As foodies in Houston anticipate the autumnal opening of the wildly popular food hall Politan Row, Jackson Walker congratulates real estate partner Michael Kuhn on his role as landlord counsel in negotiating the lease at Rice Village.

Launched in 2015, Politan Row is the brainchild of New Orleans food hall guru Will Donaldson, who rose to fame with his St. Roch Market in the Crescent City. Managed by Politan Group—which runs four properties in Chicago, Miami, and New Orleans—Politan Row is a chef-driven food hall platform where the culinarily curious can explore new cuisines in communal spaces. Each restaurant varies from city to city and reflects the unique culinary landscape of each location.

Situated in the heart of the West University neighborhood at 2445 Times Boulevard, Politan Row Houston will feature 12 vendors, including 10 chef-driven concepts, a coffee shop, and a craft cocktail bar.

Politan Row Houston

The lease for Politan Row Houston presented a number of challenges, including a special rent structure marrying the landlord’s and tenant’s respective economic expectations. In addition, the building, constructed in the 1960s, required substantial work to bring it up to standard. With almost 40 years of experience in commercial leasing in Houston, Michael Kuhn assisted the landlord in working through the various issues and drafting the lease document to fit the parties’ expectations.

Politan Row promises to be a valued addition to the Rice Village shopping center, and Jackson Walker is proud to have played a role in the revitalization of this Houston landmark retail development.

For more information about Politan Row Houston, view Eater Houston’s “Rice Village’s Insanely Buzzy Food Hall Debuts This October” and Houstonia Magazine’s “See Who Will Be Coming to Houston’s Newest Food Hall, Politan Row.”

Meet Michael

Michael K. Kuhn is a board-certified commercial real estate attorney with a particular emphasis on office and retail leasing. For nearly 20 years, Michael has handled office leasing for landlords in downtown office buildings containing nearly 5 million square feet of office space. Currently, Michael is responsible for the leasing at six Class “A” high-rise office buildings in Houston’s central business district and the city’s only downtown enclosed shopping mall. Since 2008, he has been named among The Best Lawyers in America in the area of Real Estate Law.

Meet JW

Since Jackson Walker’s founding in 1887, our attorneys have represented some of the most influential companies and business leaders in the world. Today, we remain firmly rooted in Texas while serving clients around the globe. With more than 400 attorneys across seven offices, we are the fourth-largest law firm in the state and have been recognized by Law360 as a “Texas Powerhouse” and an “elite law firm” that regularly provides counsel to industry-leading clients on highly complex transactions ranging from millions to billions. To explore the Firm’s experience assisting clients with buying, selling, developing, and operating properties, visit the Real Estate practice page.