Dionicio Rodriguez (1891–1955) was a Mexican-born artist and

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

whose work can be seen in Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, New Mexico, Tennessee, and Texas, as well as Washington, D.C. and Mexico City. Dionicio Rodríguez died in San Antonio on December 16, 1955, and was buried in San Fernando Archdiocesan Cemetery; he had no immediate survivors. His work is noted for its unique style of

concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of fine and coarse aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement (cement paste) that hardens (cures) over time. Concrete is the second-most-used substance in the world after water, and is the most wid ...

construction that imitates

wood Wood is a porous and fibrous structural tissue found in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulose fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin ...

, known as ''

Faux Bois ''Faux bois'' (from the French for ''false wood'') refers to the artistic imitation of wood or wood grains in various media. The craft has roots in the Renaissance with trompe-l'œil. It was probably first crafted with concrete using an iron ar ...

'' (French for ''false wood''). Gates, benches and artificial rock formations were created by the artist to invite visitors to rest or explore the landscape. The National Register listing of "The Sculpture of Dionicio Rodriguez in Texas," which includes Woodlawn Garden of Memories, is the result of ten years' research into the life and work of the artisan, by San Antonio historians Maria Watson Pfeiffer and Patsy Pittman Light. Woodlawn is the only known extant cemetery work in Texas by Rodriguez. Many of his major works of art are listed in the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

Biography

Rodriguez was born on April 11, 1891 in

Toluca Toluca , officially Toluca de Lerdo , is the state capital of the State of Mexico as well as the seat of the Municipality of Toluca. With a population of 910,608 as of the 2020 census, Toluca is the fifth most populous city in Mexico. The city f ...

, State of Mexico, in

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

to Catarino Rodriguez and Luz Alegria de Rodriguez. His family moved to

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital city, capital and primate city, largest city of Mexico, and the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North Amer ...

, D.F., when he was young. When he was older, he worked with his father and brother as a bricklayer.Patsy Pittman Light. ''Capturing Nature: The Cement Sculpture of Dionicio Rodriquez''. Texas A&M University Press, College Station, 2008. p 19. At one time he worked with Pedro Ximénez, whose wife, Beatrice, would go on to become a cement sculptor of note herself.

Works

Japanese Tea Gardens

For the

Japanese Tea Gardens Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

he replicated a Japanese

Torii A is a traditional Japanese gate most commonly found at the entrance of or within a Shinto shrine, where it symbolically marks the transition from the mundane to the sacred. The presence of a ''torii'' at the entrance is usually the simple ...

gate at the entrance to the

gardens A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the cultivation, display, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The single feature identifying even the wildest wild garden is ''control''. The garden can incorporate bot ...

. This piece was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2005 With the rise of

anti-Japanese sentiment Anti-Japanese sentiment (also called Japanophobia, Nipponophobia and anti-Japanism) involves the hatred or fear of anything which is Japanese, be it its culture or its people. Its opposite is Japanophilia. Overview Anti-Japanese senti ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

in the 1940s, the gardens were renamed the

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...

Tea Gardens. In 1984, the city restored the original "Japanese Tea Garden" designation in a ceremony. At least eight of his other sculptures in San Antonio, the Buckeye Park Gate, the bridge in Brackenridge Park, the Fence at Alamo Cement Company, the Fountain at Alamo Cement Company, the Jacala Restaurant, locations in Miraflores Park, the Stations of the Cross and Grotto at the Shrine of St. Anthony de Padua, and the Trolley Stop in Alamo Heights were also added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2004 and 2005

Memorial Park Cemetery

In 1935 Rodriguez was hired to beautify the Memorial Park Cemetery,

Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Memp ...

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

with

sculptures Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

. ''Annie Laurie's Wishing Chair'', ''Broken

Tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...

