A Legacy of First-Class Developments

Born and reared in Philadelphia, David Wolff started his real estate career at Brook Hollow Corporation in Dallas. After managing projects in Dallas, New Orleans and Houston – including Brookhollow at the corner of U.S. 290 and 610 – he recognized the unique opportunity offered by the Houston real estate market and community. In 1970, he moved to Houston to found what became Wolff Companies.

An early-advantage mover, Wolff Companies’ first development was a 400-acre property named Beltway, after the major freeway that wouldn’t come to fruition until two decades later. Several major corporations purchased land in Beltway, including Gulf Oil, Coors Distributing, Gulf States Toyota, Hewlett Packard, and Westinghouse. Due to an early commitment to high-quality development standards, Beltway remains a thriving business park today.

The company’s next major development, Park 10, broke ground in the 1970s. Park 10 remains one of Wolff Companies’ largest projects to date and enjoys strong brand recognition to this day. At the time of the project start, most of Houston’s real estate community believed the Addicks and Barker Reservoirs would halt the westward movement of Houston. At Wolff, we had a different vision. We believed that the high-quality housing in west Houston would lead to a demand for office and commercial uses along Interstate 10 that would push through the barrier of the reservoirs and beyond. We accumulated more than 550 acres along Interstate 10 and sold sites to MW Kellogg, The Houston Chronicle, Atwood Oceanics, Procon, Morris and Knudsen, Sercel, Associated Credit Bureaus and Hyundai. Park 10 eventually became the genesis of The Energy Corridor.

Strong sales continued into the early 1980s, but when oil prices dropped and the S&L crisis grew, the real estate market in Houston ground to a halt. Many development firms went out of business, but through a combination of fiscal conservatism and a few well-timed sales – including a 97-acre sale to the US Postal Service in Interwood – Wolff Companies survived.

When the land business finally re-emerged in the 1990s, Wolff Companies was ready. The company sold a significant portion of its then-current land holdings from 1994 to 1996 when it brought Westway Park, First Crossing and Ten Oaks to market. Corporations, healthcare institutions, hotels, multi-family developers and retailers all saw the value in Wolff Companies’ master planned environments, particularly the preserved green spaces – such as Carolyn H. Wolff Park in Westway.

In Westway, leading energy companies chose to locate their division headquarters, including respected global enterprises like GE and Cameron.

First Crossing attracted marquee names including Walmart, Sam’s Club, and Kelsey Seybold and many others eager to locate near them.

In Park 10, the company sold parcels to leading healthcare brands such as M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Texas Children’s Hospital and Methodist Hospital West, which drew land purchases by Courtyard Marriott and a Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton.

In the new millennium, Wolff Companies would develop Gates Ranch, a community of family farms in Washington County; Central Park in The Energy Corridor; and Beacon Hill in the City of Waller. Today, each of these developments is a testament to Wolff Companies long-term vision and commitment to quality development in our community. While some properties were developed over several years, others were developed over several decades. However, all of our developments represent our commitment to − and ability to create − long-term value, our lasting legacy in Houston.