Hermann Park
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Hermann Park is a
urban park An urban park or metropolitan park, also known as a municipal park (North America) or a public park, public open space, or municipal gardens ( UK), is a park in cities and other incorporated places that offer recreation and green space to resi ...
in
Houston 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 in ...
,
Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
, situated at the southern end of the Museum District. The park is located immediately north of the
Texas Medical Center The Texas Medical Center (TMC) is a medical district and neighborhood in south-central Houston, Texas, United States, immediately south of the Museum District and west of Texas State Highway 288. Over 60 medical institutions, largely concentrat ...
and
Brays Bayou Brays Bayou is a slow-moving river in Harris County, Texas. A major tributary of Buffalo Bayou, the Brays flows for from the western edge of the county, south of Barker Reservoir along the border with Fort Bend County, east to its convergence ...
, east of
Rice University William Marsh Rice University (Rice University) is a Private university, private research university in Houston, Houston, Texas. It is on a 300-acre campus near the Houston Museum District and adjacent to the Texas Medical Center. Rice is ranke ...
, and slightly west of the Third Ward. Hermann Park is home to numerous cultural institutions including the
Houston Zoo The Houston Zoo is a zoological park located within Hermann Park in Houston, Texas, United States. The zoo houses over 6,000 animals from more than 600 species. It receives 2.1 million visitors each year and is the second most visited zoo i ...
,
Miller Outdoor Theatre Miller Outdoor Theatre is an outdoor theater for the performing arts in Houston, Texas. It is located on approximately of land in Hermann Park, at 6000 Hermann Park Drive, Houston, Texas 77030. The theater offers a wide range of professional e ...
, the
Houston Museum of Natural Science The Houston Museum of Natural Science (abbreviated as HMNS) is a natural history museum located on the northern border of Hermann Park in Houston, Texas, United States. The museum was established in 1909 by the Houston Museum and Scientific Soc ...
, and the Hermann Park Golf Course, which became one of the first desegregated public golf courses in the United States in 1954. The park also features the
Mary Gibbs and Jesse H. Jones Reflection Pool The Mary Gibbs and Jesse H. Jones Reflection Pool is a reflecting pool in Houston's Hermann Park, in the U.S. state of Texas. The design of the Houston Zoo The Houston Zoo is a zoological park located within Hermann Park in Houston, Texas, Un ...
, numerous gardens, picnic areas, and
McGovern Lake McGovern Lake is an lake in Houston's Hermann Park, in the U.S. state of Texas. Description and history The lake has been described as "the sparkling jewel that anchors the park and its surrounding attractions". It has three islands, two of whic ...
, an recreational lake. One of Houston's oldest public parks, Hermann Park was created on acreage donated to the City of Houston by oilman and philanthropist George H. Hermann (1843–1914). The land was formerly the site of his sawmill. It was first envisioned as part of a comprehensive
urban planning Urban planning, also known as town planning, city planning, regional planning, or rural planning, is a technical and political process that is focused on the development and design of land use and the built environment, including air, water, ...
effort by the city of Houston in the early 1910s. Following the recommendation of a 1913 report which identified the then-rural area between Main Street and Brays Bayou as ideal for a large urban park, real estate investor and entrepreneur George H. Hermann, who owned most of the area and served on the city's parks board, bequeathed his estate to Houston for use as a public green space in 1914. By 1916, famed landscape architect
George Kessler George Edward Kessler (July 16, 1862 – March 20, 1923) was an American pioneer city planner and landscape architect. Over the course of his forty-one year career, George E. Kessler completed over 200 projects and prepared plans for 26 comm ...
had completed a master plan for the park which was gradually implemented throughout the following decades. Ultimately, Hermann Park and Rice University are two clear expressions of the
City Beautiful movement The City Beautiful Movement was a reform philosophy of North American architecture and urban planning that flourished during the 1890s and 1900s with the intent of introducing beautification and monumental grandeur in cities. It was a part of the ...
in Houston. The opening of the Houston Zoo in 1922 and the requisition of a large southern portion of the park for the establishment of the Texas Medical Center in 1943 fundamentally altered the scope and configuration of the space, though significant elements of the Kessler plan—such as the north-south axis extending from Montrose Boulevard—remain and have been expanded upon. Hermann Park experienced a period of neglect in the latter half of the 20th century due to a lack of funding and maintenance, spurring the formation of the nonprofit Hermann Park Conservancy in 1992. The Conservancy has since leveraged over $120 million of public and private funds to renovate and remake broad areas of the park. Today, Hermann Park welcomes over six million visitors annually; the Houston Zoo was the second most visited paid-admission zoo in the United States in 2016 (behind
San Diego Zoo The San Diego Zoo is a zoo in Balboa Park, San Diego, California, housing 4000 animals of more than 650 species and subspecies on of Balboa Park leased from the City of San Diego. Its parent organization, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, is a p ...
), with over 2.5 million visitors. Hermann Park is served by the Hermann Park / Rice University station on the METRORail Red Line, which runs along Fannin Street at the western edge of the park. The Third Ward Redevelopment Council defines Hermann Park as being part of the Third Ward. T. R. Witcher of the ''
Houston Press The ''Houston Press'' is an online newspaper published in Houston, Texas, United States. It is headquartered in the Midtown area. It was also a weekly print newspaper until November 2017. The publication is supported entirely by advertising ...
'' wrote in 1995 that the park and nearby areas are "not the first places that come to mind when you say "Third Ward," ...


