News

Feb 01

Stretch Your Legs on the New Trails and Footpaths

Soon, runners, walkers and cyclists will have new and upgraded trails on which to enjoy nature and the bayou. The Texas Department of Transportation and City of Houston continue construction on the Sandy Reed Memorial Trail between Waugh and Sabine. We are happy to report that this work has not discouraged trail users, who are navigating the detours quite well. Runners and trail users should use the trails on the north side of the bayou until construction along Allen Parkway is complete in Spring 2013.

This year, Buffalo Bayou Partnership will also start construction on a series of five-footwide asphalt footpaths closer to the bayou banks. This network of trails will provide visitors safer options to enjoy nature and stroll leisurely through the park.

New drinking fountains and benches will be conveniently located along the new trails, and park users will have access to other amenities, including restrooms and bike rental facilities.

Yellow lines indicate planned footpaths; red lines indicate upgraded hike and bike trails.

Feb 01

2013 Chevron Houston Marathon

Many Houstonians started the new year off with a 26.2-mile marathon or 13.1-mile half marathon. Participants in the 2013 Chevron Houston Marathon had a bayou view as they ran the final stretch of the 41st event on Allen Parkway between Shepherd and Sabine. Despite the rain, Buffalo Bayou Partnership’s “Hoopla Station” gave runners at the 24th mile a boost with encouraging banners, noisemakers and signs. Despite the rain, Buffalo Bayou Partnership’s “Hoopla Station” gave runners at the 24th mile a boost with encouraging banners, noisemakers and signs.

Congratulations to all runners – including BBP Volunteer and Outreach Coordinator Jessalyn Giacona and Bayou Buddies Steering Committee members Josh Ibarra, Cara Merriman, Claire Smith and Chair Mary Catherine White – on your tremendous accomplishment! (Read our Behind the Scenes article, below, for more Houston Marathon news.)

Nov 30

Accolades and Attention-Grabbing Headlines

In its fall issue, Philanthropy Magazine featured Nancy and Rich Kinder, Buffalo Bayou Park’s $30 million catalyst funders, in an article focused on park philanthropy.

In October, Buffalo Bayou was named one of the nation’s “10 Great Public Spaces” by the American Planning Association. Read about the announcement press conference with Mayor Annise Parker in the Houston Chronicle and see a photo gallery in USA Today.

Thank you to the Houston Parks and Recreation Department Director, Joe Turner, for nominating Buffalo Bayou for this prestigious honor.

Also in October, Buffalo Bayou Partnership received the 2012 Civic Vision Award from AIA Houston. This award is presented to individuals or groups who have consistently and courageously demonstrated civic leadership in improving Houston’s quality of life through architecture, architecture education, landscape architecture, or urban planning. Thank you, AIA!

Nov 30

Welcome, Leigh McBurnett!

Buffalo Bayou Partnership is pleased to welcome Leigh McBurnett as our new Director of Development. Leigh has 17 years of development and non-profit management experience. At the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, she served in numerous fundraising capacities — Assistant Development Director, Senior Annual Giving Coordinator, and Development Assistant. In these positions, she worked to develop and implement the annual giving program for the MFAH, including Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens, Rienzi and the Glassell School of Art. She also worked on the capital campaign that raised $127 million for the MFAH’s Audrey Jones Beck Building. Leigh most recently served as Executive Director of Dominic Walsh Dance Theater. Welcome Leigh!

Nov 28

Many thanks!

As 2012 comes to a close, we celebrate the significant progress made at Buffalo Bayou Park – Shepherd to Sabine and recognize the generosity of Houston’s leading foundations and corporations.

