Emancipation Park


Houston, Texas
Emancipation Park is a 10-acre park purchased by four former slaves in 1872 in Houston’s historic Third Ward neighborhood.  It originally served as a location to celebrate Juneteenth, the June 19, 1865, emancipation of African Americans in Texas. Until the 1950s it was the only public park and swimming pool in Houston open to African Americans. The new Emancipation Park is an inter-woven tapestry of buildings and landscape that celebrate the park’s rich history while embracing the present and future of its community.

Teri Canada - Project Manager
Edwin Harris - Lead Designer
Brittany Eaker-Kirkland - Project Architect
During previous association with Perkins + Will
Program
rECREATION

Status
COMPLETE

Awards + Recognitions
2020
AIA South Atlantic Region Honor Award

2018
Urban Land Institute Houston Urban Open Space Award
AIA North Carolina - Merit Award
AIA Houston - Merit Award
AIA Triangle - Merit Award

2014
AIA Triangle - Merit Award Unbuilt

Credits
The project involved restoring landscapes and playgrounds, renovating two historic buildings, and adding a new building and plaza. Through community engagement, visual listening, and a neighborhood-focused design approach, we created a destination that promotes the health and well-being of the surrounding community and the broader Houston area.

           
Durham, NC
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