Aviary at the Houston Zoo, Faux bois sculpture in Houston Zoo, Houston, United States

The Aviary at the Houston Zoo is a faux bois work by Mexican-born artist Dionicio Rodriguez, made in 1926 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Its sculpted concrete pieces form a tree, a fountain, logs, ledges and rock around a shallow pond, now part of the zoo's flamingo habitat.

A Mexican artist built the structure in 1926 using a specialized technique to make concrete look like wood. The concrete framework survived a major hurricane in 1961 that destroyed the wire elements.

Dionicio Rodriguez, a Mexican-born architect and artist, made the faux bois sculptures in 1926; they were dubbed the "flying sculpture". Hurricane Carla destroyed the aviary's wire superstructure in 1961, but Rodriguez's tree, fountain, logs, ledges and rock border remain, now part of the zoo's flamingo habitat.

The sculptures stand beside a shallow pond in the flamingo habitat, so look for the faux bois tree, fountain, logs and rock ledges rather than a building. The wire superstructure that once enclosed the birds was lost to Hurricane Carla in 1961, leaving only Rodriguez's concrete work in the open.

Rodriguez's faux bois work at the zoo was nicknamed the "flying sculpture" in 1926. When Hurricane Carla tore away the aviary's wire superstructure in 1961, only his concrete tree, fountain, logs, ledges and rock survived, and these pieces now border the shallow pond of the flamingo habitat.