Feb 15

Buffalo Bayou Partnership welcomes six new board members

HOUSTON – February 14, 2017– Buffalo Bayou Partnership (BBP) announced six new members to its board of directors during its annual meeting held at the Sunset Coffee Building on Tuesday, January 17, 2017.

New board members include Murad Ajani, President of the Aga Khan Council for the Southwestern United States; Renee Wizig-Barrios, Sr. Vice President and Chief Philanthropy Officer of the Greater Houston Community Foundation; Guy Hagstette, Director of Parks and Civic Projects of the Kinder Foundation; Sara-Ashley Moreno of Jackson Walker LLP; Lisa Marshall of Martha Turner Sotheby’s International Realty; and Jeff Taylor, Vice President of Freese and Nichols.

The following board officers begin their new roles: Thomas Fish, Chair; Jonathan H. Brinsden, Vice Chair; Bas Solleveld, Vice Chair; Paul Cannings, Jr., Treasurer; and Nory Angel, Secretary.

“We are delighted to welcome this stellar group to our board,” said Anne Olson, president of Buffalo Bayou Partnership. “Our new members bring a wealth of experience and strong interest for protecting, preserving and improving Buffalo Bayou.”

The 41-member board of directors includes: Ralph Abendshein, Richard M. Blades, C. Ronald Blankenship, Christina Bryan, Estela M.S. Cockrell, Carolyn W. Dorros, Clayton Erikson, Bolivar Fraga, Cristina Garcia Gamboa, J. David Heaney, Lynn M. Herbert, Kellie R. Jenks, Samir Khushalani, Sherman L. Lewis III, Ginni Mithoff, John Mooz, Judy Nyquist, David Ott, Jr., Charles R. Parker, Alison Porter, Carleton Riser, Karl S. Stern, Judy Tate, Claire Cormier Thielke, Saul Valentin, Anne Whitlock, Stacey Gillman Wimbish, Geraldina Interiano Wise, Robert P. Wright and Ellyn Wulfe.

Board members retiring this year include Jack Blanton, Jr., Christina Cabral, Kelty Crain, Dan Gilbane, Roxann Neumann and Daron Peschel. Former board chair Collin Cox will join Chuck Carlberg, Brady Carruth, Mike Garver, Sis Johnson, Susan Keeton, Bob Phillips, and F. Max Schuette as Chair Emeritus.

Nov 01

Rain: Magdalena Fernández at the Houston Cistern Presenting the artist’s 2iPM009 from the series Mobile Paintings, 2009

Video installation launches art program for Houston’s historic city reservoir

HOUSTON – November 1, 2016 – Buffalo Bayou Partnership (BBP) and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH) will co-present the inaugural art installation in the Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern, a 1926 underground city reservoir that BBP restored, repurposed and opened to the public last spring. Rain: Magdalena Fernández at the Houston Cistern (#CisternRain) will feature 2iPM009 from the Venezuelan artist’s video series Mobile Paintings and open to the public on Saturday, December 10, 2016.

The Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern, a structure reminiscent of the ancient Roman cisterns in Istanbul, is a cavernous, 87,500-square-foot-space featuring more than 200 slender, 25-foot high concrete columns. BBP re-discovered the Cistern in 2010 when it was developing the $58-million Buffalo Bayou Park project, a 160-acre site west of downtown Houston. Recognizing the historical and architectural significance of the highly unusual space, BBP took a bold step to repurpose the Cistern into a magnificent public space that would house an ambitious program of changing art installations. Houston- based architecture and engineering firm Page was charged with designing a complementary ground- level entry structure which provides a transition for visitors from the park outside to the subterranean Cistern. Improvements to the existing pedestrian walkway and a guardrail were added, but the overall structure remains in its original form. In May 2016, Buffalo Bayou Partnership opened the Cistern to the public as a distinctive industrial site and over 16,000 visitors have since experienced the space.

“Buffalo Bayou Partnership has long been committed to permanent and temporary public art, and we are honored and privileged to collaborate with the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston to present the work of Magdalena Fernández in this exceptional space. The entire MFAH team, the artist and Sicardi Gallery have all been incredibly generous with their time and resources to help us launch our Cistern art program,” says BBP President Anne Olson.