History

*1899 – Mayor Sam Brashear selected and purchased a site that would later on become the city’s first park in June 1899. The size of the land was for $26,000. Prior to the purchase of the park, he formed the first park committee who oversaw the purchase and would later become Sam Houston Park. *1907 – The Houston Civic Club placed the Brownie statue donated to the City of Houston in Sam Houston Park. Brownie was created by artist Louis Amateis in 1905, and was first used as a children's water fountain. Over the years it has been stolen and recovered several times before finally residing in front of Miller Outdoor Theatre. *1914 – George E. Kessler designed the entrance of Hermann Park. *1924 – Hermann Park grew to with the addition of the
Golf Course A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". Th ...
in 1922, which completed construction in 1924. Its main feature that it had grass greens as opposed to the more commonly used sand in other cities and was well received by golfers. *1936 – for the City’s 100th anniversary, the Daughters of Republic of Texas had a log cabin constructed in Hermann Park as a memorial to pioneer men and women. *1957 – Southern Pacific steam engine #982 was dedicated at Hermann Park and the Mini-train service was established. The engine was saved after a newspaper letter from Peter Whitney got 75 replies and Southern Pacific donated the engine to the
Junior Chamber of Commerce The United States Junior Chamber, also known as the Jaycees, JCs or JCI USA, is a leadership training, service organization and civic organization for people between the ages of 18 and 40. It is a branch of Junior Chamber International (JCI). ...
and the city. It took 5 days to move it from Blodgett to the Park, as rails were laid in the streets in front of it. The locomotive was relocated by 50 wheel trailer to
Minute Maid Park Minute Maid Park is a retractable roof stadium in Houston, Texas, United States. It opened in 2000 as the home ballpark of Major League Baseball's Houston Astros. It has a seating capacity of 41,168, which includes 5,197 club seats and 63 ...
in 2005.


The Hermann Park Conservancy

Hermann Park was presented to the City of Houston by George Hermann in 1914, and is now Houston's most historically significant public green space. Over the years, the
Houston Zoo The Houston Zoo is a zoological park located within Hermann Park in Houston, Texas, United States. The zoo houses over 6,000 animals from more than 600 species. It receives 2.1 million visitors each year and is the second most visited zoo i ...
, Miller Outdoor Theatre, the
Houston Museum of Natural Science The Houston Museum of Natural Science (abbreviated as HMNS) is a natural history museum located on the northern border of Hermann Park in Houston, Texas, United States. The museum was established in 1909 by the Houston Museum and Scientific Soc ...
, and one of the first desegregated public golf courses in the United States all have added to the Park's importance as a recreational destination. By the late 1980s however, due to insufficient public resources and very high public attendance, the park became rundown and entered a state of disrepair. In response, a group of committed and visionary Houstonians formed the nonprofit organization known as the Friends of Hermann Park (FHP) to encourage the development of more attractive, usable green space in Hermann Park and to promote the restoration of the Park to its originally intended standards of beauty.


