LOCAL Houston | The City Guide FEBRUARY 2015 | Page 53

Local February 2015 final.qxp_002houston 1/26/15 1:58 PM Page 53

RANDALL &
NATALIE DAVIS
Randall Davis Company

Randall Davis is a happy guy. And why shouldn’t he be? As one of Houston’s most
prominent real estate developers, he is largely responsible for spearheading and nurturing the city’s ever-growing enthusiasm for urban living. What began with the renovation and transformation of a historic 1911 building – now known as Dakota Lofts
– in the city’s Warehouse District back in the early 1990s has become a real-estate
empire with a booming stable of high-rise and mid-rise buildings. Currently, the
Randall Davis Company has a number of projects in various stages of development
spread across the city. Under construction are the 29-story Astoria, featuring 75
residences of which only two are still for sale, and the Chateau Ten Sunset, a sixstory mid-rise near Rice University with 10 residences. Another building – the
Chateau Ten River Oaks – is finished and sold out.
“Houstonians are clamoring for high-rise living,” says Natalie Davis, who happens to
be the company’s director of marketing and director of operations as well as the
founder’s daughter. “We see a variety of people who love transitioning from home
to high-rise.” Given the proliferation – and success – of Davis’ projects, it’s pretty
clear that high-rise living is hot. Inventory is scarce, and developers can’t work fast
enough to add more. In fact, Davis has two more structures already in the planning
stages. Located in downtown Houston, the 20-story Marlowe will feature 100 residences, with prices starting at $500,000 per unit. The second, yet-to-be-named 30story high-rise is near The Galleria, boasting 100 to 115 pricey units that will cost
anywhere from $750,000 to $5 million. Sales centers for both the Marlowe and
the unnamed building will open in March. Not surprisingly, in the late 1990s, Davis
redeveloped – some say rescued – the fabled Rice Hotel, turning it into one- and
two-bedroom apartments, and also restored the building’s lobby and ballroom as
well as the basement swimming pool. The attention to detail and unique aesthetic
touches have become hallmarks of the company’s projects, which are overseen by
the father-daughter team. “We feed off one another, think alike in many ways and
also have very different opinions,” says Natalie Davis of her working relationship
with her father. “But that’s what makes us a great team. We push one another to think
differently and see things differently, and from there we create great work together.”
By Cristina Adams
Photography by Sofia van der Dys

february 15 | L O C A L 53