Situated along the banks of Shoal Creek in Downtown Austin, Pease Park is one of the city’s oldest public parks, and one of its most loved. In 2014, the City of Austin adopted the Pease Park Master Plan by WRT to help guide the future use and care of the park. Under the guidance of the Pease Park Conservancy, TELA was hired as the prime consultant to implement the first phase of the Master Plan: the revitalization of the southernmost 10 acres of the park known as Kingsbury Commons.

The design includes a new gateway to the park in the form of a new entry sequence, signage wall, and event field with sweeping views through the Park. Popular play elements are consolidated into a new play area, complete with full-size basketball court, wood playscapes, a loose-parts nature play zone, and an interactive water feature that mimics our area’s limestone aquifers. A treehouse observation pod invites visitors into the mature tree canopy on the densely wooded hillside, where they can lounge on a giant hammock and gaze up at the sky. New restroom and storage buildings are tucked into the slope and frame an informal amphitheater area. A hillside seep, which formerly ran down Kingsbury Street into the city sewer, has been captured and featured in a spiral basin that spills into a verdant, restored stream bed, overflowing with native shrubs and grasses. Stone walls, CCC-era picnic tables, and the historic Tudor Cottage are preserved and enhanced, embracing the Park’s rich history while positioning it for a sustainable future in this rapidly growing city: The park is the first in Austin to receive Sustainable SITES Gold Certification. Kingsbury Commons will serve as the catalyst for future implementation of the Pease Park Master Plan.