The Urban Maritime Center in Houston which May is currently designing takes into account the future of this country's third largest port and the only major port which is located fifty miles from the sea, while it showcases Houston's past. "Houston's history is entwined in the fact that it was a seaport even before the Republic of Texas was established in 1836. It was through Harrisburg?EUR??,,????'??+what has now become a part of Houston?EUR??,,????'??+ that Santa Ana marched on the way to his defeat at San Jacincto," May noted. The new Center is alsoto offer special amenities for the passengers on the cruise ships that are now choosing Houston as a destination. "There will be retail, resort hotel and restaurant components in close proximity to downtown Houston," he said. May concluded, "We want to create a significant cultural, civic and environmental center that will house an aquarium with a virtual reality studio linking Houston's aquarium with others throughout the world as a centerpiece. This is possibly one of the most ambitious projects we have undertaken. It is both a challenge and an opportunity to bring almost every facet of the Landscape Architecture profession into focus. We are envisioning a port much like Baltimore or Boston, with all the amenities, plus the addition of the cruise ship port-of-call."