A Museum Expansion, the Astrodome, and Oil

A Museum Expansion, the Astrodome, and Oil. 

The Gist

A rendition of the eastern part of the new design
Image: Lake|Flato Architects.

The city of Houston has never had a reputation as the prettiest, nicest, or most cultured city in the country. It is undoubtedly the energy capital of the world (instead of being the Dubai of the Gulf of Mexico, Dubai is the Houston of the Persian Gulf). Although the price of oil keeps tumbling, the tremendous amount of petrodollars pouring into the city is a boon for Houston's cultural institutions. Already the largest museum in Texas, the Museum of Fine Arts will soon become one of the largest museum campuses in the United States. The MFAH recently announced its $450 million, of which $330 million has already been raised, expansion. The plan is meant to transform the entire museum district into a cohesive, pedestrian friendly, student populated environment. The plan includes three new buildings connected by landscaped walkways, a tony new restaurant, and moving all parking underground. Although widely praised and supported, the plan is not without its detractors with one critic questioning if the expansion is more  “related to the prestige of the institution [rather than] the civic pride of the community.” The demolition of the Seth Irvin Morris-designed  Glassell School of Art building, in particular, is seen as an unnecessary destruction of the city's architectural identity (another Morris-designed building on the chopping block: the Astrodome). The entire plan is intended to transform Houston into one of the premier art centers in the country, you know, as long as OPEC gets it together and stops flooding the oil market...and now you know the gist.