“This iconic space both reminds us of Houston’s architectural history and signals the city’s future in revitalizing its urban fabric,” comments Gary Tinterow, director of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. “We are very pleased to organize the inaugural art project for the Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern, and in particular with Magdalena Fernández’s beautiful and evocative installation, which was acquired for the Museum’s permanent collection in 2012.”

2iPM009 is an abstract video-projection piece, 1 minute and 56 seconds in length, that evokes a rain- soaked night. For nearly 20 years, Magdalena Fernández has been using digital media to deconstruct the geometric abstraction of 20th-century masters such as Piet Mondrian and Joaquin Torres-Garcia. In 2iPM009, Fernández starts with a basic geometric unit that refers to those that Mondrian used a century ago in his Composition in Line (1917), from the 1914-15 Pier and Ocean series. She then multiplies that unit through its exponential projection onto the walls of the exhibition space, transforming the initial unit into a rainy night sky through the use of light, sound and movement. The soundtrack is an acoustic montage that Fernández has meticulously edited, of sounds made by members of the a cappella Slovenian choir Pertuum Jazzile, who snap their fingers, slap the palms of their hands against their legs, and stamp their heels on wood to evoke both the drumming and gentle patter of rain. With ingenuity and humor, the artist constructs a language that, though concrete and deeply rooted in Constructivism and its legacy, challenges and transcends those parameters.

For the Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern, Fernández adapted 2iPM009 to project the video onto the columns so that its imagery is reflected in the shallow pool of water on the Cistern floor. The Cistern’s raw interior, modulated by a series of majestic columns, and its 17-second acoustic reverberation time, will make for an immersive art environment. Mari Carmen Ramirez, Wortham Curator of Latin American Art at the MFAH, is working with the artist to realize the installation.

Rain: Magdalena Fernández at the Houston Cistern

Video Installation 2iPM009 from the series Mobile Paintings, 2009

On view from December 10, 2016 to June 4, 2017 at the Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern located at 105 Sabine Street, Houston, Texas 77007. Open Wednesdays through Fridays from 3:30 to 7 PM; Saturdays and Sundays from 10 AM to 7 PM.

Admission is $10 per person; $8 for Seniors (65+ with ID), Youth (9-17) and Students (18+ with ID). Admission is free on Thursdays. Please note that children under the age of 9 are not permitted in the Cistern. Timed tickets for Rain: Magdalena Fernández at the Houston Cistern can be purchased at buffalobayou.org.

This exhibition is organized by the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and co-presented by Buffalo Bayou Partnership.

Lead underwriting is provided by: Kinder Foundation

The Brown Foundation, Inc. Special thanks to Sicardi Gallery.

Digital rendering of 2iPM009 for Rain: Magdalena Fernández at the Houston Cistern by Jean C. Giallorenzo; Courtesy of M. Fernández. https://www.dropbox.com/s/s8vph912us75sro/Rain.jpg?dl=0.

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About Buffalo Bayou Partnership

Established in 1986, Buffalo Bayou Partnership (BBP) is the non-profit organization transforming and revitalizing Buffalo Bayou, Houston’s most significant natural resource. BBP’s geographic focus is the 10- square mile stretch of Buffalo Bayou from Shepherd Drive to the Port of Houston Turning Basin. BBP has raised and leveraged more than $150 million for the redevelopment and stewardship of the waterfront

– spearheading award-winning projects such as Sabine Promenade and Sesquicentennial Park, protecting land for future parks, constructing hike and bike trails, and operating comprehensive clean- up and maintenance programs. BBP recently completed the $58 million Buffalo Bayou Park project that includes major destinations, natural landscaping, footpaths, trail lighting, water features and pedestrian bridges. Buffalo Bayou Partnership also seeks ways to activate Buffalo Bayou through pedestrian, boating and biking amenities; volunteer activities; permanent and temporary art installations; and wide- ranging tours and events that attract thousands.

About the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

Founded in 1900, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, is among the 10 largest art museums in the United States. Located in the heart of Houston’s Museum District, the MFAH comprises two gallery buildings, a sculpture garden, theater, two art schools, and two libraries, with two house museums, for American and European decorative arts, nearby. The encyclopedic collection of the MFAH numbers more than 65,000 works and spans the art of antiquity to the present.

