Memorial Examiner - News
Hornberger closing
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| A postcard view of the Shamrock from the 1950s, with what later became the Hornberger Center on the right. |
By CYNTHIA LESCALLEET
In a small closet off the lobby of the Hornberger Conference Center, workers recently removed a small strip of ornately patterned carpet. Its green and gold tones are a tipoff its from a bygone era.
The carpet remnant is all that’s left of the Shamrock Hilton, which formerly owned the ballroom facility that became the Hornberger in 1996. The venue, 2151 W. Holcombe Blvd., is a Texas Medical Center facility used by member institutions and nonprofit organizations for functions and fundraisers.
And now, the Hornberger is closing. Its last booked event is a school gala Nov. 10.
Hornberger clients had first heard of the venue’s closing about a year ago as they tried to book this year’s events.
TMC will build 250,000 square feet of office space in three floors to be added atop the Bell building, which also houses the existing parking garage, said TMC’s John Kajander. The added space is to support TMC institutions, he said.
The building housing the Hornberger’s foyer and ballroom “is nearing the end of its useful life,” he said, and will be taken down.
Built in 1965, it has been requiring more maintenance, and TMC member institutions have built a lot of their own conference and meeting space over the past 10-15 years, he said.
“We’re honored to have been able to serve the community as long as we have,” he said. It has been “a great facility for the community and our healthcare institutions.”
Unlike other conference facilities, the Hornberger was bound by TMC deed restrictions, meaning it was not available to for-profit functions.
For non-profit organizations and TMC institutions, the Hornberger has been “a decent space at a decent price,” said Nella Gambrell, the center’s director.
With a lobby of 4,000 square feet and a ballroom of 13,000 square feet, 1,000 guests could be seated for dinner, or 1,500 for a seated event.
Over the years, the ballroom has been the scene of fundraisers, graduations, fund-raising events, education and white coat ceremonies for TMC medical students.
Gambrell provided a brief history of the Hornberger. It was built on what had been a grassy area between Trader Vic’s, a tiki-tropical restaurant and club at the Shamrock, and the parking garage.
When TMC took over the space, it converted the first floor of the adjacent parking garage into exhibit hall space and retained the kitchen area of what had been Trader Vic’s, she said. (The Hornberger’s zig-zagged wall was also a vestige of that establishment.) Hidden behind the curtains at one end of the ballroom are oversized doors that enabled cattle from the Livestock Show and Rodeo to parade through for the auction.
Gambrell said she has enjoyed watching all the groups marking their occasions at the Hornberger over the years. She came for a gala in 1999 and ended up an employee.
On the nonprofit event circuit, the Hornberger was a popular venue.
“It was the best place we’ve ever been,” said Anne Burroughs, chairman of the Pink Elephant sale, held by the River Oaks Garden Club each fall. The parameters of the space itself, its location, its ample parking and its staff made it that way, she said.
“It gave nonprofits the option of doing an elegant event at an affordable price,” said Randy McKinney. He has served of the boards of several organizations that held fundraising events at the Hornberger.
Since it allowed clients to supply their own catering and linens, often donated, nonprofits could maximize the money they raised for their causes, McKinney said. And vendors from the community could participate in a cause, he said.
As a comparison, the Hornberger charged about $3,800 for the facility, including tables and staging, Gambrell said. There was no fee per head count, but parking was extra.
A comparable event would run about $10,000 at a hotel, McKinney estimated.
Gambrell said clients have been referred to the George R. Brown, Reliant Center and area hotels.
These facilities typically carry higher overhead and less flexibility, McKinney said. This may translate into higher ticket prices and different formats for events, meaning fewer galas and more luncheons, cocktails for a cause and tented events outside in Houston’s changeable weather.
Last year’s closing of the the Arabia Shrine Center, 2900 N. Braeswood Blvd., and the Hornberger’s closing this year, means there’s a void of comparable facilities for the nonprofit sector, he said.
He thinks it’s a pressing need since “Houston is known for its events. We’re a generous city.”
The carpet remnant is all that’s left of the Shamrock Hilton, which formerly owned the ballroom facility that became the Hornberger in 1996. The venue, 2151 W. Holcombe Blvd., is a Texas Medical Center facility used by member institutions and nonprofit organizations for functions and fundraisers.
And now, the Hornberger is closing. Its last booked event is a school gala Nov. 10.
Hornberger clients had first heard of the venue’s closing about a year ago as they tried to book this year’s events.
TMC will build 250,000 square feet of office space in three floors to be added atop the Bell building, which also houses the existing parking garage, said TMC’s John Kajander. The added space is to support TMC institutions, he said.
The building housing the Hornberger’s foyer and ballroom “is nearing the end of its useful life,” he said, and will be taken down.
Built in 1965, it has been requiring more maintenance, and TMC member institutions have built a lot of their own conference and meeting space over the past 10-15 years, he said.
“We’re honored to have been able to serve the community as long as we have,” he said. It has been “a great facility for the community and our healthcare institutions.”
Unlike other conference facilities, the Hornberger was bound by TMC deed restrictions, meaning it was not available to for-profit functions.
For non-profit organizations and TMC institutions, the Hornberger has been “a decent space at a decent price,” said Nella Gambrell, the center’s director.
With a lobby of 4,000 square feet and a ballroom of 13,000 square feet, 1,000 guests could be seated for dinner, or 1,500 for a seated event.
Over the years, the ballroom has been the scene of fundraisers, graduations, fund-raising events, education and white coat ceremonies for TMC medical students.
Gambrell provided a brief history of the Hornberger. It was built on what had been a grassy area between Trader Vic’s, a tiki-tropical restaurant and club at the Shamrock, and the parking garage.
When TMC took over the space, it converted the first floor of the adjacent parking garage into exhibit hall space and retained the kitchen area of what had been Trader Vic’s, she said. (The Hornberger’s zig-zagged wall was also a vestige of that establishment.) Hidden behind the curtains at one end of the ballroom are oversized doors that enabled cattle from the Livestock Show and Rodeo to parade through for the auction.
Gambrell said she has enjoyed watching all the groups marking their occasions at the Hornberger over the years. She came for a gala in 1999 and ended up an employee.
On the nonprofit event circuit, the Hornberger was a popular venue.
“It was the best place we’ve ever been,” said Anne Burroughs, chairman of the Pink Elephant sale, held by the River Oaks Garden Club each fall. The parameters of the space itself, its location, its ample parking and its staff made it that way, she said.
“It gave nonprofits the option of doing an elegant event at an affordable price,” said Randy McKinney. He has served of the boards of several organizations that held fundraising events at the Hornberger.
Since it allowed clients to supply their own catering and linens, often donated, nonprofits could maximize the money they raised for their causes, McKinney said. And vendors from the community could participate in a cause, he said.
As a comparison, the Hornberger charged about $3,800 for the facility, including tables and staging, Gambrell said. There was no fee per head count, but parking was extra.
A comparable event would run about $10,000 at a hotel, McKinney estimated.
Gambrell said clients have been referred to the George R. Brown, Reliant Center and area hotels.
These facilities typically carry higher overhead and less flexibility, McKinney said. This may translate into higher ticket prices and different formats for events, meaning fewer galas and more luncheons, cocktails for a cause and tented events outside in Houston’s changeable weather.
Last year’s closing of the the Arabia Shrine Center, 2900 N. Braeswood Blvd., and the Hornberger’s closing this year, means there’s a void of comparable facilities for the nonprofit sector, he said.
He thinks it’s a pressing need since “Houston is known for its events. We’re a generous city.”
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