Google to complete build-out of first Houston office this spring

Mountain View, California-based technology and internet search giant Google Inc. is nearing completion on the build-out of its first office in the Houston metro region.

Google expects to complete construction on its first local office in May, the company announced March 18. Once completed, the office will house a sales team for the firm’s cloud computing arm, Google Cloud.

As previously announced in June 2020, Google’s Houston office is at 3663 Washington Ave. in the mixed-use Buffalo Heights development. The tech giant will occupy one floor totaling 11,000 square feet in One Buffalo Heights, an office building that opened in October 2019.

Google plans to invest $50 million in data center and office locations in the Lone Star State in 2021. The company has about 1,700 employees in Texas. Across the nation, Google plans to deploy over $7 billion and create more than 10,000 new full-time jobs this year.

“Google’s plans to invest in Houston for the long-term is recognition of the city’s potential and a testament to the talent that already exists,” said Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner. “The completion of Google’s new office in the nation’s fourth-largest city is a huge milestone in laying the groundwork to make Houston home for the digital universe. The tech leader will be an economic boon to the city and bring us closer to becoming Silicon Bayou.”

Google, a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc. (Nasdaq: GOOGL), already has a large presence in Austin. The firm maintains more than 550,000 square feet of office space in three buildings in downtown Austin. Google also plans to open a new Austin office in the Block 185 development currently under construction at 601 W. 2nd St. The 35-story tower with a sail-like design is 100% leased by Google and will add another approximately 750,000 square feet to the tech giant’s Austin footprint.

In 2019, Google broke ground on a new data center in Midlothian, Texas, southwest of Dallas. The first phase of the Midlothian data center is now operational. The data center “has created hundreds of construction jobs and will support a range of full-time Google and external supplier careers, with potential for future follow-on expansions,” Google said March 18.

“We are excited to see Google expand its presence in Texas and here in Houston,” said Bob Harvey, president and CEO of the Greater Houston Partnership. “Google is working closely with Houston companies in energy and health care to ensure successful digital transformation in these core industries. At the same time, the company is collaborating with emerging energy 2.0 companies to help usher in the energy transition to a low-carbon future. We believe the future holds more partnership opportunities for Google and the Houston region.”