Stretching across Mechanic at the historic Tremont House Hotel, this festive arch is just one of many sights to be seen while visiting Galvestons Historic Strand District.
1986 Powell Arch
The festive arches gracing Galveston's historic Strand District are part of an imaginative civic design project undertaken in 1985 and based on temporary decorative arches constructed in 1881, when the City of Galveston hosted Saengerfest, a biennial singing contest sponsored by German immigrant choral societies around the state of Texas.
In 1985, Galveston-born oilman and developer George Mitchell and his wife Cynthia commissioned seven noted architects - Eugene Aubry, Michael Graves, Helmut Jahn, Charles Moore, Cesar Peili, Boone Powell and Stanley Tigerman - each to design a "fantasy arch" for Galveston. The "fantasy arches" were conceived to be a dramatic part of the city's 1986 Mardi Gras celebration, as well as a salute to the Texas Sesquicentennial.
The Powell arch at 24th and Mechanic is a breezy, colorful structure of mast, rigging and pennants, suggestive of the sailing ships that called on Galveston during its glory days as a major seaport. The structure is crowned by a double arch and an exaggerated oculus — both direct references to master Galveston architect Nicholas Clayton.
At night, "Tivoli" lights in the traditional Mardi Gras colors of purple, yellow and green trace the outline of the design, adding a carnivalesque air.
Boone Powell, a partner in the San Antonio firm of Ford, Powell & Carson and a noted authority on preservation and rejuvenation of buildings and cities, designed the restoration of Galveston's historic 1879 Tremont House hotel and 1871 T. Jeff League Building, which houses The Wentletrap restaurant. His other major projects include the campus master plan and 19 major buildings for Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs., New York; Tower of the Americas, San Antonio; and Galveston's Pier 21 development.
An exhibition of architectural renderings, photographs and models of the Galveston arch project was displayed at the Cooper-Hewitt Museum, the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Design, from October 1987 through January 1988.
Sponsors: George and Cynthia Mitchell
Concept/Coordination: Dancie Perugini Ware
City of Galveston: Douglas W. Matthews, City Manager
Project Consultant: Michael Gaertner
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Fantasy Arches for Mardi Gras! Galveston
The fantasy arches were commissioned by George and Cynthia Mitchell. This civic design project was modeled after temporary decorative arches constructed in 1881, when the city of Galveston hosted Saengerfest, a statewide, biennial singing contest. In 1985, seven noted architects were each invited to design a fantasy structure that, unlike most architectural problems, needed to meet one requirement only - express the exuberance of Mardi Gras! Galveston. The arches they created, each different from the others and each unusual, formed a series of colorful gateways spanning the streets of downtown Galveston. The arches were designed by Boone Powell, Cesar Pelli, Charles Moore, Gene Aubry, Helmut Jahn, Michael Graves and Stanley Tigerman.
Michael Gaertner & Associates coordinated the construction of all arches and actually constructed four arches, of which the Boone Powell arch remains in front of The Tremont House hotel in Galveston. Every year, the Grand Night Parade of the Krewe of Momus passes through the Boone Powell arch as it approaches The Tremont House Masked Ball.
Mardi Gras! Galveston was first celebrated in 1985 to mark the grand opening of The Tremont House. The arches were erected for the 1986 celebration and the project captured national attention in 1987, when "Arches for Galveston," an exhibition of architectural renderings, photographs and models of the Galveston arches, was displayed at the Cooper-Hewitt Museum, the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum. In 1990, another arch joined those still standing when George and Cynthia Mitchell sponsored a nautical-theme arch designed by Aldo Rossi. Rossi created four red-and-white "lighthouses" with beacons.
Design highlights of the Arches
Boone Powell used architectural styles found in historic Galveston as the basis of his creation, which he enlivened with nautical decorations--masts, pennants and rigging.
Stanley Tigerman added mannequins to his structure, representing legendary heroes from Texas' fight for independence.
Charles Moore used mesh and canvas to create a motif of waves breaking over the streets.
Helmut Jahn's sweeping, shallow arch spanned two streets.
Cesar Pelli used brightly painted, parallel line forms layered to produce a complex pattern of grids.
Eugene Aubry draped a pleated gold fabric sheath over his arch, and topped it with a whimsical fish ornament.
Michael Graves echoed the look of the terra-cotta stone of nearby buildings with massive trusses adorned by Lone Star ornaments.
The arches became a focal point of the renaissance under way in Galveston, where landmark buildings were being restored and age-old traditions, such as Mardi Gras, revived. Originally created as temporary fantasy monuments to be dismantled after one month, the arches proved such a popular attraction that they were kept up for six months, and two of the original arches - those designed by Graves and Powell - remained until 1999 when the Graves arch was dismantled. As of today, only the Boone Powell arch remains standing today, and it is now being repaired.