La Colombe d'Or
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a9/La_Colombe_d%27Or_Tower_B.jpg/220px-La_Colombe_d%27Or_Tower_B.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/61/La_Colombe_d%27Or.jpg/220px-La_Colombe_d%27Or.jpg)
La Colombe d'Or is a hotel and residential complex in Neartown, Houston. It includes an original building in a Beaux-Arts style, a skyscraper with 34 stories, and a bungalow property.[1]
Its original building is a Texas Historic Landmark as of 1989.[2]
History
Its original building opened in 1923 as the residence of the Fondren family, named Fondren Mansion. Steve Zimmerman purchased the residence and in 1980 he opened the facility as a boutique hotel.[3] Zimmerman wanted a small hotel to match the then down-to-earth character of Montrose, in contrast to larger, more new money designs popular at the time. When the 1980s oil bust happened, Zimmerman ran a discount system called "Oil Barrel Special", getting publicity in the media for that.[4]
Zimmerman also acquired the ballroom of Comtesse Elisabeth Greffulhe, shipped it from France to Texas, and reconstructed it on the property of Colombe d'Or. However, by 2018 he had plans to disassemble it so a skyscraper could be built on the same property.[5]
By March 2021 the original building had been renovated by Rottet Studios.[6] The original building now had a total of 32 hotel rooms available. Zimmerman also added a property so he could have bungalows.[3]
In 2021 Tony Perrottet of Smithsonian Magazine labeled the La Colombe d'Or one of five "invincible hotels" in the United States.[4]
Composition
The tower has mostly apartment buildings, but 18 of the rooms are hotel rooms.[7]
Residents of the apartments are zoned to schools in the Houston Independent School District: Ella J. Baker Montessori School (formerly Woodrow Wilson School) for elementary school,[8] Lanier Middle School,[9] and Lamar High School.[10]
References
- ^ "Montrose's La Colombe d'Or reopens with new bar and 350-piece original art gallery". Houston Chronicle. 2021-03-29. Retrieved 2022-10-01.
- ^ "Historic Marker Application: Fondren Mansion". University of North Texas. Retrieved 2022-10-01.
- ^ a b Wurfel, Alainna (2021-03-26). "First Look: Houston's Charming Little Art Hotel Harks Back to Bohemian France". Texas Monthly. Retrieved 2022-10-01.
- ^ a b Perrottet, Tony (2021-06-11). "Five of America's Most Invincible Hotels". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 2022-10-02.
- ^ Glentzer, Molly (2018-01-26). "Historic La Colombe d'Or ballroom will make way for Hines' next Montrose high-rise". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 2022-10-01.
- ^ Mericas, Laura Furr (2021-03-12). "Look Inside the Stunning New La Colombe D'or Mansion Hotel". Houstonia. Retrieved 2022-10-01.
- ^ "The Tower". La Colombe d'Or. Retrieved 2022-10-01.
- ^ "Baker K-8 School Attendance Zone." Houston Independent School District. Retrieved on October 1, 2022.
- ^ "Lanier Middle School Attendance Zone" (PDF). Houston Independent School District. Retrieved 2022-10-01.
- ^ "Lamar High School Attendance Zone" (PDF). Houston Independent School District. Retrieved 2022-10-01.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- La Colombe d'Or
- Residences at La Colombe d'Or
- "Fondren Mansion Photograph #1". University of North Texas.
- v
- t
- e
- Annunciation Orthodox School
- Houston ISD
- Bob Lanier MS
- Baker Montessori K-8 (formerly Woodrow Wilson)
- Wharton Dual Language K-8
- Arabic Immersion Magnet
- St. Stephen's Episcopal
- University of St. Thomas
- American General Center
- Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral
- Bambolino's
- Brasil
- Broken Obelisk
- Bygones
- Byzantine Fresco Chapel
- Charmstone
- Chapultepec Lupita
- Eagle Houston
- Empire Cafe
- Isolated Mass/Circumflex (Number 2)
- JR's Bar and Grill
- Katz's Deli
- La Colombe d'Or (Fondren Mansion)
- Menil Collection
- Montrose Center
- Niko Niko's
- ReBar Houston
- River Oaks Shopping Center
- Rothko Chapel
- South Beach
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High School for the Performing and Visual Arts (HSPVA) was in the Neartown area from 1982 to 2019.
Neartown is within the Houston Community College (HCC) service area, though no campuses are operated there.
Within a section of the Neartown Association boundaries previously shown on its website are: the Houston Contemporary Arts Museum, the Administration/Glassel School buildings of the Museum of Fine Arts Houston (MFAH), First Presbyterian Church, and Presbyterian School. The current (as of 2019) map does not indicate any territory south of I-69/US-59 as being in Neartown.
Gulf Coast Archive and Museum was previously in Neartown.