Creating the Conservancy, Transforming the Park

In 1993, FHP commissioned a master plan for Hermann Park from Hanna/ Olin Partnership of Philadelphia. This Master Plan, created in consultation with the City of Houston and various stakeholders, was adopted in 1997 by Houston City Council. In 1995, Friends of Hermann Park adopted a master plan for Hermann Park that has provided a “blueprint” for all subsequent renovations and enhancements to the Park. In 2004, Friends of Hermann Park changed its name to the Hermann Park Conservancy (HPC) to reflect an institutional and permanent commitment to stewardship of Hermann Park’s natural resources and physical infrastructure. In an international competition, the Rice Design Alliance invited designers to set the tone and revitalize the main entry and
reflecting pool A reflecting pool, also called a reflection pool, is a water feature found in gardens, parks, and memorial sites. It usually consists of a shallow pool of water, undisturbed by fountain jets, for a reflective surface. Design Reflecting pools are ...
that formed a key axis for Hermann Park, “The Heart of the Park”, and to create a contemporary update to the park's earliest plans by George Kessler and a subsequent, more formal Hare & Hare plan in 1936. SWA Group, an international landscape and urban design firm working in conjunction with W.O. Neuhaus Architects and other consultants, was selected over 100 respondents. The most striking of the changes to the project area was a narrower, more inviting by reflection pool. It establishes the formal central axis for the space and its slight narrower design afforded elegant pedestrian promenades as well as a double-row of mature Live Oak trees – one row that had been planted in the 1920s to honor veterans of WW I, and a second row that was added as part of the project. Noted in a winning entry for the 2005 National Award of Excellence from the American Society of Landscape Architects, the “Heart of the Park” reflecting pool utilized a biofiltration system of gravel beds and perforated pipes to trap organics so that they naturally decompose. Porous paving systems and decomposed granite also limit potential damage from increased water run-off from the site.


Ongoing projects

The Hermann Park Conservancy continues working in partnership with the City of Houston to secure funds and manage the design of projects to be undertaken in the Park: *
Mary Gibbs and Jesse H. Jones Reflection Pool The Mary Gibbs and Jesse H. Jones Reflection Pool is a reflecting pool in Houston's Hermann Park, in the U.S. state of Texas. The design of the Houston Zoo The Houston Zoo is a zoological park located within Hermann Park in Houston, Texas, Un ...
* Molly Ann Smith and Sara H. and John H. Lindsey Plazas * Enlargement, renovation and beautification of
McGovern Lake McGovern Lake is an lake in Houston's Hermann Park, in the U.S. state of Texas. Description and history The lake has been described as "the sparkling jewel that anchors the park and its surrounding attractions". It has three islands, two of whic ...
(including three new islands as well as bird and wetland habitat area.) * The West Entrance facility and plaza for the Houston Zoo. * Beautification and re-alignment of North MacGregor Street to improve access and circulation in and around the Park and the Texas Medical Center. * Acquisition of additional land and capital improvements to Bayou Parkland, an area in Hermann Park along Brays Bayou being "reclaimed" for healthier activities and used extensively for stewardship programs. * Creation and implementation of extensive stewardship programs, including Field Studies 101, Natural Guard, and Scouting Around Hermann Park. * Completion of the expansion and renovation of Miller Outdoor Theatre. * Coordination of the comprehensive renovation of the Hermann Park Golf Course (completed by BSL Golf Corporation). * Coordination of the Hermann Park Miniature Train track expansion. * Planting of over 2,400 new trees. * The park-wide installation of new park furnishings such as light fixtures, benches and trash cans. The Conservancy also developed a Maintenance and Operations Master Plan Study for Hermann Park - the first such comprehensive study ever for this flagship park of Houston. The study identified many concerns for preserving and protecting Hermann Park, including a gap of 20,000 maintenance hours for the Park. In response, the Conservancy hired a Manager of Volunteer Programs. In 2004 over 1,200 volunteers provided over 14,000 hours of volunteer service in the park.


