Houston’s modernistic skyline provides a dramatic backdrop for Woodland Park, which has served as an inner-city oasis for more than a century. Houston’s second oldest public park, was originally considered a “suburban” destination when it was first developed one and one-half miles from downtown. More than just an “old” park however, Woodland Park played a pivotal role in the development of Houston’s early parks and greenspace planning. Now, one hundred fifteen years later, Woodland Park is as relevant and vibrant as the day it opened.
Originally developed as Highland Park by the Houston Electric Street Railway Company in 1903, the park was intended as a recreational destination for its patrons. The park originally featured a restaurant, concession stands, “aerial swing” and a waterslide, which emptied into Lake Highland where rowboat rentals were available.
The park was acquired by the City of Houston in 1911 and renamed Woodland Park in 1914, shortly after the adjacent Woodland Heights neighborhood was developed. The new name was an appropriate one given the vision of the community’s developer, William A. Wilson, who was considered forward thinking for his promotion of landscaping amenities among his residential developments. In fact, his use of street trees in the design of Woodland Heights, a middle-income neighborhood, was a rarity at a time when these types of considerations were reserved for the upper class. This civic mindedness led to Wilson’s appointment in 1910 to Houston’s first board of Park Commissioners along with George Hermann, the namesake for Hermann Park.
In 1912, Woodland Park played a significant role in one of Houston’s first master plans. Landscape Architect, Arthur Comey, was hired by City leaders to prepare a study of existing parks and greenspace and to make recommendations on his findings. The resulting report, “Houston, Tentative Plans for its Development” proposed an interlinked system of natural bayou corridors that would connect to parks and neighborhoods throughout Houston. Woodland Park figured prominently in Comey’s masterplan as one of only two parks abutting a bayou at the time. The Comey plan for Houston was only partially realized during its time, but has become an important part of the framework that has guided park and greenspace development in Houston in recent years.
As Houston expanded outward at break neck speed, the once suburban park and the now historic neighborhoods which surround it, found themselves in an urban environment. Woodland Park is now an established City park included within the boundaries of the Germantown Historic District.
Today, nearby residents have formed a Friends of Woodland Park group, which shares stewardship of the park with the Houston Parks Department. The most current project will be the installation of a “Firefly Field” featuring six colorfully lit firefly sculptures, which will mark the newly re-designed park entry. Restoration of native landscape and bayou Riparian zones have also been central to recent efforts in the park. Regularly scheduled birdwatching excursions in the park pair park goers with knowledgeable guides from the Houston Audubon Society. Semi-annual clean ups also help foster a sense of ownership within the community.
Now, well into the park’s second century of existence, and despite Houston’s near constant change, Woodland Park continues to figure prominently in the health and vibrancy of the historic neighborhoods which surround it. Woodland Park and the surrounding neighborhoods maintain a symbiotic relationship. Woodland Park would have been lost to “progress” had it not been for the close relationship with the surrounding communities who use the park. The surrounding communities would not be the desirable ones that they are today without the amenities and natural beauty found in the Park.