A new apartment complex recently opened up in Brooks City Base called The Kennedy, and as you can probably guess, it is named after the revered Kennedy that ran this great country in the mid-century. Most of those involved in the building design and development were out of Dallas, and the leasing agency is based in Chicago/Austin, but the cool thing about this complex is what the leadership did with the artwork in the public spaces. They went local! At the unveiling of the artwork, Councilwoman for District 3, Rebecca Viagran, spoke about how much pride they have in the South Side of San Antonio and how grateful they are that this company in particular supported the local arts with their development.
Artwork
A great lineup of local artists were commissioned to pay homage to the great John F. Kennedy and Jackie among others from his administration. The primary mural in the main office was by Los Otros, an extremely talented urban art and graffiti muralist group whose artwork can be found around town. Entitled ‘Stargazer’, the mural is a beautiful depiction of the dream that Kennedy had to go to the moon. A nearly photo-realistic painting of Jack’s head starting just above the upper lip and eyes gazing out over the future of space travel, the moon behind him like a crown or halo, and a impressive organic pattern behind the moon spanning the rest of the wall. In front of the mural hangs modern pendant lighting as if to emulate the stars just out of our reach and not yet explored. Be sure to check out this video showing the making of Stargazer.
Several photo art and paintings by local Analy Diego are in the space. Analy is not only a local artist but teaches in the College of Architecture at UTSA. Her multiple works depict both Jack and Jackie; Jackie’s head is in the Women’s Restroom as a beautiful pop-art mural, and a very cool Jack in shades giving the guys a sly grin as they exit the Men’s Restroom. She also has several photo art on acrylic in the other public meeting spaces, depicting some very famous scenes of both Jack and his entourage as well as Jack/Jackie combined.
Michele Jacob, a local artist who’s pieces have been on display in the lobby of the Grand Hyatt Hotel, was commissioned for the digital mural in the gym. Up high on the walls and printed on vinyl wallcovering was her piece, entitled Synchronicity. She mentioned to MiSA that her inspiration for her piece came from the research she did on JFK and his frequent mentioning of the sky. The end result was a stunning view of cumulus clouds as a background overlaid with The Kennedy’s logo in the foreground in varying scales and colors.
A beautiful and striking scene on your way to either the billiards table to the left, or that gorgeous spa-like pool to the right, you will find Gary Sweeney’s work with the quotation, “This nation has tossed it’s cap over the wall and we have no choice but to chase it.” -John F. Kennedy
Architecture
The architects for the building, GSR Andrade Architects, originated in Dallas and have a local office here in San Antonio. Warren Wilke, Director at GSR Andrade, told MiSA that their firm specialized in multi-family projects and this one was a fun development for him. He has several other multi-family projects in town that certainly bring a modern and urban feel to sides of town that don’t yet have that aesthetic.
Landscape Architecture
The pool looks like something out of a spa with multiple places to swim and lounge. This combined with hammocks, green space, and pavilions to relax from a hard day's work, or for entertaining friends.
Being that Brooks was a former air force base, it is fitting that the leadership chose to pay homage to one of the great leaders of this country. The development is hoping to market toward the healthcare professionals in San Antonio. The developer did it right by involving some of San Antonio’s most talented artists to put our local signature on it. Bravo and ¡Viva Misa!