City to Host ‘Arc of Time’ Solar Sundial Sculpture at Mason Park, Organizers Say

City and community leaders announced plans to place a large, solar-powered public artwork called the Arc of Time at Mason Park in Houston’s East End. The project’s organizers said the privately funded arch will function as a freestanding sundial, a shaded gathering space and a solar array intended to generate about 400,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity a year — roughly matching the park’s recent annual consumption.

The announcement came at a public event led by Roland Garcia, vice chair of the Arc of Time Steering Committee, with remarks from City of Houston officials and the project’s founders. “This incredible structure will rise within Mason Park as part of the heart of the park revitalization for our beloved East End,” said Councilmember Joaquin Martinez, referring to the artwork as a “huge shade structure” that will create a microclimate and produce clean energy for the park.

Organizers said the Land Art Generator Initiative is gifting the artwork to the city and that the project is funded entirely by private donations. “No tax dollars will be spent in this,” said Karen Lee, development director for the project; organizers also said they are reserving about $1,500,000 for repairs and maintenance so the city will not incur those costs. Project leaders gave a ballpark construction cost of about $20,000,000.

Why it matters: Project backers described the Arc of Time…