ExxonMobil Building

Skyscraper in Houston, Texas

ExxonMobil Building

Former names| Humble Building
Humble Oil Building
Alternative names| Exxon Tower
General information
Status| Completed
Type| Commercial offices
Location| 800 Bell Street
Houston, Texas
Coordinates| 29°45′13″N 95°22′10″W﻿ / ﻿29.7535°N 95.3694°W﻿ / 29.7535; -95.3694
Completed| 1963
Height
Roof| 184.71 m (606.0 ft)
Technical details
Floor count| 44
Floor area| 1,200,000 sq ft (110,000 m2)[1]
Design and construction
Architect(s)| Welton Becket and Associates
George Pierce-Abel B. Pierce
Golemon & Rolfe Associates
Developer| Del E Webb Corporation[2]
Structural engineer| McClelland Engineers
Main contractor| W. S. Bellows Construction
References
[3][4][5][6]

The ExxonMobil Building (also known as Exxon Tower, and formerly as Humble Oil Building) at 800 Bell Street in Houston, Texas is a 45-story, 1,200,000 sq ft (110,000 m2) skyscraper built in 1963, designed by Welton Becket & Associates.[1] The building is known for its “fins” which protrude from the building’s exterior to provide shade from the sun.[1]

At the time of its construction, it was the tallest building west of the Mississippi River at 606 ft (185 m), surpassing the Republic Bank Tower in Dallas (the previous record holder). It remained the tallest building west of the Mississippi only until 1965, when Elm Place was built in Dallas. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2025.[7]

## History

[edit]

800 Bell Street was built in 1963 as the headquarters of Humble Oil Company, a predecessor of Exxon.[1] In 1973 Humble's parent company Standard Oil of New Jersey rebranded nationwide as Exxon and discontinued the Humble name.

During the Houston Astros' 2004 NLCS run (playoffs), the top of the building was crowned by hundreds of tiny blue lights while an enormous Astros star (logo) made of white lights was hung on the south side of the building.[8]

In 2011 the company announced they would relocate all employees in the building to a new ExxonMobil office in Spring.[9]

In January 2013, Shorenstein Properties acquired the property for $50 million.[1] As part of the deal, ExxonMobil leased back the entire building through 2015.[1] Shorenstein Properties announced plans to undertake significant improvements following ExxonMobil's departure.[10]

In 2015, as ExxonMobil's lease expired, oil prices crashed. This caused petroleum companies to shed excess office space, leaving the property vacant for almost the next decade.[1]

Mayor of Houston Annise Parker proposed moving municipal court and Houston Police Department operations into the ExxonMobil building. Charles McClelland, the head of HPD, stated that having so many law enforcement and public safety agencies concentrated in a single building may be a safety risk, citing the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.[11] In September 2015 Parker's administration announced that the plan would not move forward due to concerns over costs.[12]

In late 2022, the 1.2 million square foot building was sold to developers with plans to convert the vacant office building to residential units.[1]

### Location

[edit]

The building is two blocks east of 1500 Louisiana Street; a parking lot is between the two buildings.[13] The building is situated about five blocks north of the Pierce Elevated freeway, which is slated to be re-routed and removed as part of a Texas Department of Transportation Plan.[1]

## Petroleum Club

[edit]

The Petroleum Club of Houston moved into the top three floors of the ExxonMobil Building in February 1963.[14][15] The club was accessible through elevators on Bell Street.[16] In January 2015, due to ExxonMobil's lease expiration, the club relocated to Total Plaza.[14][17]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Realty News Report (January 17, 2023). "Exxon Skyscraper Sold for Apartment Conversion". Realty News Report. Archived from the original on January 25, 2024. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
2. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on February 16, 2018. Retrieved February 16, 2018.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
3. ^ "ExxonMobil Building". CTBUH Skyscraper Center.CTBUH+Skyscraper+Center&rft.atitle=ExxonMobil+Building&rft_id=http://www.skyscrapercenter.com/building/wd/2157&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:ExxonMobil+Building" class="Z3988">
4. ^ "Emporis building ID 117636". Emporis. Archived from the original on January 20, 2016.
5. ^ ExxonMobil Building at Glass Steel and Stone (archived)
6. ^ "ExxonMobil Building". SkyscraperPage.
7. ^ "WEEKLY LIST OF ACTIONS TAKEN ON PROPERTIES: 1/31/2025 THROUGH 2/6/2025". National Park Service. Retrieved February 8, 2025.
8. ^ "ExxonMobil Building 800 Bell St Houston, TX". TheSquareFoot. 2013. Retrieved September 19, 2013.
9. ^ Connelly, Richard. "ExxonMobil Making Big Move To North Houston Archived 2011-09-04 at the Wayback Machine
10. ^ "Shorenstein Properties Completes Purchase of 800 Bell Street in Houston - High Rise Facilities". Archived from the original on March 27, 2013.
11. ^ Morris, Mike. "Questions emerging over plans to move justice complex to Exxon tower." Houston Chronicle. March 12, 2015. Retrieved on March 13, 2015.
12. ^ Morris, Mike. "Parker halts plans to turn Exxon tower into police, courts complex." Houston Chronicle. September 25, 2015. Retrieved on September 16, 2015.
13. ^ Nancy Sarnoff (February 8, 2002). "ExxonMobil may be frontrunner for Enron Center South building". The Houston Business Journal. Retrieved January 18, 2011.
14. ^ a b "History". The Petroleum Club of Houston. Archived from the original on February 13, 2024. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
15. ^ "Petroleum Club of Houston". Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau. 2011. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved May 10, 2013. ()
16. ^ "Contact." (Archive). Petroleum Club. Retrieved on June 4, 2014.
17. ^ Sarnoff, Nancy. "Bucks for the memories: Petroleum Club auctions off some of its relics." Houston Chronicle. November 13, 2014. Retrieved on March 9, 2015.