Attractions

*Arbor in the Pines *Bayou Parkland *Bloch Plaza Cancer Survivor's Plaza *Brays Bayou *Buddy Carruth Playground for All Children *Chinese Pagoda * Hermann Park Golf Course *Hermann Park Jogging Trail *Hermann Park Pedal Boats * Hermann Park Railroad (
narrow gauge A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller structu ...
train ride)Hermann Park Conservancy
Hermannpark.org. Retrieved on 2018-02-20.
*Houston Garden Center
Houstontx.gov (2013-08-01). Retrieved on 2013-09-06.
**Fragrance Garden *
Houston Museum of Natural Science The Houston Museum of Natural Science (abbreviated as HMNS) is a natural history museum located on the northern border of Hermann Park in Houston, Texas, United States. The museum was established in 1909 by the Houston Museum and Scientific Soc ...
**Cockrell Butterfly Center *
Houston Zoo The Houston Zoo is a zoological park located within Hermann Park in Houston, Texas, United States. The zoo houses over 6,000 animals from more than 600 species. It receives 2.1 million visitors each year and is the second most visited zoo i ...
*
Japanese Garden are traditional gardens whose designs are accompanied by Japanese aesthetics and philosophical ideas, avoid artificial ornamentation, and highlight the natural landscape. Plants and worn, aged materials are generally used by Japanese garden desi ...
*Judson Robinson, Jr. Community Center *Lake Overlook *
Mary Gibbs and Jesse H. Jones Reflection Pool The Mary Gibbs and Jesse H. Jones Reflection Pool is a reflecting pool in Houston's Hermann Park, in the U.S. state of Texas. The design of the Houston Zoo The Houston Zoo is a zoological park located within Hermann Park in Houston, Texas, Un ...
*Marvin Taylor Exercise Station *
McGovern Centennial Gardens McGovern Centennial Gardens is a collection of gardens in Hermann Park, in Houston, Texas, United States. Description and history "Previewed" in October 2014 and officially opened in December 2014, the park cost $31 million and took approximately ...
*
McGovern Lake McGovern Lake is an lake in Houston's Hermann Park, in the U.S. state of Texas. Description and history The lake has been described as "the sparkling jewel that anchors the park and its surrounding attractions". It has three islands, two of whic ...
**Bob's Fishing Pier *
Mecom Fountain ''Mecom Fountain'' is a 1964 fountain designed by Eugene Werlin, located in the traffic circle at the intersection of Main and Montrose streets in Houston, Texas, in the United States. It was presented to the City of Houston by John W. and Mary Me ...
*
Miller Outdoor Theatre Miller Outdoor Theatre is an outdoor theater for the performing arts in Houston, Texas. It is located on approximately of land in Hermann Park, at 6000 Hermann Park Drive, Houston, Texas 77030. The theater offers a wide range of professional e ...
*Molly Ann Smith Plaza, features four interactive fountains *'' Pioneer Memorial'' * Pioneer Memorial Log House Museum *''
Sam Houston Monument The Sam Houston Monument is an outdoor bronze sculpture of Sam Houston by Enrico Cerracchio, installed at the northwest corner of Houston's Hermann Park, in the U.S. state of Texas. The work is administered by the City of Houston's Municipal A ...
'' *Urban Forest in Bayou Parkland


References


Further reading


Hermann Park
" In ''Houston: Present and Past in Contrast'', ''
Houston Chronicle The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, Texas, United States. , it is the third-largest newspaper by Sunday circulation in the United States, behind only ''The New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''. With it ...
''.
Hermann Park: A Brief History by Barrie ScardinoArchive
- Friends of Hermann Park Action Plan 2000
Big Park, Little Plans: A History of Hermann Park by Stephen FoxArchive


External links

*
Miller Outdoor Theatre
{{Houston, Texas 1914 establishments in Texas Parks in Houston Protected areas established in 1914 Urban public parks