Bench, Abrahams

Oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

'', ''Pool of

Hebron Hebron ( ar, الخليل or ; he, חֶבְרוֹן ) is a Palestinian. city in the southern West Bank, south of Jerusalem. Nestled in the Judaean Mountains, it lies above sea level. The second-largest city in the West Bank (after Eas ...

'' and ''

Cave A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller openings such as sea ...

Machpelah , alternate_name = Tomb of the Patriarchs, Cave of Machpelah, Sanctuary of Abraham, Ibrahimi Mosque (Mosque of Abraham) , image = Palestine Hebron Cave of the Patriarchs.jpg , alt = , caption = Southern view of the complex, 2009 , map ...

'' are some of the most important sculptures that can be found throughout the

cemetery A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite or graveyard is a place where the remains of dead people are buried or otherwise interred. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek , "sleeping place") implies that the land is specifically designated as a buri ...

.http://www.memorialparkfuneralandcemetery.com/history.aspx Memorial Park Cemetery website

Cedar Hill Cemetery

Working in Cedar Hill Cemetery just outside

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

in suburban Suitland, Maryland in 1936 and 1937, Rodriguez built numerous sculptural pieces, including a fallen tree bench, a tiled block bench, two bridges with branch railings and log decks, a tree shelter, and an

Annie Laurie "Annie Laurie" is an old Scottish song based on a poem said to have been written by William Douglas (1682?–1748) of Dumfriesshire, about his romance with Annie Laurie (1682–1764). The words were modified and the tune was added by Alicia Sco ...

wishing chair.''The Sculptures of Dionicio Rodriguez'', Cedar Hill Cemetery, 4111 Pennsylvania Avenue, Suitland, MD 20746, 20 Jan 2014.

Gallery of works at Cedar Hill Cemetery

File:Dionicio Rodriguez Bridge of Life.jpg, Bridge of Life File:Bridge of Life sign.jpg, Sign for "Bridge of Life" File:Dionicio Rodriguez Tree Shelter sculpture Cedar Hill Cemetery.jpg, Tree Shelter File:Fallen Tree Footbridge by Dionicio Rodriguez at Cedar Hill Cemetery, Suitland, Md.jpg, Fallen Tree Footbridge File:Broken Tree Bench.jpg, Broken Tree Bench File:Tiled Stone Bench.jpg, Tiled Stone Bench File:Annie Laurie Wishing Chair by Dionicio Rodriguez, Cedar Hill Cemetery, Suitland, Maryland1.jpg, Annie Laurie Wishing Chair

Crystal Shrine Grotto

Construction of the Crystal Shrine Grotto began in 1938. The grotto is a 60-foot (18.3-meter) deep, hand-built

cave A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller openings such as sea ...

in a hillside near the

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

of the cemetery, filled with five

ton Ton is the name of any one of several units of measure. It has a long history and has acquired several meanings and uses. Mainly it describes units of weight. Confusion can arise because ''ton'' can mean * the long ton, which is 2,240 pounds ...

s (4.5 metric tons) of

quartz Quartz is a hard, crystalline mineral composed of silica ( silicon dioxide). The atoms are linked in a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon-oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall chemical ...

crystal A crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material whose constituents (such as atoms, molecules, or ions) are arranged in a highly ordered microscopic structure, forming a crystal lattice that extends in all directions. In addition, macro ...

, hence the name ''Crystal Shrine Grotto''. The shrines in the grotto illustrate the stages of "

Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

's Journey on the

Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...

from

Birth Birth is the act or process of bearing or bringing forth offspring, also referred to in technical contexts as parturition. In mammals, the process is initiated by hormones which cause the muscular walls of the uterus to contract, expelling the f ...

Resurrection Resurrection or anastasis is the concept of coming back to life after death. In a number of religions, a dying-and-rising god is a deity which dies and is resurrected. Reincarnation is a similar process hypothesized by other religions, whic ...

". Rodriguez' sculptures and the Crystal Shrine Grotto in the Memorial Park Cemetery are listed in the

Other works

* Aviary at the Houston Zoo, 1513 N. McGregor

Houston, TX Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 ...

