Jump to content

WaterLights District In Pearland


Recommended Posts

Are these the same heads that a man from Houston is building? He's right by the new Target on I-10 and Sawyer.

311xInlineGallery.jpg

http://chron.com/disp/story.mpl/business/4686544.html

Some developers use skating rinks or even roller coasters as the centerpieces of their shopping centers. Richard Browne is counting on 42 giant busts of the U.S. presidents from Washington to George W. to bring in people.

So far the Houston developer, whose background includes helping plan The Woodlands Town Center, has spent $5.5 million for 50 acres near Pearland and the striking collection of busts, each at least 18 feet tall and weighing 7,000 pounds, by Houston sculptor David Adickes.

The plan calls for an unusual mixed-use development, combining space for commercial, residential and a presidential park, surrounding a 30-acre lake and navigable streams, Browne said.

"This is a natural," Browne said. "We can make this the Venice of Houston."

The location of Browne's WaterLights District and the presidential park is near other new retail development near Texas 288 and Beltway 8, and close to the booming Shadow Creek Ranch community.

But with new shopping centers popping up all the time, location may not be enough to ensure success.

Developers are having to be creative, even gimmicky, with their ideas, said Ed Wulfe, president of Houston-based real estate brokerage and development firm Wulfe & Co. They can't expect customers to come just for the stores anymore. That is why The Galleria added an ice-skating rink and Minnesota's Mall of America has roller coasters.

"It's an unusual approach," Wulfe said of Browne's pro- ject. "But in today's environment of serious competition between different projects and tenants, you've got to do something different."

City officials are excited about the busts going to Pear-land because they expect customers and tourists will follow, said Fred Welch, executive director of the Pearland Economic Development Corp.

"It's going to be a great draw for Pearland," he said. "It'll create a destination where we haven't had one before."

It also provides a Houston-area home for the third and final set of Adickes' presidential heads. The first two ended up in presidential parks near Mount Rushmore in South Dakota and in Williamsburg, Va.

"I'm really thrilled to put these here because people always tell me, 'You've got to keep these in Texas,' " said Adickes, who is also known for the 67-foot Sam Houston statue in Huntsville along Interstate 45, a 72-foot Stephen F. Austin in Brazoria County and other larger-than-life sculptures, including the cellist next to downtown Houston's Lyric Centre and a trumpet in Galveston.

Adickes is currently finishing four 36-foot statues of the Beatles.

Seven of the statues

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 9 months later...

What's with the giant heads in the First Ward, along I45? They are from that guy in Conroe. They have placed Steve Austin, Sam Houston, george Washington and Abe Lincoln on an empty lot along the freeway. It looks like they were dumped off of a truck without much thought as to the placement and alignment. Are they temporary? Did the guy in Conroe run out of room in his garage? What's up?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

They have placed Steve Austin...

Which one is that?

This one...

austin_s.jpg

this one...

51256116.jpg?v=1&c=ViewImages&k=2&d=444ED34A869CB97062615C3ADFD10731284831B75F48EF45

or this one...

Ch11austin.jpg

:o

I haven't seen the big presidential heads you're talking about (unless you mean those of Giulani, Romney, Clinton and Obama that I see on the news every night). However, I understand they're supposed to be part of a new "riverwalk" development down in Pearland. It'll be a riverwalk with heads of giant presidents...or giant heads of presidents, not sure which.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What's with the giant heads in the First Ward, along I45? They are from that guy in Conroe. They have placed Steve Austin, Sam Houston, george Washington and Abe Lincoln on an empty lot along the freeway. It looks like they were dumped off of a truck without much thought as to the placement and alignment. Are they temporary? Did the guy in Conroe run out of room in his garage? What's up?

Guess Mt. RushHour is finally being installed.

Similar to his beatles installation to be erected also on a houston freeway.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Has anyone seen these? I did a search but didn't find much.

There are four large presidential busts (I made out Lincoln and Washington I think) at the south-west corner of the interchange, really visible from I-10 eastbound into downtown.

I know that there were thoughts about a development in Pearland with some presidential heads, is this the same thing??? It was really weird when I noticed these for the first time....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I saw them too as I was coming into downtown off I-10. They REALLY look out of place! It does look like a mini Mt. Rushmore. (Even though I like highway 6's Mt. RushHour name better!)

I like it too.. though i didn't come with it.

I don't remember if I first heard is called that here or if I read an article where Addikes referred to it as such.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree that it DOES look really out of place, but that could be because they are just set out like they are waste. There is no monument, no manicured lawn or anything to denote that this lot is any different from the other abandoned lots featuring abandoned construction and industrial equipment, trash, and homeless "communities".

I think if they (the city I guess) did some landcaping and planting around the busts, making it a pleasant site from the freeway, this would be a great thing for that part of the city.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The rest of his heads are in a parking lot at his studio on Summer Street, south of Target. my wife and son are going there Saturday to check them out. If she remembers the camera, I'll try to get some pictures.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...
Saw them today... Classy. Please tell me this is only temporary. We've got the ferris wheel already... now all we need is this.

It's just another piece of the Houston hodge-podge. The endless instant variety is our uniqueness. We can't erase it all, so why not embrace it all? ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Saw them today... Classy. Please tell me this is only temporary. We've got the ferris wheel already... now all we need is this.

I think the heads are nice, but you are right about the ferris wheel, that whole aquarium is ugly and out of place. I think the artist should create a huge park with all of his statues with themed areas. This could be a new attraction in Houston.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...