The Galleria
The Galleria Shopping Center
The Galleria in Houston is a mixed-use retail and entertainment complex located in the center of the Uptown district of Houston, Texas. The Galleria was originally designed the Galleria Mall, a retail/entertainment center developed by the Dallas-based Conseco Group, Inc. The Galleria has been remodeled several times over the past twenty years with a focus on the design of its retail space and its focus on shopping, dining, and nightlife.
The shopping and dining areas of the Galleria are designed around a central atrium that includes a collection of shops and restaurants, creating a pedestrian-friendly environment that attracts shoppers from all walks of life. The shopping at the Galleria is designed to encourage people to spend their time in one of its many stores rather than simply wandering through the mall. The retail space of the Galleria includes a mixture of independent businesses, chain stores, and high-end department stores that cater to a diverse customer base. The central atrium also provides a place for visitors to dine and enjoy food and beverage selections from local restaurants, nationally known chefs, and internationally acclaimed restaurants.
Although the design of the Galleria is intended to draw customers into its retail spaces, some of the spaces are designed as entertainment venues. The Venetian-style building has multiple covered entrances and covered second-story balconies with views of the downtown skyline, the downtown streets, and the bay. The Venetian is also designed to allow for live entertainment, including music concerts and special events.
The main retail space of the Galleria is situated on the first floor, offering shoppers the largest number of options when shopping for apparel, electronics, and clothing. The second floor includes a wide assortment of restaurants, cafes, and bars. Both of the floors contain separate entry and exit walkways so shoppers can easily move between the different sections. The main entrance and exit walkways offer direct access to the retail stores while allowing shoppers to leave the building without having to cross the parking lot and enter the mall through a separate entrance.
The Uptown district of Houston is a thriving business center, home to a number of high-tech industries including the Dallas headquarters of the Texas Instruments Corporation, Johnson Controls, and Texas Instruments. Texas Instruments employs thousands of people in the Uptown area, and the surrounding Uptown district, and has numerous employees in several other large Dallas-area companies, including Dillard’s, OfficeMax, and Hertz Corporation. A popular nightspot, the Uptown district is also home to an array of restaurants and bars, including restaurants like The Garage, Cafe Centrale, and The Blue Moon, as well as popular nightclubs like the Whiskey Jacks.
The mixed-use retail and entertainment complex of the Galleria is a testament to the vision of developer Howard Schultz and his associates to provide an ideal mix of retail and entertainment for the Uptown community and the residents who live and work there. The Galleria was designed to be a pedestrian-friendly environment that encourages shoppers to spend their time in one of the retail spaces while enjoying the restaurant and nightlife at the other. The mixed-use structure also features a public park that includes a playground, a covered outdoor bar, and a covered outdoor deck.