HOUSTON — They’re on beers and bars, shirts and cards, but blue tiles got their start on Houston curbs.
"The blue tiles are the mosaic street signs that initially started while the city started," Houstonian Joey Sanchez said.
Started paving streets, that is. Forget the green signs we’re used to today; the blue and white checkered signs are what told you where you were 100 years ago.
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"You’ll find 4,000+ all over the city of Houston," Sanchez said.
He found his first one back in 2015.
"We noticed this beautiful font on the streets and we wanted to document it, so we created the Blue Tile Project and asked people to send in their photos," Sanchez explained.
Those photos showed some of the tiles perfectly preserved, some barely hanging on and some already lost to weather, construction or just time.
"Once you see it, you can’t unsee it," Sanchez said of the tiled signs.
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The project also helped educate Houstonians about this unique piece of their city’s history, which is probably why you’ve started to see the blue tiles used a whole lot more.
"It’s just amazing to see the city adopt this image that’s always been there, they just haven’t paid attention to it or celebrated it," Sanchez said. "That’s what Blue Tile Project is here to do: to celebrate the beauty of Houston."
It's a celebration of Houston’s past in the present that looks to the future. Sanchez revamped BlueTileProject.com with a promise of something bigger coming soon.
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"A whole community that is coming together over a beer, over a coffee to celebrate Houston," Sanchez said, describing what he hopes to build with the new website.
That community will be fostered at the Blue Tile Coffee Shop. It's currently under construction next to the H-E-B on Washington Ave. It's set to open as early as December 2022.
Learn more about the Blue Tile Project here.