Emancipation Park

Emancipation Park

Emancipation Park and Emancipation Community Center are located at 3018 Dowling Street 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 available to African-Americans.[4]

History

In 1872 Richard Allen, Richard Brock, Jack Yates, and Elias Dibble together bought 4 acres (1.6 ha) of parkland with $800.[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]

In 1938-39, the Public Works Administration constructed a recreation center, swimming pool, and bathhouse, designed by prominent Houston architect William Ward Watkin, in the park. 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 Pratt 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]

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.[16] In 2012 Mayor of Houston Annise Parker made requests for donations in order to secure additional funding.[17] The renovation project had a cost of $33 million. Groundbreaking occurred on Saturday, October 26, 2013.[5]

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. It was subject to approval by the city council.[18]

In 2017, $33.6 million worth of renovations and new developments were completed to modernized the park.[19]

Composition

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.[20]

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]

References

Reference notes

  1. ↑ "communitylist1.gif." City of Houston. Retrieved on April 13, 2009.
  2. ↑ Blue, p. 18.
  3. 1 2 3 Swartz, Mimi (October 2015). "Green Acres". Texas Monthly. Retrieved 2017-03-04.
  4. 1 2 3 "Third Ward's Emancipation Park designated historic landmark". Houston Chronicle. 2007-11-14. Retrieved 2017-03-02.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Emancipation Park to receive $33 million renovation". Cypress Creek Mirror at the Houston Chronicle. 2013-10-28. Retrieved 2017-03-02.
  6. 1 2 Wood, Roger. Down in Houston: Bayou City Blues. University of Texas Press. ISBN 0292786638, 9780292786639. p. 82.
  7. ↑ Turner, Allan. "UH exhibit focuses on Third Ward history, people." Houston Chronicle. March 23, 2011. Retrieved on March 24, 2011.
  8. ↑ Blue, p. 15-16.
  9. ↑ Blue, p. 15.
  10. ↑ "Emancipation Park WRITTEN HISTORICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE DATA." Library of Congress. Retrieved on March 3, 2017. p. 8 of 11.
  11. ↑ "Houston City Council Meeting Agenda, November 7, 2007" (PDF). City of Houston. Retrieved 12 March 2017.
  12. ↑ Gray, Lisa (2013-11-01). "Friends of Emancipation Park hope renovation revitalizes neighborhood". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 2017-03-04.
  13. ↑ "EMANCIPATION PARK NO LONGER HOME TO JUNETEENTH CELEBRATIONS". Houston Chronicle. 2007-06-18. Retrieved 2017-03-03.
  14. ↑ Blue, p. 17.
  15. ↑ Friedburg, Jennifer (2007-11-19). "Emancipation Park designated a protected historic landmark". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 2017-03-02.
  16. ↑ Moran, Chris (2011-09-21). "Big plans for Emancipation Park". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 2017-03-03.
  17. ↑ Moran, Chris (2012-06-19). "Mayor will seek donations to make over Emancipation Park". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 2017-03-03.
  18. ↑ Begley, Dug (2016-10-28). "City planners approve ditching Dowling Street for Emancipation Avenue". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 2017-03-03.
  19. ↑ http://www.chron.com/houston/article/33-6-million-Emancipation-Park-redo-unveiled-11227617.php
  20. ↑ "Emancipation Community Center." City of Houston. Retrieved on April 13, 2009.

Further reading

Note

Coordinates: 29°44′09″N 95°21′55″W / 29.73583°N 95.36528°W / 29.73583; -95.36528

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