Catalyst Houston’s 361-unit high-rise to downtown

HOUSTON – Catalyst Houston, 1423 Texas Ave., is set to break ground on Nov. 5. The 28-story, 361-unit apartment project is expected to cost $105 million and be complete summer 2016.

Catalyst Houston will be on 1.4 acres at city Block 52, which is bound by Texas Ave., Austin St., Prairie St. and La Branch St.

The one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments, which average 950 sf, will feature hardwood flooring, quartz countertops, stainless steel appliances, 7- to 12-foot ceilings, floor-to-ceiling windows and a private balcony or terrace overlooking downtown.

The top two floors will feature about 20 penthouses, which overlook Minute Maid Park two blocks to the east. These exclusive residents will have secure access to the floor and their own private garage, as well as a private clubroom with an outdoor grill, fireplace and private bar.

Common amenities include a Wi-Fi lounge and conference center, a fitness center, a "sky club" with a catering kitchen, fireplace and rooftop deck. There also will be an outdoor dog run with a pet wash, 6,000 sf of restaurant space on the ground floor and a "hospitality suite," a one-bedroom unit that can be rented out by the day for visitors.

Rent prices have yet to be determined, but they will be similar to other downtown Class A projects, which currently charge about $2.80 a foot or about $2,660 a month.

The development is a joint venture between Illinois-based Marquette Cos., Texas-based Hunt Cos. and Los Angeles-based Ares Management LLC. This is Marquette’s first development in Houston and the second Catalyst project, modeled after one in Chicago’s West Loop.