Kendall/Heaton Associates

This center provides the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston with a clear arrival sequence and patron amenities that greatly improve the experience of visitors to Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens.

The new freestanding building is located at the entry to the grounds from Memorial Drive. With modern simplicity, the new center and parking area provide orientation and meeting spaces connected to pedestrian pathways that lead patrons through the landscape to the museum and gardens across Buffalo Bayou. The project has set a goal to receive a LEED Silver certification.

Bayou Bend is the former home of Ima Hogg, a prominent Houston patron of the arts, who donated her home and gardens to the MFAH as a museum for American decorative arts. The gardens are carefully designed into the natural woodlands of the grounds to provide scenic views from the interior of the house and gracious outdoor living and entertaining spaces.