Linbeck Group Finishes Sunset Coffee Building Rehabilitation

HOUSTON, Texas – Linbeck Group has recently completed downtown Houston, Texas’ historic Sunset Coffee Building located at Allen’s Landing near Main and Commerce streets. Purchased by Buffalo Bayou Partnership in 2003, as part of its master plan to transform a 10-mile stretch of the neglected Buffalo Bayou into a thriving waterfront, the 12,700-square-foot former coffee-roasting facility required extensive work to rehabilitate the 1910 industrial building. It is now a recreational and cultural center that features a rooftop terrace for events, an outdoor plaza, a canoe, kayak and bike rental facility, café and office space for BBP. Total cost for the project is $5.6 million.

Located in an area known to flood, the project required a reinforced foundation capable of withstanding a flood surge of up to eight feet. The building’s ground floor, which houses canoe and kayak and bike rentals, was constructed with flood protection measures in mind. Eight-inch grouted concrete masonry units provide strength and roll-up doors with perforated slats allow flood water to pass freely through the lower level of the building.

The original concrete structure of the three-story building remained unaltered but was extensively reinforced with new structural steel.

In terms of design, a major focus was maintaining the industrial character and essence of the original building. While many elements of the coffee-roasting facility were beyond repair, some pieces were salvaged including original windows with the glass still intact. The building’s original concrete columns and beams, and a portion of structural clay tiles, were left exposed as interior finishes. The new rooftop, complete with a garden deck for private events, features a parapet wall cap designed using a combination of existing 100-year-old terracotta wall caps blended with matching replacements. Replica windows and custom exterior face brick were matched to existing materials for authenticity.

Linbeck Group worked with INFILL Planning and Development LLC as the project manager, and design firms BNIM, Lake Flato and SWA Group.