Houston City Hall
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The Houston City Hall building, constructed in 1938-1939, is surrounded by skyscrapers and very similar to dozens of other city halls built in the southwest United States during the same time period.[1] It is flanked by Tranquility Park and the Houston Public Library. The simply designed structure featured many construction details that have helped to make this building an architectural classic.
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[edit] History
From 1841 to 1939, Houston's municipal government was headquartered at Old Market Square. It was destroyed by fire in the 1870s, and also in 1901, and rebuilt each time. In those days, City Hall was part of the lively commercial atmosphere of the Square. However, by the 1920s, the city leaders decided the site was no longer appropriate for their needs.[2]
In 1929, the city's planning commission urged the establishment of a civic center around a downtown park, Herman Square. However, the Great Depression sidetracked the plans for the new center. When President Franklin Delano Roosevelt instituted the Works Progress Administration program, the city applied for a WPA grant to help finance the construction of a new City Hall.[2] The grant was approved, and construction began in March 1938, continuing for 20 months.
[edit] Architectural details
The design on the lobby floor depicts the protective role of government. In the grillwork above the main entrances are medallions of "great lawgivers" from ancient times to the founding of America, including Thomas Jefferson, Charlemagne, Julius Caesar and Moses,[2] and an outdated city seal adorns the interior doorknobs.[1]
The building is faced with Texas Cordova limestone, and the doors to the building are of a specially cast aluminum. The lobby is walled with lightly veined marble. The gateways to the Tax Department are inlaid with bronze, nickel and silver. The elevator lobbies are treated with marble base, walls and wainscoting.[2]
Above the lobby entrance is a stone sculpture depicting two men taming a wild horse, which is meant to symbolize a community coming together to form a government to tame the world around them. The plaster cast for this sculpture, and twenty-seven casts for friezes around the building, were done by Beaumont artist Herring Coe and co-designer Raoul Jassett.[3]
[edit] Hermann Square
The front of the city hall building steps down to a small park, Martha Hermann Square, which is dominated by a reflecting pool. This was at one time the homestead of George H. Hermann, for whom Hermann Park in the Museum District is named. Although not fancy, Hermann Square has a simple elegance and is regularly used for festivals, protests and concerts. To accommodate larger events, the reflecting pool is planked over and tents and kiosks are often erected.[1]
According to urban legend, people are allowed to sleep in the park. Officially, however, the Parks Department says that people are not permitted to sleep there. Nevertheless, the city attorney's office went on record as recently as 1987 in a Houston Chronicle article stating that the police are not to arrest anyone sleeping in the park.[1]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d Houston City Hall. www.glasssteelandstone.com. Retrieved on 2007-05-20.
- ^ a b c d Project Profiles – Houston City Hall. Resources, Hunter, www.hunterindustries.com. Retrieved on 2007-05-20.
- ^ City Hall History. About Houston Government, City of Houston, www.houstontx.gov. Retrieved on 2007-05-20.
[edit] External links
- Houston City Hall at CityMayors.com
