Located at the intersection of Heights Boulevard and East 7th Street, Donovan Park was originally planned to be sold to a trucking company before the Houston Heights Association raised support from the community and bought the land in the 1970s, said Idalia Guerra, chair of the new Reimagine Donovan committee.

Guerra said the park was pretty sparse until the community rallied again in the 1990s to build the wooden castle structures and train that is cherished by children today.

Recently, the association, which privately owns and maintains the park, has been calling on the community again to help revitalize the park through the new Reimagine Donovan committee.

“Doing the community engagement and hearing what people want was so crucial to this portion of the entire rebuilding because we need people's input,” Guerra said. “I want it to still have that spirit that this park is built by the community.”

About the project

The Reimagine Donovan Park campaign is structured in several phases defined by factors such as community feedback, planning and fundraising.

Guerra said the first phase consisted of gathering the community’s feedback. The committee held community meetings in August and sent out a survey to hear diverse opinions. Now, the committee will focus on conceptualizing designs and creating a master plan to have an accurate estimate for fundraising.

After the designs are finalized, the committee will launch a fundraising campaign to bring the renovations to life. Once all funds are acquired, construction on the park will begin.

“We’re really excited ... hopefully by early spring, we'll have a better idea of how much this is really gonna cost,” Guerra said.