A STRATEGIC BLUEPRINT

OUR HISTORY

A CITY-DEFINING LEGACY
SEVEN DECADES IN THE MAKING

It started with 200 acres more than 10 miles from downtown Houston, and one man with a vision and perseverance to see it through. In 1959, Joseph Johnson founded MetroNational and changed the landscape of the nation’s fourth-largest city for decades to come.

The main way he achieved this was a then-radical concept of a “city within a city,” spearheaded by Memorial City Shopping Center’s opening in 1966. From there, we turned our attention to the rest of the community: In 1971, Memorial City General Hospital was born, and the vision was realized.

Today, MetroNational boasts 11 million square feet of development. We own and operate LEED-certified, Class AA and A office buildings; a wide range of retail and mixed-use centers; luxury multifamily; and upscale hotels. Wherever you see our blue lights, you’ll know you are the blueprint — and, in true Space City fashion, all of us have nowhere to go from here but up.

Timeline

1954
Joseph J. Johnson Enterprises is founded by Joseph J. Johnson
1959
Purchased 200 acres of land in West Houston to become the home of Memorial City Shopping Center
1966
Grand Opening of Memorial City Shopping Center anchored by Sears, Weingarten's and Montgomery Ward
1971
Opened 481 garden-style apartments known as Memorial City Apartments
1983
The 71,205 square foot Memorial City Hospital North Tower and the 369,923 square foot Two Memorial City Plaza offices opened
1994
Master lease signed with Memorial Hospital System
1999
Third office tower adding 329,203 square feet opened at the Plazas
2003
Memorial City Mall renovation including a competition ice skating rink, expanded food court and 13-screen theater
2009
Landmark Memorial Hermann Tower completed, adding 900,000 square feet of office and medical space
2010
The Fountains, luxury multifamily completed adding 114 units
2011
The Westin is completed with 262 rooms
2014
The Treehouse is completed housing MetroNational's development team
2017
Hotel ZaZa, a luxury boutique hotel, opens 159 rooms, ZaSpa and 11,250 square feet of meeting space
2018
The McCarthy opens 133 luxury high-rise apartments
2019
The McAdams opens 333 luxury mid-rise apartments
2021
The McKinley opens 278 luxury high-rise apartments
2025
Greenside breaks ground; 990 Town & Country office and a significant portion of CITYCENTRE retail are acquired
2026
M-K-T Heights and The Moran Hotel are acquired