Houston Plaza Faces Re-Redesign

Posted by: Tim Halbur

2 February 2009 - 11:00am

Jones Plaza in Central Houston was redesigned in 2001 to accommodate large concerts and events, but locals objected to the lack of green space. So planners are going back to the drawing board.

'The plaza sits above street level atop a three-story parking garage and is flanked by several structures covered in green and blue mosaic tiles.

When it opened, some said it resembled a bus station bathroom and dubbed it 'Jordy's Toilet' after Jordy Tollett, the city’s then-director of convention and entertainment facilities, who spearheaded the project.

“There are clearly a lot of people that are not very pleased with the way in which Jones Plaza works today,” said Bob Eury, president of Central Houston, which submitted the request to architects on behalf of the city’s Convention & Entertainment Facilities Department.

The plaza opened in 1967, but largely languished until 1987 when a weekly free live rock concert called Party on the Plaza began enticing workers to stay downtown at night."

Full Story: Maligned design for Jones Plaza will get a redo

Source: The Houston Chronicle, January 31, 2009