Richardson Rocket
Rocket is a signature gateway sculpture for Height Park in Richardson, Tex. The sculpture echoes a beloved space-age-themed playground that was removed during a park renovation, creating a new an armature for new myths and memories in the Heights community. Bressi helped Richardson shape the project opportunity and select an artist, working in collaboration with Via Partnership.
Date | 2012
Client | City of Richardson, TX
Collaborators | Via Partnership
For decades, one of the most beloved civic places in Richardson, TX, was the rocket playground in Heights Park. The playground, which featured space-age play equipment, reminded people of Richardson’s history as an innovator in microchip technology. It also connected families across generations, as parents and children could share stories about growing up at the playground.
When the playground equipment finally needed to be replaced because of its age, the City faced a dilemma. How could it remove a civic icon, while keeping the memory of the playground, and all of the associations it raised, alive?
Via Partnership and Bressi were asked to help the City commission a new public art project that would help make the transition. Via and Bressi undertook a careful consultation process with the arts and parks commissions, developed a project brief, recruited an invitational list of artists, and managed the selection process. The result, a new Rocket sculpture by Jeff Larramore, immediately became a new community icon and already is the source of a bit of urban folklore itself.
