The Ion (former Midtown Sears)

Significance

The Sears, Roebuck and Co. store at 4201 Main Street opened in 1939 as the first major retail building in Houston located outside downtown. The three-story concrete building with a basement originally had an Art Deco exterior, which was largely covered with corrugated metal paneling in the 1960s. The store remained open until January 2018. Rice University's endowment company, which owns the property, bought out the remaining years of Sears' 99-year lease in 2017. The building was then redeveloped as the Ion, a hub for innovation, startups, and education that opened in 2021. The project kept the original concrete structure, added two new floors with a glass curtain wall and vertical sunshades, and cut a light-filled atrium through the middle of the building. It anchors the surrounding Ion District.

Climate risks tracked

Main Street in Midtown sits on flat, heavily paved land where heavy rain can pond quickly. The building's lower level is the most exposed part, so flood barriers at openings, raised electrical and mechanical equipment, and the district's added green space and stormwater planting all help reduce flood risk. The Ion's new glass floors gain heat in Houston's sun. The vertical sunshades added in the renovation are an important passive cooling feature, and keeping them maintained supports energy efficiency. The new upper floors and curtain wall raised the building's wind exposure, which the renovation addressed with new shear walls, so periodic inspection of the shades and glazing after hurricanes protects both the old concrete frame and the new addition.

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

Location

Nearby landmarks

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• 1929 · Spanish Colonial Revival

  Isabella Court

• 1919 · Gothic Revival

  Trinity Episcopal Church