Jesse H. Jones Hall for the Performing Arts by Leighann Dunn

Jesse Holman Jones contributed time, money and effort into Houston’s cultural, social and economic scene. Jones impacted Houston in such a vast way that now Houston has become the epicenter of cultural diversity and creative arts thus allowing for a city that strives on a multi-platform basis. In the early 1960s, the Houston Endowment Inc. saw an opportunity to continue Jesse Holman’s work by building the first performing arts theatre in Houston. This theatre, the first of its kind, would soon create a rippling effect in Houston allowing for a theatre district to rise up amongst the blocks lining Jones Hall.

With such a large task at hand, the Houston Endowment Inc. set out to find an architect worthy of impacting the Downtown district of Houston in a way that would last across time. In a postmodern era the firm Caudill Rowlett Scott (CRS) strived for a grand statement in each piece of architecture they created. They worked on many master plans and large scale projects that were meant to create an impact in a larger context consequently making them the perfect choice to make an impact across the Houston streetscape and skyline. As John Ockman, an architectural writer says, “Sites for monuments must be planned,” and with every design choice CRS made a conscious decision that would in effect create a monumental building within what soon would become Houston’s Theatre District located in Downtown Houston, Texas (Ockman, 1993, pg. 30).

The design of the building not only excels in standing as a landmark to Houston but it also holds other key design features. The major design concepts for Jesse H. Jones Hall for the Performing Arts are: the idea of monumentality in relation to the existing environment and the concept of creating a smaller community within a larger one.  By visiting Jones Hall it becomes clear that the monumentality comes from the existing environment; downtown Houston had multiple skyscrapers and tall buildings in the 1960s and in order for this new building, which would be the starting point for a theatre district, it had to hold a severe impact on the skyline and streetscape. Following the project proposal by the Houston Endowment Inc., the ideas of the architecture firm, Caudill Scott Rowlett, won the competition thus beginning the process of design (Houston’s First Theatres, About Jones Hall, 2015, para. 4).) The building would be large in terms of footprint, by building across an entire city block, and in height by allowing the building to rise to the height of an eight story building. The choice of a monumental building had to be made early on in the design due to the significance of many architectural features.  The scale of the curved planes interlocking inside of the colonnade of eight story columns; the boxed roof in its simple geometry yet large scale; the program layout and build up to the theatre; the grand stairs and interior circulation; the adjustable ceiling and height of the interior theatre; all of these aspects were design choices that had monumentality in mind.  The architecture firm, Caudill Scott Rowlett, saw the opportunity to create a statement in the Houston skyline and further more a statement towards the future of the arts buildings of Houston. They were designing in a post-modern era where statement and monumental architecture were at a maximum. In the book, The Language of Post-Modern Architecture, Charles Jencks describes post-modern architecture as an eclectic architecture and an architecture where the architects make the choices because they want to and not because they are following the rules of the time (Jencks, 1981, pg. 90). Jones Hall is essentially a mixture of monumental idea across time due to the large scale of the columns wrapping around the entire building common Roman or Greek buildings and the simplicity of the shape and geometry is common in a design of the Modern period. The way that all these elements are combined is what makes this a monumental post-modern building in the Downtown Theatre District of Houston.

Upon arriving at Jesse H. Jones Hall for the Performing Arts one is overwhelmed with a sense of grandeur and monumentality. The building is essentially a cylinder within a square with two interlocking curved walls with a square roof and columns shooting downward from the roof. The massive volume, with eight story tall columns, follows the definition of inflection according to Robert Venturi. Venturi says, “Inflection in architecture is the way in which the whole is implied by exploiting the nature of the individual parts, rather than their position or number” (Venturi, 1977, pg. 88). In this statement Venturi is implying that each small design choice, whether it be a small detail like a handrail or a large statement such as the building form, gives rise to an overall building language. This type of architectural consistency exists in the materiality of the building and in the simple geometric shapes that make a big impact through their scale. Due to the consistency in façade materiality it is as if a square has been carved out with eight story tall perimeter pieces remaining to support the top portion of the square and to allow for a covered space in which visitors to circulate through. This circulation space wraps around the load bearing curved façade to create a sense of movement and to lead one towards an entry. The main and secondary entry is marked by the façade itself; the two curved planes are linked when the planes overlap and allow for an opening thus creating a grand entryway. After one passes through the floor to roof opening, a storefront window system, they are greeted with a large interior entry space marked with a grand stair and floating sculpture above. Inside of the two interlocking curved planes is an outer circular band of public space, which houses entry spaces and circulation; then private support spaces, which allows for mechanical, electrical and plumbing rooms and equipment, offices, restrooms, storage, and other support spaces; the last inner band is the center of the building, the main theatre space. The theatre space has a unique feature unlike many theatres built around the 1960’s. There is an adjustable ceiling, made up of 800 hexagons, that lowers to accommodate a smaller crowd of 2,300 and raises to allow for maximum seating, 2,911 seats; all while maintaining the acoustical quality of a renowned performing arts hall (Houston’s First Theatres, About Jones Hall, 2015, para. 5).

The Houston theatre district today is a cultural hot spot for the performing arts; there are world renowned performances and attractions throughout the year allowing for Houston to thrive not only as a city of business but also as a city of entertainment. I believe that the idea of creating a smaller community within a larger one is exactly what the theatre district has become. Jones Hall was the first initiative towards creating a theatre district which would exist within the Downtown District, all within the larger context of Houston. Before the 1960s there were many ideas regarding small spaces within larger ones and the idea of creating small cities to coexist within larger contexts. Within Houston there was and still is: River Oaks, the Memorial area, the Museum District, Montrose and many more. All of these places hold significance to the history and making of Houston by creating a smaller outlet within a large context. Without the many facets and subsets of Houston we would all be lost in a big city; these divisions help bridge the gap between a massive city with a population of 2.196 million people and a small community for Houstonians to feel more connected to their city.

            Each idea Jesse H. Jones, the Houston Endowment Inc., and the firm Caudill Rowlett Scott had became realized through hard work and dedication to the city of Houston. It was with the vision of a monumental and impactful space that Jesse H. Jones Hall for the Performing Arts was realized. With its eight story tall columns and simple geometric shape is formed a monumental design and deep connection to the city of Houston and the Downtown district. Jones Hall has only advanced forward since its creation forty-nine years ago and it will continue to do so in the future.

References

Archdaily. (2015). [Image of Jones Hall interior hexagon ceiling, Houston, TX, March 29, 2015]. Architecture City Guide: Houston.  Retrieved from http://www.archdaily.com/103349/architecture-city-guide-houston/jones-hall-for-performing-arts/

Architectural Perspective. (2015). [Image of Jones Hall street scape, Houston, TX March 29, 2015]. The Architectural Photography of Rob Turner. Retrieved from www.architecturalperspective.com

Brown, D. S., Izenour, S., Venturi, B. (1977). Learning from Las Vegas. Cambridge, Massachusetts: The Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Downtown Houston. (2015). [Image of Downtown Houston map with districts highlighted, March 29, 2015]. Houston Downtown street map. Retrieved from http://www.downtownhouston.com/maps/dh.php

Houston’s First Theatres (2015). About Jones Hall. Retrieved from http://www.houstonfirsttheaters.com/JonesHall.aspx

               Jencks, C.  A. (1981). The Language of Post-Modern Architecture. New York City, NY: Rizzoli International Publication, Inc.

               Ockman, J. (1993). Architecture Culture 1943-1968, A Documentary Anthology. New York City, NY: Rizzoli International Publication, Inc.

               Venturi, R. (1977). Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture. New York City, NY: The Museum of Modern Art