Houston's Hermann Park: For Decades "A Playground for All Children" by Kay Tiller, Executive Regional Editor According to the records, the picnic pavilion in which I played at Hermann Park in the 1930's is the oldest structure in Houston . . . and today, it serves as a backdrop for one of the city's newest and most innovative park facilities, the Huston Park Board-sponsored "Playground for All Children." The historic pavilion was the centerpiece of what was known in the 1920's as the Hermann Park Promenade. Sunday afternoons found ladies in their fine lace and voile dresses, on the arms of handsome men in suits with celluloid collars, walking the paths around the pavilion, then stopping in for some lemonade. It was a different time, and one that is remembered fondly . . . Frederick Law Olmsted had a great deal of influence on the original design of Hermann Park, albeit through his disciples Hare & Hare. The "new" Hermann Park Master Plan and design were the concepts of some more of Olmsted's disciples, though they were about four generations removed from the original. Such noted ASLA members as Don Olsen and Lewis T. May played important parts in "getting something done about Hermann Park" -- Olsen as the City of Houston Park Director and May as a member of the Task Force Programming Team. Two other ASLA members, Merrie Talley-Pope, a Landscape Architect who is projects coordinator for The Houston Parks Board, Inc., the group from the private sector who raised the money for the new facilities, and Lauren Griffen, the Landscape Architect who designed the project, also brought the Olmsted "touch" to the renovation of the Buddy Carruth Playground in Hermann Park. This was definitely a public-private sector collaboration . . . The result? . . . what one nationally-known child development expert called "the finest public playground into the country." In this case, the private sector raised the money for the playground equipment and the city will maintain it! According to Merrie Talley-Pope, "the opening of the first two phases of the play area restored Hermann Park as 'the crown jewel' of Houston's public playgrounds!'" That "crown jewel" cost $1.3 million! The Houston Park Board, Inc. began planning the renovation of the playground area almost four years ago. The old equipment in the inner city park had been overused and was generally just worn out. No one had any idea how long it had been in the park . . . old see-saws whose hinges were terribly worn, swings that obviously were on their umpteenth set of chains . . . it all had to be replaced. And replaced it was! Where the old slides and see-saws were, there is new, innovative equipment that challenges the children. The new swings are specifically designed to work beautifully for physically challenged, as well as for able-bodied children. The actual playground is most unusual! It includes both water and sand areas, an adventure ship, a fragrance arbor, and specially-textured paving for safe access to play structures. Fascinating the children is the centerpiece of the playground - a three-ton floating granite ball fountain called a "Kugel" ball. Spinning on a bed of water, the huge ball revolves with a child's touch (It is engineered so fingers cannot get caught). The playground is separated into areas for specific ages. The "toddler's area" for example has a two foot wall around a huge sand pile. The wall not only keeps the children in, but serves as a seating area where moms can sit and talk while their children play. This area is highlighted by a concrete turtle around and through which the youngsters can crawl, and the whole playground is tree-shaded. Lauren Griffith worked closely with Dr. Joe Frost, a specialist in childhood development and playground safety from the University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Frost was the one who dubbed the playground at Hermann Park "the finest public playground in the country!" Intricate details were so beautifully handled in this park. For example, there is an arbor in the center of the playground from which every child in the playground can be seen. There are seats within the arbor and it is surrounded by the fragrance garden -- what a lovely place to sit and watch the children play! And play they do! At a push of a button, sprays of water emanate from steel palm trees above a concrete base. There are rings through which children can run before the water shuts off after a specified time. . . . another innovation put in place for the inner city children -- and lots of others who have now been exposed to the "new" Hermann Park playground. All this takes money . . . lots of money . . . and The Houston Parks Board, Inc. was formed primarily to insure that Houston's parks were renovated and returned to the use of the citizens of the Bayou City. In fact, no city funds at all were used in the renovation. When this all started, the Board decided to raise one million dollars for the project. They went to foundations and to private citizens for contributions. Then, they started selling bricks with which to outline the sidewalks. These bricks, or "tiles," as some called them, sold for $500, $1,000, and $2,500. They raised $100,000. People even came out to the park and installed the bricks they had bought along the main sidewalk into the park, Ms. Pope noted. "There are a few left," Ms. Pope said, "Just in case any of your readers would like to be a part of this." "This is Houston's largest playground and it was named by Buddy Carruth. When the time came to place the bricks, Mr. and Mrs. Carruth were among those who installed their own," Ms. Pope said. The Houston Park Board, Inc. is a private tax-exempt, charitable corporation dedicated to expanding and improving parks in Houston. When they delivered the playground to the City of Houston in the Fall of 1995, Peter Wareing, Chairman of The Houston Parks Board, said, "When we consider the role of Hermann Park in Houston's history and its importance to the millions of people who visit the park annually, this is a great example of the private sector providing the support and leadership for a landmark public improvement." All over the country, many private groups are lobbying cities to renovate old parks or install new playground equipment . . . Houston found the answer in many very civic-minded Houstonians who probably played in Hermann Park as a young child, as I did. The slides and swings and see-saws were great for me then. But that was more than a half century ago! Today, that's all changed and there is a fabulous new playground for everyone to see and use in Hermann Park, thanks to the Houston Parks Board.