Discovery Green
Encyclopedia
Downtown Houston
Downtown Houston is the largest business district of Houston, Texas, United States. Downtown Houston, the city's central business district, contains the headquarters of many prominent companies. There is an extensive network of pedestrian tunnels and skywalks connecting the buildings of the district...
Houston, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, United States. Opened in 2008, Discovery Green 11.78 acres (47,672 m²) is located on Avenida de las Americas across from the George R. Brown Convention Center
George R. Brown Convention Center
The George R. Brown Convention Center opened on September 26, 1987 on the east side of Downtown Houston, Texas, United States.The center was named for the prominent Houstonian George R. Brown, an entrepreneur, civic leader and philanthropist. Brown’s Texas Eastern Corporation donated six of the 11...
and the Hilton Americas Hotel, adjacent to Toyota Center
Toyota Center (Houston)
The Toyota Center is an indoor arena located in downtown Houston, Texas. It is named after the Japanese automobile manufacturer Toyota. The arena is home to the Rockets of the National Basketball Association, the principal owners of the building, and the Aeros of the American Hockey League.Rockets...
. The park includes a lake, bandstands and venues for public performances, two dog runs, a children's area and multiple recreational areas. The park was principally designed by the landscape architecture firm Hargreaves Associates.
The first event held at the park was Houston Mayor Bill White's 2008 inauguration. The park officially opened to the public on April 13, 2008. It is estimated that almost a quarter-million people visited the park between opening day and June 30, 2008. The estimates were made by comparing the size of crowds with the Houston Police Department
Houston Police Department
The Houston Police Department is the primary law enforcement agency serving the City of Houston, Texas, United States and some surrounding areas. Its headquarters are in 1200 Travis in Downtown Houston....
's estimate of 30,000 people who went to the park on opening day.
History
The park earned LEEDLeadership in Energy and Environmental Design
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design consists of a suite of rating systems for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings, homes and neighborhoods....
certification in October 2009.
Park features
- Anheuser-Busch Stage - a performance stage
- Jones Lawn - a 2 acres (8,093.7 m²) grass lawn for lounging, offering views of the skyline
- The Brown Foundation Promenade - a shaded walkway, lined with 100-year-old live oak trees
- Wortham Foundation Gardens - 1 acres (4,046.9 m²) of flowering trees, plants, fountains and works of art
- Kinder Lake - a 1 acres (4,046.9 m²) lake lined with native wetland plants
- Gateway Fountain - The fountain offers a visual gateway of water activity atop a gently sloping granite surface to the park
- The Natural Gardens - wetland and upland gardens extending the length of the park
- The Landforms - several sculpted knolls and grassy swells that highlight views of downtown Houston
- McNair Foundation Jogging Trail - tree-shaded promenades on which to stroll to the lake and children’s area
- Maconda's Grove - where you can play bocce on the Carruth Foundation Bocce Courts
- The John P. McGovern Playground
- Hagstette Putting Green
- Two Dog Runs - one for large dogs and another for smaller dogs with seating areas for their owners
- Approximately 630-car underground parking garage.
The Schiller Del Grande Restaurant Group, best known as the creators of Cafe Annie, operates two restaurants on site. The Grove serves lunch and dinner in a "signature restaurant" setting, while The Lake House offers family-friendly casual fare.
On occasions Discovery Green has an ice skating rink.
Public art
- Monument au Fantóme - A piece of artwork by Jean DubuffetJean DubuffetJean Philippe Arthur Dubuffet was a French painter and sculptor. His idealistic approach to aesthetics embraced so called "low art" and eschewed traditional standards of beauty in favor of what he believed to be a more authentic and humanistic approach to image-making.-Life and work:Dubuffet was...
donated by Dan DuncanDan DuncanDan L Duncan was an American born in Center, Texas. He was the co-founder, chairman and majority shareholder of Enterprise Products.- Philanthropy :...
was moved from 1100 Louisiana in downtown HoustonDowntown HoustonDowntown Houston is the largest business district of Houston, Texas, United States. Downtown Houston, the city's central business district, contains the headquarters of many prominent companies. There is an extensive network of pedestrian tunnels and skywalks connecting the buildings of the district...
in October 2007 after some restoration. The estimated value of this sculpture is $1 million, including restoration. It was created between 1969 and 1971 as part of the Hourloupe series.
- Synchronicity of Color - Nationally acclaimed artist Margo Sawyer's installation graces both exits of the underground garageMulti-storey car parkA multi-storey car-park is a building designed specifically to be for car parking and where there are a number of floors or levels on which parking takes place...
, with accents at The Grove and The Lake House. The 151 panels hold 1,500 aluminum boxes in 65 colors. The paint on these boxes is also used in under water applications for oil rigsDrilling rigA drilling rig is a machine which creates holes or shafts in the ground. Drilling rigs can be massive structures housing equipment used to drill water wells, oil wells, or natural gas extraction wells, or they can be small enough to be moved manually by one person...
and was gifted by International Paint LLC. Some elements are kamelion car paint color and also Dicroic film, a new technology and application.
- Listening Vessels - Sculptor Doug Hollis’ Listening Vessels, a gift from Maconda Brown O’Connor, sits in the midst of the Urban Gardens, an ideal setting for these serene and graceful pieces. The two parabolas, cut from solid limestoneLimestoneLimestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
and spaced 60 feet (18.3 m) apart, epitomize Hollis’ desire to call attention to events that are taken for granted, such as conversation. Visitors are intended to come across the vessels and gain an understanding of their function as they realize they can hear the words of another person speaking at a normal volume, a great distance away.
- Mist Tree - Hollis also created the Mist Tree, a gift from Fayez Sarofirm, located next to the playground. The Mist Tree is a 15 feet (4.6 m)-high-by-22-foot-wide stainless steel structure that is sited to attract people to the park. Visible from beyond the park’s boundaries, the rain curtain and mist streams generated by the tree will entice children and adults to refresh themselves in its delightful shower.
Planned events and uses
Discovery Green offers a wide variety of programming throughout the year. All events at the park are free and open to the public, unless otherwise noted. Discovery Green presents Houston's diverse world-class performing, literary and visual art in its Art Series. Discovery Green's Entertainment Series offers movies, Extreme Wii competitions, and concerts by talented musicians that showcase a rich variety of Gulf Coast and Central Texas sounds. For the health and fitness-minded, the Healthy Living in the Park series offers a weekly urban market and exercise classes such as Pilates, Yoga, and Zumba as well as a Hip2BFit exercise class just for kids. The Families & Children Series offers hands-on workshops and activities suitable for children and their parents.On weekends, families can visit the park, put their pets in one of two dog runs and watch their kids play on the playground while they discard their newspapers and cans into recycling bins.