About Magdalena Fernández

Venezuelan Magdalena Fernández (b. 1964, Caracas) has been active since the early 1990s, aligning her artistic approach with abstract-constructivist tenets of stylistic purity and economy of design. By the mid-1990s Fernández developed a series of elongated stainless-steel sculptures set on the ground; viewers interact with the works by penetrating the exhibition space. The artist has continued to explore the interaction between viewer and exhibition space through the use of digital media and animation to incorporate light, sound and movement. Her works have been exhibited internationally and are part of major museum collections, including those of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; and the Galeria de Arte Nacionao, Caracas.

Nov 01

Inaugural Art Installation in Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern Opens December 10

Rain: Magdalena Fernández at the Houston Cistern
Presenting the artist’s 2iPM009 from the series Mobile Paintings, 2009

HOUSTON – November 1, 2016 – Buffalo Bayou Partnership (BBP) and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH) will co-present the inaugural art installation in the Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern, a 1926 underground city reservoir that BBP restored, repurposed and opened to the public last spring. Rain: Magdalena Fernández at the Houston Cistern (#CisternRain) will feature 2iPM009 from the Venezuelan artist’s video series Mobile Paintings and open to the public on Saturday, December 10, 2016.

The Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern, a structure reminiscent of the ancient Roman cisterns in Istanbul, is a cavernous, 87,500-square-foot-space featuring more than 200 slender, 25-foot high concrete columns. BBP re-discovered the Cistern in 2010 when it was developing the $58-million Buffalo Bayou Park project, a 160-acre site west of downtown Houston. Recognizing the historical and architectural significance of the highly unusual space, BBP took a bold step to repurpose the Cistern into a magnificent public space that would house an ambitious program of changing art installations. Houston-based architecture and engineering firm Page was charged with designing a complementary ground-level entry structure which provides a transition for visitors from the park outside to the subterranean Cistern. Improvements to the existing pedestrian walkway and a guardrail were added, but the overall structure remains in its original form. In May 2016, Buffalo Bayou Partnership opened the Cistern to the public as a distinctive industrial site and over 16,000 visitors have since experienced the space.

2iPM009 is an abstract video-projection piece, 1 minute and 56 seconds in length, that evokes a rain-soaked night. For nearly 20 years, Magdalena Fernández has been using digital media to deconstruct the geometric abstraction of 20^th-century masters such as Piet Mondrian and Joaquin Torres-Garcia. In 2iPM009, Fernández starts with a basic geometric unit that refers to those that Mondrian used a century ago in his Composition in Line (1917), from the 1914-15 Pier and Ocean series. She then multiplies that unit through its exponential projection onto the walls of the exhibition space, transforming the initial unit into a rainy night sky through the use of light, sound and movement. The soundtrack is an acoustic montage that Fernández has meticulously edited, of sounds made by members of the a cappella Slovenian choir Pertuum Jazzile, who snap their fingers, slap the palms of their hands against their legs, and stamp their heels on wood to evoke both the drumming and gentle patter of rain. With ingenuity and humor, the artist constructs a language that, though concrete and deeply rooted in Constructivism and its legacy, challenges and transcends those parameters.

Rain: Magdalena Fernández at the Houston Cistern
Video Installation 2iPM009 from the series Mobile Paintings, 2009

This exhibition is organized by the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and co-presented by Buffalo Bayou Partnership.

Lead underwriting is provided by:
Kinder Foundation
The Brown Foundation, Inc.

Special thanks to Sicardi Gallery.

Digital rendering of 2iPM009 for Rain: Magdalena Fernández at the Houston Cistern by Jean C. Giallorenzo; Courtesy of M. Fernández.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/s8vph912us75sro/Rain.jpg?dl=0.

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Media Contacts:

Trudi Smith, tsmith@buffalobayou.org

Mary Haus, mhaus@mfah.org

About Buffalo Bayou Partnership
Established in 1986, Buffalo Bayou Partnership (BBP) is the non-profit organization transforming and revitalizing Buffalo Bayou, Houston’s most significant natural resource. BBP’s geographic focus is the 10-square mile stretch of Buffalo Bayou from Shepherd Drive to the Port of Houston Turning Basin. BBP has raised and leveraged more than $150 million for the redevelopment and stewardship of the waterfront – spearheading award-winning projects such as Sabine Promenade and Sesquicentennial Park, protecting land for future parks, constructing hike and bike trails, and operating comprehensive clean-up and maintenance programs. BBP recently completed the $58 million Buffalo Bayou Park project that includes major destinations, natural landscaping, footpaths, trail lighting, water features and pedestrian bridges. Buffalo Bayou Partnership also seeks ways to activate Buffalo Bayou through pedestrian, boating and biking amenities; volunteer activities; permanent and temporary art installations; and wide-ranging tours and events that attract thousands.

