Givens District Park Improvements
City Council District 1
Project Summary
Givens District Park is a 40-acre park acquired by the City in 1957 and named after Dr. Everrett H. Givens, dentist, World War I veteran, and beloved civic leader in 1962. Tannehill Creek runs north to south through the entire park and provides a source of water for many of the large shade trees located along its banks. Park amenities in the park include a recreation center, a swimming pool with a bathhouse, two covered pavilions, one stage, restrooms, a playscape and swingset, 2 basketball courts, 2 tennis courts, picnic tables, grills, and two ballfields with bleacher seating. The Givens District Park Vision Plan was approved in January 2019 to provide a framework for improvements to the park. Using 2018 bond funding, the first phase of implementing the plan is complete, including renovations to the aquatic facility. Renovations to the recreation center and an interpretive signage program are underway.
Givens District Park Recreation Center Renovation Project
On December 12, 2024, Council approved the execution of a contract for Austin Parks and Recreation's Givens District Park Recreation Center Renovation project with Brown and Root Industrial Services, LLC.. The project will enhance the facility’s functionality and ensure it continues to serve the community, as it has since it opened in 1979. Key upgrades include a complete replacement of the Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning system, a new roof, and accessibility improvements. Public use of the facility will be impacted during this renovation project. The construction schedule and updated programming information will be communicated to the community as needed. The center will close and cease all operations inside while the heating and air conditioning system and upper gym windows are replaced.
More information on the center and the programs provided can be found at Givens Recreation Center | AustinTexas.gov.
Anticipated Timeline
- February 2025: Construction Start (In Progress)
- Fall 2026: Construction Complete
Communication and Engagement
Below are links to project updates sent to the community via email containing information about the recreation center renovation. All project updates sent between July 23 and March 2025 can be found under Previous Communication and Engagement further down the page.
- January 2026
- November 2025 (Labeled as the October update in error.)
- October 2025
- August 2025
- July 2025
- June 2025
- April 2025
Funding and Resources
This project is funded through voter-approved Proposition C of the 2018 General Obligation Bond.
Contacts
- Christina Bies, Project Manager, Capital Delivery Services at Christina.Bies@austintexas.gov or 512-974-1272
- George Maldonado, Project Manager, Austin Parks and Recreation at George.Maldonado@austintexas.gov or 512-974-7830
Interpretative Signage
Austin Parks and Recreation Historic Preservation and Tourism Program (HPT) team will prepare an interpretive sign package for the park. HPT consulted with community members about the topics and, utilized the Ambassador Program to attain better information from the community regarding the topics chosen. One marquee sign will celebrate Dr. Givens for whom the park is named. Three interpretive signs about topics selected through a community survey will be placed in three locations within the park. The bronze plaque for Martin Banks near the pavilion named for him will be replaced with an identical bronze plaque set in limestone rock. This project is in the design phase.
Completed Projects
Below are park projects previously completed at Givens.
Opened in June 2025
Givens District Park Pool Renovation
After more than 50 years serving the community, the Givens District Park Pool has been redeveloped for future genertions to enjoy. The renovated pool opened to the public in June 2025. This project was funded through the 2018 General Obligation Bond. For information on pool hours and programs, go to Pools & Splash Pads | AustinTexas.gov or call 512-593-6537.
Givens District Park Pool was developed in 1958. The surrounding community gains access to the park site and existing pool through E. 12th Street from the north, Oak Springs Drive from the south and Springdale Road from the east. It is classified as a Community Pool based on the 2018 Council approved Aquatic Master Plan. This scope of work included the demolition of the existing pools and bathhouses. The Aquatic Master Plan classification of a Community Pool provides for the following aquatic characteristics and amenities: lap lane pool, zero-entry activity pool (tot pool), water slide, spray ground feature, diving board with well, gender-neutral bathhouse, family restrooms, training/party room, deck space, and aquatic office space. The project will also participate in the City of Austin Arts in Public Places (AIPP) program, which will commission a permanent art installation at the pool facility. As documented in the aquatic master plan, a robust community engagement process was conducted to gather feedback on the amenities and to assist in identifying the character of the Givens aquatic facility. The community engagement process helped inform the design team of stakeholder input related to the development and design features of the new pool.
