Time Magazine published in June its roundup dubbed “A Portrait of America in 25 Buildings and Monuments,” exploring the placemakers around the country that exhibit America’s spirit of vibrancy and ingenuity. Among those, Time recognized three Texas sites for their artistry, architectural prowess and community-building spaces, including a familiar favorite here in Austin.
Eric Klinenberg, a professor of sociology at New York University, praised the Austin Central Library as not just a “stunning building,” but rather “a gift that local residents gave to themselves, and one that gives back every day.” The project’s inaugural funding came via a $90 million city bond program, while Austin City Council signed off on additional funding later on to construct the multi-level building that now overlooks the shores of Lady Bird Lake.
“[T]he library serves as a civic hub, an antidote to social isolation, a play space, an ecological refuge, and, above all, a reminder that American communities are still capable of producing extraordinary public goods,” Klinenberg wrote. “It’s a model of the social infrastructure that Americans want and deserve, precisely what we need to rebuild an open society and democratic culture in this dark and dangerous moment.”
Elsewhere in Texas, fellow major Lone Star cities Houston and Dallas earned kudos for two contributions to the American zeitgeist: the Houston Astrodome and Dallas’ proposed redesign effort of Dealey Plaza and Martyrs Park.
With the Houston Astrodome (now known as the NRG Astrodome), Time contributors wrote that the site embodies both historical preservation and adaptive reuse efforts that will be imperative for the future of architectural initiatives in America.
“The Houston Astrodome is a great example of a structure that, if preserved, would point toward the future by combining historic preservation with new creative uses of an iconic space to serve today’s changing needs,” contributor Maria Nicanor wrote.
In Dallas, the North Texas city memorialized the space where then-President John F. Kennedy was assassinated with a nearby park where three enslaved Black men were lynched in 1860.
“The reimagining of Dealey Plaza and Martyrs Park….speaks to our need as a nation to confront difficult histories, reclaim public space for community, and foster self-reflection,” contributor Monica Ponce de Leon wrote. “By uniting the site of President John F. Kennedy’s 1963 assassination with the adjacent park dedicated to Patrick Jennings, Samuel Smith, and Cato Miller, three victims of racial violence in 1860, the proposal seeks to transform the current tourist “drive-thru” experience into a holistic space for education, contemplation, or simply coming together.”