About the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Founded in 1900, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, is among the 10 largest art museums in the United States. Located in the heart of Houston’s Museum District, the MFAH comprises two gallery buildings, a sculpture garden, theater, two art schools, and two libraries, with two house museums, for American and European decorative arts, nearby. The encyclopedic collection of the MFAH numbers more than 65,000 works and spans the art of antiquity to the present.

About Magdalena Fernández
Venezuelan Magdalena Fernández (b. 1964, Caracas) has been active since the early 1990s, aligning her artistic approach with abstract-constructivist tenets of stylistic purity and economy of design. By the mid-1990s Fernández developed a series of elongated stainless-steel sculptures set on the ground; viewers interact with the works by penetrating the exhibition space. The artist has continued to explore the interaction between viewer and exhibition space through the use of digital media and animation to incorporate light, sound and movement. Her works have been exhibited internationally and are part of major museum collections, including those of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; and the Galeria de Arte Nacionao, Caracas.

Aug 01

Special Thanks to our Bank of America Summer Youth Employment Interns!

Bank of America Summer Youth Interns: Paul Irvin and Andrew Cubiano

Buffalo Bayou Partnership’s maintenance and operations team gained two interns – Andrew Cubiano and Paul Irvin – from the Bank of America’s Summer Youth Employment Internship Program (SYEI) which provides students the opportunity to gain real-world experience at local nonprofit organizations. This year, the program provided 60 Houston youth with summer internships. Interns, ages 16-21, gain paid work experience as well as Job Readiness training prior to starting at the worksite. SYEI provides an on-ramp to the training and education needed for success in 21st century job roles. The interns work alongside our Fred Soto (Maintenance Technician) and Florensio Tijerina (Park Zone Supervisor) and learn how BBP’s maintenance team manages various aspects of Buffalo Bayou Park, including landscaping and electrical maintenance.

Below is a Q&A with both interns:

Andrew Cubiano, rising junior at Pasadena High School

What are you most excited about learning while at Buffalo Bayou Park? What have you learned so far?
I am excited to see how the maintenance team manages so many projects along Buffalo Bayou. I’ve learned that it is extremely hard work to be out in the heat working! My favorite project so far has been taking apart and cleaning the A/C units behind the Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern.

How did you hear about Bank of America’s Summer Youth Employment Internship Program and why was this a program you wanted to participate in?
My uncle told me that this is a great program and that I should apply.

At the end of the internship, what do you hope to walk away with?
I hope to be able to come back again to work with the BBP staff.

Paul Irvin, rising senior at Victory Prep

Why is BBP’s mission important to you personally?
It shows commitment towards the greater good of Houston.

What are you most excited about learning at BBP? What have you learned during your internship?
I am looking forward to learning more about the different types of native trees and flowers located around the park. Florensio has taught me about the different types of tools used in landscaping.

I’ve enjoyed removing dead tree limbs in various locations around the park, as well as placing signage around the trees and maintaining the area around them.

How did you hear about Bank of America’s Summer Youth Employment Internship Program and why was this a program you wanted to participate in?
I participated in the SYEI program last year with Buffalo Bayou Partnership and have returned because I believe in giving back to the community in any way possible.

At the end of the internship, what do you hope to walk away with?
I hope to gain more experience in landscaping and working with a team.

The SYEI is a partnership between SER Jobs for Progress Houston and Bank of America. SER’s mission is to enhance the quality of life in communities in need by providing education, training, and employment services that empower individuals, businesses, and communities.

