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This small space on the edge of the much larger Sam Houston Park in downtown Houston is not one you can plan ahead unless someone began 100+ years ago by planting the oak tree.  The space gives me the feeling I think a rabbit would have when scurrying out of site under a bush.  The rabbit would look up through the stems and leaves to see if the humans were still there.

The rabbit and I have that in common as while sitting on the bench and looking past the tree’s canopy to the skyscrapers on the other side of the street and beyond I realize the giants are not going away and I have to go back to work. (more…)

The two benches in this photo are below Smith St. and on the banks of Buffalo Bayou. The concrete walkway was one of the initial pathways along the bayou that winds through the north end of Downtown Houston. In very heavy rains the water can rise almost to the bottom of the bridge. When it recedes the next day the benches have a small collection of debris and the trees look like they have been in a washing machine.

The trail is used often by joggers and bike riders. The interesting part to me is how different the city seems from down below. Of course it depends on when one as during morning rush cars and buses race by as Smith is a heavily used route. You are only one block from the end of the IH-10 Eastbound exit ramp from the Katy Freeway.

When the water recedes the big issue is removal of the silt and sand that washes onto the walkway and the grass. The areas where the grass is not solid is actually silt that filled in the sod. As you can see the wall that holds back the street is lush.

An interesting thing about the area, as evidenced by the wall, is that downtown was once at the bayou level when cotton was put on barges and other freight was shipped out on sailing ships from this same location. Someone then surely sat on the docks where this bench is and saw a very different view than one does today.

The City of Houston is working to encourage sustainable aspects of life in the big city and one is to show how “victory gardens” can easily be started and enjoyed. In the case of the latest demo the garden adds a new dimension and reason for enjoying a great public space–Tranquility Park.

The first area created for container gardens is at the corner of Walker and Smith Streets in front of the City’s building known as 611 Walker. The latest location is in Tranquility Park across the street from the first. Click for Map. (more…)

Art when done well is great in a public space but there is a lot to consider. The focus of this post is the need for it to be installed correctly. That directly relates to the degree of maintenance needed. There is also the issue of what are the artist’s rights even after you pay them. (more…)

Lauren’s Garden is a memorial to Lauren Catuzzi Grandcolas, a Houstonian killed in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. She was a passenger on United Flight 93, the hijacked airplane that crashed in the Pennsylvania countryside.  The garden includes a fountain and a memorial to all victims of the 2001 tragedy. It is another of the destinations inside the one-acre park that has a sense of place all to itself. Certainly the memory of that horrific day and the deaths of so many like Lauren brings a much deserved respectful quiet and peace to the small area. (more…)