Woodchase Park’s opening in October represents the first of two planned parks in Westchase District. While Woodchase Park is designed to be a neighborhood park, Wilcrest Park will be more of a destination for all of west Houston.
With a bigger park comes a bigger price tag. Wilcrest Park will feature a children’s play area, performance pavilion, dog park, botanical garden, exercise stations, public art, an area for table games, a dining facility, parking for food trucks, restrooms and a 30,000-square-foot activity lawn perfect for movie nights, yoa, tai chi and concerts.
The Greenspace for Westchase campaign was created to cover the $3.2 million gap in funds necessary to complete Wilcrest Park into a regional destination. The park is in final design and the District’s board is expected to award a construction contract for the park in December.
“Our corporate community was very generous in supporting the Greenspace campaign,” said Parks Programming Director Louis Jullien, who headed up the capital campaign. “Their support and the support of Houston’s philanthropic community combined to put our fundraising campaign over the top of our stated goal.”
Leadership gifts beget naming rights
Some leadership gifts included naming rights for an element in the park. HEB sponsored the Performance Pavilion. Phillips 66 sponsored the Promenade. BGE sponsored the Outdoor Reading Room. CenterPoint Energy sponsored the Water Play Zone, Green Mountain Energy Sun Club sponsored the Botanical Gardens and Perry Homes sponsored the Seating Grove.
Other leadership gifts were pledged by Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam, Park Eight, Texas Parks & Wildlife, Stedman West Foundation, The Brown Foundation, The Sunderland Foundation, The Cullen Foundation, The Elkins Foundation and The Wortham Foundation. Molo Bilingual Montessori School also contributed to the campaign.
“I’m very excited that we’ll announce the park’s new name and brand later this year,” added Jullien. “We’ll be announcing a major new corporate donor who has pledged at a level that will earn naming rights to the park.”
While the District is not actively seeking additional donations, there are several elements in Wilcrest Park where a named sponsor could be recognized. There is also a community giving element to the Greenspace campaign that allows individuals and smaller companies to be recognized for their donations. Visit wdcfund.org/greenspace for a complete list of donors and more information about donating to Wilcrest Park.
