# Palm Center

Houston, TX · mall · tier: draft · Retrofit Atlas record `m-e9252ce63f` · release 2026-10-20

Canonical: https://retrofitatlas.org/malls/tx/houston-palm-center/  
JSON: https://retrofitatlas.org/data/records/m-e9252ce63f.json · Provenance: https://retrofitatlas.org/data/records/m-e9252ce63f.provenance.json · API: https://retrofitatlas.org/api/v1/sites/m-e9252ce63f

## Facts

| Field | Value | Provenance |
|---|---|---|
| Status | operating | documented · model extraction, unreviewed |
| Strategy | reinhabit, regreen | documented · model extraction, unreviewed |
| New use | healthcare, education, civic, park, retail, office | reported · model extraction, unreviewed |
| What is there now | The Palm Center Business and Technology Center, commonly known as Palm Center, is a municipally owned services complex in southeast Houston, Texas. | documented · model extraction, unreviewed |
| Opened | 1955 | documented · model extraction, unreviewed |
| Closed | 1984 | documented · model extraction, unreviewed |
| Retrofit year | 1987 | reported · model extraction, unreviewed |
| Acres | 26.0 | documented · model extraction, unreviewed |
| Stores at peak | 41 | reported · model extraction, unreviewed |
| Original developer | Oscar Holcombe and Sterling T. Hogan Sr. | documented · model extraction, unreviewed |
| Redeveloper | City of Houston | reported · model extraction, unreviewed |
| Public subsidy | loans made by the federal government | documented · model extraction, unreviewed |
| Entitlement year | 1987 | reported · model extraction, unreviewed |

## Quoted support

- **year_opened**: “It opened as the Palms Center in September 1955.” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palm_Center_(Houston)
- **year_closed**: “The J.C. Penney, the final tenant, closed in 1984.” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palm_Center_(Houston)
- **acres**: “the 26-acre (11 ha) complex” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palm_Center_(Houston)
- **original_developer**: “Oscar Holcombe and Sterling T. Hogan Sr. had the shopping center built” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palm_Center_(Houston)
- **after_notes**: “The Palm Center Business and Technology Center, commonly known as Palm Center, is a municipally owned services complex in southeast Houston, Texas.” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palm_Center_(Houston)
- **status**: “The Palm Center Business and Technology Center, commonly known as Palm Center, is a municipally owned services complex in southeast Houston, Texas.” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palm_Center_(Houston)
- **strategy**: “includes a 268,000 square feet former shopping center, which is one story tall, and the Park at Palm Center (PAPC). Tenants include small businesses, government agencies, and nonprofits.” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palm_Center_(Houston)
- **public_subsidy**: “In 1987 the city began to redevelop Palm Center to attract small businesses as part of the Target of Opportunity program, funded by loans made by the federal government.” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palm_Center_(Houston)

## Anchors

Walgreens, Woolworth, J.C. Penney, Oshman's

## Parties

- Holcombe and Hogan — owner (from text) (1955–)
- Collins Tuttle & Co. — owner (from text)
- Helmsley-Spear — owner (from text) (1969–)
- City of Houston — owner (from text)

## Timeline

- 1955: Opened as Palms Center
- 1969: Helmsley-Spear acquired Palm Center
- 1987: City began redevelopment of Palm Center
- 1989: Small business center opened
- 1992: City entered MOU with HBDi for redevelopment management
- 1993: Center received current name; HBDi began management
- 1994: 10 start-up offices and 25 other offices available
- 1996: HSBDC became nonprofit management organization
- 2008: Groundbreaking for Houston Texans YMCA
- 2011: Opening of Houston Texans YMCA scheduled

## Background (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0, shortened)

The Palm Center Business and Technology Center, commonly known as Palm Center, is a municipally owned services complex in southeast Houston, Texas. It is 6 miles (9.7 km) from NRG Stadium and is in proximity to the Third Ward area.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palm_Center_(Houston)

## Sources

- Quoted support for year_opened — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palm_Center_(Houston)

## Cite

Retrofit Atlas (2026). "Palm Center, Houston, TX." Record m-e9252ce63f, release 2026-10-20, tier draft. https://retrofitatlas.org/malls/tx/houston-palm-center/ (accessed 2026-10-20).

```bibtex
@misc{retrofitatlas_houstonpalmcenter,
  title = {Palm Center, Houston, TX},
  author = {{Retrofit Atlas}},
  howpublished = {\url{https://retrofitatlas.org/malls/tx/houston-palm-center/}},
  year = {2026},
  note = {Record m-e9252ce63f, release 2026-10-20, tier: draft. Built on the Retrofitting Suburbia map (Dunham-Jones and Williamson) and the sources listed on the record. Accessed 2026-10-20}
}
```

Licence: research use only; terms undecided with the authors (https://retrofitatlas.org/licence/). Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0. Tiers: curated = from the authors' public map, not reviewed by them; draft = imported or model-extracted, unreviewed.