[Wattleigh]

https://www.bizjournals.com/houston/...-downtown.html

Photos: Lynn Wyatt Square for Performing Arts to open in downtown Houston's Theater District

By Jeff Jeffrey – Senior reporter, Houston Business Journal
Sep 19, 2023

Houston First Corp. has scheduled the long-awaited opening of the Lynn Wyatt Square for the Performing Arts downtown for this week.

A grand opening event will be held Sept. 21, and the performing arts square will be open to the public starting Sept. 22.

During the square’s opening weekend, Houston First has scheduled a number of activities, including lawn games and live entertainment. However, the highlight will be interactive performances of “Bees,” which features human-sized bees busying themselves in the creation of a community alongside children in attendance. The performance was created by renowned Australian theater company, Polyglot Theatre.

'A game changer for downtown'
The opening marks the culmination of a $26.5 million redevelopment of the former Jones Plaza in the Theater District, which city officials have said will eventually bring to the west side what Discovery Green has brought to downtown’s east side.

“This is a game changer for downtown Houston,” Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said in a news release. “I am so excited to see this square come to life as a public space that connects the arts and, more importantly, connects people to the arts.”

The redevelopment project was funded through a collaboration between Houston First, the Downtown Redevelopment Authority and Wyatt herself.

The project kicked into high gear in 2019, when Wyatt, a well-known local philanthropist, donated $10 million to the project. Following Wyatt’s donation, the Downtown Redevelopment Authority committed an additional $10 million and Houston First added another $5 million to the project.

“I thank Houston’s living legend, Lynn Wyatt, and her family for their dedication to this city and the arts,” Turner said. “We can move mountains in this city by working together through public-private collaborations like this one between Lynn Wyatt, the Downtown Redevelopment Authority and Houston First.”

The new green space includes a flexible performance lawn for concerts and other free programs, a cascading water feature, accessible entries, gardens, trees, one-of-a-kind tête-à-tête rockers/seating, lighting and sound elements, and space for a future restaurant.

Mini murals created by Anat Ronen and Jessica Guerra, whose artist name is Guerra Girl, cover traffic boxes around the square. Houston First will maintain and operate the square, which will offer year-round programming inspired by Houston’s cultural diversity and the award-winning performing arts organizations surrounding the park.

“I love Houston, I love the arts, and I absolutely love this beautiful square. I am thrilled to support the team bringing people and the arts together in the heart of downtown,” Wyatt said in a statement. “And to have my name on such an important piece of Houston, I am humbled and grateful; this truly touches my heart. I look forward to all the good this square will do now and in the future for the people of this dynamic city and our world-class performing arts community.”

As previously announced, Los Angeles-based Rios Clementi Hale Studios served as landscape architect for the project, while Houston-based Harrison Kornberg Architects served as executive architect. Tulsa, Oklahoma-based Manhattan Construction Co. served as general contractor.

The Lynn Wyatt Square for the Performing Arts is scheduled to open to the public on Sept. 22.

COURTESY OF HOUSTON FIRST CORP

The overhaul of Jones Plaza to create the Lynn Wyatt Square for the Performing Arts broke ground in 2021.

COURTESY OF HOUSTON FIRST CORP

The project kicked into high gear in 2019, when Wyatt, a well-known local philanthropist, donated $10 million to the project. Following Wyatt’s donation, the Downtown Redevelopment Authority committed an additional $10 million and Houston First added another $5 million to the project.

COURTESY OF HOUSTON FIRST CORP

The square has space for a future restaurant to occupy.

COURTESY OF HOUSTON FIRST CORP

The restaurant space is in the heart of the Theater District.

COURTESY OF HOUSTON FIRST CORP

A cascading water feature was included in the construction plan.

COURTESY OF HOUSTON FIRST CORP

The square has a swings that patrons can use to relax, while watching a performance.

COURTESY OF HOUSTON FIRST CORP