In Pursuit of the White Buffalo

Cite Fall 1986 ^m*&i Buffalo Monument ForeCite In Pursuit Of the White Buffalo As Phillip Lopate observed in the Winter 1984 issue of Cite, "Houston for a city its size has an almost sensational lack of ii convivial public space." Lopate's late in 1836 the Texas Congress ended reflections, which appeared under the Lits first sessio n by resolving to meel next title, "Pursuing the Unicorn: Public Space in a new capital, "Houston on Buffalo in Houston," ended hoping that "with • i Bayou." The full name helped locale a some goodwill, raised urban-design town not yet in existence, and foretokened consciousness, and a lot of money, the stream's importance in the urban Houston can catch up with olhercities in scheme to come. Houston began at this respect...even in the present Allen's Landing, where Main Street met economy." The competition for, and Illustration from the cover of Civics For Houston, vol. I, no. I, January, 1928 its south bank, and for many years the impending development of, Houston's bayou was the city's link to the world, its Sesquicentennial Park on Buffalo Bayou imposes a minimum of architectural sculpture by Noguchi" in the words of avenue of commerce, and, after its downtown, may mark the beginning of structures. What architecture they've Peter Marzio, the museum's director. dredging in 1914, the impetus for its such a change, as John Pastier's account provided is interesting and provocative Bartle finds it an appealing, romantic industrial development and consequent of the competition that appears opposite without being gimmicky." Peter C. counter-landscape with surrealist and 20th-century growth. concludes. Papademeiriou. commenting in the July primilivist overtones, a palimpsest of 1986 issue of Progressive Architecture, tendencies refined in Noguchi's sculptural Houston was casual in repaying those The idea of a competition for such a public felt that the winning "scheme reflected the and landscape sensibility over a period of favors, Upstream, the bayou is protected project, the first ever held in Houston, successful integration of many given more than half-a-century. by parkways and (he ample yards of River was conceived by Raymond D. elements, and a modest strategy for Oaks and Memorial. But its lower reaches Brochstein. president of the Rice Design landscape as a unifying element." Finally, John B. Jackson, an eminent are lined with heavy industry, and its Alliance. The competition was conducted essayist and cultural geographer who was central portion suffers from generaiions of jointly with Central Houston Civic The Sesquicentennial Park also can be the Craig Francis Cullinan Visiting neglect. Downtown has lumed its back on Improvement, Inc., a non-profit viewed as an opportunity to help redress Professor at Rice University last spring, the bayou, treating it as a storm drain that association of downtown interests, which the city's lack of monuments in general - speculates on a more democratic aspect of lacks the manners to align with the street identified the 10-acre park site and a realm of conspicuous underconsumption the development and use of public spaces grid, rather than as an opportunity for secured the support of the surveyed in Stephen Fox's essay, in America in the 19th and 20th place-making and the creation of urban Sesquicentennial Committee of Houston "Remember Houston," and amplified by centuries - the influence of sports and amenity. and Harris County and the Mayor "s Paul Hester's photographs. The last other mass leisure pursuits. In doing so, Buffalo Bayou Task Force. The winning ceremonial occasion to make amends, the he calls attention to the variety of settings Of course there have been visions, entry offers a vision of what the bayou Texas Centennial, had little effect on that constitutes public space for recreation including The Bayou Strategy, a study front can become, taking as its point of Houston. For while statues and markers today, and commends a less exclusive published by the Rice Design Alliance in departure an Indian legend of the white were scattered wholesale throughout the vision for the future, quoting the 1977 proposing a waterside promenade, buffalo that is said to have given the bayou state in the midst of the Great Depression, prescription of Michael Laurie who an artificial island, and a controlled water ita name. If, as Pastier notes, the progress such pursuits were preempted in Houston advocates including "open spaces which level allowing full-time access to the of the competition was not altogether by the construction of the San Jacinto contribute to some defined purpose... air bayou edge. But until lately, aside from smooth and the site not in all ways ideal. Monument - an act of giantism oblivious quality, festivals, social interaction, plans, no one had taken action to join the the result stands as a considerable to the tradition of measured, resonant sports, wildlife conservation, food bayou with downtown. The first move collective achievement, perhaps the most commemoration of battle sites in America production, whatever...[may came in 1984, when Mayor Kalhryn J. concerted example of public and private from Concord to Gettysburg. Although be]...concerned with new directions in Whilmire created u Buffalo Bayou Task initiative bearing on the stewardship of the city still lacks a spirited, generously urban life." Force to make recommendations on Buffalo Bayou since the City Beautiful distributed apparatus for recall, it remains redeveloping the bayou. In 1985, it called movement of the 1910s and *20s, when attainable, as Fox suggests, although the The theme of monuments and public forcreation of a Sesquicentennial Park as first George E. Kessler and later Hare and means at our disposal may have changed. places that comprises (his issue derives the first part of a seven-mile linear park Hare devised plans, only partially from recent developments in the from downtown to (he Houston Ship executed, for the Buffalo Bayou Parkway. Another civil gift and example of public community at large, abetted in the case of Channel. The task force envisioned a and private collaboration is the Lillie and the Sesquicentennial Park Design riverfronl as exciting as San Antonio's The merits of the winning scheme already Hugh Roy Cullen Sculpture Garden of Competition by the Rice Design Alliance River Walk, and stated that while "some have been described by other observers. The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, itself. While it may be premature to public funding may be made available ... Mark A. Hewitt, writing in the July- reviewed here by Andrew Bartle. It is the suppose that this activity signals a more primary fundraising efforts will be August 1986 issue of Texas Architect, work of the sculptor Isamu Noguchi, general effort to invest Houston with civic directed toward the private sector...." ventured that "The Houston retained at the suggestion of Alice Pratt appurtenances that othercities its size take (Now, however, half the money is slated Sesquicentennial Park will have the same Brown during the tenure of William C, for granted, it deserves attention at a time to come from local government.) 'cutting edge,' up-to-date quality that Agee as director of the museum. The when the city can pursue such graced so many of the city's skyscrapers garden occupies a one-acre site across embellishments with maturity and Two decisions were crucial to what during the building boom. It will also from the museum, acquired for that discernment. followed. One was to hold an open, certainly have many pleasant spaces for purpose by the Brown Foundation and national, two-stage design competition people to congregate and play in, and it conveyed at cost to the City of Houston Drexel Turner for the park under (he aegis of several will draw Buffalo Bayou and the as park land. It was constructed with funds organizations, led by Central Houston Wortham Theater into the life of provided by the Cullen Foundation and Civic Improvement. Inc. (a group made downtown Houston." Ann Holmes, in the other donors. Although only one-tenth as up of downtown business interests} and 15 April 1986 edition of the Houston large as Sesquicentennial Park, the cost the Rice Design Alliance. It was an Chronicle, observed that the "design of its improvements (excluding sculpture) informed and even brave choice within pleasingly makes much use of nature, lets represents nearly a quarter of the the context of normal procedure in the presence of the bayou dominate, and comparable expenditure projected for the Houston, for despite the frequency of such Sesquicentennial Park and constitutes a events around the country, (his was the distinctly different kind of public first design competition for a public space - more intensive, introspective, project in the city. Raymond D. and intimate -"actually an enlarged Brochstein, president of ihe Rice Design Alliance and originator of the idea, felt .

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