Marvels of Modernism: Heritage Plaza
Texas is gifted with many celebrated public landscapes from the modern era including Philip Johnson鈥檚 Fort Worth Water Gardens (1974) and Thanks-Giving Square (1974); Daniel Kiley鈥檚 Fountain Place (1986) and Dallas Museum of Art (1983); and Peter Walker鈥檚 Nasher Sculpture Center Garden (2005). However, Heritage Plaza is the state鈥檚 only significant design by Presidential Medal of Arts recipient Lawrence Halprin, FASLA.
Located within Heritage Park and at the site of the city鈥檚 original settlement, Heritage Plaza which was designated on the Nation鈥檚 Bicentennial provides a physical link from the city鈥檚 downtown to the Trinity River and a symbolic link to the city鈥檚 heritage. Disconcertingly, the City of Fort Worth has ended water flow through the park鈥檚 features and cut off public access. Halprin鈥檚 design celebrated the pioneering vision of the city鈥檚 founders, a vision that needs to be resurrected in order to restore the glory of this nationally significant landscape.