Montrose’s Beloved Funnel Tunnel Departs Houston For Another City

By | February 10, 2015
Credit: Jan Carson via Flickr Creative Commons
Credit: Jan Carson via Flickr Creative Commons

Last Sunday, the vibrant and eccentric esplanade art installation on Montrose Boulevard known as the Funnel Tunnel was painstakingly dismantled by a group of dedicated volunteers. Artist Patrick Renner’s colorful cornucopia-reminiscent sculpture was commissioned by the Art League Houston and built in 2013. It livened the commutes of an estimated 40,000 drivers for a year-and-a-half in one of the most visible locations in Montrose.

While Houston says goodbye to the 180-foot sculpture of steel and reclaimed wood, New Orleans is preparing itself to host the Funnel Tunnel on a median along Poydras Street. The art project will be resurrected this summer and installed by a group of local artists through a program designed to “bring national and international attention to the visual arts and the artists of post-Katrina New Orleans.”

4 responses to “Montrose’s Beloved Funnel Tunnel Departs Houston For Another City”

  1. Lucas Rountre

    Well that’s just lame.

  2. If the sculpture was commissioned by the Art League of Houston, then why is it leaving…?

  3. Sad day…I drive by several times a week. It is one of my favorite pieces of art in Montrose.

  4. John Whittamore

    I loved New Orleans when I lived there. Surely there is enough of an artist community there to create their own commissioned art.

Leave a Reply to Steven Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

The February board meeting of the Montrose Management District has been scheduled for February 29, 2024.

 

Download the Agenda (PDF)