Levy Park, redeveloped in a public/private partnership with Midway, has won a major ULI international award.
BOSTON – Levy Park, a revitalized six-acre park inside Houston’s inner loop, has been named a winner of the Urban Land Institute’s Open Space Award, an international competition recognizing exemplary public spaces.
Located west of Kirby Drive along the south side of Richmond Avenue, Levy Park reopened in February 2017 after a comprehensive renovation that transformed the site into a lively community destination.
The ULI announced the award during its annual Fall Meeting in Boston. Madrid Rio Park in Spain was a co-winner. The ULI Open Space Award honors outstanding large- and small-scale public spaces that have socially enriched their communities and helped revitalize local economies. An international jury representing multiple development disciplines selects the winners. Levy Park, which completed a $15 million revitalization, was one of five finalists—alongside projects from Lynwood, California; Fall River, Massachusetts; Changsha, China; and Madrid, Spain. Lynwood’s Ricardo Lara Linear Park received the Community Impact award.
Representatives from the park and its partners were present for the announcement, including Upper Kirby District Executive Director Travis Younkin and Levy Park Director Stephanie Kiouses. Chip Traseger, design director for the Levy Park project at OJB Landscape Architecture, and architect Natalye Appel of Natalye Appel and Associates also attended.
“We are thrilled that Levy Park was chosen for this award among projects from across the United States and the world,” said Younkin. “The park’s broad range of amenities and its thoughtful, innovative design have made it popular with both residents and visitors.”
The redeveloped Levy Park is adjacent to the new Kirby Grove office building on Richmond Avenue, just west of Kirby Drive in Houston.
Levy Park is officially a City of Houston park within the Houston Parks and Recreation Department, and it is operated by the Levy Park Conservancy under the oversight of the Upper Kirby District Foundation.
“The park’s accessible design, range of adult and children’s programming, and welcoming atmosphere draw people in and keep them coming back,” said Kiouses. “This award affirms the original vision of community-minded leaders who imagined Levy Park as a peaceful urban oasis in the heart of Houston.”
Midway, a Houston-based real estate firm, contributed to the park’s revitalization and developed two private projects that frame the park: the 16-story Kirby Grove office tower and the Avenue Grove multifamily development. Midway maintains a long-term commitment to funding park programming and activities.
“Levy Park and Kirby Grove meet the objectives ULI looks for,” said Jonathan Brinsden, CEO of Midway. “This project represents a public + private + philanthropic partnership. As an educational and research organization, ULI studies these collaborative models, highlights best practices, and shares lessons with members and the broader real estate community. Beyond its world-class design, which alone would merit recognition, ULI also evaluates how adjacent private development performs and how the neighborhood benefits from the park.”
OJB Landscape Architecture served as the lead designer for the Levy Park revitalization. This marks OJB’s third urban park recognized by ULI; the firm previously received Urban Open Space Awards for Klyde Warren Park in Dallas (2014) and Myriad Botanical Gardens in Oklahoma City (2015).
Built with public funding and sustained largely through private lease agreements with the Midway Companies, Levy Park includes large event and activity lawns, a performance pavilion, a dog park, a promenade with seating and games, a community garden, and a rain garden that captures and reuses stormwater. Central to the park is the distinctive Children’s Park, featuring imaginative interactive sculptures, playful water features, and a 150-foot-long tree house nestled among several large live oak trees that were relocated on-site to create a shaded canopy.
“Levy Park has become a premier destination for Houstonians and a must-see urban open space for visitors,” said Chip Traseger, FASLA and Managing Principal at OJB. “The park’s sequence of play and performance spaces, combined with mature live oaks within the six-acre site, makes it truly inspiring.”
