Shell to leave bulk of its downtown Houston offices



Keep clicking to see where Houston companies rank on the Fortune 500. Today, One Shell Plaza is the 10th-tallest building in downtown.

Keep clicking to see where Houston companies rank on the Fortune 500. Today, One Shell Plaza is the 10th-tallest building in downtown. Photo: Brett Coomer, Staff Photo: Brett Coomer, Staff Image 1 of / 38 Caption Close Shell to leave bulk of its downtown Houston offices 1 / 38 Back to Gallery

Forty-five years after establishing downtown Houston as a major base of its operations, Shell Oil Co. announced Tuesday that it will vacate the bulk of its downtown offices.

Shell employees will be relocated the company's Woodcreek complex and Shell Technology Center on the west side of Houston. Employees were notified of the change, which will take effect in the first quarter of 2017, on Tuesday morning.

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The company provided the following statement:

"In an effort to meet the ever changing market conditions and optimize resources for future opportunities, Shell will move all staff in the Houston Central Business District, with the exception of those in Trading, to Shell-owned facilities on the west side of the city, including both Woodcreek and the Shell Technology Center. The changes will be taken into effect the first quarter of 2017. "Shell values our position and presence in the Houston area – for our ongoing business, offshore and onshore training needs, and long-time relationships in the community. Houston also remains critical to our core business; it's where we have much of our expertise, including engineering and operations support, as well two technology/research centers."

READ MORE: Shell earnings plunge to 11-year low

Shell has 350,000 square feet of space at One Shell Plaza on the market for sublease and 299,257 square feet in BG Group Place, according to Transwestern.