Artist: Fred Pena

Envisioned and overseen by President & CEO Beverly Davis, the Climb, Crawl, Slide Sculpture is certainly the shiniest jewel in the impressive SPARK! crown. When considering how to best utilize the space with a balance between studios and free-form play areas, Beverly decided to elevate the CCS above the studios, essentially doubling the valuable floor space. Inspired by The City Museum of St. Louis, Beverly insisted on multiple points of access to as many features of the CCS as possible to encourage exploration.  Spiraling “Slinky” climbs, stairs and slides surround the historic columns and tie the space itself into the CCS.

Fred Peña of Booziotis and Company Architects took Beverly’s ideas and breathed architectural life into them. Incorporating donated and repurposed materials into his designs, Fred produced exceptional plans that captured Beverly’s vision. Fred’s work was sent to Scott Armstrong, a partner and structural engineer with Armstrong-Douglass. Scott crafted structural plans that exceeded the City of Dallas’ requirements, ensuring the safety of all who visit SPARK!