Renowned architect Robert A.M. Sterns, who died last week at the age of 86, will be primarily remembered for the condos he designed in New York City and South Florida.
The founder of Robert A.M. Sterns Architects (RAMSA) also garnered recognition for what’s shaping up to be a genre-defining project in Texas. In addition to New York entries such as the Naftali Group’s Bellemont and 15 Central Park West for Arthur and William Lie Zeckendorf, the list of notable Stern-designed projects will soon include Howard Hughes Holdings’ Ritz-Carlton Residences in The Woodlands.
The Real Deal tapped the project as an “it building” earlier this year. As Ritz-Carlton’s first stand-alone condo project in Texas, it adds a new level of luxury to the state’s burgeoning condo market.
It’s also a project of which Stern was very proud, said Johnny Cruz, a RAMSA partner working on the Ritz. Cruz, who’s been at the firm for 26 years and said Stern was “like family,” called the project “one of his favorites.”
“He was very much involved from day one,” he said.
Cities like New York and Miami are swimming in high-end condo projects, but in Texas, luxury residential real estate has long revolved around the ranch. The Ritz-Carlton Residences is a big swing that will test demand for high-end vertical living.
So far, it’s looking like a big swing worth taking. Before the foundation was laid, 69 percent of the 111 units were pre-sold, prompting Howard Hughes to pause presales and open up a waitlist.
Cruz contends that the project has opened the floodgates of branded condos in Houston by giving others “the courage to follow suit.” Since the Ritz started taking shape, Sunny Bathija’s Satya unveiled plans for a standalone St. Regis condo tower in Houston’s Rice/Military. Deiso Moss announced it’s building a Ritz-Carlton condo tower and hotel in Houston’s Uptown/Galleria neighborhood.
The project sits on 8 acres on Lake Woodlands and includes a 15-story building and an 11-story. The design highlights the scenic lakefront with views across the lake.
Stern was inspired by Houston’s River Oaks neighborhood, Cruz said, so the project was designed to incorporate the tradition of John Staub, the early-20th century residential architect who designed single-family homes throughout the prestigious enclave.
Cruz describes Staub’s style as having “a restrained sense of detail” and “timeless design”
Cruz touched on what makes the project unique at an October event that was part of BSH and The Real Deal’s Building Luxury series.
The Ritz-Carlton Residences was also designed with the end-user in mind. Many Houston condo buyers are empty-nesters who are downsizing from single-family homes. To ease the transition to vertical living, the design offers a uniquely wide variety of apartment layouts to provide buyers with the sense of individuality baked into the single-family home. Of the 111 units, 55 are unique.
“All beautiful American neighborhoods have variety in terms of the houses,” Cruz said. “So that same attitude, but combined in a condominium.”
The Ritz project will be RAMSA’s ninth in Texas.
The firm designed the Residences at the Ritz-Carlton Dallas, a 70-unit condo tower that includes hotel amenities. The brick and limestone building is designed in a simplified Regency style.
The firm’s other Texas projects are mostly public landmarks. RAMSA designed the upgrade for the Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist University in Dallas as well as the George W. Bush Presidential Center, also at Southern Methodist University.
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