Nature Discovery Center breaks ground on exploration-centered play space, classroom

Bellaire officials are looking to create something magical at the northwest corner of Evergreen Street and Newcastle Drive.

After months of consultation and design, officials gathered Oct. 7 to celebrate the groundbreaking of the Nature Discovery Center’s Enchanted Woods Nature Play Space and Cottage Classroom.

The redevelopment project seeks to transform the existing play space at Russ Pitman Park into a research-informed, dynamic landscape encouraging children to climb, dig, splash and build new ideas in the natural world.

“Enchanted Woods began as a dream to create an immersive outdoor environment where children could learn through exploration, imagination and hands-on discovery, and today, that dream begins to take shape,” Executive Director Meredith Wheeler said during the ceremony’s opening remarks.

The celebration

The groundbreaking event represented a significant step forward in the nonprofit organization’s mission to increase access to environmental education for families and adults throughout the Houston area, project officials said. It also marked a new chapter in the revitalization of one of Bellaire’s most beloved playgrounds that has not seen upgrades in over a decade.

Residents were invited to attend the ceremony to view official renderings posted throughout the park showcasing the Enchanted Woods' upcoming features, as well as learn about various naming and donation opportunities.

Officials in attendance included Mayor Gus Pappas; Mayor Pro Tem Winfred C. Frazier; council members Todd Thurber, Ross Gordon and Catherine Lewis; and several NDC board members and staff.

Notable quote

After posing for a commemorative hard hat and shovel photo, Pappas told guests in his honorary speech that the NDC is one of Bellaire’s most significant draws for newcomers in the community.

“They come here because of the Nature Discovery Center. They come here because it is a great place to work, live and raise a family,” Pappas said, before recalling his tour of the Enchanted Woods project site from a month earlier. “You can see it in your mind’s eye. You can see the happy smiles of the children, the laughter and the educational process that will happen… I just couldn’t be more honored than to be here and to be a part of the next great thing about living in Bellaire.”

Stay tuned

Meghan Lutschg, NDC board director and development committee chair, shared that as of Oct. 7, the Enchanted Woods capital campaign has reached 88% of its $2.5 million goal.

As project developers prepare to turn dirt at the site, locals can expect the newly renovated play space to be divided into three sectors, according to site overview plans from August:

• Imagination Meadow

• Discovery Creek

• Nature Workshop

The “Cottage Classroom” will exist as the anchor among these complementary spaces and will be outfitted with air conditioning and an outdoor observation deck, Community Impact previously reported.

In a phone call following the groundbreaking ceremony, development director Darenda Dorsey explained that while an exact construction start date has not been established at this time, project developers plan to bring all of the necessary building equipment on-site Oct. 26.

The expected completion date for construction of the Enchanted Woods Nature Play Space and Cottage Classroom is sometime in 2027.