Here's what happened when a Houston eye doctor decided in the early 2000s that he would dabble in real estate and develop an office tower that would rise 10 floors and feature medical tenants, museum-style artwork and picture-perfect views of downtown Houston.

That 153,000-square-foot building ultimately came to fruition in the form of the Museo Institute for Medical Arts at 5115 Fannin St. in Houston's Museum District. The building with a modern blue-and-green glass exterior and a large, brightly lit lobby with ancient sculptures and abstract art was designed by PJMD Architects and Huitt-Zollars Inc. The building's ground floor features fountain-themed landscaping.

The Museo Institute for Medical Arts is the first of two phases in a mixed-use project aiming to combine art, science and culture. It is the vision of Dr. Mike Mann and features several pieces of art displayed in the first-floor lobby, including a replica of the Winged Victory of Samothrace sculpture that resides at The Louvre in Paris. It is one of the most famous sculptures on display at the world's most visited museum and represents Nike, the goddess of victory.

The artwork and fountain-themed landscaping were incorporated into the ground floor and lobby area to help patients feel comfortable as they headed to healthcare appointments upstairs.

“This is a medical building, so I wanted a facility where people would walk in and feel uplifted about coming to the doctor. I can’t tell you how many times I have personally dreaded going to the doctor. We’ve spent a lot of time [thinking about how] the building’s space, light, and color can uplift," Mann said in a statement.

Once visitors pass the sculptures and other pieces of art in the lobby and arrive at the elevator, they'll likely head up to one of the building's three tenants: Mann Eye Institute, Texas Laparoscopic Consultants and Houston Cardiovascular Associates.

Mann Eye Institute occupies the entire 10th floor and anchors the Museo Institute for Medical Arts, where optometry and ophthalmology patients can take in views of downtown Houston from the waiting area. The eye institute was previously at a building across the street from 5115 Fannin.

The seventh floor has classroom space reserved for professional training and an outdoor patio overlooking a portion of the Museum District and downtown Houston.

Mann, who specializes in ophthalmology and opened his own eye surgery practice in 1977, brought together a development team to make the 10-story, glass-themed tower a reality. The Museo Institute for Medical Arts has access to MetroRail’s Red Line and is close to the Texas Medical Center, the world's largest medical district.

Mann calls the building, home to one of 17 locations in Houston and Austin for Mann Eye Institute, a "temple of healing."

"It was erected to be a beautiful structure that represents a bridge between the visual arts — we’re in the Museum District — and the healing arts," he added in a statement.

This first phase focused on developing space for medical office and specialty surgery uses, according to a spokesperson for the Museo Institute for Medical Arts, who added that details of the second phase are not yet available.

Testa Rossa Properties developed the Museo Institute for Medical Arts with PJMD Architects designing the building and Huitt-Zollars Inc. serving as the architect of record. CBRE handles leasing for the building.

Distinctive buildings each have their own story. Snapshots is an occasional feature showcasing one of them.