MAKING A SPLASH

Dive into Houston's highly anticipated pool bar, now open near downtown

Seth Livingston
Eric Sandler
Jul 23, 2018, 10:19 am
A look at El Segundo's pool and cabanas. Courtesy of gin design group

The artlicle originally appeared on CultureMap.

When Houston's weather turns from regular "hot" to full on "blast furnace," finding a pool to cool off can be about the only way anyone can maintain their sanity. While they're easy to find in the suburbs, apartment dwellers in the city's urban core start contemplating extreme measures in the quest for relief — for example, booking an expensive spa treatment at the Marriott Marquis just to float the Texas-shaped lazy river.

A newly opened bar wants to change that. The El Segundo Swim Club is the pool bar that's ready to offer Houstonians a place to relax and cool off. Located in the Second Ward near the corner of Navigation and Lockwood, the property features a 1,300-square foot swimming pool as well as cabanas and lounge chairs — everything a person needs for a little fun in the sun. A high fence around the bar ensures that patrons aren't subject to prying eyes from passersby. 

Owner Matthew Healey originally built the pool as a place for him and his friends to hang out, but he saw the potential for others to enjoy it. To realize his vision, he turned to local designer Gin Braverman of gin design group, the acclaimed local design firm behind a number of bars and restaurants including Axelrad, Public Services Wine & Whisky, and Goode Company Kitchen & Cantina. Braverman's design takes its inspiration from the work of Roberto Burle Marx, a Brazilian landscape artist known for his innovative public spaces; the project seeks to channel a little of a Rio in the '70s vibe.

“We want to create something fun and unpretentious,” Healey said when he announced the project in February. “We’re creating a little oasis just off the beaten path. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”

Contiue reading on CultureMap.

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BIG GIFT FOR THE BAY

Galveston Bay rises with $2 million gift to protect ecosystem

Local wildlife still faces challenges in Galveston Bay. Photo by Andrew Hancock

This article originally appeared on CultureMap.

Lovers of Galveston Bay know that the ecosystem has been beset by challenges, after being ravaged by Hurricane Harvey and the Deepwater Horizon spill, and last year, receiving a C grade for its overall wellness.

Even more challenging, Galveston Bay has lost more than 35,000 acres of intertidal wetlands since the 1950s.

But now, hope floats, with the news that the Galveston Bay Foundation has received a $2.3 million award to continue to restore and create marsh habitat in the Dollar Bay/Moses Lake complex in Galveston Bay. The gift comes courtesy of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), with funding through the Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund, a funding source created from Deepwater Horizon oil spill penalties.

The area has already seen restoration work in the same area, including a 1,600-foot section of rock breakwater structures constructed in 2002, a 2,400-foot section constructed in 2012, and 1.3-mile section completed in 2018. Galveston Bay Foundation volunteers have planted smooth cordgrass to reestablish fringing marsh and will continue to do so in this next phase, according to the foundation.

Continue reading on CultureMap to learn about the breakwaters that will be constructed.

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