Bethel Park is a unique new park in Houston’s historic Fourth Ward. White Oak Studio led a team of architects and engineers to create a beautiful community park from the ruins of this African-American church. Masonry walls remaining after a 2005 fire were restored and now frame a dramatic open-air space that celebrates the history of the church and the Freedman’s Town community. New steel trusses tower overhead and support the walls while steel and color polycarbonate panels recall the original stained glass windows. Outside the walls, an open lawn surrounded by Southern Sugar Maples provides a welcome oasis in the dense urban neighborhood.