Emancipation Park | |
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![]() Emancipation Park entrance and buildings | |
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Type | Urban park |
Location | 3018 Emancipation Ave, Houston, Texas, USA |
Coordinates | 29°44′09″N 95°21′54″W / 29.73578°N 95.36494°W |
Area | 11.71 acres (4.74 ha; 0.01830 sq mi; 0.0474 km2) |
Created | 1872 |
Owned by | Houston Parks and Recreation Department |
Managed by | Emancipation Park Conservancy |
Historic Landmark | |
Houston Protected Landmark No. 07PL46
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HPLM No. | 07PL46 |
Designated HPLM | 2007 |
Emancipation Park and Emancipation Community Center are located at 3018 Emancipation Ave in the Third Ward area of Houston.[1] It is the oldest park in Houston,[2] and the oldest in Texas.[3] In portions of the Jim Crow period it was the sole public park in the area available to African-Americans.[4]
History
[edit]In 1872, Richard Allen, Richard Brock, Jack Yates, and Elias Dibble together bought 10 acres (4.0 ha) of parkland with $800 ($20346.67 in 2013 inflation-adjusted dollars).[5] The men, led by Yates, were members of the Antioch Missionary Baptist Church and the Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church.[6] They did this to commemorate the end of slavery in the United States.[7] As the owners lacked funds to keep the park open year-round, it was originally solely used for Juneteenth celebrations.[8] The park received its current name in 1872.[9]
The City of Houston received the park in 1916 as part of a donation;[4] the city converted it into a municipal park in 1918.[5] From 1922 to 1940 it was Houston's sole park for African-Americans, since the city government had declared its parks racially segregated in 1922.[10] Many concerts, musical performances, and Juneteenth celebrations were held in Emancipation Park.[6]
During this period, the park constructed a recreation center, swimming pool, and bathhouse, designed by prominent Houston architect William Ward Watkin. The buildings have been used for after-school and summer programs for children, community meetings, and classes for youth and adults.[11]
The park fell into disrepair in the 1970s after wealthier blacks left the Third Ward during the integration process.[12] By 2007 it had stopped hosting Juneteenth celebrations.[13]
In 2006, Carol Parrott Blue and Bill Milligan, natives of the Third Ward, formed "Friends of Emancipation Park" in order to revitalize the park.[14] The board was established in March 2007. On November 7, 2007 the Houston City Council declared the park a historic landmark after it voted unanimously to do so.[15] Carol Alvarado introduced the resolution.[16]
In 2011, the city government planned to establish a capital campaign to install new facilities at the park. It spent $2 million in its own money and secured $4 million in funding from the local government corporation OST/Almeda Corridors Redevelopment Authority as well as $1 million in funding from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.[17] In 2012, Mayor of Houston Annise Parker made requests for donations in order to secure additional funding.[18] The renovation project had a cost of $33 million. Groundbreaking occurred on Saturday, October 26, 2013.[5]
In 2014, the Emancipation Park Conservancy formed to restore, manage, and enhance Emancipation Park. In 2016, the group entered into a 30-year joint management agreement with the City of Houston to provide fundraising and maintenance for the park.[19][20][21]
Also in 2016, the City of Houston Planning Commission passed a resolution to have Dowling Avenue, a street bordering Emancipation Park named after Confederate soldier Richard W. Dowling, renamed to Emancipation Avenue.[22] In January 2017, Houston City Council voted unanimously to legally designate Emancipation Avenue.[23]
In 2017, $33.6 million worth of renovations and new developments were completed to modernize the park.[24] Also, Juneteenth and other black-centric celebrations were brought back to the park.[25]
In 2019 it became a UNESCO Slave Route Project site.[26]
Composition
[edit]The community center includes an indoor gymnasium, a weight room, and meeting rooms. The park has an outdoor basketball pavilion, lighted sports fields, lighted tennis courts, a swimming pool, a playground, and picnic areas.[27][28]
A swimming and recreation complex with an attached bathhouse was built in 1938 and 1939. William Ward Watkin designed the structure.[4] The basketball court was added in the 1970s.[5]
The 2010s renovated facilities were designed by a North Carolina black architect, Phil Freelon. Mimi Swartz of Texas Monthly described him as "arguably" the "most prominent" American black architect.[3] The new facilities include a playground, a swimming pool, and a performance hall.[3]
There is a historical marker that was dedicated in 2009.[29]
References
[edit]- Blue, Carroll Parrott. "Emancipation is a Park" (PDF). Houston History Magazine. 9 (3): 15–19.
