Retrofit Atlas

Big boxes · Texas

Ion

Imported, unreviewedRedevelopedReinhabitedRetrofit builtHouston, TX

RMC completed a 2021 retrofit of a 1939 Sears store into a tech hub (The Ion), positioned within Houston's innovation cluster. Retrofit is built; no current occupancy data. · summary, model-written

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Site profile9 elements · what this retrofit is built with · tap a chip for the evidence

Former anchors
SearsThis site: Sears wikipedia · all sites with this
Place
3+ other atlas sites within 10 kmThis site: 10 within 10 km computed · all sites with this
County permitting 2,000+ apartment units a yearThis site: 8,623 units, Harris County census-bps · all sites with this
Strategy
RedevelopedThis site: …technology park and innovation district central hub with coworking and office spaces, business incubators and accelerators, classrooms, a prototyping lab,… record · all sites with this
ReinhabitedThis site: …technology park and innovation district central hub with coworking and office spaces, business incubators and accelerators, classrooms, a prototyping lab,… record · all sites with this
New use
EducationThis site: …new_use field newtypes-extraction · all sites with this
OfficeThis site: …park and innovation district central hub with coworking and office spaces, business incubators and accelerators, classrooms, a newtypes-extraction · all sites with this
Park and open spaceThis site: …technology park and innovation district central hub with coworking and offi newtypes-extraction · all sites with this
Retail (continued)This site: …new_use field newtypes-extraction · all sites with this

All elements and lists · Trends

Now

StatusRetrofit builtnewtypes-extraction reported
StrategyRedeveloped · ReinhabitedWikipedia no source
New useseducation, office, other, retailWikipedia no source
What is there nowtechnology park and innovation district central hub with coworking and office spaces, business incubators and accelerators, classrooms, a prototyping lab, investor studio, and restaurants.newtypes-extraction reported
Retrofit year2021newtypes-extraction reported
RedeveloperRice Management Company (RMC)newtypes-extraction reported

Deals and debt

DateEventPricePartiesSource
2017Sold—RMC ← SearsWikipedia

Site context

Housing permits, Harris County (TX), 20248,623 units in 5+ unit buildings, 1,226 in 2–4, 20,087 single-family; 2023: 13,263 in 5+Census BPS
Other atlas sites nearby10 within 10 km, 18 within 25 km: Greentown Labs Houston (3.1 km); Georgian apartments (3.1 km); Power Center (3.1 km); Park Eight Master Plan (3.1 km); River Oaks Shopping Center (3.3 km)computed
Retail trade in the county, 2025 (BLS QCEW)210,476 jobs in 13,134 establishments; average annual pay $44,568; employment location quotient 0.87; employment -0.8% on the yearBLS QCEW 2025, NAICS 44-45, private
Jobs located in the tract, 20221,277 jobs; 131 in retail trade, 64 in accommodation and food (workplace blocks summed to tract 48201312502)Census LEHD LODES8 WAC 2022
Upward mobility (Opportunity Atlas, 2010 tract)children of low-income (25th percentile) families reached the 39th income percentile as adults; 3.7% incarcerated at the 2010 count (383 children in the sample); born 1978–83, measured 2014–15Opportunity Insights
Food access (USDA FARA 2019, 2010 tract)not a low-access tract at 1 mile; poverty rate 16.9%; median family income $157,750; 68 SNAP householdsUSDA ERS
SchoolsHouston Independent School District (PK-12); 5 public schools within 1 mile: MACGREGOR EL; HOUSTON ACADEMY FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDIES; YOUNG WOMEN'S COLLEGE PREP ACADEMY; ARABIC IMMERSION MAGNET SCHOOLNCES EDGE
Elevation47 ft above sea level at the site pointUSGS 3DEP
Storm events in the county, 2016-2025489 county-logged events: 176 thunderstorm wind, 143 hail, 92 flash flood, 33 tornado; $10,324,991,000 property damage reported; 54 direct deaths; forecast-zone events (most flood, winter and heat) not countedNOAA Storm Events
Homes for sale in ZIP 77004, 2026-09median list price $389,850 (-8.0% on the year); 287 active listings; median 62 days on market; 18% with a price cutRealtor.com Research
Retail trade in the county, 2012 to 202313,613 establishments (+8%); 213,745 jobs (+11%)Census CBP
Housing market in the countytypical home value $276,524 (-2% 1 yr, +11% 5 yr); typical rent $1,583/mo (-0% 1 yr), 2026-09Zillow Research

Summary, model-written

Former Sears department store (opened 1939, closed 2018) was converted to a tech/innovation hub called The Ion. Developer Rice Management Company (RMC) acquired the site from Sears in 2017. The retrofit was completed in 2021, opening as a mixed-use space with coworking, offices, incubators, classrooms, and restaurants. The new use aligns with 'redevelop' and 'reinhabit' strategies.

