Visit the Heritage Lanterns, holding court on the northeast corner of Root Memorial Square Park across from the Toyota Center, at night and enjoy the colorfully lit stainless steel sculptures.Â
Comprised of five unique and ornate stainless steel constructions, the Heritage Lanterns are at their best when visited after dark. Created by Houston artists Carter Ernst and Paul Kittelson, these Downtown lanterns range from five to seven feet tall and stand proudly like traditional Victorian turrets. Each design is unique with intricate patterns cut in their sides, typical of the Victorian Era style of the 1800s.
LED lights installed at the base of the Heritage Lanterns ensure that they glow with changing colors after the sun goes down. With varied patterns and at-times subtly changing colors, you may blink and be unsure if the colors have changed or not.
Ernst and Kittleson created Heritage Lanterns in 2005 on a commission from City of Houston’s Convention & Entertainment Facilities Department, which merged with Houston Convention Center Hotel Corporation in 2011 to create today’s Downtown powerhouse Houston First.
Heritage Lanterns at Root Memorial Square Park
- Location: Western corner of Clay St and La Branch St, Houston, TX 77002
- Creators:Â Carter Ernst and Paul Kittelson
