Photo: Courtesy of Emancipation Park Conservancy / Perkins & Will

Emancipation Park, the community center of the Third Ward, is undergoing a major expansion. On October 13, the guiding organization, the Emancipation Park Conservancy (EPC), announced an $18.5 million plan to enhance the park’s role as a cultural and community anchor.

“This investment in Emancipation Park is about more than expanding a space; it’s about preserving history and creating a vibrant hub for cultural expression,” Ramon Manning, board chair of EPC, said. “It builds on the park’s improvements in 2014 by allowing us to increase programming capacity and ensure the park remains a central gathering place for performances, celebrations, and community connection.”

Included in the expansion will be a new state-of-the-art stage. Slightly larger than 5,000 square feet, the space will feature a new outdoor performance stage, green room facilities, climate-controlled storage facility, and an audio-visual tech room. Located at the southeast corner of the campus near Elgin Street and adjacent to the historic Eldorado Ballroom, the new amenities will create a premier home for arts and cultural programming.

The 11,000-square-foot cultural center will also undergo a remodel, adding digital storytelling capabilities, gift shop space, and audio-visual capabilities for rentals while reimagining the front plaza with improved landscaping.

“Kinder Foundation is proud to continue supporting Emancipation Park, a place with deep cultural and historic significance,” said Nancy Kinder, president and CEO, Kinder Foundation. “The park’s upgrades, including the stage expansion, will ensure Emancipation Park remains a place of community and celebration for generations to come.” Kinder is the lead donor, with other funds coming from the Brown and Cullen foundations.

Photo: Courtesy of Emancipation Park Conservancy / Perkins & Will

The architecture firm of Perkins & Will, which designed the 2014 improvements to the park, is on board this time as well. Work is planned to be finished in time for the park’s 2026 Juneteenth celebration.

Juneteenth figures heavily in the park’s history. In 1872, the 10-acre space was bought by former slaves Reverend Jack Yates, Richard Allen, Richard Brock, and Elias Dibble for $800 as a place to celebrate Juneteenth. It is considered the oldest park in Houston, and during the Jim Crow era, it was the only park for African Americans. In 1916, it was donated to the City of Houston and became an official city park in 1918, but it wasn’t until 1922 that it was segregated. As time went by, the city built a community center, a swimming pool, a bathhouse, sports fields, and a basketball court. The park was designated a UNESCO Slave Route Project site in 2019, one of seven sites in the City to be included. As such, it is a historical landmark, and it is also part of the Emancipation Trail, the route along which freed slaves moved from Galveston to Houston after 1865 when Texas learned of the Emancipation.

During the current construction, the cultural center and adjacent lawn will be closed, but the rest of the park remains open.

by Marene Gustin