Sears on Main Street, 1940s

At the time of its opening in 1939, the Downtown Sears location was the largest department store in Houston. The store closed in 2018 and the property, owned by Rice University, began undergoing renovations with the goal of transforming the building into a tech incubation and startup center.

In 2021, The Ion opened for use as a tech innovation hub. https://www.ionhouston.com/