Which part of MacGregor Park can you use this weekend? The answer depends on the month. It will keep changing until the end of 2028.
The $75 million renovation that broke ground on Oct. 1 does not close the 65-acre park all at once. Houston Parks Board's announcement describes two phases, "allowing portions of the park to remain open to the public throughout construction," with completion expected in late 2028. In practice, the park closes its southern half first and its northern half second. The facilities that keep it running today are the same ones scheduled to close next.
The Schedule, Phase by Phase
The southern section closed first. Houston Parks Board CEO Justin Schultz told the Houston Chronicle that this phase is expected to take 12 to 16 months. The pool and fitness center, "along with the northern section of the park," are expected to close in fall 2027 for the second phase.
| Phase One | Phase Two | |
|---|---|---|
| Area | Southern section | Northern section |
| Closure began or begins | Aug. 17, 2026 | Fall 2027 |
| Expected length | 12 to 16 months | Through project completion, late 2028 |
| Closed during the phase | Tennis Center, disc golf, baseball field, large playground, sections of trail and parking | Pool and fitness center |
| What gets built | Tennis complex and clubhouse, all-abilities playground, trails, trees, MLK Jr. space and Tree of Life Plaza, bayou connection | Pool renovation, new pool house, fitness center and basketball pavilion upgrades |
Do the math from Aug. 17, 2026, and 12 to 16 months puts the end of Phase One somewhere between mid-August and mid-December 2027. That window overlaps the fall 2027 date for Phase Two closures. If both estimates hold, the rebuilt southern half could reopen at about the same time the northern half fences off. Neither schedule promises an exact date, and the city's own notice lists the current closures as running "Until Further Notice."
What Is Fenced Off Right Now
The Houston Parks Board project page lists everything that has been closed since Monday, Aug. 17:
- Tennis Center
- Disc golf
- Baseball field
- Large playground across from the fitness center
- Sections of MacGregor Park Trail
- Sections of parking
The Houston Parks and Recreation Department posts the same list. The project page also has a closure map with a legend, which is the best reference for which trail loops and parking areas are affected before you drive over.
Everything on that list sits in the half of the park that comes back first. For now, the pool, the fitness center and the northern part of the park are not among the closures. That is the side of the park to use this season and next spring. It is also the side the Chronicle says closes in fall 2027.
Where the Tennis Players Went
The Homer Ford Tennis Center closure probably reaches furthest beyond the park. It is the facility the Parks Board describes as the place "where Olympic and professional athletes have trained." The Parks Board does not name a temporary home for MacGregor's tennis programming. It does name four places to play while the courts are rebuilt:
- Memorial Park Tennis Center
- Zollie Scales Park
- Mason Park
- Sunnyside Park
For everything else in the closed southern half, the same page points to Fonde Park, Smither Park, the Gragg Park Complex, George T. Nelson Park, also known as Yellowstone Park, and Emancipation Park.
Why the Courts Went First
The phasing follows the park's history. Tennis is a big part of MacGregor's identity. A Houston Chronicle feature from February tells how John Wilkerson, hired by the city in 1974 as tennis director at MacGregor Park, started a free program with no club membership or academy tuition required. Coaching legend Wilkerson developed several tennis professionals there, including Kelvin Belcher, Lori McNeil and Zina Garrison. In 1988, Garrison and McNeil were both ranked in the WTA's top 10, at No. 4 and No. 9.
The Phase One tennis complex is built for that lineage. Plans call for a new clubhouse, 16 tennis courts, 2 practice courts and 8 pickleball courts. The master plan says the Homer Ford Tennis Center will be able to host tournaments.
The basketball side has its own history. The Parks Board notes that the park's basketball pavilion "was much loved by Phi Slama Jama," the University of Houston team that rose to fame from 1982 to 1984. That pavilion is in Phase Two, along with the fitness center upgrades.
What the Southern Half Brings Back
The list for Phase One goes well beyond tennis. When the southern half reopens, it is planned to include:
- An all-inclusive, heavily shaded playground
- More than 3,000 new trees, which the Parks Board says will reduce heat island impacts
- More than three miles of new walking trails and sidewalks
- An enhanced space celebrating Martin Luther King Jr., along with the Tree of Life Plaza
- Improved connections to the Brays Bayou Greenway
Two of these change how the park works day to day. The master plan extends the perimeter trail by 1.25 miles and links it to the existing Brays Bayou Greenways trail and to community bike lanes. That turns the loop into an entry point to the wider bayou system. The plan also calls for a natural amphitheater near the bayou for programming and gatherings, and for a refurbished Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Plaza in a park that already holds a memorial statue of King by sculptor Ken Washington.
The design came from Hood Design Studio, led by Walter Hood. Talley Landscape Architects is the landscape architect of record and Bellows Construction is the contractor.
How the Price Reached $75 Million
According to the Chronicle, the project's cost has grown from $57.5 million to $75 million since the plans were unveiled in March 2025. The groundbreaking release breaks down the funding. It includes a $27 million catalyst gift from Kinder Foundation, $6.5 million from the City of Houston, $4 million from Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone 7, and a $10 million grant from the U.S. Department of the Interior's Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership program. Private contributors listed in the release include The Brown Foundation, Texas Children's Hospital, The Cullen Foundation and CenterPoint Energy Foundation.
The release also covers what happens after the ribbon cutting. Houston Parks Board will keep maintaining the landscape. The Houston Parks and Recreation Department, which owns and operates the park, will oversee facilities and programming. Maintenance will be funded through a partnership between the two, which the release says secures cleaning and capital repair money "for decades to come."
A Park Shaped by Its Users
The phased approach grew out of five years of community engagement. The Parks Board counts more than 8,600 touchpoints, building on master plans from 2016 and 2021. Schultz told the Chronicle that residents asked for better facilities and also wanted the park's character kept. "We're investing $75 million, but it's really all about taking the existing facilities and amenities and making them best-in-class," he said.
At the groundbreaking, Ken Rogers, president of the Greater Third Ward Super Neighborhood, talked about the park's place in the area. "This park has been a connection point for the entire Third Ward," he told the Chronicle. "Sometimes, people like to divide us up. One side of the bayou and the other side. But we've all been working together to make this happen."
The park dates to the 1920s, when the estate of Henry F. MacGregor donated the land to the city. For the next two years, the address to know is 5225 Calhoun Rd. The Parks Board's MacGregor Park page links to a mailing list for project updates.
At Drew & Co., we follow public projects like the MacGregor Park renovation because they shape how a part of Houston works long after construction ends. If you would like to talk about what this investment along Brays Bayou means for the surrounding area, Contact Us.