The vision for Buffalo Bayou Park has inspired numerous record-setting gifts including the following:

Kinder Foundation’s catalyst $30 million gift, the largest in the history of Houston’s park system
The Wortham Foundation provided a $5 million challenge grant with a 2:1 matching requirement. The foundation’s gift served as an early catalyst for BBP to raise additional funds and reach out to new donors, and we are happy to announce that BBP has raised more than $10 million to fulfill this challenge
Ray C. Fish Foundation’s recent $1 million grant for Buffalo Bayou Park’s exciting Nature Playground
Carruth Foundation’s $1 million sponsorship of the pedestrian bridge connecting Buffalo Bayou Park to the Police Memorial – the largest gift in the foundation’s history
The Garden Club of Houston’s $250,000 contribution, the largest in the club’s 80-year history, for the park’s Lost Lake perennial gardens

Thanks to these additional Buffalo Bayou Park donors of $50,000+ (as of November 28, 2012):

The Wortham Foundation, Inc.
Houston Endowment Inc.
The Brown Foundation, Inc.
The Fondren Foundation
The Cullen Foundation
The Elkins Foundation
Susan Vaughan Foundation
Scurlock Foundation
Brady Carruth
Apache Corporation
River Oaks Garden Club

We are honored that these and other gifts will allow us to develop major park features.

Nov 28

Buffalo Bayou Park – Your Park. Our Park.

Eleanor Tinsley Park

Equally important are the donations that will fund an array of park amenities along the park’s hike and bike trails and at high profile destinations such as The Water Works and Dog Park. Shade pavilions, small foot bridges, meadows and tributaries offer opportunities for all Houstonians to support the park.

Dog Park

Buffalo Bayou Partnership is in the final stage of raising an additional $20 million needed to complete the $55 million Buffalo Bayou Partnership project. With your help, Buffalo Bayou Park – Shepherd to Sabine will be a destination full of activity, energy and natural beauty, as well as a place for quiet reflection and contemplation.

Jackson Hill Bridge is a major naming opportunity.

As you consider giving to a number of worthy organizations this holiday season, please join us in making this significant civic project a reality. Major naming opportunities are still available in addition to opportunities to fund trees, shade pavilions, and pedestrian bridges.

Naming opportunities at Lost Lake.

For more information about supporting the project, please contact Leigh McBurnett, Director of Development, at 713.752.0314 ext. 105, or make an online donation today!

Nov 28

A Room with a View

Buffalo Bayou Partnership’s November 1st gala “Sensational” raised a record-breaking $500,000. Again this year, Sabine Promenade offered guests incredible views of Buffalo Bayou and the downtown skyline. But even more spectacular views are in store for gala-goers when the annual fundraising event is moved to the Sky Lawn at Buffalo Bayou Park in 2015.

Click here for CultureMap’s coverage of the successful 2012 event.

Click here for additional photos by Katya Horner and here for PaperCity/Black Tie photos.

The Sky Lawn, a grassy plateau sitting 15 feet above street level, will be the premier vantage point for bayou and downtown skyline viewing.

Nov 28

Construction Updates: November 2012

We are pleased to report progress on two new bridges, providing Buffalo Bayou Park users with easier and safer access.

Shepherd Drive Bridge

A long-awaited pedestrian bridge is being installed under the Shepherd Drive overpass. The bridge is a tremendous asset for Buffalo Bayou Park joggers, bikers and runners who previously used the very busy and dangerous sidewalk along Shepherd Drive.

Crosby Outfall Bridge

Millis Construction is putting the finishing touches on the 53-foot long Crosby Outfall Bridge at the intersection of Sabine Street and Allen Parkway. Part of Phase I park improvements, the bridge will provide a continuous route on the south side of Buffalo Bayou under Sabine Bridge.

Waterway Closure at Montrose

Harris County Flood Control District continues to conduct channel realignment work near the Police Memorial. Therefore, the waterway will be closed thru December. For your safety, please observe all posted signs and remove all watercraft at Montrose Boulevard. Click here to read the press release sent out by the Harris County Flood Control District.

Sep 28

Millis

Chris Ward, Superintendent, with Jack Christison, Project Manager at Millis Development & Construction, Inc. are currently working on the Crosby Bridge, located just west of Sabine Street (on the south bank). This bridge will be completed in December 2012.

Houston-based construction company Millis has long been part of the enhancements to Buffalo Bayou. Millis recently completed the TIRZ 5-funded Rosemont Bridge and several hike & bike trail segments in 2011. The Houston-based construction company recently was the low bidder for Phase One of Buffalo Bayou Park, which includes the Jackson Hill Bridge, the Carruth Foundation Bridge (Police Memorial Bridge), a footbridge linking Buffalo Bayou Park to the Sabine Promenade under the Sabine Bridge, and several other important trail segments. Millis began Phase One construction in July and it is scheduled to be completed in one year.