Why. The site is part of a cluster of innovation-focused projects within 10km, including the built Greentown Labs Houston (3.1km) and proposed Park Eight Master Plan (3.1km). It has peer comparisons with similar TX projects like Greentown Labs (score 8.0) and former JCPenney (score 7.0).

Where it stands. Status: Built (2021). Housing market shows a 2% annual ZHVI decline but 11.3% 5-year growth. Harris County permits show $7.3B in construction value (2023).

For a planner

  • Located in Midtown Houston, adjacent to established innovation clusters.
  • No current occupancy or tenant data provided.
  • County population growth (3.4% 2018-23) cited but not verified in record.

For a developer

  • Retrofit already completed (2021).
  • Peer projects in same state with similar strategies exist.
  • No data on current tenant mix or financial performance.

What we do not know yet

  • No tenant occupancy rates or revenue metrics.
  • Housing market shows recent decline (-2% YoY) despite 5-year growth.
  • County growth metric (3.4%) not cross-checked with housing data.

Generated by qwen3-30b-a3b-64k:latest on Dell 5820 RTX 3090 (Ollama, qwen3-30b-a3b) from the fields, parcels, deals and context layers on this page, with no outside knowledge. It is regenerated when the record changes and has not been checked by a person. How it is made.

Similar sites

  • Greentown Labs Houston, Houston, TX · Big boxes · closed 2020; same strategy: reinhabit; also in TX
  • Former JCPenney building, Edina, MN · Malls · similar GLA (247,902 sq ft); closed 2017; same strategy: redevelop
  • Town & Country Mall, Houston, TX · Malls · same strategy: redevelop; also in TX; 18 km away
  • Deauville Mall, Kingwood, TX · Malls · same strategy: reinhabit; also in TX; 37 km away

Elsewhere on the web

Search images: Google · Bing · Commons · references: ULI case studies · Google Scholar

Multifamily screen

  • retrofit already built
  • county grew 3.4% 2018–23

Inputs: record fields (size, status) and county Census ACS 2018–2023 figures (growth, rent). How the points work. Not a recommendation.

History and original facts

Opened1939newtypes-extraction
Closed2018newtypes-extraction reported
Gross leasable area266,000 sq ftnewtypes-extraction reported
AnchorsSears
CountyHarris County
Census division7 · West South Central
NotesDraft from Wikipedia, model-extracted, unreviewed: A former Sears department store in Houston was converted and expanded into The Ion, a 266,000 sqft innovation hub with offices, classrooms, and restaurants, opening in 2021 after a $100 million renovation by Rice Management Company.

Not yet recorded: acres, original developer. Know it? Tell us.

Background

The Ion District, Ion Innovation District, or Rice Innovation District, is a technology park and innovation district in Midtown Houston which was established as a joint initiative between Rice University and the City of Houston. It has also been called the South Main Innovation District. The district's central hub and first building is the Ion, which opened in 2021 after owner Rice Management Company (RMC) converted it from a former Sears store. The building houses coworking and office spaces, business incubators and accelerators, classrooms, a prototyping lab, investor studio, and restaurants. Current tenants include Chevron Technology Ventures, Microsoft, and Liongard.

Excerpt from Wikipedia (authors and history), CC BY-SA 4.0. May be older than the record above.

Timeline

  1. 1939 Opened
  2. 2018 Closed
  3. 2019 Renovation project began
  4. 2021 Building opened
  5. 2021 Retrofit: redevelop, reinhabit

Sources

  • Ion District · CC BY-SA 4.0
    2 quoted sentences
    The $100 million renovation project, which began in 2019
    opened in 2021

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