The new HOPE Outdoor Gallery will not open this summer as originally planned. Because of permitting and construction delays, the project creators are now looking at a December or January opening date, HOPE founder Andi Scull told KUT.
The new gallery is an 18-acre open-air cultural center near the airport that will feature art exhibits, practice paint walls and food and beverage options. The site is a revamped version of the Castle Hill graffiti park, which launched in 2011 and quickly became an Austin icon. The park closed in 2019 to make way for condos.
Scull said she doesn't see these delays as a bad thing.
"[These are] delays that we welcome because we want to make sure all of the planning we put in for years happens, and we want it to happen in all the best ways," she said.
Over the last couple weeks, construction crews have been taking down the spray-painted walls on Baylor Street in Castle Hill.
Some of the rubble from the demolition will be recycled for reuse at the new park — a process that takes extra time and effort, Scull said.
One of the walls has also been moved to the new location to serve as a memorial to the original park.
Read more about what to expect from the new HOPE Outdoor Gallery.
