Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern

Cistern Illuminated is a new winter lighting experience created for the Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern. This special installation provides a unique perspective on this cavernous underground space, amplifying its 221 columns and seemingly-infinite reflection. Cistern Illuminated is designed by Houston artist and engineer Kelly O’Brien of Fenris.

• On view: Now – January 8, 2023

• Times:
  • Wednesdays and Thursdays 10am, 11am, 1pm, 2pm, 3pm, 4pm, and 5pm
  • Fridays 10am, 11am, 1pm, 2pm, 3pm, 4pm, 5pm, 6pm, and 7pm
  • Saturdays and Sundays 11am, 1pm, 2pm, 3pm, 4pm, and 5pm

• Cost:
  • $10 per person (ages 9+ only)
  • $2 discount for military, college students and seniors (65+). Must present I.D. upon checking in.
  • Free on the first Thursday of the month

• Click here for parking options around Buffalo Bayou Park

Purchase Tickets

Tours of Cistern Illuminated will be punctuated by special performances by the Schola Cantorum of the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart. Learn more about the schedule and purchase tickets here.

Cistern History Tours

MAP

Learn about the architecture of this unique space and the history of Houston’s water system during a guided 30-minute tour. 

• Times:  
  • Wednesday – Sunday at 12pm
• Cost:
  • $10 per person (ages 9+ only)
  • $2 discount for military, college students and seniors (65+). Must present I.D. upon checking in.
  • Free on the first Thursday of the month
• Click here for parking options around Buffalo Bayou Park

Purchase Tickets

Book a private, docent-led Cistern tour to learn about the architecture of this unique space and the history of Houston’s water system for a unique group outing!

• Duration: 30-minutes
• Cost: $300
• Availability:
  • Wednesday through Friday on the hour from 10am to 4pm (except for 12pm)
  • Saturday and Sunday on the hour from 11am to 6pm (except for 12pm)
  • Private Tours are not available on the first Thursday of the month.
• Ages 9 and up only.
• Group size: Up to 30 people.

Book A Private Cistern Tour

Find your center and practice mediation in the spacious and tranquil Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern. Offered in collaboration with Union is Creation and Youniversoul, this meditation series will feature the use of singing bowls and wind chimes to encourage mindfulness and connectivity. Guests should bring their own cushion or mat.

• Duration: 45 minutes
• Times:
  • Saturdays and Sundays at 10am
• Cost: $15 per person
• Ages: 9 and up only

Purchase Tickets

• No children under the age of 9.
• Photography is allowed, however no tripods or stands (except on Photography Tours).
• Animals are not permitted.
• No eating, drinking, or gum-chewing in the Cistern.
• No smoking allowed.
• Strollers, roller skates, inline skates, and bicycles are not permitted.
• Littering is prohibited. Please use trash receptacles upon entry.
• All bags must be secured while in the Cistern.
• No sitting, standing, or climbing on the railing, stairways, or ladders.
• No running or excessive noise.
• All visitors must comply with instructions or requests from the Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern Attendants and staff and must be respectful of others.
• Destroying public property is prohibited by Title 19, Chapter 191 of the Government Code of Texas.

PLEASE NOTE:

• All payments are final and not refundable.
• Please allow approximately 30 minutes for parking/check-in.
• The Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern is a dim space with no windows. The environment may be challenging for some. If you experience any difficulties, please proceed directly to the nearest exit.
• Full participation in the tour requires walking a distance of one quarter mile in 25 minutes. If you prefer a stationary or seated tour, please notify the Cistern Attendant upon arrival.

Any professional photography or filming inside of the Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern requires a permit to be filled out and approved by our Visitor Services team. To apply for a photography or film permit, please fill out the form here and email it to permits@buffalobayou.org.

The Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern is a former drinking water reservoir built in 1926 for the City of Houston. As one of the city’s early underground reservoirs, it 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 and after a few years, the reservoir was decommissioned in 2007.

In 2010, the City of Houston was sourcing vendors to demolish the Cistern. At the same time, Buffalo Bayou Partnership was developing the $58 million Buffalo Bayou Park project and “discovered” the site. Recognizing the historical and architectural significance of the highly unusual space, Buffalo Bayou Partnership with the City of Houston worked to take over development and maintenance of the space.

BBP restored and repurposed the Cistern into a magnificent public space to house an ambitious program of changing art installations. Houston-based architecture and engineering firm Page was charged with designing a ground-level entry structure to help transition visitors from the outside into the Cistern and making improvements to the shelf on the perimeter of the space to create a six-foot-wide, ADA compliant walkway with guardrails. In May 2016, Buffalo Bayou Partnership opened the Cistern to the public.

Fun Facts:

• 87,500 square feet or the size of 1.5 football fields
• 221– 25-foot tall, slender concrete columns span the space
• Holds 15 million gallons of water when functioning at capacity
• 8-inch thick concrete roof and tapered concrete walls range from 8 inches at the top to 18 inches at the bottom
• 17-second echo
• SWA Landscape Architect Kevin Shanley first called the reservoir “the Cistern” because it reminded him of the ancient Roman cisterns under Istanbul

Fulfilling the organization’s goal of presenting bold, immersive art installations and experiences in this unique space, Buffalo Bayou Partnership launched its Cistern art program in 2016.

Past Installations:

Rain:  Magdalena Fernández at the Houston Cistern
December 10, 2016-June 25, 2017
co-presented by Buffalo Bayou Partnership and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Featuring influential Venezuelan artist Magdalena Fernández’s abstract video projection 2iPM009 from the MFAH’s permanent collection.

Carlos Cruz-Diez at the Cistern:  Spatial Chromointerference
May 12, 2018-April 7, 2019
Famed Franco-Venezuelan artist Carlos Cruz-Diez created this site-specific environment with a complex projection of continuously moving chromatic modules.

Time No Longer 
March 12, 2021 – January 17, 2022
This immersive film and sound installation by Anri Sala transported visitors into an other-worldly environment within this vast, subterranean reservoir.

Buffalo Bayou Partnership is interested in your ideas for public art, including installations in the Cistern. Proposals will be reviewed on a quarterly basis by our Public Art Committee. Please submit ideas for public art along Buffalo Bayou to publicart@buffalobayou.org. You will receive a response within three months of your submission. Also, please join BBP’s email list to stay up to date on future plans.