The Commons at Hermann Park opens in Houston

In Houston, on the eastern edge of Rice University, is Hermann Park, a 445-acre green space that attracts six million visitors each year. The bucolic setting designed by George E. Kessler in the 1920s is now home to the Houston Zoo, the Houston Museum of Natural Science, a leafy Japanese Garden and other popular amenities.

In April, a 26-acre addition to Hermann Park by Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates (MVVA) opened to the public, titled The Commons. Several pavilions are located throughout The Commons, designed by Arkansas-based firm Marlon Blackwell Architects.

These Marlon Blackwell structures include restrooms, picnic pavilions, and other recreational structures. The play structures and water features were designed by Monstrum, a Danish playground design company.

The project, located not far from METRO Rail on Fannin Street, was a collaborative effort between MVVA, Marlon Blackwell, Hermann Park Conservancy (HPC) and the Houston Parks and Recreation Department (HPARD). One of its iconic spaces is a rococo carousel for the enjoyment of children and the young at heart.

HPC is a nonprofit civic organization founded in 1992. Its latest contribution to The Commons is part of a $55.5 million fundraising campaign, called Play Your Park, which aims to improve and maintain the historic park Hermann. Other amenities provided by Play Your Park include the new McWilliams dog park and a renewed public art initiative.

“We set out with the Hermann Park Conservancy to transform an underutilized area of ​​the park into a welcoming and diverse environment in which all Houstonians can find their place – to play, to cook or to find some quiet time,” said Jack Ohly, associate. director at MVVA. “This project is the first major step toward implementing our 2017 master plan for the transformation of Hermann Park, and we are very pleased with how it has come together. »

Construction of the new green space in the southwest corner of Hermann Park began in spring 2022. The addition provides a revitalized community space, a state-of-the-art play garden for children, gathering spaces for families, picnic, walking trails and natural spaces. areas.

MVVA’s design centers on a gently topographic lawn and a generous two-acre play garden for children of all ages and abilities. The landscape architects were proud of the fact that the design preserved the vast majority of trees on the site and improved the overall quality of the soil. The project also planted cover crops and native grasses, adding more than 1,200 new trees and 60,000 new plantings.

The Marlon Blackwell-designed pavilions are intended to complement MVVA’s landscape architecture. Their colors were matched to harmonize with the neighboring trees and the recently renovated historic Fannin Pavilion.

“We particularly enjoyed designing a set of structures incorporating dynamic shade to complement the park and its surroundings. The structures support an experience enriching a variety of accessible activities, including play, dining and relaxation,” said Marlon Blackwell.

Later this summer, a café organized by Dak & Bop will also land at Hermann Park.