The effort—which targeted Barcelona's spot at 1731 Westheimer Road as well as the location of Jeni's Spelndid Ice Creams at 1719 Westheimer Road—was led by Davis Commercial Real Estate. Owner Mark Davis said in a news release that he started acquiring the properties in 2018 with hopes to preserve them and find new tenants.
“Being a relatively new city, Houston does not have that many older buildings, and so to be able to retain some of Houston’s history while bringing some neat tenants to the neighborhood is a real win-win,” Davis said in a statement.
With locations in 10 states and Washington, D.C., Barcelona Wine Bar offers a wide-spanning tapas menu and more than 400 wines available by the bottle. The eatery opened in a 5,000-square-foot spot in a location that opened in 1930 as Hollyfield Laundry.
Officials with Jeni's celebrated the grand opening of their flagship store in July in a location that formerly housed the Old Blue House Antique Shop. Jeni's is known for its artisanal ice creams, including dairy- and gluten-free options.
The antique shop has since relocated across the street to 1714 Westheimer Road, next to the coffeeshop Agora.
To make the redevelopment effort economically feasible, Davis said he also acquired the land directly behind Jeni's, where he built six micro-unit apartments called the Ice Cream Lofts, which are now 100% occupied.
