Hogg Palace Lofts (Armor Building)

Significance

Completed in 1921 and designed by the firm Sanguinet, Staats and Barnes, Hogg Palace Lofts, originally known as the Armor Building, is a ten story terracotta clad office building developed by the prominent Hogg family, whose patriarch James Stephen Hogg served as Texas governor and whose children became major Houston philanthropists. Built in the Chicago School commercial style, the building originally housed offices for various businesses in the growing downtown commercial district. In 1996 it was converted into loft apartments, making it one of the earliest examples of downtown Houston's residential loft conversion movement that helped revitalize the area decades before it became a broader citywide trend. Its terracotta ornamentation and Chicago School massing remain intact, offering a well preserved example of early twentieth century commercial architecture adapted for contemporary residential use.

Climate risks tracked

The Hogg Palace building's extensive terracotta cladding is vulnerable to cracking and detachment during hurricane force winds, which can loosen decorative elements and allow wind driven rain infiltration into the wall assembly behind. Its downtown location near low lying streets exposes the building to urban flooding during intense storms such as Hurricane Harvey, which can affect ground floor residential and retail spaces. Houston's persistent humidity combined with the terracotta and masonry construction creates ongoing risk of moisture infiltration and mold growth within converted loft units if building envelope maintenance is not consistently performed.

Use the preservation assistant to talk through retrofit strategies for these specific threats.

Location

Nearby landmarks

• 1913 · Beaux-Arts

  Rice Hotel

• 1926 · Spanish Renaissance Revival

  Julia Ideson Building

• 1927 · Italian Renaissance Revival

  Niels Esperson Building

• 1924 · Commercial / Chicago School

  Sam Houston Hotel