Barbara Hitzelberger Park

Barbara Hitzelberger Park is a gateway park for the City of University Park. Located at the active intersection of Lovers Lane and Hillcrest Avenue, the city converted two small former residential lots into a dedicated park. Initially conceived by Talley Associates in the late 1990’s as passive sitting parks, the park was ultimately designed as an asymmetrical gateway park featuring a pervious east side garden with a crushed granite walkway, new specimen oaks, and an under layer of plant material (perennials and woody shrubs), reminiscent of great perennial gardens of countryside estates. The west side gateway fountain serves as the focus of the intersecting, merging the retail and commercial uses of Snider Plaza and SMU and the residential transition. It is simply about district definition. The water wall, 80 feet in length, is an elegant, understated gateway element providing a calming to intersection noise and a night time illumination that quietly engages the motorist and pedestrian alike. Simplicity and a timeless quality designate the entrance to the retail and shopping district.