Galveston’s Future at the Seawall

From The Rice Design Alliance: 

"HOUSTON—More than 70 people turned out for an intense, one day challenge to design a resident and tourist event space for one of Galveston Island’s busiest stretches of Seawall Boulevard. Rice Design Alliance (RDA) Partners sponsored the challenge or “charrette” to focus architects, designers, and interested community members on Galveston’s need to unite the disparate elements of history and tourism that give the island locale its distinct character.

Participants were organized into 18 teams, comprised mostly of Houston-area architects. The specific challenge was to “Think Big” and design a master plan for the vacant stretch of land between 21st and 22nd streets along Seawall Boulevard, just west of the historic Hotel Galvez. The master plan was to include a 5,000 square foot outdoor event area.

Another aspect of the design challenge was to “Build Small” within the masterplanned area and design an eco-friendly 2,000 square foot event facility with a budget of $8,000."

Our team: Amanda Hayes Valentine, Chris Promecene, Melanie Promecene, and myself.

"Entries from all teams were on display at the Galveston Art Walk on Saturday, August 22 at the former Big Dog Sportswear space on The Strand (2326 Strand). The George and Cynthia Mitchell Family graciously donated the space for the exhibition."