About Houston

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Houston's Beginnings

The story of Houston began in New York City, where in 1833, two brothers from New York state, John and Augustus Allen, set out to buy, promote, and sell an unknown and as of yet unbuilt city in the Mexican state of Texas.

One of the many obstacles that they faced was that this region had yet to secede from Mexico and would not do so for another three years. However, when it did in 1836, the Allen brothers were poised to make one of the truly astounding real estate deals of the last two centuries—convincing the government of the new republic of Texas that this low-lying, steamy, mosquito-infested region deserved to be the capital of the new republic—and they did. Part of their pitch claimed that this city would some day become "the great interior commercial emporium of Texas"—and they could not have been more prophetic.

Houston Today

Today, Houston is our nation's fourth largest city, though it is still not well understood. Variously known as energy city, space city, the bayou city, or simply as the land where zoning was forgotten, Houston's diversity is truly one of its strengths. Some have likened Houston to a chameleon; others like to think of it as a city open to opportunity.

Houston is home to the eighth wonder of the world: the Astrodome, the first domed stadium in the country, though its future is in question as three newer stadiums have made it obsolete. Houston's port is the sixth most active in the world. Another vital part of the city is its medical campus, which is the world's largest and renowned for its cancer and heart research. And as most of you know, The Johnson Space Center is home to NASA's manned flight training center and mission control.

Houston really came into its own and gained national recognition in the 1970s and 1980s for its crop of sleek modern skyscrapers by architects such as Skidmore, Owens & Merrill, Philip Johnson, I.M. Pei, and Cesar Pelli.

Houston is also home to the world's largest livestock show & rodeo. The performing arts in Houston are thriving, as Houston is second only to New York in the number of seats provided for performances.

Civic Pride & Philanthropy

Houston has always been a city with high aspirations and a deeply instilled sense of pride. This civic pride has long been expressed by its citizens through their generous philanthropy, which in the words of Ima Hogg, one of the city's great patrons, "This is simply what Houstonians do once they get a little money." And they have continued to do so for the last 170 years.

Cultural Highlights

The Museum of Fine Arts of Houston is Texas's oldest museum, founded in 1900. However, it didn't have a proper home until William Ward Watkin designed a neo-classical structure in 1924. As this encyclopedic collection grew, the need for not only one but two expansions by Mies van der Rohe occurred in 1958 and 1974. These additions brought a new modernist spirit to Houston. By 2000, the MFAH saw yet another expansion of its gallery space with the completion of the Audrey Jones Beck wing, designed by Pritzker Prize winning architect Rafael Moneo. Linking the old and the new buildings is the sublime tunnel by James Turrell. To round out the campus, Isamu Noguchi's design for a sculpture garden was completed in 1986.

In addition to this, the MFA also features two house museums that have been donated to the Museum. Bayou Bend, an elegant home in the upscale River Oaks community, was given by Ima Hogg in the 1960's. It houses one of the truly great collections of American decorative arts (it has been said that one has officially become a Houstonite once the name Ima Hogg no longer seems odd). Adjacent to Bayou Bend is the recently donated Rienzi, which was given by Houstonians Harris & Carroll Masterson and features European decorative arts.

A recent emphasis on Latin American art has taken root at the MFAH with the hiring of its first curator devoted to the region, as well as the founding of the International Center for the Arts of the Americas, which is charged with recovering critical documents related to the art of Latin America. One notable recent acquisition at the Museum is the Manfred Heiting Photography Collection, which contains examples from the earliest to latest manifestations of the medium.

The Contemporary Arts Museum, designed by Gunnar Birkets in 1972, has a long history of producing significant and often provocative exhibitions. They tend to feature exhibitions of mid-career artists, mixing local, national, and international individuals, while spotlighting new local talent. Past exhibitions have featured the work of: The Art Guys, Richard Long, Andres Serrano, Yoko Ono, Trenton Doyle Hancock, and Dario Robleto.

Just beyond the museum district lies Rice University, the city's most prestigious and oldest college. Since the first of its buildings were designed in 1910 by Ralph Adams Cram in a Mediterranean style, this lexicon has rarely been contradicted in successive structures. The other consistent element of the campus is the presence of live oak tress that dot the campus. This campus exists in a perpetual state of evolution with recent additions by Cesar Pelli, Ricardo Bofill, Stirling & Wolford, and Antoine Predock. The Rice University Art Gallery continues to put on challenging exhibitions - particularly those that are conceptually or installation based.

Other campuses that contain significant architecture include St. Thomas University where Philip Johnson has made his mark for a period that extends more than forty years.

The University of Houston is home to yet another Johnson design, this for the Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture building with its obvious reference to Ledoux's 18th century design for a House of Education.

Since its opening in 1987 The Menil Collection has drawn international acclaim as a jewel among private art institutions. Its founder and guiding light, Dominique De Menil, was a dominating presence in the Houston art scene for more than forty years. The eclectic collection that she and her husband John developed ranges from Cycladic to Egyptian to Native American to Surrealist to Pop and beyond. Renzo Piano's design is rightly regarded as one of the most beautiful art institutions in the world. Like the MFAH and Rice University, the Menil has also been in an expansive mode in recent years, adding two new structures to house the Cy Twombly Galleries and Byzantine chapel frescoes. These, in conjunction with the spiritual presence of the Rothko Chapel form a nucleus of structures that make up the Menil campus. They are united by their extreme quality and sensitivity of display.

Other Attractions

Houston is also home to its fair share of small non-profit art institutions that highlight the diverse nature of the city.

The Houston Center for Contemporary Craft has just opened in the past three years and has added a truly new dimension to the decorative arts scene.

The Orange Show pays homage to the creator within all of us.

Diverse Works features the city's most avant-garde performances and exhibitions, often taking on challenging subject matter that other institutions avoid.

Project Row Houses is a neighborhood art and revitalization program that celebrates African-American history and culture. It has become a model for such ventures in other cities.

Lawndale Art Center has long been a Houston institution that exhibits the work of less established artists from Houston and abroad.

Blaffer Gallery at the University of Houston has recently seen a transformation, not physically, but substantively with the addition of Terrie Sultan as its new director. Under her leadership, exhibitions such as the Chuck Close show that just closed at the Met were produced.

Live Oak Friends Meeting House is the latest in a series of religious structures to incorporate art as an integral part of the spiritual experience in Houston. A skylight installation by James Turrell transforms this space into an otherworldly experience that should not be missed.

Houston Center for Photography is the city's premier center for showcasing photography from Houston and abroad.

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The text above is based on Jon Evans' and Mark Pompelia's presentation given at the ARLIS/NA 2004 membership meeting on Monday, April 19, 2004, at the Roosevelt Hotel, New York City.

The full text of that presentation, with images, is available as a downloadable Word document.