Inspired by Buffalo Bayou Partnership’s Sabine Promenade project and the organization’s 2002 Master Plan, the foundation approached Buffalo Bayou Partnership in 2010 to serve as the catalyst funder with a grant of $30 million for improvements to the existing 160-acre, 2.3 mile stretch of the bayou from Shepherd Drive to Sabine Street. The project goal was to restore the area to a more natural and self-sustaining state, reintroduce native landscapes, and add amenities to enhance safety and convenience for visitors.
Buffalo Bayou Partnership, working collaboratively with the City of Houston and the Harris County Flood Control District, completed park improvements in October 2015. The park is a popular destination for runners, cyclists, and families, in addition to serving as the site for citywide celebrations. Furthermore, park designers have earned numerous awards and accolades for its resilient design including Urban Land Institute’s Global Award for Excellence.
buffalobayou.orgNews & Press
- Maggie Gordon: Two-day walk along Buffalo Bayou East reveals need for community connection —Houston Landing
- Three Houston Parks Team Up To Bring Back Jazzy Sundays In The Parks —Press Release
- Buffalo Bayou Partnership Announces Kinder Foundation’s $100M Catalyst Gift to Accelerate Buffalo Bayou East Master Plan —Press Release
- Houston philanthropists Nancy & Rich Kinder give $100 million to expand Buffalo Bayou Park eastward —Houston Chronicle
- Meet the couple behind Houston’s $281M transformation through new park amenities and green spaces —Houston Chronicle
- Kinder Foundation’s Guy Hagstette Reflects on Five Years of Buffalo Bayou Park —Blog Post
- Keeping Buffalo Bayou Clean & Green —Blog Post
- Nonprofit behind Buffalo Bayou Park plans its next project in east Houston —Houston Business Journal
- Building Boom: Multimillion-dollar park renovations spark development along Allen Parkway —Houston Business Journal
- Gold and Silver Medalists Announced for 2019 Rudy Bruner Award for Urban Excellence —Metropolis
- In Houston, a Resilient Public Greenspace Reconnects “the Bayou City” to the Neglected Waterway Where It Was Founded —Metropolis
- Buffalo Bayou Park Named as Finalist for Design Award —Architectural Digest
- Beloved urban Houston park blooms with national design award nomination —CultureMap
- Five Finalists Announced for 2019 Rudy Bruner Award for Urban Excellence —Metropolis
- Astronomical silt removal completed in Buffalo Bayou Park in 2018 —Blog Post
- The Greening of Houston: Q&A with Park Visionary Guy Hagstette —Realty News Report