WaterLights District In Pearland

[Mr. Smarts]

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

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

Edited April 4, 2007 by Mr. Smarts

[marmer]

Yes.

[dbigtex56]

"Big is beautiful," Addickes said.

A matter of opinion. For rebuttals, see Big Head On Main Street.

[musicman]

i'd enjoy them. not sure if they will be appreciated in pearland though.

[gto250us]

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?

[Original Timmy Chan's]

They have placed Steve Austin...

Which one is that?

This one...

this one...

or this one...

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.

[Boris]

Saw that this a.m. Thought it looked cool sitting there off the side of the Hwy with the old houses in the background. Wish I had my camera.

[gto250us]

Here is one

[Highway6]

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.

Edited January 25, 2008 by Highway6

[pineda]

You're probably talking about David Adickes, one of his projects was Presidents Park . But I thought the park was open already. I don't know why some of the statues would be still here in town. Adickes was born & raised in Huntsville and graduated from SHSU.

[cnote]

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....

[Highway6]

http://www.houstonarchitecture.info/haif/i...amp;hl=rushhour

http://www.houstonarchitecture.info/haif/i...t=0#entry224221

[jayshoota]

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!)

[cnote]

Mods, please merge the topics if you see fit...or just delete this thread.

Thanks Highway6, I am in awe of your internet capabilities

[sevfiv]

amalgamated - consolidated - blended

[Highway6]

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.

[cnote]

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.

[pineda]

Channel 13 just interviewed David Adickes on the 6 p.m. newscast. He called the statues Mount Rush Hour. They looked pretty cool, and you could see them from a good distance away.

[Jax]

I've never seen the heads from the highway. Does anybody have any photos they can post? How close are they to the highway?

[Ross]

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.

[pineda]

story & video from KTRK

[rapturematt]

ABC 13 just did a news spot on the busts.

[KimberlySayWhat]

Are they going to do some sort of landscaping around them and do they light them at night? I saw them a little bit ago and think they're neat. They just seem a bit unfinished looking.

[Vertigo58]

They seem quite realistic and nice just hope they place them away from smart az taggers. Its right in the area where they hang out.

[jayshoota]

When I drove by yesterday it looked they were working on the area around the heads. I know for sure they were painting the bases a darker grey color. So maybe there is hope!

[tanith27]

I wonder if this means he's getting ready to move the Beatles statues to his I-10/Shepherd location?

[BryanS]

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

[Guest danax]

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?

[citykid09]

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.

[cottonmather0]

Saw these guys outside of target this afternoon... it looks like he's getting close to the end. The parking lot outside his studio's getting pretty full.

[Subdude]

Someone mentioned that they already shipped Washington, Lincoln, Roosevelt, and the current Bush to Pearland.

[pestofan]

The huge Sam Houston statue, the silly shopping center north of the Woodlands, and now this. Houston is turning into a giant memorial to Stuckey's.

[marmer]

Washington, Lincoln, FDR, Truman, JFK, and ?Jefferson? ?Jackson? are already there. I suppose at 70+ mph I might have gotten FDR confused with George W. Bush. There's not much around them; I would be real worried about them getting tagged.

Oh, and speaking of Adickes sculptures, don't forget the giant Stephen F. Austin just north of Angleton on 288.

Edit: according to Charles Kuffner, they were chosen by a vote, and it's Washington, Lincoln, Jefferson, JFK, FDR, and George H.W. Bush.

http://www.offthekuff.com/mt/archives/011129.html

Edited February 26, 2008 by marmer

[Beltway]

JFK looks tiny compared to the rest of the heads.

[dizzyedge]

JFK looks tiny compared to the rest of the heads.

The sculptor sent the leftover pieces of his head to Dallas

Edited February 26, 2008 by dizzyedge

[Subdude]

The sculptor sent the leftover pieces of his head to Dallas

Ouch!!

[bruno]

The sculptor sent the leftover pieces of his head to Dallas

no funny.

[desirous]

Last night, I finally found how to get to the statues from Houston Ave. Unfortunately, a large gang of bums (or not bums) was loitering around the area, and I had to scram before I could take any pictures. Anybody know the story to those presidential statues?

Edited August 10, 2008 by desirous

[citizen4rmptown]

oh yea, ive seen those statues..

but sorry i know about as much as you do..

[PasadenaTexan]

Last night, I finally found how to get to the statues from Houston Ave. Unfortunately, a large gang of bums (or not bums) was loitering around the area, and I had to scram before I could take any pictures. Anybody know the story to those presidential statues?

Hope this helps you as to what thet are intended to be used for. Kind of a cool Idea

Large Presidential Statues to Anchor Texas Destination

Mixed-use Development

Presidential Park at WaterLights, featuring large-scale 18-foot statues of all 42 U.S. presidents, is projected to draw 2 million people annually to a new entertainment/real estate development in the city of Pearland.

The presidential busts will be surrounded by pleasant water features and a navigable canal, said Richard Browne, principal of Historic Land Development LLC of Houston.

[citizen4rmptown]

oh those statues, i was thinking about something else...

[desirous]

Got a clear shot. They indeed are Adicke statues -- will they be relocated to Pearland?

Edited August 10, 2008 by desirous

[mrfootball]

If they made a Ron Paul statue, I'd buy one.

[Ducks]

I drive by them every morning on my way into downtown and am shocked they have not been "tagged" by gangsters yet.

[trymahjong]

http://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/real-estate/article/Pearland-gets-a-heads-up-on-development-project-5319706.php#/0

 

The article goes on to relate from  David Addicks: . . . . the 6 busts are back at his studio. . . . he didn't know if they would be used in the new development. . . . .

[IronTiger]

Didn't his studio move in the last 3 years? Seems it's not in the place where it was. Besides, if they are continuing with the project, it means that it's not like they're saying "goodbye" to them forever, they'll just be in Pearland. It's not like the old Prince's sign in the Heights which moved several STATES over.

Edited March 18, 2014 by IronTiger

[Subdude]

Well it's a shame to let giant presidential heads go to waste.  They really should be on display somewhere.  I thought perhaps arrayed in order along a strip of freeway median.  That way freeway travelers could bone up on their presidential knowledge, so that long road trips would be both entertaining and improving. 

 

 

[kylejack]

The President heads at Summer Street Studios are staying. They were part of the sale by Addickes to the buyer.