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]
In 1872, Richard Allen, Richard Brock, Jack Yates, and Elias Dibble together bought 10 acres (4.0 ha) of parkland with $800 ($18095.56 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 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. [19] In January 2017, Houston City Council voted unanimously to legally designate Emancipation Avenue. [20]
In 2017, $33.6 million worth of renovations and new developments were completed to modernize the park. [21] Also, Juneteenth and other black-centric celebrations were brought back to the park. [22]
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. [24]
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. [25]
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