Emancipation Park Expansion and Renovation / Perkins+Will

Emancipation Park Expansion and Renovation / Perkins+Will - ChairEmancipation Park Expansion and Renovation / Perkins+Will - Beam, SteelEmancipation Park Expansion and Renovation / Perkins+Will - Facade, GardenEmancipation Park Expansion and Renovation / Perkins+Will - Lighting, BeamEmancipation Park Expansion and Renovation / Perkins+Will - More Images+ 27

More SpecsLess Specs
Emancipation Park Expansion and Renovation / Perkins+Will - Windows, Bench, Garden
© Mark Herboth

Text description provided by the architects. In Houston’s Third Ward neighborhood, Perkins+Will has transformed the historic Emancipation Park into an interwoven tapestry of buildings and landscape that celebrate the park's rich history while embracing the present and future of its community.

Emancipation Park Expansion and Renovation / Perkins+Will - Facade, Garden
© Mark Herboth
Site Plan
Emancipation Park Expansion and Renovation / Perkins+Will - Image 8 of 32
© Mark Herboth

Established in 1872 by four former slaves who pooled their funds to purchase ten acres of open space, Emancipation Park commemorates the announcement of the Emancipation Proclamation in Texas, today celebrated as Juneteenth. Until the 1950s, it was the only public park and swimming pool in Houston that was open to African Americans. The condition of the park had grown tired and underused when Perkins+Will was commissioned to restore it, including refurbishing landscapes and playgrounds, renovating two historic buildings, and designing a new building and plaza.

Emancipation Park Expansion and Renovation / Perkins+Will - Cityscape
© Mark Herboth

Consistent with the 1938 Hare & Hare plan for the park, the new design organizes major commemorative elements (a repurposed community center, renovated and expanded pool house, and a new recreation center) along a large entry plaza – Founder’s Promenade. This new central spine is anchored on one end by the indoor/outdoor stage of the Community Center and extends to a grand gateway sculpture commemorating the movement from slavery to freedom. Its landscape stitches together entrances of each building with a flowing texture that branches out to activate and connect perimeter zones of the park.

Emancipation Park Expansion and Renovation / Perkins+Will - Facade, Glass
© Mark Herboth
Renovated Aquatic Center Plan
Emancipation Park Expansion and Renovation / Perkins+Will - Beam, Steel
© Mark Herboth

The new Recreation Center is clad in colorful composite panels on the east and west facades. The rust and earth-tone colors of the panels echo the familiar patina of nearby shotgun house roofs and the red brick foundations of historical homes in the neighborhood. A large porch connects the interior of the building to the plaza and mimics in scale the native live oak trees that were carefully preserved during the project. Altogether, the new Emancipation Park reflects the pride, resilience, and hope its founders expressed when they established the park 145 years ago.

Emancipation Park Expansion and Renovation / Perkins+Will - Facade
© Mark Herboth
New Building Plan
Emancipation Park Expansion and Renovation / Perkins+Will - Chair
© Mark Herboth

Project gallery

See allShow less

Project location

Address:Emancipation Park, 3018 Emancipation Ave, Houston, TX 77004, United States

Click to open map
Location to be used only as a reference. It could indicate city/country but not exact address.
About this office
Cite: "Emancipation Park Expansion and Renovation / Perkins+Will" 14 Feb 2018. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/889059/historic-emancipation-park-perkins-plus-will> ISSN 0719-8884

You've started following your first account!

Did you know?

You'll now receive updates based on what you follow! Personalize your stream and start following your favorite authors, offices and users.