Ice ice baby

MetroNational continues to expand the commercial district in the area surrounding Memorial City Mall. The developer is bringing hot hospitality concepts to a new project located on an 18-acre parcel at the corner of Gessner and north of I-10, tucked behind the office buildings. Initial plans call for several restaurants, an office building, and possibly a hotel. Russ Morgan, a development partner of Kirby Ice House, again hired PRISM to produce several views of their portion of the project, Kirby Ice House, a patio bar. PRISM did the renderings for the original Kirby Ice House in 2015. The Memorial City location will be the second for Kirby Ice House. The new venue will be roughly 7,000 s.f. and will serve beer (100 on tap!), wine, and cocktails. According to their Facebook page, there will be an expanded indoor space with one of the longest bars in Texas to complement the signature outdoor patio. The groundbreaking is expected sometime this summer with a planned fall 2020 opening. Energy Architecture provided architectural design. Russ Morgan sees the venue as a way to enliven the surrounding neighborhood, “It’s a good place to hang out with friends.” MetroNational president Jason Johnson expanded on that sentiment in an interview with Paper City, “We’re really just trying to bring the 24-hour crowd to Memorial City.”