Sometimes, stage productions require a few runs to finally earn their standing ovations. Houston’s Jones Plaza is a good example. Situated atop a 60-year-old underground parking garage in the middle of the city’s downtown Theater District, the 0.77-hectare space long featured a cluttered design defined by too much bare concrete and clunky shade structures. Now, the park is back with a new look and a new moniker: Lynn Wyatt Square for the Performing Arts, named after the socialite and philanthropist who partially funded its revamp. Suddenly, it’s the hottest act in town.

To match the custom RIOS lighting poles, design duo Esrawe + Cadena and public art specialists Creos introduced bright yellow house and swing set structures to recall the community spirit of Latin American mercados.

Back when L.A.-based firm RIOS won the design competition for the project in 2019, Houston’s direction called for something more contemporary to draw residents downtown — all while better tying in with the local ecology. But greening the top of an existing structure wasn’t easy. “The biggest challenge was getting enough soil depth to provide trees and shade in the heart of this space,” says Peter Emerson, studio director at RIOS. By developing custom root boxes capable of handling four feet of soil, RIOS and executive landscape architect Asakura Robinson were able to introduce oaks and magnolias, rounded out by additional landscaping inspired by the region’s bayous and wetlands. 

Reflecting the “urban choreography” style of placemaking, sweeping pathways ensure a sense of theatricality even when no performances are taking place.

The team’s next order of business was to open things up. “A goal of ours from day one was to take the visual barriers away,” says Emerson. Because the underpinning garage’s roof rises above street level, the park’s previous iteration blocked sight lines in and through the space with large concrete walls. RIOS replaced these with a series of stepped levels and sloped ramps that gradually approach a new central lawn — now elevated high enough to reduce damage from the area’s routine flooding. 

Previously a heat island, the site now offers shaded gardens and a cascading water feature that provide relief from Houston’s subtropical climate.

Unveiled last fall, the resulting green space offers plenty of breathing room yet nevertheless packs in a full cast of characters: swings, rocking chairs, a restaurant pavilion and dedicated areas for performing artists to share their gifts, gratis. Houston formally lifted its ban on busking in April of last year, and RIOS openly encourages street performers to set up at Lynn Wyatt Square with multiple spots designed for putting on a show and gaining visibility without disrupting pedestrians. Some sections of the park’s cascading water feature can even be switched off for quick conversion into a small stage. Cue the applause. 

Still to open, a restaurant pavilion designed with executive architect HarrisonKornberg Architects continues the park’s timber and concrete palette.