  When it was completed in October 1947, Foley's Main Street store was the first entirely new department store built in the United States since 1929. As designed by architect Kenneth Franzheim, Foley's became the model for the modern American department store. The building had no windows except for street-level displays, making its innovative, storewide climate control systems even more efficient. The interiors, by Loewy/Snaith, were also created for efficiency — its moveable counters could be easily reconfigured for seasonal merchandise. Although little of the original interior design remains, Franzheim's handsome exterior is still intact. The Main Street façade is covered with panels of orange Kasota stone studded with aluminum bolts, and the up-curved canopy still shades sidewalks on all four sides of the building. The architecture wasn't Foley's only innovation, however. The retailer's popular television displays gave many Houstonians their first look at the new medium, the adjacent parking garage was one of Houston's first, and the pedestrian tunnel connecting the garage to the store was one of the first links in today's tunnel system. As Houston's only remaining downtown department store, Foley's plays a vital role in the area's revitalization. Both the store's survival and its distinctive architecture are worthy of recognition. Next winner: 3401 Allen Parkway Photo by Jim Parsons |
3401 Allen Parkway, the former Rein Co. Building 22nd Street Lofts, an adaptive reuse of a Heights textile factory 308 Cordell St., a 1910 bungalow in the Brooke Smith Addition "Rosecroft," an Arts & Crafts-style home in Eastwood 1605 Heights Blvd., a 1918 Alfred C. Finn-designed home Willow Street Pump Station, an adaptive reuse of early 20th century civic buildings Hotel Icon, the former Union National Bank Building Summer Street Project, the restoration of nine First Ward cottages John P. McGovern Campus of the Texas Medical Center, the former Nabisco bakery Down in Houston, a literary look at Houston's blues scene Houston House & Home magazine: Preservation Partner in Print Award Menil House, the restoration of the 1951 Philip Johnson design Minnette Boesel for leadership in local preservation |
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