Case Studies

Kyle, Texas is one of America’s fastest-growing cities, located just a 30-minute drive from Austin and a one-hour drive from San Antonio. Construction began in 2021 on Heroes Memorial Park, the first phase and gateway to the city’s Brick and Mortar District — a 138-acre community gathering and educational space that will ultimately feature several more parks and a 1,200-foot pedestrian and bike trail.

Now complete, the Heroes Memorial Park serves as the centerpiece for the district and pays tribute to U.S. military veterans, first responders and other community heroes through an educational, reflective and celebratory experience. One unique feature incorporates a pentagon-shaped opening in the information placard directly above a bronze 9/11 memorial emblem embedded in the pavement below. Every September 11 at 9:37 a.m. ET — the same moment the aircraft struck the Pentagon building in 2001 — sunlight shines through the opening and illuminates the entire emblem in isolation, creating a highly dramatic effect.

Granite serves as the unifying material used throughout Heroes Memorial Park, complemented by accents of porcelain and bronze. Granite was chosen as the primary construction material for its elegant and stately appearance, its durability to withstand the elements, and its visual compatibility with the natural surroundings and storytelling/signage pieces used throughout.

Nudge Design, the Austin-based landscape architectural design firm awarded the project, wanted to use granite that was historically significant to Texas. The firm and park committee ultimately chose to use Sunset Red® granite from the quarry located in nearby Marble Falls, Texas, owned and operated by Coldspring. Sunset Red also adorns the exterior of the iconic Texas State Capitol building in Austin.

At Heroes Memorial Park, the granite creates a seamless look across elements ranging from an Honor Wall and Water Wall to benches, steps, paving bands, walkways, decorative boulders and a flagpole base. The project included a combination of thermal, split edge and chiseled granite finishes fabricated to specific shapes and thicknesses, along with 21 quarry blocks used for a variety of applications throughout the installation.

Coldspring also designed, fabricated and installed four bronze badges and several decorative bronze elements throughout the park. The badges celebrate the public safety dedication of professionals from the City of Kyle Police Department, the Hays County Fire Department, the local 911 department and the local EMS department.

Both the Honor Wall and Water Wall involved unique fabrication requirements. The granite panels on the Honor Wall needed to be extremely precise to align with adjacent porcelain panels and the graphics both panels share — all while resting on a radius. The Water Wall required custom finishes on the stone from top to bottom that help to transition the water from a gentle overflow to a whitewater wash.

The final, far-right section of the Honor Wall is also unique with its striking lenticular display of a full-color U.S. Flag made from narrow vertical panels. When visitors stand directly in front of the flag, the words “LET FREEDOM RING” are revealed on the granite façade in the background. As visitors move away and to the right, the famous World War II image of soldiers raising the flag at the Battle of Iwo Jima comes into view across the long sides of the vertical panels.

From end to end, the Honor Wall, Water Wall and lenticular display total 152 feet in length, with vertical panels ranging from nine to 12 feet tall.

Nudge Design has a longstanding relationship with Coldspring. The firm’s leadership said that it chose to partner with Coldspring for fabrication due to its demonstrated customization and graphic design capabilities, as well as its flexibility to deliver everything from raw blocks to highly refined, cut-to-size pieces. Providing this level of involvement required the support of dozens of Coldspring experts from the drafting, project management, graphics and sales departments, with numerous meetings and visits to the project site, quarry and fabrication facility along the way. Close collaboration with FD2S, the Austin-based signage and storytelling firm hired for the project, was also instrumental to project success.

In the end, more than 6,270 square feet of Sunset Red granite was utilized throughout Heroes Memorial Park. Approximately 200 square feet of Mesabi Black^® granite was also used as a complementary stone to the predominant Sunset Red.

There will always be heroes whose everyday acts of courage and selflessness deserve recognition. With its patriotic feel and durable, distinctive natural stone design, Heroes Memorial Park will continue to provide a premier destination to gather, honor and celebrate those who risk their own safety to protect the rest of us.