Jul 01

TWO ENTRANCE RAMPS TO I-45 SOUTHBOUND IN THE DOWNTOWN HOUSTON AREA TO BE RECONSTRUCTED

The new ramps will help to improve traffic flow and enhance safety along a heavily traveled stretch of I-45 (between I-10 and US 59)

June 30, 2016

HOUSTON – The Texas Department of Transportation will close the Houston Avenue southbound and Allen Parkway eastbound entrance ramps to I-45 southbound on Friday, July 8 to begin construction on new ramps that will improve traffic flow and enhance safety.

Currently, motorists trying to reach I-45 southbound mainlanes from Allen Parkway eastbound have to enter from the left or inside lane. This has slowed the approaching traffic on the freeway sometimes causing a bottleneck effect that backs up traffic. The new ramp will connect to the mainlanes of IH 45 southbound from the right lane allowing for better flow of traffic along the corridor.

To make room for the new Allen Parkway eastbound entrance ramp to I-45 southbound, the Houston Avenue southbound entrance ramp to I-45 southbound and the connecting bridge before the ramp will also need to be reconstructed. The reconstructed bridge and ramps will provide more efficient and safer access to the I-45 southbound mainlanes.

TxDOT will close the existing bridge and ramps on Friday, July 8to facilitate the construction of the new structures. The Houston Avenue bridge will be completed in late September/ early October of this year and the Houston Avenue/ Rusk and Allen Parkway entrance ramps to I-45 southbound will be open in late November/ early December.

Below is a list of the closures for this project:

Total closure of the Allen Parkway eastbound entrance ramp to IH 45 southbound on Friday, July 8 at 7:30 p.m.. Detour during construction is as follows: eastbound on Allen Parkway/ Dallas, right on Smith St.,left on Jefferson St., and follow Jefferson to the I-45 southbound entrance ramp.
Total closure of the Houston Avenue southbound entrance ramp to I-45 southbound on Friday, July 8 at 7:30 p.m. and the Houston Avenue southbound bridge at Lubbock and at Rusk on July 8 at 7:30 p.m. Detour during construction is as follows: from Houston Avenue take a left onto Rusk St., right on Smith St., left on Jefferson St., and follow Jefferson St. to the I-45 southbound entrance ramp.

There will also be additional closures to prepare for the bridge and ramp construction at this location. TxDOT will close all mainlanes on I-45 southbound at I-10 beginning Friday, July 8 at 9 p.m. until Monday, July 11 at 5 a.m. Motorists will be detoured to IH 10 eastbound to US 59 southbound to IH 45 southbound.

For more information on scheduled lane closures contact Danny Perez at (713) 802-5077.

Also be sure to visit the Houston TranStar website atwww.houstontranstar.org for a complete list of closures related to this construction project and other Houston District closures. All closures are subject to change due to inclement weather. Follow us on Twitter @TxDOTHoustonPIO.

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Jun 29

Park and Trail Closures for Freedom Over Texas

Set up for 2016 Freedom Over Texas has begun!

There will be a number of park and trail closures in preparation for this civic celebration – please be mindful of the set-up crews and plan your visit to Buffalo Bayou Park accordingly.

The Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern is CLOSED 6/30-7/3/2016
The Water Works Complex (Wortham Insurance Visitor Center, Bike Barn, The Brown Foundation Lawn) is CLOSED 6/30-7/5/2016
The Barbara Fish Daniel Nature Play Area is CLOSED 6/30-7/5/2016
The Lost Lake Visitor Center is CLOSED on 7/4/2016

All trails on the north side of the bayou between the Sabine Street Bridge and Tapley Tributary are closed through Tuesday, July 5th. There will also be intermittent closures of the trails on the south side of the bayou between the Sabine Street Bridge and Allen Parkway/Taft Street through Saturday, July 2nd. Full trail closures in and around the Freedom over Texas site will begin on Saturday, July 2nd at 7 pm and will remain in place through Tuesday, July 5th.

For more information on event street closures, event information, and to purchase tickets, please visit: www.freedomovertexas.org

May 17

Your dog park questions, answered

Why has the Johnny Steele Dog Park been closed since the Tax Day Flood?

The dog park has remained closed because of the release of water from the Addicks and Barker Reservoirs, which were built to prevent downstream flooding along Buffalo Bayou. The release of water being held at these reservoirs can take several weeks after a major flood.

The dog park is in a lower-lying area of Buffalo Bayou Park but has the infrastructure that allows it to be able to withstand high water, silt and debris that comes after a major rain event. For example, the dog ponds have paved bottoms.

