DESCRIPTION:
Curtis M. Graves Park is a community park in northeast Houston that transforms a flood control detention basin into green space for recreation, connection, and resilience. The park features a 1.3-mile loop trail, two covered pavilions, open lawn areas, native landscaping, a covered swing overlooking the water, and a trail connecting the park to the surrounding neighborhood.
The park is named in honor of Curtis M. Graves, a Houston civil rights leader and public servant who helped break barriers for Black representation in Texas. As a Texas Southern University student, Graves helped lead Houston’s 1960 sit-in movement to challenge segregation. In 1966, he became one of the first Black Texans elected to the Texas House of Representatives since Reconstruction, where he served three terms and championed equity and representation.
The approximately $3.2 million park project was led and funded by the Office of Commissioner Rodney Ellis in partnership with Harris County Flood Control District. Trees For Houston contributed approximately $61,000 in funding for 136 native trees, and Houston Parks Board will maintain the park.
A granite monument honoring Curtis Graves will further connect this new public space to the legacy of a leader who fought to ensure his community had a voice in shaping its future.
PARK REGULATIONS:
This park is a community space for everyone to enjoy.