Burnett Park: Updated Information
20 Oct 2009
by: Melissa Konur
Burnett Park: Your New Backyard
In 2006, DFWI partnered with the City of Fort Worth and The Burnett Foundation to reexamine Burnett Park. Stakeholders and the public considered limitations of the park today and potential uses in the future in order to help guide the design process.
DFWI and The Burnett Foundation engaged Peter Walker Architects, the firm that redesigned the park in 1985, to reexamine their design. The goal was to respond to the changing needs of the downtown community, especially given the increase in residential development, and address the park’s aging infrastructure and maintenance costs. Peter Walker was retained to ensure that the integrity of the park’s award winning design was protected.
There are thousands of workers in adjacent office buildings and hundred of residents within a few blocks of the park. One outcome of the renovation is that Burnett Park should become a more usable public space in their everyday lives and a more appealing and functional destination for all of Fort Worth’s residents.
Background:
The three acre park was gifted to the City of Fort Worth by Captain Samuel Burk Burnett in 1919.
The park is maintained through a contractual agreement between the City and DFWI and maintenance is supported in large part through a grant by The Burnett Foundation.
Benefits:
The Great Lawn: The new lawn area will allow passive uses in the park. Everything from picnics to concerts and special events can be accommodated. This new park feature opens the park to multiple uses, increasing the public’s enjoyment of this downtown jewel.
Renovation Site Plan: For a larger version, click here
Children’s Play Area: In order to provide amenities to the growing center city residential population and children who visit downtown, a children’s play area was incorporated into the design. This amenity does not exist anywhere in the central core of downtown and is a first step toward making our center city more family friendly.
Lighting: Elegant new light features will provide additional lighting, making the park more comfortable to use during evening hours.
Plantings: Lower plantings in the beds that surround the park will provide more openness, improving sightlines in and out of the park. The hedges shown in this photo will be removed and replaced with ground cover.
Construction Update:
Work began in late August 2009 on the renovation of Burnett Park. Construction is anticipated to last approximately 20 weeks.
DFWI Contact: For more information, contact Melissa Konur at melissa@dfwi.org.
Peter Walker Architects: For more information: http://www.pwpla.com