- Winter 2021: Community Engagement for Pool Concept
- Summer 2021: Design, Development, Permitting
- Summer 2023: Construction started
- Spring 2025: Construction complete
- June 2025: Pool Opened!
| Date | Event | Location | Materials |
| July 20 to July 28, 2019 | Givens Swims: A Dance for a City Pool and Its People | Givens Neighborhood Pool | Givens Swims by Forklift Danceworks |
| July 20 to July 28, 2019 | "What do you love about Givens Pool?" Survey, given onsite during Givens Swim performances. | Givens Neighborhood Pool | Responses (PDF) Survey Evaluation (PDF) |
| January 26, 2021 | Community Meeting 1 | Virtual | Presentation (PDF, 9 MB) Meeting Chat (PDF) |
| February 22, 2021 | Community Survey 1 Closed | Online | View Results (PDF) |
| April 26, 2021 | Community Meeting 2 | Virtual | Presentation (PDF, 6 MB) Meeting Chat (PDF) |
| May 17, 2021 | Community Survey 2 Closed | Online | View Results (PDF) |
| July 1, 2021 | Community Meeting 3 | Virtual | Meeting Recording (YouTube) Meeting Chat (PDF) Presentation (PDF) |
| August 4, 2021 | Community Survey 3 Closed | Online | View Results (PDF) |
| October 10, 2022 | Community Survey 4 Closed | Online | View Results (PDF) |
Other Park Improvements
Replacement of a small restroom south of the recreation center with a new, larger, accessible restroom, adjacent to a new plaza with shaded picnic seating and an accessible walkway that connects to the recreation center. The project also replaced an under-utilized ballfield with a multi-purpose field including new fencing and field lighting. Work began in the summer of 2022 and was completed in October 2023.
Austin Parks and Recreation replaced lights in the Martin Banks Pavilion and added three solar, LED lights on poles within the park. Completed early 2022.
Austin Parks and Recreation programming staff placed new laminate flooring in the front lobby and staff offices and repainted the interior giving it a fresh new look. They also purchased and installed a new entry reception desk to complete the interior improvements. Completed in early 2022.
Replaced and upgraded the playscape in the northeast corner of the park, adding recreation value including music games, improvements to accessibility with new seating, and a sidewalk connection to 12th Street. Work was completed in April 2021.
The upgrade and replacement of existing ballfield lights to reduce utility and maintenance costs and extend the life of the fixtures. Improvements included a remote control and monitoring system and an extended warranty that leads to faster response time to address repairs or other issues. Completed March 2021.
Resurfaced existing Basketball and Tennis Courts in the southeast area of the park. Work included fencing and basketball backstop repairs, new striping, and added fencing to accommodate Futsal as a new use to one of the tennis courts. Work was completed in March 2020 with the assistance of Austin Parks Foundation funding.
Austin Watershed Protection has installed a water quality/wildflower meadow proposed in the approved Vision Plan, south of the Recreation Center and north of the proposed multi-use field. The installation includes a series of shallow terraces and a small infiltration pond. The Watershed Department will maintain the pond within the park. This project is complete.
Previous Communication and Engagement
Information on communication, surveys, meetings and outreach for completed projects can be found below.
Austin Parks and Recreation hosted four community meetings and corresponding surveys in 2018 to create opportunities for community members to share their visions for the park.
- Community Meetings
- July 14, 2018
- July 28, 2018
- October 9, 2018
- December 4, 2018
Review the summary of engagement here (PDF).
- Givens Working Group Meetings
- October 9, 2019
- November 6, 2019
- December 18, 2019
- March 11, 2020
- Community Meeting: November 13, 2019
The following is a list of project updates sent to the community through email.
