Theaster Gates, Studio Zewde, and Hines to Design Cultural Pavilion in Houston's Freedmen's Town
In Houston's Freedmen's Town, a historic area founded by freed African slaves along the Emancipation Trail, Theaster Gates, Studio Zewde, and Hines Architecture + Design will create a cultural pavilion. According to the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston (CAMH), this pavilion will repurpose three row houses into a facility featuring a food pantry, community garden, after-school programs, and services for seniors. This endeavor is part of the "Rebirth in Action" initiative, a collaboration between CAMH and the Houston Freedmen's Town Conservancy (HFTC). A groundbreaking event is planned for May 31, 2026, with the pavilion expected to open in the spring of 2027.
Key facts
- Theaster Gates, Studio Zewde, and Hines Architecture + Design selected to design cultural pavilion in Freedmen's Town, Houston.
- Pavilion will be built from three existing historic row houses.
- Pavilion will include food pantry, community garden, after-school programming, and senior services.
- Project is part of 'Rebirth in Action' initiative by CAMH and HFTC.
- Freedmen's Town was built by formerly enslaved Africans after 1865 on the Emancipation Trail.
- By 1930, over 36,000 African Americans lived in Freedmen's Town.
- In 2024, Theaster Gates staged an exhibition at CAMH about Freedmen's Town.
- Over 20,000 historic bricks laid by enslaved Black Houstonians will be cataloged and reintegrated.
- Groundbreaking ceremony on May 31, 2026; pavilion opening spring 2027.
Entities
Artists
- Theaster Gates
Institutions
- Studio Zewde
- Hines Architecture + Design
- Contemporary Arts Museum Houston
- Houston Freedmen's Town Conservancy
Locations
- Houston
- Freedmen's Town
- Texas
- Louisiana
- San Felipe Road
- Brazos River Plantations