Houston City Council passed an ordinance on October 7 allowing the city to work with the commercial real estate firm Cushman and Wakefield to sell the headquarters buildings of the Houston Police Department and Houston Public Works. No sale has been agreed and no price has been set. Council will have final approval of any sale agreement.
The two buildings are 611 Walker Street, which houses Houston Public Works, and 1200 Travis Street, which houses the police department. Both were built in 1966, and both have weak generators and outdated electrical systems. No vote count was reported for the October 7 ordinance.
Why the City Says It Wants Out
Randy Macchi, the Houston Public Works director, said in July 2025 that 611 Walker had 18 percent of its remaining service life left and 1200 Travis had 15 percent, absent improvements. Repairs were put at nearly $500 million for each building, close to $1 billion for the pair.
Mayor John Whitmire backs the sale, saying the city does not have the money to repair the facilities. “We’re actually going to save millions with this decision,” he said.
Council member Edward Pollard asked for a comparison between selling the properties outright and granting a long term ground lease, raising 75 year and 99 year terms as options that would let the city keep ownership of the land. “As some of the most valuable pieces of property in the city, I do think that those discussions should be had,” he said.
Where the Departments Go
The city bought 1600 Smith Street for $55 million. That building will house Houston Public Works and possibly the police department as well, with about 4,400 employees moving there eventually. Build out was estimated at about $5 million a floor across 53 floors, roughly a $300 million project.
No buyer has been named for either downtown building. Macchi said developers have already expressed interest in 611 Walker because of its location, freeway access and skyline views. No appraised value or asking price has been made public, and no timeline for the sale process was given beyond the October 7 vote.
Why This Is Local News
Kingwood sits inside Houston city limits, so residents here are City of Houston taxpayers and the capital costs behind these buildings are theirs too. A near $1 billion repair bill avoided, a $55 million purchase and a $300 million build out are all city budget items that reach every Houston council district, including this one.