Sep 28

Buffalo Bayou Park Bridge Construction Update

Two new pedestrian bridges are part of the Buffalo Bayou Park – Shepherd to Sabine Phase I improvements.

Work began this summer on the 345-foot bridge at Jackson Hill over Buffalo Bayou that will connect trails on the north bank to the Allen Parkway side of the bayou. It also will tie directly to the existing bridge over Memorial, which will not be modified.

A second pedestrian bridge at the Police Memorial will also be installed allowing park users, for the first time, to access the Police Memorial from other areas of the park. We are delighted to announce that a generous donation has been made by the Carruth Foundation for this bridge.

Construction will begin on the bridge in late 2012 following work by the Harris County Flood Control District.

The Jackson Hill Bridge will resemble the Hobby Center Pedestrian Bridge, shown here. Photo by Tom Fox/SWA Group.

For press inquiries, email Trudi Smith, Director of PR and Events, or call 713.752.0314 ext. 103.

News Coverage

Landscape Performance Series Case Study Brief: Buffalo Bayou Park Landscape Architecture Foundation, November 12, 2019
RBA Director Anne-Marie Lubenau on the Power of Design to Transform Communities Metropolis Mag, August 9, 2019
Continuing Education: Coastal Resilience Architectural Record, August 1, 2019
Ignoring the Typical: Discover Five Emerging Hidden Gems in Houston The Commoner Magazine, July 30, 2019
We Are the Asteroid III: More than a Mere Traffic Sign The Buzz Magazines, July 2, 2019
Bruner Foundation Announces 2019 Medalists for Rudy Bruner Award For Urban Excellence Architect Magazine, June 27, 2019
Experts warn that littering Houstonians are damaging Buffalo Bayou Culture Map, June 13, 2019
Commit to Memory: In a Houston Park, 25 Artists Propose ‘New Monuments for New Cities’ ArtNews, April 23, 2019
Hundreds travel down the bayou for 47th annual Buffalo Bayou Regatta Houston Chronicle, March 9, 2019
Buffalo Bayou Park Named as Finalist for Design Award Architectural Digest, February 26, 2019

Press Releases

Buffalo Bayou eNewsletter - December 2019 December 2019
Buffalo Bayou eNewsletter - November 2019 November 2019
Buffalo Bayou eNewsletter - October 2019 October 2019
Buffalo Bayou eNewsletter - September 2019 September 2019
Buffalo Bayou eNewsletter - August 2019 August 2019
Buffalo Bayou eNewsletter - July 2019 July 2019
Buffalo Bayou eNewsletter - June 2019 June 2019
Buffalo Bayou eNewsletter - May 2019 May 2019
Buffalo Bayou eNewsletter - April 2019 April 2019
Buffalo Bayou eNewsletter - March 2019 March 2019

Banking on Buffalo Bayou - Spring 2019 May 2019
Banking on Buffalo Bayou - Winter 2019 January 2019
Banking on Buffalo Bayou - Summer 2018 July 2018
Banking on Buffalo Bayou - Summer 2017 August 2017
Banking on Buffalo Bayou - Spring 2017 March 2017
Banking on Buffalo Bayou - Winter 2016 December 2016
Banking on Buffalo Bayou - Summer 2016 July 2016
Banking on Buffalo Bayou - Spring 2016 March 2016
Banking on Buffalo Bayou - Fall 2015 December 2015
Banking on Buffalo Bayou - Summer 2015 July 2015

Stretch Your Legs on the New Trails and Footpaths

2013 Chevron Houston Marathon

Accolades and Attention-Grabbing Headlines

Welcome, Leigh McBurnett!

Many thanks!

Buffalo Bayou Park – Your Park. Our Park.

A Room with a View

Construction Updates: November 2012

Millis

Buffalo Bayou Park Bridge Construction Update

News Coverage

Press Releases

Monthly Newsletters

Banking on Buffalo Bayou

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