With a population of approximately 17,000, South Houston, TX, sits in the shadow of its big-brother city in Harris County. A primary claim to fame is that a former mayor, Georgie Christy, was also a circus operator. According to a Wikipedia posting, his elephants helped construct the Spencer Highway, which runs through South Houston and neighboring Pasadena.
To create a more positive community image, and to display some Texas pride (“Texas” and “pride” are practically synonymous), officials from the Houston Port Region’s Economic Alliance commissioned the production of a gateway sign for South Houston that celebrates the Battle of San Jacinto. At the 1836 conflict, General Sam Houston countered the Alamo massacre, and his forces rapidly decimated the Mexican Army, forced the surrender of General Santa Ana and cleared the way for Texas to become an independent republic.
Artist Gary Foreman, owner of Native Sun Productions (Valparaiso, IN) rendered the artwork, and Knudson LP, a Houston-based urban-design and landscape-architecture firm, developed the monument sign’s concept. Bryan Janhsen, a Knudson landscape architect, said the Alliance chose a digital print for the graphics because they could deliver “a high-quality, historically accurate” graphic depiction.
Knudson contracted Hoggatt LP, a Houston-based masonry and hardscape provider, to build the monument. Understanding the client’s desire for a durable, printed graphic, Hoggatt engaged iZone (Temple, TX) to produce a digital, high-pressure laminate (DHPL) print. DHPL integrates the image onto paper impregnated with phenolic-resin and a clear, protective coating that’s melded to the surface through high pressure and heat.
“Our panels are most often used for exterior graphics for parks and recreational facilities, but we’ve seen gains in several markets, such as architectural graphics,” Carrie Szczesny, iZone’s marketing director, said. “Monument signs provide a growth opportunity for us. Unlike traditional monuments, which are usually fabricated with sandstone, limestone or Cor-Ten® [which weathers to a patina finish] steel, DHPL graphics provide the opportunity to customize and alter signage frequently. Regular alterations to a conventional monument sign would be cost-prohibitive.”
She added, “Also, although working directly with clients is common, we often partner directly with a sign manufacturer, because it seeks a custom graphic solution for a branded environment.”
Hoggatt provided iZone with a layout of the anchoring system of ¼-in.-thick, 3-in.-long, stainless-steel screws to ensure artwork would align within the masonry. To secure the piece to the backdrop, Hoggatt’s installers used a masonry drill and epoxy to install the iZone piece. When one of the panels came loose during installation, Hoggatt refastened it with an anchor, which it placed into a slot cut into the panel, before securing it to the anchor with a concrete screw.