Introduction

Houston Museum District comprises a number of museums, precisely stating, they are nineteen in number. The site is located in Houston Texas and comprises numerous cultural centres, galleries, and communities that makes Houston Museum District worth promoting culture, art, history and science (Heymann, 2015).

Houston Museum District hold a rich history of America besides science and arts that has made it one of the interesting tourist destination. Moreover, the architectural work that has transformed it expresses rich history as shall be reviewed in this study. This District of Museum was established with a mission of collaborative effort to maximise the utilisation of scientific, educational, artistic resources available in Houston Museum District not only by the locals but also by the visitors (Heymann, 2015).

By the year 1997, already eleven institutions had been part of Houston Museum District and received official designation (IRS 501 (c) (3)). In June 2002, five more Museums were established and became part of District.

Having briefly reviewed Houston Museum District, the understanding is import to this study as far as the analysis of the history and architecture is concerned. The aim of this study, therefore, is to evaluate history of Houston’s Museum District, the choices and decisions that were made by the designers in the shaping history, and the impact of Glassel School of Art will have on the neighbourhood and the experience of visiting the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston Home (MFAH). Some of the elements that this study addresses include cultural, political, economic and urban of the neighbourhood and architects, landscape designers, artists that contributed to the design of MFAH campus (Zeiger, 2017).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

History Evaluation of Houston Museum’s District

 

The region was marked with a coincidence of a group of similar institutions in close proximity thus contributing to its independence as a district. Moreover, the district is devoid of zoning, however, it can be regarded an identifiable zone.

 

The Museum of Fine Arts is regarded as the historical reason that the Houston Museum District is regarded as the main potential for the agent of coherence. Some authors argue that despite the potential of Museum of Fine Arts there are some worrying choices that may hinder the success of the fragile district indicating absence of vision that goes beyond the requirements of different institutions (Heymann, 2015).

MFAH is a component of the 1920 collective near Institute of Rice that made it part of the Hotel Warwik, Hermann Park, Shadyside subdivision and so on. An expansion was planned in 1948 that magnified this grouping some of the Museum facilities were added a study done by Hare and Hare, on the additional facilities on Cullinan estate. The plan was formulated by Kenneth Franzeheim in 1952.

Kenneth Franzeheim plan reorganized the expansion such that Bissonnet was recognized such that a museum was given a front door, I.e., realignment was made through Binz east of South Main, thus the Museum had entry (drive through entry). Mie Van der Rohe also had a plan executed in 1958 and this comprised an expansion of Brown Pavilion, also the front of the Museum was transferred to Bissonet side of the Museum building (Heymann, 2015).

Amid this expansion, it is worth noting that in the 1950, few objects were available, about 4,000 and therefore the expansion of the district was not just limited the covered square foot of the museum but by the objects as well and by 1970, the available had tripled from the previous 4000 in 1950’s to 12,000 of 1970. The growth in these object were steady and by 1992, the objects had double to 27,000. Therefore, the expansion of the Museum has been steady owing to the master plans laid down by the initial designers. We have also noted as reported by some of the authors that as some plans lacked vision. However, the achievements have so far been good (Heymann, 2015).

Most buildings in MFAH were designed and build courtesy of strong architects mostly those that were late in their careers thus providing worthwhile experience shaping the District. These architects created simple building rather than complex, restrained rather than complicated as reported by some authors. In general, these architects didn’t put things in the extreme rather presentable.

 

Impact of Glassel School of Art

 

The Glassel School is made of a three storey design that was designed to serve as garden and amphitheatre. Moreover, the buildings were planned to contain the objects of the 20th Century. Moreover, the design was to make it porous to enhance the experience of the visitors. The main intent of making it porous was to enhance the experience and inspiration of the people served. Thus, Houston’s Museum District is characterised by buildings and objects that carries historical past, scientific and fine arts that is vital in enhancing experience of both the local and visitors (Heymann, 2015).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Heymann, D. (2015, January 17). A Binding Debate, Renewed: Steven Holl’s Kinder Building for The.

Zeiger, M. (2017, February 2017). Houston’s Museum Boom. Retrieved from Architect.