Market Square Park

Market Square Park
Type Municipal (Houston)
Location Downtown Houston
Coordinates 29°45′46″N 95°21′44″W / 29.76266°N 95.36234°W / 29.76266; -95.36234Coordinates: 29°45′46″N 95°21′44″W / 29.76266°N 95.36234°W / 29.76266; -95.36234
Created 1854 (1854)
Operated by Downtown Redevelopment Authority
Status Open year round

Market Square Park is a public park in Downtown Houston, Texas, United States. It is bounded by Travis, Milam, Congress and Preston streets. It has remained a geographic centerpiece of Downtown Houston since the arrival of the city's founders, John Kirby and Augustus Chapman Allen in 1836.

The square was donated to the city in 1854 by Augustus Allen and used as an open air produce market. Very near Allen's Landing, the original port of Houston, the downtown business district grew around the square. Early city landmarks included the briefly used Texas Capitol and White House. In addition, several City Halls rose and fell at Market Square, each destroyed by fire.[1]

The historic square is surrounded by 19th century architecture, housing a variety of businesses, entertainment venues, nightclubs and dining establishments. Market Square is located directly between Allen's Landing and the Theater District.

City Hall and Market House

It is a central feature of the Main Street/Market Square Historic District, a historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Main Street, north from Preston Avenue, Houston, Texas (postcard, c. 1905–07)

The bicycle-centered social movement known as Critical Mass meets at Market Square Park on the last Friday of every month.[2]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Market Square". Parks, City of Houston, www.houstontx.gov. Retrieved 2014-01-19.
  2. ↑ Houston's Critical Mass Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/groups/62074084734/
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