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Originally constructed as the World Trade Center office building in the early 1960s, Inn at the Ballpark was redeveloped as a four-star, full-service boutique hotel adjacent to Minute Maid Park. In the last decade, downtown Houston has made great strides in revitalization. Minute Maid Park was instrumental in this revitalization, beginning with the adjacent historic Union Station, which served as the starting point for the ballpark — blending the old with the new. In keeping with this trend, the owner wished for the hotel to architecturally relate to the ballpark and the “turn of the century Main Street America,” to which Union Station harkens.
The focal point of this 201-key hotel is the 4-story atrium containing a large lobby bar and lounge seating with ample natural light. A ground-level restaurant, meeting spaces, and conference areas border the well-lit lobby, which provides pre-function and reception space for the surrounding functions.
Painted steel trusses that mimic the ballpark (both in color and in shape) carry from the exterior to the interior atrium lobby. The exterior facade, initially a "glass box," now features brick masonry and arches that blend with the architecture of the neighboring ballpark. Additionally, these arches have been incorporated into the newly added cornice above the hotel. A baseball theme carries throughout the interior of the hotel.