Buffalo Bayou Park experiences high water about a half dozen times per year. It also floods, which means water rises to the roadways, which is the official flood stage for Buffalo Bayou. (Water lower than this is not a flood, it is a high water event.)

If the dog park floods often, is that a design flaw?

The dog park has been open for 16 months and in that time we’ve had one of the rainiest years on record. The park overall is designed with high water flooding in mind and that’s why we have our procedures in place.

What are the procedures after a flood before the Johnny Steele Dog Park is open to the public?

As the water recedes after a high water or flood event, the Maintenance and Operations Team at Buffalo Bayou Partnership will begin assessing areas of the park and trails for any damage. Our priority is the safety of our park visitors. So, our crew begins working on clearing and removing silt from the hike and bike trails as soon as feasibly possible. We then move on to clearing tree debris, trash, assessing and repairing electrical units, assessing and repairing irrigation, inspecting the children’s play area, and cleaning out the dog park ONCE the high water has receded. This entails draining the dog park ponds, and then manually removing sediment from the dog ponds and water pumps. Note that other areas of Buffalo Bayou Park remain open as this goes on.

Where else can I find out the status of the dog park?

We post notifications of dog park closures on the homepage of our website (www.buffalobayou.org) and Buffalo Bayou Partnership’s Facebook and Twitter accounts.

If you are near the dog park, look for the red flag (see question below).

What does the red flag mean at Johnny Steele Dog Park mean?

Buffalo Bayou Partnership has installed a flagpole near the dog park to communicate whether or not the dog park is closed. If the dog park is closed, a red flag is raised. This flagpole is visible from both Studemont Street and Allen Parkway.

What does BBP do to clean and filter the dog park ponds?

The dog ponds are “cleansed” using an ecological filtration system:

Water is pumped from a nearby wetland into the small dog pond.
From the small dog pond, the water flows down and aerates in a channel to the large dog pond.
From there, the water flows back into the wetland (where it is cleansed) and then circulated back to the small dog pond.

As with any dog park, we highly recommend using the dog washing areas to rinse off before leaving!

May 10

Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern opens to the public on May 13

Buffalo Bayou Partnership transforms historic former underground drinking water reservoir into a public space

Commissioned art work, Down Periscope to be unveiled

HOUSTON – May 10, 2016 – Buffalo Bayou Partnership (BBP) will debut the Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern, a renovated architectural relic, on Friday, May 13, 2016. The Cistern, reminiscent of the ancient Roman cisterns under Istanbul, is a cavernous space the size of 1.5 football fields featuring 221, 25-foot tall, slender concrete columns. Visitors can make online reservations to tour this unique space at buffalobayou.org. Admission is $2 per person for a 30-minute docent-led tour.

The 87,500-square-foot underground drinking water reservoir was built in 1926 for the City of Houston and supported the municipal water system’s goals of fire suppression (water pressure) and drinking water storage. After operating for decades, an irreparable leak was discovered in the mid-2000s and the reservoir was later decommissioned.

BBP re-discovered the site in 2011 when it was developing the $58 million Buffalo Bayou Park project. Realizing the historical and architectural significance of the highly unusual space, the organization along with the City of Houston, worked to take over management of the site. With research, 3-D modeling of the interior by SmartGeoMetrics, and community input, BBP developed a plan to repurpose the Cistern not just into a magnificent public space but one to house temporary, environmental art installations. BBP secured grants of over $1.7 million from The Brown Foundation, Inc. to bring the space up to code, make it accessible to the public, and ultimately house temporary art installations. Architecture and engineering firm, Page, was charged with designing a ground-level entry structure to help transition visitors from the outside world to the Cistern and making improvements to the shelf on the perimeter of the space to create a 6-foot wide accessible walkway with guardrails.

“Buffalo Bayou Partnership is excited to be opening the Cistern to the public. We have had incredible interest and now we will be able to share the site’s beauty and uniqueness with Houstonians and visitors to our city. We think it is so special that it will attract attention from throughout the country and abroad,” says BBP President Anne Olson.

As the architect for the cistern improvements, Page Senior Principal Larry Speck said, “Descending into The Cistern the first time was like discovering some ancient ruin. It was so strange and exotic in the setting and clearly ‘lost’ to people’s consciousness. That vast field of columns, the reflective layer of water on the floor and the tiny bits of light creeping in from above were really beautiful.”

The Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern will be open on Thursdays and Fridays from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. and on Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $2 per person for a 30-minute docent-led tour, with free admission on Thursdays.

Another aspect of experiencing the Cistern will be through New York artist Donald Lipski’s Down Periscope, which is also being unveiled. The installation, commissioned by Houston Arts Alliance in partnership with the City of Houston Department of Public Works and Engineering, sits atop the Cistern on The Brown Foundation Lawn and allows park and online visitors (www.houstonperiscope.com) to peer into the periscope and view the Cistern.

Visit buffalobayou.org to purchase Cistern tour tickets. Note some rules apply.

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About Buffalo Bayou Partnership

Created in 1986, Buffalo Bayou Partnership is the 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization transforming and revitalizing Buffalo Bayou, Houston’s most significant natural resource. Buffalo Bayou Partnership maintains and operates Buffalo Bayou Park with funding of $2 million per year provided by the Downtown Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone (TIRZ) #3. For more information, visit www.buffalobayou.org.

Media Contacts:

Trudi Smith, tsmith@buffalobayou.org

Claudia Morlan, claudia@elmorepr.com

May 09

Experience the Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern

photo by Katya Horner / Slight Clutter Photography

The Cistern at Buffalo Bayou Park is a former drinking water reservoir built in 1926 for the City of Houston. After operating for decades, an irreparable leak was discovered and after a few years, the reservoir was decommissioned in 2007.

Thanks to support from The Brown Foundation, Inc., Buffalo Bayou Partnership is opening this underground, industrial relic to the public, with future plans to house temporary art installations in this unique public space.

Make plans now to visit this historically and architecturally significant site, and while you are there, share your photos by tagging them with #BBPCistern!

Purchase Tickets

Hours & Location

Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern at The Water Works
105 Sabine Street, Houston, TX 77007

Beginning May 13:

Thursdays & Fridays: 3 – 7 pm
Saturdays & Sundays: 10 am – 5 pm
Docent-led tours every 30 minutes.

Tickets:

$2 per person (no children under the age of 9 permitted) for a 30-minute docent-led tour.
Free on Thursdays but reservations still required.

Parking:

We encourage you to walk and bike (rentals available at Bike Barn and B-Cycle) to Buffalo Bayou Park. If you’re driving, there are a number of parking options available around Buffalo Bayou Park.

Apr 21

Buffalo Bayou Partnership Update: April 21, 2016

We sincerely hope you and your families have remained safe and dry during this week’s heavy rains and flooding.

The Maintenance and Operations Team at Buffalo Bayou Partnership is monitoring the bayou level, assessing areas of the parks and trails, and watching the forecast. As our priority is safety, we ask users to please exercise caution when traveling along Buffalo Bayou. In times where there is high water, native animals are displaced and may be in areas outside of their habitats. We also wanted to share these updates with you:

Buffalo Bayou Park

As park visitors know, the benches, trash receptacles, lighting, etc. are designed to withstand severe storms. The waters in Buffalo Bayou Park have receded, but we are still assessing any damage.
The visitor centers at Lost Lake and The Water Works received no damage and are operating under their normal schedule, Thursday through Sunday from 10 am to 5 pm.
The Kitchen at The Dunlavy is also operating during normal business hours, Monday through Sunday from 7 am to 2 pm.
Bike Barn, located at The Water Works, is operating under normal business hours, Saturday through Sunday from 10 am to dusk.
Bayou City Adventures, located at Lost Lake, is closed until further notice. To schedule a guided tour, please contact them directly at 713-538-7433.
Barbara Fish Daniel Nature Play Area is open.
Johnny Steele Dog Park is closed until further notice.
All concrete, multi-use trails from Shepherd Dr. to Sabine St. have been cleared. Work is continuing on the asphalt footpaths from Shepherd to Sabine and should be cleared by Friday.

Other Parks and Trails

Trails from Sabine St. to Sesquicentennial Park and the TIGER trail between Smith and Milam streets should be cleared of silt and debris by Friday. Work continues on the Northside Trail between Sesquicentennial Park and University of Houston-Downtown.
The flood waters reached the ground floor of the Sunset Coffee Building at Allen’s Landing and as a result, there is a great deal of silt and mud. The contractor has already initiated cleanup and completion of the building should not be delayed.
Our pontoon tour boat received considerable damage, but we are working to get it back up and running in the near future.

