"Bring the blue tiles back to the Bayou City."
Peak Into the History
The Project
The idea of the Blue Tile Project is to become a conduit of all things Houston.
One day on what seemed like a typical bike ride around Houston for Joey and Kelly Sanchez, an idea was crafted. The two began photographing all of the blue tile street signs along their route. This led to uncover these hidden hems all over the city of Houston. As a result, on May 1, 2015, the Blue Tile Project was born.
As Houstonians began responding and sharing the #BlueTileProject, they noticed that the tiles were more than just a street sign. The blue tiles were historically significant as the first sign of #StreetArt in Houston. Now, these mosaic art works are a symbol of art and civc image for the city. The civic image spans across neighborhoods and connects businesses and residents to the local streets of Houston in which they live, work and play.
Today, the Blue Tile Project is about much more than just documenting the remaining blue tile street signs. The goal is to expand the project for historical preservation, art/image and local business intiatives.
The Tiles
The earliest known photograph of a blue tile street sign in Houston is from 1928.
Houston is a historical city, rich with artifacts from the past that line our city’s streets. It is documented that the blue tile street signs first appeared on the streets of Houston in the early 1920s. A young city at that time, these blue tile street signs are the original street markers of the first paved streets of Houston.
Although Houston has grown into the 4th largest city in the U.S. with population growth and new building contructions, the blue tile street signs have miraculously survived.
The Project
The idea of the Blue Tile Project is to become a conduit of all things Houston.
One day on what seemed like a typical bike ride around Houston for Joey and Kelly Sanchez, an idea was crafted. The two began photographing all of the blue tile street signs along their route. This led to uncover these hidden hems all over the city of Houston. As a result, on May 1, 2015, the Blue Tile Project was born.
As Houstonians began responding and sharing the #BlueTileProject, they noticed that the tiles were more than just a street sign. The blue tiles were historically significant as the first sign of #StreetArt in Houston. Now, these mosaic art works are a symbol of art and civc image for the city. The civic image spans across neighborhoods and connects businesses and residents to the local streets of Houston in which they live, work and play.
Today, the Blue Tile Project is about much more than just documenting the remaining blue tile street signs. The goal is to expand the project for historical preservation, art/image and local business intiatives.
The Tiles
The earliest known photograph of a blue tile street sign in Houston is from 1928.
Houston is a historical city, rich with artifacts from the past that line our city’s streets. It is documented that the blue tile street signs first appeared on the streets of Houston in the early 1920s. A young city at that time, these blue tile street signs are the original street markers of the first paved streets of Houston.
Although Houston has grown into the 4th largest city in the U.S. with population growth and new building contructions, the blue tile street signs have miraculously survived.