The Sugar Land City Council broke ground on the 1925 Imperial Sugar Char House renovations, which include restoring the roof, replacing windows and repairing brick. (Pili Saravia/Community Impact)
Former Imperial Sugar employees, residents and city officials filled the Imperial District as Sugar Land officials broke ground on the Char House’s restoration.
The big picture
The Nov. 5 groundbreaking comes after Sugar Land City Council approved a $15.88 million construction contract on Oct. 20 to restore the building, which was vacated in 2003 and has since begun deteriorating.
Restoration efforts include replacing the roof, replacing windows and repairing brick. City staff have not decided on a specific future use for the 1925 building, but they plan to partner with private companies for the decision.
“There’s still important work ahead, but we have a clear vision, a strong foundation and a commitment to getting this right,” Mayor Carol McCutcheon said.
The celebration
The groundbreaking also celebrated the completion of a new mural that depicts the history of the city, which was founded in 1959 after the Char House drew a large enough community to create a town.
City staff invited residents to share stories or photos to help inspire the mural, and some residents even helped paint the mural in a paint-by-the-numbers day, according to a July news release. Texas-based muralist Tyler Kay even added a community member’s great-grandfather, who is painted holding one of his old shirts as inspiration.
Artist Tyler Kay wraps up work on the Imperial District mural on Oct. 5 less than three weeks before the groundbreaking. (Pili Saravia/Community Impact)
The history of the city is represented in the timeline-structured mural with paintings of bordering shops, an old movie theater and a nearby vibrant neighborhood filled with employees' families.
The mural reflects the version of Sugar Land that attendee Lallie Garcia once knew, growing up frequenting the movie theater and shops. She was born in the city before it was incorporated as a town and worked at Imperial Sugar, where her dad worked, until it was shut down in 2003.
Garcia, who said she was the first woman to rake 100-pound bags of sugar, recalled the occasional 16-hour shifts with fond memories of a tight community.
“It’s just so many emotions,” Garcia said. “I wish I could have my arms big enough to grab it.”
She has stayed in the loop on renovations since the early 2000s and said she hopes the work continues.
A long time coming
Work toward renovation started shortly after the building was vacated with a few private companies leading the efforts, which did not come to fruition.
In 2025, city staff decided to take on the project through a public-private partnership after making redevelopment a top priority for the city. The city acquired the Imperial District and began working toward renovations through a $50 million sales-tax-based loan.
Looking ahead
Preservation efforts are expected to begin in December and finish in spring 2028, according to the city website.
Officials expect to pick a partner by the end of the year or early next year, which will give them a better idea of the building's future, Emily Pollard, communications manager in the Department of Redevelopment, previously told Community Impact.
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