Described as a “play pod” or “treescape,” the big sphere is one of the most notable play structures at Kingsbury Commons, designed by local firm Mell Lawrence Architects and said to be inspired by Pease Park’s native trees. Can adults get in this thing? Image: Ten Eyck Landscape Architecture / Pease Park Conservancy / Mell Lawrence Architects
A groundbreaking ceremony this morning at Austin’s Pease Park marks the start of work on Kingsbury Commons, a roughly 10-acre area at the south entrance of the park, which contains 84 total acres of green space following North Lamar Boulevard between West 15th and West 31st Streets.
The Kingsbury improvements — which include multiple playground areas including a big “treescape” sphere or “play pod” seen in the rendering above, sports facilities, improved trails, and the repurposing of a 1920s-era “Tudor Cottage” restroom building into a community event space — are the work of the Pease Park Conservancy, envisioned in partnership with the City of Austin’s Parks and Recreation Department and designed by local design firm Ten Eyck Landscape Architecture.
A site plan for the Kingsbury Commons project, with its various features labeled. Click for a larger view. Image: Ten Eyck Landscape Architecture / Pease Park Conservancy
These upgrades represent the first step of realization for the Pease Park Master Plan adopted by the city in 2014, with the Conservancy working to raise funds for the project in the meantime including a $9.7 million grant from the Moody Foundation — which also funded the outdoor amphitheater at the new Waterloo Park — secured back in 2017. The Conservancy’s press release announcing today’s groundbreaking event also helpfully points out the organization has raised more than $13 million towards its $15 million goal, so if you’ve got a couple million bucks lying around…
In addition to the instrumental grant from the Moody Foundation, Pease Park Conservancy received additional support from two $1 million donors who will be announced and recognized at the groundbreaking.
In total, the Conservancy has raised more than $13 million toward its $15 million goal. The Austin community is invited to help Pease Park Conservancy cross the finish line in this important campaign.
— Pease Park Conservancy Press Release
The event’s taking place at 9 a.m. this morning near the park’s south entrance at Kingsbury Street, with various Austin dignitaries in attendance including Mayor Steve Adler, Texas Senator Kirk Watson, Pease Park Conservancy CEO Heath Riddles, and Christy Ten Eyck of Ten Eyck Landscape Architecture. For a better idea of what to expect when Kingsbury Commons opens, currently anticipated for the spring of 2021, here’s a very impressive 3D fly-through video of the project:
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