design elements - San Jacinto Texas Historic District

AMENITIES
Wayfi nding and interpretive signage
are important amenities in a streetscape
environment. Wayfi nding signage that is
tailored to pedestrians can supplement
existing street signs which are usually
designed for motorists. Custom wayfi nding
signage can link together distant sites and
reinforce a regional identity in a way that
standard street signs can’t. Once visitors
have arrived at a site, interpretive signage
can be used to identify and describe specifi c
features. Furnishings such as benches and
drinking fountains also encourage pedestrian
travel through a corridor.
Cultural amenities are what will truly
distinguish the San Jacinto Texas Historic
District from other places in the Houston
metropolitan area. Public art that draws
upon the primary cultural, industrial, and
environmental themes of the District will
help to create unique environments. Art
installations will also broaden the appeal
of the district to a wider group of visitors.
Artistic contributions can be solicited from
youths and other groups that are often
disenfranchised.
Schools, colleges, business and industrial
parks, and other campus-like sett ings
are prime locations for community art
installations. Properties along street fronts
LA IN LI CI AM
A corridor without amenities is just a travelway. It may allow people to get from one location to the other,
but the journey will be mundane. With the right application of amenities, however, the corridors of the San
Jacinto Texas Historic District can become destinations in their own right.
of industrial operations are prime locations
for steelwork and other arts that emulate the
area’s industrial history.
Eff orts should also be made to integrate the
style and people involved with local arts
and crafts into the design and fabrication
of furnishings and other amenities of the
San Jacinto District. This includes not
only traditional artists but also welders,
metal workers, and others whose talents
are typically directed to more industrious
tasks. It may also be possible to recycle the
waste products from local industries in the
fabrication of furnishings and amenities,
such as petrochemical waste polymers used
to fabricate benches.
SAN JACINTO TEXAS HISTORIC DISTRICT CORRIDOR STANDARDS │ 123