Pride Crosswalk Project
A new rainbow-painted crosswalk will soon be coming to the Montrose District, thanks to a new partnership between the Houston Pride Crosswalk Committee and Pride Houston, Inc. The “Pride Crosswalk”, which will be the intersection of Taft and Westheimer, is a first of it’s kind in Texas, and signifies that the LGBT Community is a part of Houston’s history.
FULL PRESS RELEASE
HOUSTON’S FIRST LBGT PRIDE CROSSWALK TO BE INSTALLED WITH FINANCIAL SUPPORT FROM PRIDE HOUSTON, INC
Crosswalk honors Houston’s vibrant LGBT community and promotes traffic safety
To be installed at the intersection of Westheimer Road and Taft Street
With approval from the City of Houston and full funding from Pride Houston, the Houston Pride Crosswalk Committee unveiled plans for the city’s first Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) pride crosswalk at the intersection of Westheimer Road and Taft Street in the Montrose neighborhood. The theme and site of thecrosswalk were chosen at the request of friends of Alex Hill, a twenty-one-year-old man killed in the same intersection after a hit and run crash in January 2016. The crosswalk will complement a traffic box mural painted nearby depicting Hill surrounded by friends with a rainbow sunburst in the background. Hill lived in Houston for just over a year and had established a meaningful network of friends and support in Houston.
Said City employee and crosswalk project facilitator Matthew Brollier, “While this project was initially requested by friends of Alex Hill, the idea behind the crosswalk is to also honor the support and friendship many find in Houston’s LGBT community. The hope is that the crosswalk serves as a marker of encouragement to all Houstonians and visitors in recognizing the city as a welcoming place, open to all people, and one that celebrates its diversity, with a nod to the neighborhood’s place in Houston’s LGBT history. The organizers are grateful for the City’s approval and the generous support from Pride Houston to help bring this project to life. Hill’s friends join countless Houstonians in encouraging the City to improve safety conditions for pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers on its roadways.”
Houston-based UP Art Studio was commissioned by the committee for the crosswalk’s design which is inspired by artist Gilbert Baker’s rainbow flag first flown in 1978. The colors of the flag – red, orange, yellow, green, indigo, and violet – will stretch across all four crosswalks at the intersection. UP Art Studio, which will serve as the project’s general contractor, specializes in public art commissions including Houston’s Mini Murals that have converted traffic signal control cabinets around the city, including the one at the southeast corner of Westheimer and Taft.
“Pride Houston is excited to bring the state’s first rainbow crosswalk here to Houston and hopefully just in time for the nation’s 4th largest Pride Celebration! These crosswalks are a symbol of the rich LGBT culture that Montrose is known for and a bridge to future generations so that they know how far we have come. Let this also be a reminder to everyone in the state and country that Houston embraces diversity and everyone is welcome here. “- Frankie Quijano-Kratochvil, CEO, Pride Houston Inc.
Said the Honorable Ellen Cohen, “As the Mayor Pro Tem for the City of Houston and the Council Member representing District C, which includes Montrose, I am thrilled that the first Pride crosswalk in Texas will be located in my district. Installed just in time for Pride 2017 and located along the historical former route of Houston’s Pride Parade, the new crosswalk will bring visibility to pedestrian safety and stands as a colorful symbol of Houston’s strong support for our LGBTQ community.”
Pride Houston has generously donated $15,000 to fully fund the project’s design and construction. Installation of the crosswalk is expected to be completed near the time of Houston’s 39th annual Pride Celebration, with events taking place in late June, including the 2017 Houston Pride Parade on Saturday, June 24. The parade is expected to draw over 700,000 attendees this year. The Montrose Center has graciously agreed to act as fiscal sponsor for this project, providing a transactional account and ensuring financial transparency for the funds raised. The traffic control plan developed for the crosswalk’s installation was generously donated in kind by Houston-based transportation planning firm Traffic Engineers, Inc.
Recognizing that the crosswalk is part of what is
considered Lower Westheimer, a section of the road scheduled for improvements by 2020, the crosswalk installation is expected to last approximately two-and-a-half years. Montrose Management District, which also approved the project, has generously agreed to provide maintenance services for the crosswalk throughout the duration of its installation. The Houston Pride Crosswalk Committee and Pride Houston will work with the City of Houston to develop a permanent installation as part of the road improvements. Pride Houston will serve as the fiscal sponsor for the permanent installation.
About the Houston Pride Crosswalk Committee
A group of civic-minded neighborhood volunteers and friends, the Houston Pride Crosswalk Committee formed in 2016 after the death of Alex Hill to fulfill the request of his close friends and advance LGBT community-building initiatives in Houston.
About Pride Houston
For nearly forty years, Pride Houston has been a central part of the Houston’s LGBT community. The organization’s core mission is to strengthen equality and increase awareness of issues important to the LGBT community including health, safety, and marriage equality. Pride Houston celebrates the individuality and diversity of every person. From the festive Pride Celebration to charity events and aiding LGBT support and counseling networks, Pride Houston’s activities promote social awareness and enrich the diversity that helps the Houston community thrive. Pride Houston is a registered 501(c)3 organization incorporated in the state of Texas and is run solely by volunteers.
About the Houston Pride Crosswalk Committee
A group of civic minded neighborhood volunteers and friends, the Houston Pride Crosswalk Committee formed in 2016 after the death of Alex Hill to fulfill the request of his close friends and advance LGBT community-building initiatives in Houston.
About the Rainbow Flag
Designed by artist Gilbert Baker and first flown in San Francisco’s Gay Freedom Day Parade in 1978, the rainbow flag has become a global symbol of the LGBT movement. Said Baker in a 2015 interview in TIME magazine about his rainbow design, “We needed something that expressed us. The rainbow really fits that, in terms of: we’re all the colors, and all the genders and all the races. It’s a natural flag; the rainbow is in the sky and it’s beautiful. It’s a magical part of nature.” The Museum of Modern Art, New York, acquired the rainbow flag into its design collection in 2015.
Download the Full Press Release