## External links

[edit]

* Texas portal
* Architecture portal

Wikimedia Commons has media related to ExxonMobil Building.

* ThePetroleum Club of Houston official website

* v
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Downtown Houston

Areas|

* Houston Skyline District
* Houston Theater District
* Main Street/Market Square Historic District

Education|

| Primary and
secondary schools|

* Houston ISD
* Kinder HSPVA
* Incarnate Word Academy

|

Colleges and
universities|

* University of Houston–Downtown (Template)
* South Texas College of Law
* Houston Community College (closest campus is Midtown)

Libraries|

* Houston Public Library (Jones Building, Julia Ideson Building, and HPL Express Discovery Green)

Skyscrapers and
complexes|

* 609 Main at Texas
* 919 Milam
* 1000 Main
* 1200 Travis
* 1500 Louisiana Street
* 1600 Smith Street
* Allen Center
* Devon Energy Tower
* 1400 Smith Street
* Bank of America Center
* Bayou Place
* BG Group Place
* Calpine Center
* CenterPoint Energy Plaza
* Club Quarters Hotel
* Cullen Center
* 1600 Smith Street
* KBR Tower
* El Paso Energy Building
* Enterprise Plaza
* Esperson Buildings
* ExxonMobil Building
* First City Tower
* GreenStreet (Houston Pavilions)
* Heritage Plaza
* Hess Tower
* Houston Center
* Four Seasons Hotel Houston
* Houston House Apartments
* Houston Post-Dispatch Building
* Hyatt Regency Houston
* JW Marriott Downtown Houston
* Bob Lanier Public Works Building
* JPMorgan Chase Building
* JPMorgan Chase Tower
* Magnolia Hotel
* One City Centre
* One Park Place
* One Shell Plaza
* Pennzoil Place
* Total Plaza
* Wedge International Tower
* Wells Fargo Plaza

Parks and
public plazas|

* Allen's Landing
* Discovery Green
* Market Square Park
* Sam Houston Park
* Sesquicentennial Park
* Tranquillity Park

National Register of
Historic Places|

* Houston Cotton Exchange Building
* Annunciation Church
* Antioch Missionary Baptist Church
* Battelstein's
* Beaconsfield
* James Bute Company Warehouse
* Christ Church
* City National Bank Building
* W. L. Foley Building
* Gulf Building
* Hogg Building
* Houston City Hall
* Houston Post-Dispatch Building
* Humble Oil Building
* Julia Ideson Building
* Kennedy Bakery
* Kress Building
* Main Street/Market Square Historic District
* McKee Street Bridge
* Merchants and Manufacturers Building
* National Biscuit Company Building
* Palace Hotel
* Paul Building
* Rice Lofts
* The Sam Houston Hotel
* San Jacinto Street Bridge
* Scanlan Building
* South Texas National Bank
* State National Bank Building
* Stowers Building
* Sweeney, Coombs, and Fredericks Building
* Texas Company Building
* Texas State Hotel
* US Customhouse
* Union Station (Houston)
* Willow Street Pump Station

