Pease District Park
Pease Park
Photograph of a stone gateway bearing a bronze plaque reading "Pease Park"
One of the stone gates at the south end of Pease Park
TypePublic park
Location1100 Kingsbury St
Austin, Texas 78703
Coordinates30°16′55″N 97°45′7″W / 30.28194°N 97.75194°W / 30.28194; -97.75194
Area42 acres (17 ha)
Created1875 (1875)

Pease Park (officially Pease District Park) is an urban park in central Austin, Texas. Paralleling Shoal Creek west of downtown, the park is frequented by University of Texas at Austin and Long-View Micro School students and, formerly, by disc golf enthusiasts. Every spring it plays host to the annual Eeyore's Birthday Party celebration, a favorite event for Austin's hippie subculture dating back to the 1960s.

History

The parcel of land that is now Pease Park was named after and donated to the city of Austin by Texas Governor Elisha M. Pease and his wife in 1875. The land remained undeveloped until the city and civic organizations cooperated to beautify the park in 1926, building entrance gates, restrooms, and other amenities. Further improvements were made later, including the installation of a group of long concrete picnic tables by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s and the construction of a hike-and-bike trail connecting the park to the city's larger trail network in the 1950s.[1][2]

On October 16, 2019 [3] ground broke on the US$15 million dollar 10 acres Kingsbury Commons, the most significant upgrade to Pease Park in a century,[4] as part of a larger Master Plan.[5] Construction concluded in June 2021.

Eeyore's Birthday Party

A small drum circle at Eeyore's Birthday Party. Some drum circles at this event can have hundreds of drummers and dancers.

Since 1974 Pease Park has hosted Austin's annual Eeyore's Birthday Party event, with music, costumes, games and drum circles.[1] The event is typically attended by thousands, filling the park with activities.

Disc golf course

Pease Park was the site of a popular disc golf course running along Shoal Creek. On January 1, 2011, the park's disc golf course was closed indefinitely due to environmental impact problems.[6]

References

  1. 1 2 "Pease Park: So Much More than Meets the Eye". City of Austin. February 5, 2014. Retrieved November 23, 2016.
  2. ↑ Gentile, Dan (May 2016). "PEASE PARK". Tribeza. Retrieved November 24, 2016.
  3. ↑ "Kingsbury Commons Project Celebrates Groundbreaking at Pease Park". 16 October 2019.
  4. ↑ "Pease Park's $15 Million Kingsbury Commons Project Opens Next Month". 21 May 2021.
  5. ↑ PEASE PARK INTERPRETIVE MASTER PLAN
  6. ↑ "Disc golfers mark the end of an era". News8austin.com. Archived from the original on 2011-01-05. Retrieved 2011-01-03.
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