Reference notes
[edit]- ^ "communitylist1.gif Archived 2007-03-03 at the Wayback Machine." City of Houston. Retrieved on April 13, 2009.
- ^ Blue, p. 18.
- ^ a b c Swartz, Mimi (October 2015). "Green Acres". Texas Monthly. Retrieved 2017-03-04.
- ^ a b c "Third Ward's Emancipation Park designated historic landmark". Chron. Hearst. 14 November 2007. Archived from the original on 2 March 2017. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
- ^ a b c d "Emancipation Park to receive $33 million renovation". Chron. 28 October 2013. Archived from the original on 2 March 2017. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
- ^ a b Wood, Roger. Down in Houston: Bayou City Blues. University of Texas Press. ISBN 0292786638, 9780292786639. p. 82.
- ^ Turner, Allan. "UH exhibit focuses on Third Ward history, people." Houston Chronicle. March 23, 2011. Retrieved on March 24, 2011.
- ^ Blue, p. 15-16.
- ^ Blue, p. 15.
- ^ "Emancipation Park WRITTEN HISTORICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE DATA." Library of Congress. Retrieved on March 3, 2017. p. 8 of 11.
- ^ "Houston City Council Meeting Agenda, November 7, 2007" (PDF). City of Houston. p. 98/246. Retrieved 12 March 2017.
- ^ Gray, Lisa (2013-11-01). "Friends of Emancipation Park hope renovation revitalizes neighborhood". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 2017-03-04.
- ^ "Emancipation Park No Longer Home to Juneteenth Celebrations". Houston Chronicle. 2007-06-18. Retrieved 2017-03-03.
- ^ Blue, p. 17.
- ^ Friedburg, Jennifer (2007-11-19). "Emancipation Park designated a protected historic landmark". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 2017-03-02.
- ^ "Houston City Council Meeting Agenda, November 7, 2007" (PDF). City of Houston. p. 4/246. Retrieved 12 March 2017.
- ^ Moran, Chris (2011-09-21). "Big plans for Emancipation Park". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 2017-03-03.
- ^ Moran, Chris (2012-06-19). "Mayor will seek donations to make over Emancipation Park". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 2017-03-03.
- ^ "ABOUT EPC - Emancipation Park Conservancy". 2022-08-10. Retrieved 2023-06-21.
- ^ "PRD - Joint Operations, Maintenance and Programming Agreement for Emancipation Park". houston.novusagenda.com. City of Houston City Council. Retrieved 2023-06-21.
- ^ "Interlocal Agreement for Emancipation Park Presented to Quality of Life Committee, June 22, 2016" (PDF). Houston Parks and Recreation Department.
- ^ Begley, Dug (2016-10-28). "City planners approve ditching Dowling Street for Emancipation Avenue". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 2017-03-03.
- ^ Kinney, Morgan (July 18, 2017). "What Happens When You Change a Street Name?". Houstonia.
- ^ "Community celebrates $33.6M makeover of Houston's Emancipation Park". 17 June 2017.
- ^ Hardy, Michael (17 June 2017). "In Houston, an Original Juneteenth Celebration Site Reborn". The New York Times.
- ^ Rice, Jen (2019-05-09). "7 Houston Landmarks Earn United Nations Historical Designation". Houston Public Media. Retrieved 2019-05-11.
- ^ "Emancipation Community Center". City of Houston. Archived from the original on 2009-03-22. Retrieved 2009-04-13.
- ^ "AMENITIES - Emancipation Park Conservancy". 2022-09-02. Retrieved 2023-06-21.
- ^ Gonzales, J.R. (2009-06-22). "Marker dedication at Emancipation Park". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 2020-06-09.
Further reading
[edit]- "Audio Tour of Emancipation Park and Dowling Street". Woodson Research Center, Fondren Library, Rice University. 2011.
- "Protected Landmark Designation Report: Emancipation Park." City of Houston. Accepted July 30, 2007.
- "Editorial: Emancipation Park is a special place". Houston Chronicle. 2011-10-25.
- "Editorial: Emancipation Park deserves national stature". Houston Chronicle. 2012-06-22.
- Ocampo, Mary Anne and James Buckley. "Emancipation Park Neighborhood: Strategies for Community-Led Regeneration in the Third Ward" - MIT Urban Planning, Spring 2016
Note
[edit]- Some content is derived from Third Ward, Houston.