Uptown Homes For Sale

Uptown is Houston’s second skyline, a business and residential district of roughly 1,000 acres centered on Post Oak Boulevard and Westheimer Road, about six miles west of Downtown. Often called the Galleria area, it stretches from around Woodway Drive on the north to the Richmond Avenue and US 59 area on the south, with the West Loop on the east. It holds about 23.6 million square feet of office space and is home to roughly 2,000 companies, which means many residents can live within a few minutes of work.

The district’s modern story began in the 1960s, when developers led in part by Gerald D. Hines started building here while the area was still outside the heart of the city. By 1987 Uptown had more hotel rooms and retail space than Downtown Houston. Its signature building, the 901 foot Williams Tower designed by Philip Johnson, was long considered the tallest skyscraper in the world outside a central business district. At its base, the 64 foot Williams Waterwall fountain, set among 118 live oaks, became a city owned public park after 2008 and remains one of Houston’s favorite photo spots.

Uptown’s rise was quick. In 1948 the area sat about three miles outside Houston’s city limits. Office building surged through the 1970s and early 1980s, then slowed when energy prices collapsed in the mid 1980s. Today major employers in the district include Aon, Dow Chemical, General Electric, Schlumberger and Williams Companies, and the Galleria, the largest mall in Texas, draws shoppers from across the region. The Uptown Management District uses its tax increment zone to fund landscaping, street lighting, signage and mobility projects that keep the district polished.

For residential buyers, Uptown is defined by high-rise living. The area has one of Houston’s largest concentrations of residential towers, from the twin 40 story Four Leaf Towers on San Felipe, designed by César Pelli and completed in 1982, to the wave of roughly 30 story buildings that rose in the late 1990s. The luxury market here is especially strong. Belfiore, a 26 story building near Post Oak Lane with large four bedroom residences and penthouses, was built for buyers who want the space of a house with the services of a tower. The Ritz-Carlton Residences, a 45 story hotel and condominium tower planned at 2120 Post Oak Boulevard with 112 branded residences, saw strong presales according to published reports, with most buyers coming from the Houston area.

Living in a tower comes with its own homework, and we help buyers with it. That means reading the condominium documents, understanding association dues and reserves, reviewing building rules on pets, leasing and renovations, and comparing amenities like concierge service, pools and fitness centers. We walk through those details with you so the building is as right for you as the unit itself.

Uptown also offers more than towers. Established single-family neighborhoods including Tanglewood, Briargrove, Westhaven Estates, Larchmont and Afton Oaks sit at the edges of the district. Hidalgo Park, just south of the Galleria, and the Waterwall park add green space, and Post Oak Boulevard, the district’s main corridor, was planned around a transit line running down its median. Public schools are in Houston ISD, and private options in the area include St. Michael Catholic School. We always confirm zoned schools by address.

Selling a high-rise residence takes a different approach than selling a house, because buyers compare floors, views, finishes and building amenities side by side. Stacy can help you understand what your Uptown condo or home is worth and how to position it within your building and against the newer towers coming to market. If you are trading a house for a tower, or a tower for a house, we can plan the sale and the purchase together so the timing works.