Lend a Helping Hand!

If you are interested in volunteering to assist with our cleanup efforts to remove mud and sediment along the trails and picking up trash, please contact Sarah McIntire, Volunteer Supervisor.

Blanket Bingo Rescheduled for Wednesday, April 27

Blanket Bingo at Market Square Park planned for tonight is being rescheduled for next Wednesday, April 27th from 6 to 9 pm. Follow Market Square Park for updates regarding the event.

Bayou Bash is still planned for this Saturday, April 24

The Bayou Bash hosted by our young professionals group, Bayou Buddies, is STILL ON for this Saturday, April 23rd from 12 to 4 pm at The Water Works! Enjoy crawfish, live music, a silent auction and lawn games. Advance tickets are on sale now! Tickets will also be available for sale at the event.

We thank all of you who have reached out to us to express support and ask about ways to help. Together, we will get the Buffalo Bayou trails and parks clean and green.

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

News Coverage

From a Complicated Present, Urban Reuse Parks Look to the Future Metropolis Mag, July 15, 2020
Houston arts leader Karen Farber heads to the bayou Houston Chronicle, May 14, 2020
A driving and walking tour of Houston’s sculptures for our social-distancing age Houston Chronicle, April 9, 2020
The Perfect Three-day Weekend in Houston Travel and Leisure, February 11, 2020
City parks aren't luxuries. They are critical infrastructure. The Hill, January 2, 2020
Big Improvements Coming For Green Spaces Along Eastern Buffalo Bayou Houston Public Media, December 10, 2019
Houston's Buffalo Bayou Transformation Offers Flood-Plan Lessons to Other Cities CoStar, December 3, 2019
Landscape Performance Series Case Study Brief: Buffalo Bayou Park Landscape Architecture Foundation, November 12, 2019
Nonprofit behind Buffalo Bayou Park plans its next project in east Houston Houston Business Journal, October 25, 2019
Plans to transform the east end of Buffalo Bayou to be unveiled Saturday Houston Chronicle, October 25, 2019

Artful Anniversary: A series of virtual and visual arts events through the month of October to celebrate 5 Years of Buffalo Bayou Park September 10, 2020
Carmen Herrera: Estructuras Monumentales September 3, 2020
Harris County Flood Control District and Buffalo Bayou Partnership Making Repairs along Buffalo Bayou as part of the Hurricane Harvey Recovery Program August 20, 2019
Carlos Cruz-Diez at the Cistern: Spatial Chromointerference April 11, 2018
Encounter: Meeting Points on Buffalo Bayou March 5, 2018
Discovery Green® Hosts Kick Off of Bayou City Music Series on March 1 and Wraps Up at Buffalo Bayou Park on May 19 February 14, 2018
BBP Welcomes Eight New Board Members February 12, 2018
Buffalo Bayou Partnership Anuncia el Lanzamiento del Plan Maestro para el Sector Este del Buffalo Bayou July 27, 2017
Buffalo Bayou Partnership Announces Launch of Buffalo Bayou East Sector Master Plan July 27, 2017
The vision, passion and design behind Buffalo Bayou Park revealed in new book, From Rendering to Reality: The Story of Buffalo Bayou Park May 25, 2017

Buffalo Bayou eNewsletter - September 2020 September 9, 2020
Buffalo Bayou eNewsletter - August 2020 August 12, 2020
Buffalo Bayou eNewsletter - July 2020 July 17, 2020
Bringing Buffalo Bayou to You: Part 9 May 28, 2020
Bringing Buffalo Bayou to You: Part 8 May 20, 2020
Bringing Buffalo Bayou to You: Part 7 May 13, 2020
Bringing Buffalo Bayou to You: Part 6 May 6, 2020
Bringing Buffalo Bayou to You: Part 5 April 29, 2020
Bringing Buffalo Bayou to You: Part 4 April 22, 2020
Bringing Buffalo Bayou to You: Part 3 April 15, 2020

Banking on Buffalo Bayou - Winter 2020 January 2020
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

News