A new neighborhood destination is opening in North Loop this fall. Millie at Hangar is a 1.02 acre park with a play area, sports court and shaded areas.
The new amenity is located on the east side of Hangar, an apartment complex developed by Seco Ventures opening next year.
North Austin neighbors were invited to preview the park on Oct. 15, with the event featuring local food vendors and a live DJ set from Breakaway Records. The event also included remarks from District 4 Austin City Council member Jose “Chito” Vela and neighborhood representatives.
A closer look
The park includes a sports court, a heritage oak tree, a 3,000 pound play slide and a playscape for children. Seco Ventures collaborated with the North Loop Neighborhood Association for several years, according to a news release, incorporating input from the stakeholders on the park and the Hangar apartment development.
“We spent over a year in negotiations with the developer and those negotiations were not in an effort to minimize or shrink this project into something that neighbors could swallow,” Brian Bedrosian, a member of the North Loop Neighborhood Association said. “It was an effort to create a project that… that we could celebrate and champion.”
Adding color to the park is a 50-foot mural designed and painted by artist Luis Angulo “ULOANG.” The mural took about four weeks to complete, according to Angulo, and represents a modern depiction of North Loop. The mural shows a woman walking through the neighborhood past a vintage shop, wearing an Army Air Corps jacket that Millie could have worn in the 1940s, he explains.
What’s in a name
The park is named after Mildred “Millie” Inks Davidson Dalrymple to pay homage to North Loop’s history with aviation. In the 1930s and 1940s around 50 acres of land in North Loop was reserved for the “Doc” Haile Airfield.
Millie took flying lessons at the airfield after her husband’s plane was gunned down in World War II. She later joined the Women Airforce Service Pilots and was presented the Congressional Gold Medal for her service in the war in 2010, according to a news release.
Stay tuned
The park is nearly complete, Jeff Stewart with Seco Ventures said. The final touches include landscaping and planting additional greenery.
The next step is to transfer ownership of the park to Austin Parks and Recreation, which will then open it to the public. Seco Ventures will hand the park over in late October, Stewart shared. Once the process is complete, the real estate developer will make an announcement, marking the official opening.
