Butterfly Pocket Park (Completion Date: Summer 2020)
GNMD Partners: Artist Rosalinda Toro, Asakura Robinson, AT&T, Avenue CDC, Centerpoint Energy, Custom Scapes, Houston Arts Alliance, Houston Wilderness, Open METRO, Architecture of Houston, TBG, Trees For Houston
Since 2005, an overgrown, vacant lot owned by the City of Houston has been home to illegal activities and blight in the Near Northside. In 2015, the vision to create a Butterfly Pocket Park started with artist Rosalinda Toro and other community organizations. The Greater Northside Management District and Avenue CDC held a series of meetings with Open Architecture of Houston and TBG to create a conceptual design.
In 2019, Avenue CDC obtained a “Visit My Neighborhood” grant from the Houston Arts Alliance. The grant enabled Asakura Robinson to create a final landscaping design constructed by Custom Scapes.
The project includes an irrigation system and landscaping, including Mexican sycamore trees donated by Trees For Houston and multiple small trees, shrubs and plants to help attract butterflies. The art enhancement includes a beautiful butterfly sculpture with a mosaic pedestal, a caterpillar mosaic replica and a short pedestal that shows the life cycle of the monarch butterflies.
The City of Houston placed a city park sign on the property and METRO will add a bike rack. This project is helping to revitalize the Near Northside with art and green space along the METRORail Red Line.
The Butterfly Pocket Park won the award for On-the-Ground Projects Under $500K in the 2020 Houston-Galveston Area Council Parks and Natural Areas Award Program. Each year, H-GAC honors projects that serve as models for planning and implementation for parks and natural areas in the region.