, NRHP-listed * Buckeye Park Gate, 1600 W. Wildwood

San Antonio, TX ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

, NRHP-listed * Chinese Sunken Garden Gate, Brackenridge Park, 400 N. St. Mary's St.

, NRHP-listed *

Couchwood Couchwood is the summer estate of Harvey C. Couch, an industrialist and founder of Arkansas Power and Light in the early 20th century. The estate, located at 601 Couchwood Road, is southeast of Hot Springs, Arkansas, straddling the border of Garl ...

, 601 Couchwood Rd., Shorewood Hills, AR, NRHP-listed * Crestview Park, Crestview and Cherry Hill Drives,

North Little Rock, AR North Little Rock is a city in Pulaski County, Arkansas, across the Arkansas from Little Rock in the central part of the state. The population was 64,591 at the 2020 census. In 2019 the estimated population was 65,903, making it the seventh-mo ...

, NRHP-listed * Dionicio Rodriguez Bridge in Brackenridge Park, 400 N. St. Mary's St.

, NRHP-listed * Eddingston Court, 3300 Proctor St.

Port Arthur, TX Port Arthur is a city in Jefferson County, Texas, Jefferson County within the Beaumont–Port Arthur metropolitan area of the U.S. state of Texas. A small, uninhabited portion extends into Orange County, Texas, Orange County; it is east of Housto ...

, NRHP-listed * Elmwood Cemetery, 600 Martin Luther King Jr Dr,

Birmingham, AL Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Birmingham is the seat of Jefferson County, Alabama's most populous county. As of the 2021 census estimates, Birmingham had a population of 197,575, down 1% fr ...

* Fence at Alamo Cement Company, 7300 Jones Maltsberger Rd.

, NRHP-listed * Fountain at Alamo Cement Company, 7300 Jones Maltsberger Rd.

, NRHP-listed * Gate, Fence and Hollow Tree Shelter Designed by Dionicio Rodriguez, 320 Oak St. Clayton, NM, NRHP-listed * Gazebo for Albert Steves, 105 FM 473, at east portion of property Comfort, TX, NRHP-listed * Gazebo for James Richard Marmion, 1214 County Rd. Sweeny, TX, NRHP-listed * Jacala Restaurant, 2702 N. St. Mary's St.

, NRHP-listed * Lakewood Park, Address Restricted

, NRHP-listed * Little Switzerland, Address Restricted Shorewood Hills, AR, NRHP-listed * Miraflores Park (seven works), 1184 E Hildebrand Ave.

, NRHP-listed * Palapa Table for James Richard Marmion, 1214 County Rd. Sweeny, TX, NRHP-listed * T. R. Pugh Memorial Park, 3800 Lakeshore Drive,

, NRHP-listed * Sculptures of Dionicio Rodriguez at Memorial Park Cemetery, 5668 Poplar Ave.

Memphis, TN Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-most ...

, NRHP-listed * Stations of the Cross and Grotto at the Shrine of St. Anthony de Padua (grotto and 14 stations), 100 Peter Baque Rd.

, NRHP-listed * Trolley Stop in Alamo Heights, 4900 blk of Broadway Alamo Heights, TX, NRHP-listed * Woodlawn Garden of Memories Cemetery, 1101 Antoine

, NRHP-listed

References

External links

* http://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=503 EncyclopediaOfArkansas.net
''Capturing Nature: The Cement Sculpture of Dionicio Rodriguez''
a book about Rodriguez's work
Studio Cortes
the professional website of Carlos Cortes, great-nephew of Dionicio Rodriguez, who is carrying on the family artistic tradition {{DEFAULTSORT:Rodriguez, Dionicio Mexican sculptors Male sculptors Mexican architects Concrete sculptures 1891 births 1955 deaths People from Toluca Mexican emigrants to the United States 20th-century sculptors