ExxonMobil Building
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. The building is known for its “fins” which protrude from the building’s exterior to provide shade from the sun. 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.
| ExxonMobil Building | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Interactive map of the ExxonMobil Building area | |
| 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 |
| 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 | |
| Architects | Welton Becket and Associates George Pierce-Abel B. Pierce Golemon & Rolfe Associates |
| Developer | Del E. Webb Construction Company[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]- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Exxon Skyscraper Sold for Apartment Conversion". Realty News Report. January 17, 2023. Archived from the original on January 25, 2024. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
- ^ "Webb Company Joins Humble Oil in Huge Project" (PDF). The Webb Spinner. February 1962. pp. 1, 3. Archived from the original on February 16, 2018. Retrieved August 2, 2025.
- ^ "ExxonMobil Building". CVU Skyscraper Center.
- ^ "Emporis building ID 117636". Emporis. Archived from the original on January 20, 2016.
- ^ ExxonMobil Building at Glass Steel and Stone (archived)
- ^ "ExxonMobil Building". SkyscraperPage.
- ^ "Weekly List of Actions Taken on Properties: 1/31/2025 THROUGH 2/6/2025". National Park Service. Retrieved February 8, 2025.
- ^ "ExxonMobil Building 800 Bell St Houston, TX". TheSquareFoot. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved September 19, 2013.
- ^ Connelly, Richard (June 7, 2011). "ExxonMobil Making Big Move To North Houston". Archived 2011-09-04 at the Wayback Machine. Houston Press. Retrieved August 8, 2025.
- ^ "Shorenstein Properties Completes Purchase of 800 Bell Street in Houston". High Rise Facilities. January 8, 2013. Archived from the original on March 27, 2013. Retrieved August 8, 2025.
- ^ Morris, Mike (March 12, 2015). "Questions emerging over plans to move justice complex to Exxon tower". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved March 13, 2015.
- ^ Morris, Mike (September 25, 2015). "Parker halts plans to turn Exxon tower into police, courts complex". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved September 16, 2015.
- ^ Sarnoff, Nancy (February 8, 2002). "ExxonMobil may be frontrunner for Enron Center South building". The Houston Business Journal. Retrieved January 18, 2011.
- ^ a b "History". The Petroleum Club of Houston. Archived from the original on February 13, 2024. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
- ^ "Petroleum Club of Houston". Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau. 2011. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved May 10, 2013. ()
- ^ "Contact". (Archive). Petroleum Club. Retrieved June 4, 2014.
- ^ Sarnoff, Nancy (November 13, 2014). "Bucks for the memories: Petroleum Club auctions off some of its relics". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
External links
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