Smooth, broad pathways lined with tall trees wind through Civic Park, a sea of green grass framed by the walkways and waterways in the newest section of Hemisfair.
Designed to be as much a gathering place for two-person picnics and concert crowds as it was for people simply passing through, the urban park features shaded sidewalks accessible from nearly every direction.
Starting at East Nueva Street at Yanaguana Garden, the Civic Park promenade travels from south to north in the direction of Alamo Plaza, the San Antonio River Walk and the central business district.
This entry point is where those attending Jazz’SAlive will enter the park for its grand opening Sept. 29, a Hemisfair spokeswoman said.
Along the north edge of Civic Park, where Phase 2 is planned, construction fences currently block the park from West Market Street. When completed in 2024, the walkways will lead to a plaza that opens the park at the corner of Market, Losoya and South Alamo streets.
But a path from the River Walk, under Market Street near the Marriott Riverwalk, to the terraces of the Henry B. González Convention Center’s River Building provides access into the park. This route offers a view of the Confluence of Civilizations mural at the Lila Cockrell Theatre.
Another path in the park goes past the public restroom building south along the western edge of the Convention Center toward Plaza Mexico and the Mexican Cultural Institute. Also here, there are food and beverage venues in the park’s only residential development, The ‘68.
Farther beyond is Hemisfair Boulevard and the Tower of the Americas.
Other walkways go past the unique 1100 Springs water features and lead to East Nueva and in the direction of South Alamo toward restaurants, Magik Theatre and the Lavaca and Southtown neighborhoods.
Along the western edge of the park, construction fences block a future paseo between what is planned to be a hotel and apartments.
David Malda, principal with the park’s landscape team at GGN in Seattle, said Civic Park is a park for people to assemble but also “just a place to walk through.”
“It’s not just about making a park — it’s about really transforming a major part of the center of a city,” said Malda. “And that, I think, is what is particularly unique about Hemisfair. Civic Park is a significant step forward in that.”
It is a great gathering place, he said, but one with porous edges that invite people in and through to other destinations, acting as a connector for the city.
