[Urbannizer]

First Look: Inside The Wilshire luxury condo tower

Pelican Builders Inc. has opened a model unit inside The Wilshire, a new luxury condominium tower going up in the Galleria area.

The Houston Business Journal got an exclusive sneak peek inside the two-bedroom, two-bathroom model unit, which spans 1,400 square feet and starts from the $700,000s.

Despite the energy downturn, Pelican Builders and its sales partner, Houston-based Sudhoff Cos., have sold 80 percent of the units inside the 17-story, 96-unit condo tower. The longtime Houston homebuilder and condo developer even found buyers for all 12 penthouse units, which span 4,000 square feet and costs up to $3 million.

“I’m pleasantly surprised by how (the condo market has) held up,” said Derek Darnell, president of Pelican Builders. “Houston has become truly an urban city, but there’s still not a huge supply of condos.”