‘Tree of Life’ grows in beauty at downtown location
Skanska has unveiled the “Tree of Life” mural wrapping around its Capitol Tower development at Rusk and Travis in downtown Houston. The project is one of four public art murals initiated by Houston City Councilwoman Amanda Edwards in cooperation with the Houston Super Bowl Host Committee.
As part of a citywide spruce-up before Super Bowl LI, developer Skanska has unveiled the “Tree of Life” mural wrapping around its Capitol Tower project downtown.
The illustration at Rusk and Travis is one of four public murals initiated by Houston City Council woman Amanda Edwards in cooperation with the Houston Super Bowl Host Committee.
Artist Reginald Adams created the mural with the help of 25 students from Kipp Connect Middle School in Sharpstown. The students used geometry found in nature and seen in ancient architecture and art to create the tree’s blossoms.
The murals give students a chance to take part in an urban art project, while making Houston look better in the process.
“We jumped at the chance to commemorate the big game by giving back to the City of Houston with this local art initiative,” Matt Damborsky, executive vice president for Skanska USA Commercial Development, said in an announcement.
“Skanska is proud to play a role in bringing this colorful community art project to life in the heart of downtown Houston. We are very supportive of educational opportunities for youth, which made this mural project even more exciting for us.”
Other murals under the initiative are at Cuney Homes apartments near Texas Southern University and The Breakfast Klub in Midtown. The fourth mural will be done in the Acres Home community.
The five-story structure at Capitol Tower is a contract parking garage. Skanska will move forward on building the 750,000-square-foot office tower after securing tenants. No lease deals have been announced yet.
The 35-story Capitol Tower is planned to go up on the site of the former Houston Club building. That structure served as a canvas for Suzanne Sellers’ Muted Hues of History mural before it was demolished in 2014.