HOUSTON – (By Cynthia Lescalleet for Realty News Report) – Walking around some stretches of downtown Houston after dark is going to get a lot brighter –and playful — as Downtown Houston+ implements part of its masterplan for a better pedestrian experience.
At the organization’s quarterly update and outlook event, held earlier this week, Moon Papas Art’s team of creatives debuted the color-filled, animated pathway installation they’ve designed, dubbed “Underpassage.”
Work on the immersive, multi-media project is slated to start this summer on Rusk and Texas avenues where they cross below the freeway. It’s a route many who attend baseball at Daikin Park use, sometimes intrepidly.
The upcoming makeover piggybacks the freeway’s existing infrastructure. Among the changes are new treatments on the columns. They’ll be wrapped up to 16 feet with intricately perforated steel over boldly painted colors that span from orange (Go ‘Stros) to midnight blue.
The resulting patterns create a “rhythmic interplay between material and color,” Moon Papas’ speakers said in their sneak peek presentation. Descriptions called attention to how the layered design elements will shift perceptions of depth, shadow and motion, depending on how viewers pass by.
Overhead, meanwhile, programmable lighting washes the spans and spaces between them with more color and glow. Ditto the sconce level lights.
GIVE ME A HAND
The installation’s real surprise is the human connection. Several of the columns have touchpads that activate sounds, be they a chime, a jingle or a hearty peal. To activate it, however, means passersby must touch hands, even if they’re strangers. On Texas Avenue, the touchable array requires a quadrant of hand-holding participants, something demonstrated at the reveal in a roomful of suited up event attendees.
As one of Moon Papas’ co-founders, Matt Fries, said, the installation’s impact shifts the pedestrian attitude from “we ‘have’ to walk down here to we ‘get’ to walk down here. It’s a ‘journey is part of the destination’ kind of thing.”
“Underpassage” is an example of what Downtown Houston + aspires to achieve with respect to overall connectivity downtown, better wayfinding, and improved pedestrian access and security as identified in the organization’s “Nighttime Vulnerability Assessment.” That study identifies most used pedestrian corridors and opportunities to enhance how they’re perceived and experienced.
PORTALS INTO DOWNTOWN
Having “cool corridors” acting as street level “portals into downtown” and for secure, connected and less bewildered pedestrian flow is one of the organization’s 2025 Top 20 initiatives, said Kris Larson, president and CEO is Downtown Houston +, speaking at the association’s recent membership breakfast.
The investment in lighting supports downtown’s nighttime usage, which continues to increase as visitors and residents attend special events, performances and team sports, he said. With the 2026 FIFA World Cup competition playing seven matches in Houston, some of the dazzle will be in getting to and from them.
May 3, 2025 Realty News Report Copyright 2025
Image Credit: Caitlin Dashiell for Moon Papas Art
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HOUSTON – CommGate announced its 2025 Development Showcase will be held May 15, 4:30 to 7:00 p.m. at the Houston Country Club. The event will provide Houston’s commercial brokerage community an overview of significant Houston area commercial real estate developments. Discounted pricing is available for CommGate, CCIM, SIOR, and HAR members. Register at CommGate.com
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File: Underpassage: The New Experiential Entry Portal Into Downtown, Kris Larson, Underpassage: The New Experiential Entry Portal Into Downtown