Parks and Recreation Department to unveil renovated Malone Park in Third Ward Saturday

HOUSTON – The Houston Parks and Recreation Department will unveil the newly renovated Zurrie Malone Park on Saturday.

In celebration of the unveiling, the Parks Department will host its inaugural “Love Our Parks Fest” at Malone Park from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. The event will feature family-friendly activities and programming from several city departments. The park is located at 2901 Nettleton in Third Ward.

The park renovation was undertaken as part of Mayor Sylvester Turner’s Complete Communities Initiative, an effort Turner created to improve neighborhood parks in “under-resourced Houston communities,” according to a release from the Mayor’s Office. The first phase of the initiative involves renovating five neighborhood parks – Malone Park and Our Park in Third Ward, Catherine Delce Park in Kashmere Gardens, Earl Henderson Park in Near North Houston, and Woodruff Park in the Magnolia-Manchester community.

“One of my top priorities is to improve parks in under-resourced communities so that people do not have to leave their neighborhoods and travel across town to enjoy beautiful amenities and green space,” said Turner in a statement. “I grew up visiting parks like Zurrie Malone, and I recognize that a well-maintained park can bring people together for celebrations and activities. But it requires investment and commitment to ensure that every park remains accessible and inviting to the communities they serve. That is why the Love Our Parks program is important.”

The Malone Park improvements include new playground equipment, new roofing for the basketball court, a new basketball court surface, new park furnishings, a pergola, new fencing, landscaping, and public art by local artist Israel McCloud, according to the release.

“The completion of this project marks a special day for the Parks and Recreation Department, and this Third Ward community,” said Kenneth Allen, Interim Director, Houston Parks and Recreation Department, in a statement. “When we began discussions on what improvements we would bring to Malone Park, we spoke to the people who live next door to this neighborhood park. This project, and the ones to follow, is proof to those Houstonians that we see you, we hear you, and we’re here for you.”

For more information on Houston parks, visit www.HoustonParks.org.