Sam Houston Monument

Significance

The bronze equestrian statue of General Sam Houston is one of the city's most recognizable works of civic art. After a March 1917 newspaper article called for a monument to the founder, first president, and first governor of Texas, the Women's City Club led fundraising, joined by city and state money. Italian born Houston sculptor Enrico Filiberto Cerracchio created the statue in 1924, and it was unveiled on August 16, 1925, in the traffic circle at the entrance to Hermann Park, a location proposed in George Kessler's 1916 plan for the park. Houston rides his horse Saracen and points toward the plains by the San Jacinto River, where he defeated Santa Anna's army. The statue stands on a gray Texas granite arch built by German born stonecutter Frank Teich, with a Lone Star on its keystone, bronze plaques and ceramic tile inside the arch, and a plaza paved with broken marble. The Houston Municipal Art Commission restored the monument in 1996.

Climate risks tracked

Outdoor bronze is threatened by Houston's humidity, heavy rain, and urban air pollution, which break down its protective patina and cause streaking and corrosion. Regular washing and renewal of protective wax coatings, as the city's conservation program provides, are the most effective preservation measures for the statue. The granite arch is durable, but water entering its joints can loosen the bronze plaques and ceramic tiles inside. Keeping joints sealed and the top of the arch shedding water protects them. The statue's raised arm and cape catch hurricane wind, so periodic structural inspection of the statue's internal armature and its attachment to the arch is important, especially after major storms.

Use the preservation assistant to talk through retrofit strategies for these specific threats.

Location

Nearby landmarks

• 1924 · Neoclassical with Modernist additions

  MFAH: Caroline Wiess Law Building

• 1921 · Mediterranean / Rice style

  Autry House

• 1925 · Neo-Gothic

  Houston Light Guard Armory

• 1930 · Gothic Revival

  St. Paul's United Methodist Church