The Americana Re-Emerges as a Landmark

The Americana’s iconic signage has been recovered and repaired, and will soon be added to the building.

HOUSTON—One of Houston’s earliest structures to fully embrace international style–following Silverman and Rose’s 1952 Melrose building (now Le Meridien hotel)–the Americana building initially served to connect Foley’s garage with additional parking plus ground-floor and basement space for the now defunct department store’s annex. The building was completed in 1957 by Houston developer Melvin A. Silverman and his Manhattan counterpart/collaborator Bennett Rose.

And today, this key downtown Houston block with tunnel access is being reborn as a prime retail opportunity, thanks to the Bayou City-based duo of Capital Retail Properties and Identity Architects. During the past year, the former Americana building at 811 Dallas St. has been deconstructed to its original six-story podium.