19th St. Parklet Removed

[mkultra25]

I could swear there was a thread about this when it first opened, but I can't find it despite trying multiple search strings.

 

Anyway, just noticed yesterday that the parklet on 19th St. has been removed. Can't say I was surprised, as it had gotten increasingly shabby ever since the organic mattress shop it was located in front of had shuttered (they had originally designed, built and maintained it). After the plants died due to neglect, it was probably only a matter of time until the space reverted to a parking spot again. 

 

I had forgotten the torrent of hate from the Swamplot commentariat that greeted the parklet's opening back in 2014:

 

Houston’s First Official Parklet Is Now Resting Outside a 19th St. Mattress Store

[j_cuevas713]

More parklets please! Where else in the city is this happening? Or is this literally the ONLY parklet in the city? 

[s3mh]

I saw the crew taking it out.  It looked like the wood on the planters were rotting through.  It is a shame that it is gone.  

[Ross]

5 hours ago, s3mh said:

I saw the crew taking it out.  It looked like the wood on the planters were rotting through.  It is a shame that it is gone.  

 

That's an issue when building these things, they use materials that look great at first, but then rot or deteriorate, and no one wants to spend the money or time to replace/maintain them. Instead of wood, they perhaps should have used something like Trex. It was a good fit for that quirky part of 19th.

[mkultra25]

4 hours ago, Ross said:

 

That's an issue when building these things, they use materials that look great at first, but then rot or deteriorate, and no one wants to spend the money or time to replace/maintain them. Instead of wood, they perhaps should have used something like Trex. It was a good fit for that quirky part of 19th.

 

Or used treated wood that would have held up better to heat and moisture. There may have been an unwillingness to use wood that had been treated with chemical preservatives, given the nature of the business that built it, but perhaps it could have prevented rot taking hold barely five years after the structure was built. The later changes that were made (bland, industrial paint job and covering up the decking) seemed to be low-effort, ultimately futile attempts to put a band-aid on the decay after maintenance had been deferred for too long.

 

[Houston19514]

2 hours ago, mkultra25 said:

 

Or used treated wood that would have held up better to heat and moisture. There may have been an unwillingness to use wood that had been treated with chemical preservatives, given the nature of the business that built it, but perhaps it could have prevented rot taking hold barely five years after the structure was built. The later changes that were made (bland, industrial paint job and covering up the decking) seemed to be low-effort, ultimately futile attempts to put a band-aid on the decay after maintenance had been deferred for too long.

 

 

It should also be considered that it was most likely never intended to be anything but temporary.