Development
BY ROO MOODY
Pumpkin Park to see $11.2M upgrades
About the project
Davis said she wants Pumpkin Park to be a place not just for those in the River Oaks neighborhood, but for all Houston residents to enjoy. As a mom, she said it was especially important to have a new restroom building, walking trail, picnic grove and covered outdoor classroom. A few additional renovations include:
she will never be forgotten,” Davis said. For the past few years, Davis has talked with her community and met with o cials to plan out the renovation details. The total cost of the project is estimated at $11.2 million, with a $2.5 million endowment to maintain the park. Additionally, Davis said the nonpro t Friends of Pumpkin Park will allocate 10% of the budget, or $1 million, to other park projects in underserved areas.
After losing her eight-month-old daughter in 2019, Margaret Elkins Davis looked for ways to celebrate Isabel’s life. She decided to renovate what her neighborhood liked to call “Pumpkin Park,” located in the River Oaks area, where she grew up going as a child and frequently took Isabel and her siblings. “[Isabel] didn’t get to experience much in her short life, but she did experience walking by the park, and it gives me so much peace knowing
Basketball and beach volleyball court enhancements
Playground area improvements
Enhanced greenery throughout the ve acres of parkland
Infrastructure improvements
SOURCE: FRIENDS OF PUMPKIN PARK COMMUNITY IMPACT
Moving forward
As of now, the project is still in the permitting process, but Davis said she will continue working with the Houston Parks Board and the Houston Parks and Recreation Department. She hopes to break ground during the summer of 2026.
LARCHMONT RD.
PUMPKIN PARK
EDLOE ST.
.
Pumpkin Park was nicknamed after the life-sized pumpkin carriage at the playground.
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ROO MOODY COMMUNITY IMPACT
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HEIGHTS RIVER OAKS MONTROSE EDITION
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