Sawyer Yards is a creative campus in Houston’s historic First Ward. Photo courtesy of Sawyer Yards Facebook page

Sawyer Yards, a creative campus in Houston’s historic First Ward neighborhood spanning over 55 acres, is the recipient of a national award. It’s one of just a dozen developments in the country to win the Urban Land Institute’s 2021 ULI Americas Awards for Excellence. 

ULI’s award program, dating back to 1979, recognizes “truly superior development efforts in the private, public, and nonprofit sectors,” according to their press release. Sawyer Yards and the other award recipients are now finalists for the ULI Global Awards for Excellence, where they'll compete against projects from Europe and Asia. Winners of the global awards will be announced in October. 

Sawyer Yards officially launched in 2005 with the conversion of a 75,000 square foot warehouse, Winter Street Studios. Today, the campus is made up of multiple, repurposed industrial buildings with over 400 creative workspaces and galleries, as well as unique dining and entertainment venues. Sawyer Yards’ developers are The Deal Company, Western General and Lovett Commercial. These companies are also owners of the campus, in addition to J5 Equities. 

In their submission for the award, Sawyer Yards noted the historical significance of their physical location in Houston’s First Ward. Founded in the 1800s, the First Ward refers to an area bounded by Washington Avenue to the south, I-10 to the north, I-45 to the east and Sawyer Street to the west. The neighborhood was historically home to many of Houstonians who worked for the railroads or in the shops that served that industry. Sawyer Yards wrote the two train lines nearby are a reminder about that aspect of the neighborhood's history. They also added in their submission to ULI that the structures of the creative campus have been reclaimed rather than rebuilt to respect the buildings’ original character. 

It's not the first time the international nonprofit has recognized Houston. Levy Park, a six-acre park in the Upper Kirby neighborhood, won the organization's global Urban Open Space and the People's Choice awards in 2018. 

Learn more about Houston's neighborhoods and communities.