Earlier this month, Austinites celebrated the reopening of Wooldridge Square Park on Guadalupe between 9th and 10th Streets. This one-acre block is one of the four public squares from the original city master plan. The park was named for Alexander P. Wooldridge who was Austin’s mayor from 1909 to 1919 and lived on the north side of the block. The park had been closed for the past year for restoration work to update the irrigation system and replace the sod.
For the reopening weekend, photos of years gone by were displayed around the block’s perimeter. The park doesn’t look much different than when it was dedicated in 1909. The grass lawn gently slopes down to the white gazebo, creating a natural amphitheater, and mature trees provide shade during the hot summer months.
Country western singer Dale Watson and his band performed as part of the reopening celebration. Hopefully more events will be planned for this park now.
Emily and I used to go to concerts here when she was a toddler. She would walk around to the other people looking for snacks, like she had never been fed! She was fascinated by the winos hanging out there.
My favorite memory is her bopping to Ponty Bone’s set and offering him her most prized possession: her bottle.
Thanks for sharing those memories! I’ve read that the city has made some changes to keep the block safer now, so I hope there will be more events planned for the park.