Other landmarks|

* 1910 Harris County Courthouse
* Alley Theatre
* Bayou Place
* George R. Brown Convention Center
* Capitol Lofts
* Daikin Park
* Downtown Aquarium
* Federal Detention Center, Houston
* Franklin Lofts
* Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart
* Great Jones Building
* Harris County jails
* Hobby Center for the Performing Arts
* Houston Club
* Hotel Icon
* Houston tunnel system
* Jones Hall
* Joe Kegans State Jail
* Kiam Building
* Petroleum Club of Houston
* Pillot Building
* Texas Company Annex
* Toyota Center
* Wortham Theater Center

METRORail lines|

* Red
* Green
* Purple

METRORail stations|

* Bell
* Central Station
* Convention District
* Downtown Transit Center
* Main Street Square
* Preston
* Theater District
* UH–Downtown

History|

* 1928 Democratic National Convention
* Gulf Hotel fire

This list is incomplete.
Sam Houston Math, Science, and Technology Center was in Downtown until 1955

* v
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Timeline of the tallest buildings west of the Mississippi River

* Central Tower (91 m) (1898)
* Smith Tower (141 m) (1914)
* Kansas City Power and Light Building (145.1 m) (1931)
* Mercantile National Bank Building (159 m) (1942)
* Sheraton Dallas Hotel (183 m) (1959)
* ExxonMobil Building (185 m) (1963)
* Republic Center Tower II (183 m) (1964)
* First National Bank Tower (191 m) (1965)
* 555 California Street (237 m) (1969)
* Transamerica Pyramid (260 m) (1972)
* Aon Center (262 m) (1973)
* JPMorgan Chase Tower (305 m) (1982)
* US Bank Tower (310 m) (1990)
* Wilshire Grand Center (335 m) (2016)

* v
* t
* e

Timeline of the tallest buildings in Texas

* Franklin Lofts (35 m) (1904)
* Capitol Lofts (41 m) (1908)
* Praetorian Building (58 m) (1909)
* Adolphus Hotel (95 m) (1912)
* Magnolia Hotel (122 m) (1923)
* Niels Esperson Building (125 m) (1927)
* JPMorgan Chase Building (130 m) (1929)
* Mercantile National Bank Building (131 m) (1943)
* Republic Center Tower I (138 m) (1954)
* Southland Center (183 m) (1959)
* ExxonMobil Building (185 m) (1963)
* First National Bank Tower (191 m) (1965)
* Tower of the Americas (229 m) (1968)
* Renaissance Tower (270 m) (1974)
* JPMorgan Chase Tower (305 m) (1982)

* v
* t
* e

Timeline of the tallest buildings in Houston

* Franklin Lofts (35 m) (1904)
* Capitol Lofts (41 m) (1908)
* Texas Company Annex (54 m) (1915)
* Club Quarters Hotel (62 m) (1925)
* Magnolia Hotel (99 m) (1926)
* Niels Esperson Building (125 m) (1927)
* JPMorgan Chase Building (130 m) (1929)
* ExxonMobil Building (185 m) (1963)
* One Shell Plaza (218 m) (1971)
* Enterprise Plaza (230 m) (1980)
* JPMorgan Chase Tower (305 m) (1982)

* v
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* e

Skyscrapers in Houston

Completed|

* 1000 Main
* 1200 Travis
* 1400 Smith Street
* 1500 Louisiana Street
* 1600 Smith Street (Continental Center I)
* 2727 Kirby
* One Allen Center
* Three Allen Center
* America Tower
* Bank of America Center
* BG Group Place
* Bob Lanier Public Works Building
* Calpine Center
* CenterPoint Energy Plaza
* Devon Energy Tower
* El Paso Energy Building
* Enterprise Plaza
* Niels Esperson Building
* ExxonMobil Building
* First City Tower
* Four Leaf Towers I
* Four Leaf Towers II
* 1330 Post Oak Boulevard
* Great Southwest Building
* Eleven Greenway Plaza
* Five Greenway Plaza
* Nine Greenway Plaza
* Heritage Plaza
* Hess Tower
* Fulbright Tower
* One Houston Center
* Two Houston Center
* Houston Tower
* Hyatt Regency Houston
* JPMorgan Chase Building
* JPMorgan Chase Tower
* KBR Tower
* Marathon Oil Tower
* Memorial by Windsor
* Memorial Hermann Medical Plaza
* One City Centre
* One Park Place
* One Shell Plaza
* Pennzoil Place
* Phoenix Tower
* San Felipe Plaza
* The Huntingdon
* The Mercer West Tower
* The Spires
* Total Plaza
* Wedge International Tower
* Wells Fargo Plaza
* Williams Tower

Proposed|

* Houstonian Texas Medical Center

Unbuilt|

* Bank of the Southwest Tower

See also: List of tallest buildings in Houston
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