2016 Annual Report

2016 ANNUAL REPORT Hermann Park Conservancy is a citizens’ organization dedicated to the stewardship and improvement of Hermann Park — today and for generations to come. BCJ/Casey Dunn Cover Photo by Jean Miracle-Whitaker LETTER FROM THE CHAIR Dear Friends, I could not be prouder of what the Conservancy has achieved in Hermann Park to improve the quality of life for Houstonians. Virtually all of it can be traced back to the Conservancy’s 1995 master plan, which laid out a sequence of audacious projects including McGovern Lake, the Jones Reflection Pool, Lake Plaza, Kinder Station and most recently, the McGovern Centennial Gardens and the Cherie Flores Garden Pavilion. These iconic features of the Park would not have been possible without the Conservancy’s incredibly generous friends and supporters, and to say that we are grateful is a criminal understatement. As an organization, we’ve come a long way since our founding 24 years ago, but we’re not done, and we won’t be finished until we have created a world class park, one that is as beautiful, diverse and stimulating as the people whom it serves. In fiscal year 2016, we focused our fundraising efforts toward the restoration of the Japanese Garden, which turns 25 in 2017, and the renovation of the Park’s historic 1933 clubhouse, which will soon be renamed Lott Hall at Hermann Park. We are also creating a new plan for the Park’s future—a bold blueprint for the next 20 years. We have partnered with the award-winning landscape architecture firm, Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, to do this. We are thinking hard about underused parts of the Park, traffic and parking, and the Park’s edges, especially the vast area across MacGregor Way known as Bayou Parkland and the corner of Fannin and Cambridge Streets by the Buddy Carruth Playground for All Children. Hermann Park serves its visitors in the way that only a destination park can: be it as a vacation spot, a place to get married or celebrate an anniversary, an outdoor fitness center, or a school for those interested in nature, animals, science or the arts. Now is the time for us to double down and continue to beautify this Park, a park that every year brings millions of people of all stripes together without putting a price tag on the experience. Over the years, we have spoken about Hermann Park in terms of quality of life, as if it can be dialed back as the need arises. This is false choice: the Park is not a perk. It is not a nice-to-have. It is a must-have. It is not a luxury. It is essential. And we need your support. For those who answer the call, we promise to continue to operate in a way that is long-term, transparent and efficient. And in return, we guarantee that you will be proud of the legacy you will be making here in the Park. In that spirit, I want to extend a heartfelt thanks to our donors, the Conservancy’s dedicated board members, volunteers, and the professional team lead by our phenomenal president, Doreen Stoller, all of whom make such amazing contributions day-in and day-out to preserve and protect this precious gem. Best regards, Danny David 2016 Board Chair PARK IMPROVEMENTS Grand Gateway Hermann Park’s historic entrance at Main and Montrose Streets is once again welcoming Park visitors in style. In the Park’s early years, the meticulously landscaped “Grand Gateway” provided a scenic portal to the popular young Park. Throughout the decades, the entrance to the Park lost its luster. The Conservancy sought to recapture the beauty of the original gateway and launched a renovation as a part of its Centennial Campaign. In addition to funds raised by the Centennial Campaign, the $5 million project’s funding included nearly $3 million through the Texas Department of Transportation, which managed the project with the Conservancy and the City of Houston. The renovation was designed by landscape architecture firm, SWA Group. The Grand Gateway renewal brought improvements to the area leading to the Sam Houston monument, visually connecting three medians with extensive landscaping and seasonal plantings. The project also focused on improving connectivity to the neighborhoods around the Park. Lights, benches and sidewalks were added for the convenience of pedestrians and cyclists. Along Main Street, drainage and irrigation systems were installed to help preserve the street’s arching live oaks, and new understory trees and flowers were planted to create a colorful palette beneath their branches. Jean Miracle-Whitaker Lott Hall at Hermann Park Hermann Park’s historic clubhouse, built in 1933, hosted generations of Houston golfers within its walls. Now that golfers have moved to the newer clubhouse on North MacGregor, the Conservancy is planning to usher in a new era for the beautiful, but time-worn building. In fiscal year 2016, Curtis & Windham Architects moved forward with the next phase of the building’s design. Hermann Park master planners Curtis & Windham Architects Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates have been engaged to collaborate on the