1996
1945
2016
2020
2023
2025
1966
Andrew Nurcahya, a Katy- area resident and part-time real estate developer, begins the process of purchasing the Cardi Rice Dryer in November.
Nurcahya plans to further preserve the silos, adding a restaurant inside the structures in 2025-26.
The second set of silos on the J.V. Cardi Rice Dryer property opens.
The third and nal group of silos opens at the J.V. Cardi Rice Dryer, featuring what was the tallest head house in the country.
All rice dryers close. At their peak, the silos could store 100,000 barrels of rice and dry 1,800 barrels per hour.
The J.V. Cardi property changes hands multiple times within the Hammasi family between 2016-20. The family buys it from the Katy Recycling Co. in 2016.
The rst phase is set to open, which will include a beer garden; a three-story space with a food hall, o ces and meeting spaces; green space; and a museum and gift shop.
SOURCES: KATY HERITAGE SOCIETY, ANDREW NURCAHYA COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
Katy’s location along the M-K-T Railroad, combined with an environment ideal for growing rice, powered the city’s economy between the 1940s-1990s. In 1943, 35,000 acres of rice were harvested in the Katy area.
First, the rice was harvested—usually by using heavy machinery. What is a rice dryer?
acquired land on what is now FM 1463. When built in 1943, the J.V. Car- di Rice Dryer was the rst concrete rice dryer in the state and the tallest rice dryer in the country. It remains the tallest structure in the Katy area— including Fulshear, Richmond and Rosenberg—according to Nurcahya. When they were in use between 1944-96, the silos could store 100,000 barrels of rice with the capacity of drying 1,800 barrels of rice per hour, according to a presentation shared with the Katy Heritage Society by Nurcahya. “The production of rice was the thing that brought people to Katy,” Davitz said. “We had the perfect prairie lands for rice. … And the MKT [Rail- road] Line would bring in all of this giant equipment that these rice farm- ers invested in.” While the J.V. Cardi Rice Dryer was once centric to the Katy economy, it has been closed for 26 years. Despite this, a 2010 Katy Economic Develop- ment Council survey showed 57% of respondents still dubbed the rice dry- ers as the most recognizable landmark in the Katy area. “I think he’s a bit crazy for taking this on,” Davitz said. “But I’m happy that someone is taking it on because without someone as adventurous and devoted to Katy history, the structure When Nurcahya purchased the property, he immediately connected with the Katy Heritage Society, know- ing he would need their advice to exe- cute his plan in a way that highlights the landmark’s historical value. “We’ve been planning together,” Nurcahya said. “Every day I say, ‘What are we going to do with this? Is this something we should throw away? Can we use it? Can we restore it and then repurpose it for another time?’ I need to gure out what has historical value would continue to rot.” Prioritizingpreservation
to the town.” Davitz said she also saw the prop- erty come up for sale in 2020 from the dryer’s previous owner, Austin-based company 726 LLC. She met with other members of the society to see how fea- sible it would be to purchase it. “We needed to get this into the right hands, and when we lost the o er, it was devastating,” Davitz said. “There were rumors that it was someone from out of town, and there is always the fear of someone bulldozing it.” After connecting with the soci- ety, Nurcahya began his preservation e orts last summer, enlisting his son, a recent Katy High School graduate, in the process. After testing con rmed the property was free of lead and asbestos, he was able to move forward with hands-on restoration. The project immediately faced unex- pected challenges, including infra- structure issues and regular break-ins from thieves and rowdy teenagers, Nurcahya said. Some of the lower chambers of the property had been col- lecting water for decades, he said, and some less accessible areas needed to be cleared of sewage. Despite the challenges, Nurcahya said he and his family persevered. “It’s such a high-risk project,” Davitz said. “Everything keeps changing and pushing against us—and we just keep pushing through.” Encouraging theeconomy When the project is complete, o - cials involved predicted a positive impact on the local economy—citing more jobs, tax revenue and a structure designed to support local businesses. Nurcahya said the9,000-square-foot beer garden has penned a 10-year con- tract with an anchor tenant, though he said he could not yet disclose the busi- ness’ name. He also said more than 70% of the other beer garden and food hall tenants have signed contracts. Con rmed tenants include Taqueria
After the harvest, rice was brought to a silo, where it was stored and dried.
Once the rice was dry, it was distributed into barrels through a chute, which is pictured here.
Tex-Taco,
JosB’risket,
Fusion Grill and a local pizzeria, he said. Nurcahya said he wants to work
with the adjacent MKT Dis- tillery, located o Hwy. 90 on an adjacent silo prop- erty, to provide spirits for the space when it opens. Matt Ferraro, president of the Katy Area Chamber of Commerce, said he predicts a positive economic impact from the project—citing sales tax reve- nue and new jobs. “You would imagine from the city perspective, the tax revenue it would generate … would be pretty substan- tial,” he said. “I think it would create a lot of jobs, too—especially down the line, that could bring probably 50 jobs to downtown Katy.” Once the property is pro table, Nurcahya said he wants to make all of the parts of the structure functional in some way. For the silos themselves, Nurcahya is working with a local restaurateur to transform the space into a unique ne-dining experience. Each 50-foot concrete silowill host a few white tablecloth tables with views of the Katy sky as the ceiling of each silo, he said. According to Nurcahya, the next step is to secure funding for the project. In mid-March, Nurcahya
LAURA AEBI COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
met with the city of Katy for a third predevelopment meeting to address issues and concerns before construc- tion begins, he said. As one of the only structures visible from both sides of the Katy Freeway, the landmark has long marked the entrance into West Houston—even a quarter of a century after the last barrel of rice was sent to market. Davitz said she hopes this project will return the landmark back into a regional hub— even if it takes a metamorphosis. “It would be epic to be able to get people to the top [of the head house] once again,” she said. “That’s a ridicu- lously crazy undertaking, but with the support of the residents and the city, it’s possible to sit up there [and] watch the reworks from the top of the dryer. ... Those things are nuts, but they’re not that far o with the right person— like Andrew [Nurcahya]—taking it on.”
For more information, visit communityimpact.com .
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KATY EDITION • MARCH 2022
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