Swante Palm Park, an Austin greenspace destroyed by the construction of I-35, is an underutilized corner of downtown, unless you count the scary homeless guys in the bushes.
A sign at the park preserves the history of the park's namesake, Sir Swante Palm, as follows:
"SIR SWANTE PALM
Swante Palm was a leader of Swedish immigration to Texas. A native of Smaland, Sweden, Palm came to Texas in 1844. He moved to Austin in 1850. Palm served as Vice-Consul to Texas for Sweden and Norway and helped thousands of Swedish immigrants in Texas. Swedish King Oscar II knighted him in 1883 for his work.
A highly-educated man, palm was one of Texas’ first bibliographers. He amassed a huge library which he donated to the University of Texas in 1897, more than doubling its holdings.
Palm served as a Justice of the Peace, Alderman, and Postmaster. He was a founder of Gethsemane Lutheran Church. An Austin school was named in his honor.
Sponsors: VASA Order of America Lodge #743: Mary Palm Hurst
[2nd plaque on the back]
In appreciation
Gladys Bergstrom
Jim Christianson
Alfred E. Rogers
City of Austin
Parks and Recreation Department"
From the City of Austin website: (
visit link)
"Sir Swante Palm Neighborhood Park
711 East 3rd Street, Austin, TX 78701
Covers 3.24 acres
AMENITIES
Swimming Pool : 1
Playground : 1
Restroom : 1
Picnic Table : 1
Bike Rack : 1
Park Description
Palm Park is on the I35 access road, and visible from the upper deck of I35. There is a swing set and grassy open space. The park is little used.
If you'd like to reserve this park, any of its amenities, or report an issue– Please contact the City of Austin's Parks and Recreation department at 512-974-6700 or visit their website for more information."
But there is hope for the future for this park.
From the Waller Creek Conservancy of Austin: (
visit link)
"Palm Park
Design by Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, Inc.
and Thomas Phifer & Partners.
Reviving an Historic Gathering Place
Palm Park once represented an important common ground between East Austin and downtown. This gathering place was lost with the construction of IH-35. As the Waller Creek district evolves, the urban fabric surrounding Palm Park will be marked by extremes of architectural scale: the Convention Center to the west, the proposed Fairmont Austin Hotel to the southwest, and Waller Park Place on Red River and Cesar Chavez will loom over smaller structures from earlier eras, such as Iron Works BBQ and the historic Castleman-Bull House. The design creates a new incarnation for Palm Park with the Grove: a leafy and shady landscape at the water’s edge that acts as a mixing chamber of program for different age groups and walks of life. The Grove creates new parkland, dramatically increases access to creek level, engages future development, and creates a hub of recreational and family activity that serves the hotel, Convention Center, and new residential populations.
A Shaded Respite from Intense Urbanization
In the Grove, a new stand of live oaks—Heritage Trees for future generations—creates a cool and shady continuous canopy above an expansive ground plane of granular paving and hardscaped paths. The sides of the cut are lined with concrete walls that recall regional limestone karst formations. Rather than perpetuating the theme of limestone masonry that currently pervades the creek the design will utilize locally quarried block as the formwork for the concrete walls. These limestone blocks can be reused section by section as the wall is poured and eventually distributed within the Grove as seating elements, a reminder of the construction process and subtle echo of the material history of Waller Creek and Austin’s regional landscapes.
Family Programming in the Urban Core
Outside the pavilion, the monumental live oaks of the Grove give way to a lighter, more playful stand of palms, which articulate spaces for outdoor socialization and recreation. The parking on the north side of the building is replaced by a small amphitheatre and cluster of play spaces which appeal to different age groups, including the renovation of the existing pool for use exclusively by young children. The renewal of the Palm School creates an essential destination for East Austin’s kids and the growing residential community downtown.
Vital Trail Connection
Despite being surround by potentially large development sites, the feeling of “publicness” should extend to each corner of the park. To the north, the pedestrianized Sabine Street and 4th Street (a primary urban rail and bikeway corridor) are important opportunities for urban connections. Coordination with private landowners will create a more porous urban edge within the creek easement. Urban activity on top of the concrete sidewalls will feel like a leafy perch on the park and foster a sense of activity and animation for those above and below, creating a safe public space for families
Waller Creek is a thin, urban riparian ecosystem that meanders from the northern part of Austin southward through UT campus and along the eastern edge of the downtown area before it meets Lady Bird Lake. The Waller Creek Conservancy, in a unique public-private partnership with the City of Austin, acts as the steward of Waller Creek by playing a vital role in the preservation, redevelopment and maintenance of the creek’s surrounding parks, nearby businesses, adjoining neighborhoods and community at large."