landscaping and configuration of the clubhouse grounds to fit in with their recommendations for the Park’s master plan update. By the end of fiscal year 2016 on June 30, the Conservancy had secured nearly $3.3 million toward its $5.8 million goal, including a lead gift from Tommy Lott. The restored clubhouse will become a rental venue raising funds to maintain the Park. Japanese Garden Hermann Park’s tranquil Japanese Garden will celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2017. Ahead of the milestone, a garden restoration project including structural improvements was funded by the Conservancy and the City of Houston, and construction began in November 2015. A dry-stream garden, a waterless Japanese-style garden feature was designed for the Japanese Garden by internationally recognized landscape architect, Terunobu Nakai. When Mr. Nakai passed away unexpectedly in 2011, his assistant, Aya Nakamura, carried on his vision for the garden and oversaw the construction of the dry-stream garden. In addition to funds provided by the City, the Conservancy and the Japanese Garden Advisory Committee are actively fundraising to complete additional projects including a new entrance gate on the Fannin Street side of the garden, an event lawn, and new roofs for three structures. Envisioning Hermann Park’s Future Hermann Park Conservancy’s mission to improve Hermann Park took an exciting step forward in fiscal year 2016. The Conservancy identified underdeveloped areas of the Park, including its edges, that could be developed into engaging, visitor-friendly landscapes. Prominent landscape architecture firm, Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates (MVVA), will study the Park’s needs and develop a plan to guide improvements for the next 20 years. MVVA is known for projects including the creation of Brooklyn Bridge Park, the renovation of Maggie Daley Park in Chicago, and landscaping the grounds of the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas. The MVVA team began to analyze data, meet with community members and develop preliminary concepts. MVVA planners, led by Matt Urbanski and Chris Matthews, monitored the Park during spring break to better understand the needs of Park visitors and neighbors, especially on busy days. Mobility and transportation consultants, Nelson\Nygaard, are collaborating with MVVA on the master plan update. Hermann Park provides millions of visitors from all walks of life the opportunity to come together to play, relax and celebrate every year. With more and more people moving to the region, every inch of park space becomes more precious and careful consideration must be given to how this space is used. As Houston rapidly grows and changes, it is critical that Hermann Park adequately and thoughtfully adapts to that changing blueprint to meet the needs of future generations. The update to Hermann Park’s master plan will help the Conservancy guide the Park’s future improvements to meet these needs and remain a staple greenspace in a city experiencing a significant urban renaissance. The team from Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates CenterPoint employees Reforestation & Conservation lend a hand on Arbor Day Hermann Park’s graceful live oaks are entwined with the history of the Park itself and special care is given to help them continue to thrive. The Conservancy’s reforestation program worked throughout the fiscal year to preserve the health of these iconic trees through compost tea treatments and selective pruning. The program also oversaw the addition of 190 trees to the Japanese Garden and surrounding area and 328 trees of different varieties along the esplanade between Fannin and Main Streets, part of the Grand Gateway renovation. One hundred native trees were donated and planted by Centerpoint Energy on Arbor Day. Conservancy staff continued regular maintenance of McGovern Lake, the Jones Reflection Pool and Lake Plaza, where a project to increase water retention for raised plant beds was completed. McGovern Centennial Gardens In its first full year in Hermann Park, the popularity of the McGovern Centennial Gardens grew as fast as its plants, hedges, and trees. Garden clubs, school groups, tourists, hospital patients and staff, photographers, plant lovers and many dogs have visited the gardens. McGovern Centennial Gardens quickly became the place to begin one’s daily outdoor walk. There are some who visit every morning to read the newspaper, every evening to meditate, or once-in-a-lifetime to propose. It became the perfect place to celebrate, get married, learn, dig, and volunteer. Even the U.S. Department of the Interior rolled out the White House’s “Let’s Move! Outside” campaign in the gardens. Horticultural milestones were met and surpassed within the McGovern Centennial Gardens: the rose and wisteria arbors grew closer to being covered, the pergola borders filled out, hundreds of pounds of vegetables were donated to local food pantries, and baby trees settled in and set their roots.

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