Houston officials approved the city's move to sell two of its major properties downtown.
The big picture
At its Oct. 7 meeting, Houston City Council passed an ordinance allowing the city to work with commercial real estate company Cushman & Wakefield to sell 611 Walker St. and 1200 Travis St., which house the Houston Public Works Department and the Houston Police Department, respectively.
The decision came after years of concerns about the deteriorating facilities. Houston Public Works director Randy Macchi has spoken in previous meetings about the conditions of 611 Walker and 1200 Travis, noting that both buildings, built in 1966, have weak generators and outdated electrical systems. In July 2025, Macchi said that the HPW building had an 18% remaining service life and the HPD building was at 15% if the city does not make improvements.
The local impact
Council member Edward Pollard said he wanted to ensure that the option to sell would be a long-term benefit to the city.
“We understand that the conditions of those buildings are well under par from where they need to be,” he said. “But I wanted to ensure that we look at a real analysis between the difference of just selling those properties or maybe doing a long-term ground lease.”
Pollard asked if leasing the properties for 75 or 99 years would be possible so that the city could still own the land.
“As some of the most valuable pieces of property in the city, I do think that those discussions should be had,” he said.
However, Mayor John Whitmire said the opportunity to receive revenue from the facilities would be beneficial, especially if applied toward a recent purchase of 1600 Smith St., which will house HPW and possibly HPD.
“Right now we don’t have the money to repair [the two facilities],” Whitmire said. “We’re actually going to save millions with this decision.”
The need
Macchi said 4,400 employees will eventually move to 1600 Smith St.
“We got 1600 Smith for a steal of a deal at $55 million,” he said. “It’s a hallmark real estate transaction for the city.”
However, the new facility still requires repairs. Macchi said the buildout of the space will cost the city around $5 million per floor, and the building has 53 floors. He estimated it would cost around $300 million for the project.
On the other hand, it would cost nearly $500 million to repair 611 Walker and another $500 million for 1200 Travis—bringing the total repair costs for both properties to nearly $1 billion, he said.
Looking ahead
Macchi added that developers have already expressed interest in 611 Walker because of its desirable location, access to the freeway and skyline view.
The city has not yet listed a sale price for either location. Council will have final approval of any sale agreements for the properties.
