The historic Folgers Coffee Plant, located at 235 N. Norwood St. in Houston’s East End, will reopen as The Frank Liu Jr. Academy of Music and Arts (FLAMA) this fall.
OMA
A nearly century-old piece of Houston history is getting a dramatic second act.
The historic Folgers Coffee Plant, located at 235 N. Norwood St. in Houston’s East End, will reopen as The Frank Liu Jr. Academy of Music and Arts (FLAMA) this fall. The tuition-free, open-enrollment, public charter school will serve students in Pre-K through eighth grade in Houston’s Second, Third and Fifth Ward communities.
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“FLAMA is built on a simple conviction: that music and art belong at the forefront of how children learn,” according to a June 22 news release.
Houston-based Lovett Commercial is behind the development, which honors the memory of company owner Frank Liu’s late son, Frank Liu Jr.
“Before his untimely death, Frank Liu Jr. recognized how arts education ignites intellectual curiosity and supports academic outcomes; his lifelong wish was to create a school where academic rigor and creative expression work in tandem,” the release reads. “Today, thanks to state approval, tremendous community support, generous donors, and the dedication of some of the city’s top educators, FLAMA begins its own journey to do just that.”
But the school is just one portion of a broader project developers have dubbed a three-story “learning landscape.” The 255,000 square foot building will become Fabrica—linking art, music and commerce all in one.
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Lovett Commercial has partnered with the Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA), who is leading the project with support from Houston-based RDLR Architects.
History of the site
The building along N. Norwood St. was built in the late 1930s and was operated by Folger’s through the 1960s, according to the Houston Chronicle. The property then exchanged hands, running under Continental Coffee Products and then Farmer Brothers Coffee Co.
Lovett Commercial paid $10 million for the site in 2019 with a three-year leaseback to Farmers Brothers Coffee Co. The company ceased production at the facility in 2021.
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Houston-based Lovett Commercial is behind the development of The Frank Liu Jr. Academy of Music and Arts (FLAMA), which honors the memory of company owner Frank Liu’s late son, Frank Lui Jr.
Liu Family Collection
‘A magical place for learning, growth, and belonging’
FLAMA is building towards an August 2027 opening under superintendent Dr. R. Scott Allen. Allen previously served as principal of Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts for 13 years, among other roles in a 30-year public education career.
“We are committed to creating a school that is joyful, challenging, creative, and deeply human. A
magical place for learning, growth, and belonging,” Allen wrote in a May news release, adding that applications for the 2027-78 school year are expected to open in September.
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FLAMA is supported by a recent $20 million pledge from The Frank Liu Jr. Foundation to support the institution’s first years of operation. Project leaders say the soon-to-be charter school is set in one of Houston’s most rapidly changing neighborhoods, something they describe as both challenging and compelling.
Extending beyond the school day—which will incorporate music and visual arts as a central driver of learning—FLAMA will offer free afterschool activities, wraparound services and take-home meals as needed. School leaders say the facility will function as a community hub and resource center for the wider community.
“By bringing together research-based instruction, intensive arts education, and deep community investment, FLAMA aims to redefine what is possible in public education,” the release reads. “In a neighborhood rich with history and culture, the school will serve not only as a place of learning but as a lasting investment in the future of Houston’s children.”
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University of Houston, Rice, Houston Christian University and the University of Houston-Downtown have committed to supporting FLAMA through teacher training and other partnerships.
The 255,000-square-foot building at 235 N. Norwood St. in Houston’s East End will become Fabrica, a development linking art, music and commerce all in one.
OMA
More on the developers, designers
Project leader OMA is no stranger to large-scale adaptive re-use projects, having previously worked with Lovett to design the 500,000 square-foot Post Houston mixed-use hub.
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“Adapting a building is like revoicing an instrument—recalibrating what exists to sharpen inherited notes and enable new resonances,” OMA partner Jason Long said. “Our transformation of the historic Folgers plant selectively excavates and augments the existing structure to create a dynamic environment for children to learn, practice, and perform.”
More details on the broader Fabrica development are expected in future announcements.