Total Plaza

Total Plaza is a tower in Downtown Houston, Texas, one block away from the Allen Center complex. The building, managed by Brookfield Properties, opened in 1971. The 35 story building, designed by the architect Lloyd, Morgan & Jones, was renovated in 1981 and 1996, and features a mirror-finished reflective glass on its exterior. Each floor has about 24000sqft, with a total of 847200sqft. The building is named after its major tenant, Total Petrochemicals USA, a subsidiary of Total S.A.. The complex was formerly the headquarters of the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County .The building is connected to the Downtown Houston tunnel system.HistoryThe building, located at 1201 Louisiana, opened in 1971. The building was the headquarters of Entex. In 1975 Mercure Co. N.Y., a Dutch company, bought the Entex Building for 40 million. The plaza, which had Class B space, was sold in 1984.In 1994 the main offices of the University of Houston System were in the Entex Building. In 1996, after a renovation, the building was renamed from the Entex Building to the Louisiana Place. During that year brokers Jay Bonano and Jesse Amundsen left Koll Real Estate to start their own company. The leasing contract for Total Plaza was taken with Bonano and Amundsen.Previously the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas (METRO) headquarters were in the Louisiana Place. The agency occupied 10 floors in the building and did not receive any federal funds to cover the US$3.8 million annual rent. The METRO Board Room was located on the 16th floor. By 2002 the agency announced that it was moving into a new administration building, scheduled for completion in 2004, owned by the agency. METRO's lease of 193000sqft expired in April 2005.