The Via Transit folks have found an ingenious way of making sure you can find their downtown Centro Plaza bus terminal. It's called the Centro Chroma Tower and Public Artist Bill FitzGibbons designed it.
"It's 85 feet tall. And it's illuminated at night with a computerized L-E-D light system, which allows you to see the structure both from I-10 and even from downtown buildings."
The 10-foot wide tower on Frio, between Travis and Houston Streets has a sophisticated lighting scheme.
"It's both exterior lit, with two different type of L-E-D fixtures, and at the top there's a cut-out three-dimensional sphere form that is internally lit. There are seven different program throughout the year."
That color scheme will change season-to-season, holiday to holiday. And then there's a street-level element especially for kids. Two large glass windows contain lights.
"If you go up to the sculpture on these windows and you pass your hands across the surface, it interacts with your movement."
The blue lights there turn red as your hands run across them. Children who have done so seem to find endless delight. FitzGibbons is hoping his enormous light-filled steel sculpture will encourage something positive for a part of town that could use some help.
"Often public art lends itself to place-making. I think this will be an impetus for other development. We have UTSA right down the street here."
VIA also took over and remodeled the old train station, now called The Grand. Dedication ceremonies on the Centro Chroma Tower happen after dark on Thursday night.
Find more on FitzGibbons here.
Find more on Centro Plaza here.
