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https://www.houstonchronicle.com/lif...k-19386111.php

First look: The Commons in Hermann Park opens April 13 with 26-acres of green space near Medical Center

The project is the final component of the $55-million "Play Your Park" capital campaign, which also included the McWilliams Dog Park.

By Amber Elliott,
Staff writer
April 5, 2024

When the Commons opens to the public on Saturday, the 26-acre corner bordered by Cambridge, Fannin and Main, connecting Houston Zoo and the Texas Medical Center, will match the splendor of Hermann Park. Construction over the past two years has transformed an under-utilized chunk of land into a natural entry point.

The Commons is the final component of the $55 million "Play Your Park" capital campaign, which also included the McWilliams Dog Park. The latter opened in October.

"There are now 2,400 spots in the Memorial Hermann Medical Plaza available for reserve," says Hermann Park Conservancy President and CEO Doreen Stoller. "To make that walk from Memorial Hermann to the zoo more pleasant, visitors pass now pass through 'Alligator Cove.'"

The hope is that medical workers and family members of patients will take a five-minute break in the Commons. A stretch of perennials near the southwest entrance serve as the welcome committee. It's also the new home of the George Hermann statue, the park's namesake who donated most of his estate to establish the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Hermann Park and what is now the Memorial Hermann Health System.

The Commons, designed by architect Marlon Blackwell and landscape architects Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, ticks a lot of boxes. There are not one but two semipermanent public art spaces, a revitalized pavilion, the return of the famous Hermann Park rocket ship, several family-friendly play areas, thoughtful homes for wildlife and, if Stoller gets her way, wine and beer options for what she calls "big kid fun."

Alyson Shotz fans may recognize her latest work, "Scattering Surface," glittering behind trees across the water. Her line of reflective pickets in "Mirror Fence" is something of a destination piece at Storm King Art Center in New York. She first visited Houston last fall to scout the perfect spot for the Commons installation, which was funded as part of the conservancy's 20-year master plan. The best time to enjoy "Shattering Surface" is 7 p.m., Shotz says.

A second installation, also part of the public art program, by University of Houston professor and Project Row House studio artist Anthony Suber, is slated for completion near the Japanese Garden in June.