Menil Collection Neighborhood Preservation and Development
The Menil Collection
HR&A helped the Menil Foundation realize its vision for Houston’s “neighborhood of art,” guiding campus expansion that added the Drawing Institute and new development across 30 acres in Montrose. Since 2012, our strategic advisory work has balanced institutional growth with preservation of the neighborhood’s historic Arts-and-Crafts bungalows and open spaces.
The Menil Collection houses over 17,000 works across four museum buildings and two parks in Montrose. As the Foundation planned its fifth museum building and campus expansion, it needed strategic guidance on mission, financial, and managerial implications of growth. HR&A advised critical decisions regarding density, program, and phasing of new development, supporting solicitation for the first phases. We helped the Foundation balance institutional expansion with preservation of the neighborhood’s distinctive Arts-and-Crafts bungalows and open spaces.
HR&A crafted a neighborhood property business plan ensuring restoration of Montrose’s distinctive character while enabling strategic campus growth. We provided transaction support and helped secure economic development incentives from the City of Houston that made expansion financially viable. This work positioned the Menil to realize its vision for a neighborhood of art serving as both a world-class cultural destination and preserved historic district.
