On a warm Saturday in early 2025, the Houston Chronicle described two scenes on the same block. Levy Park was crowded with families at the green tables, a child playing the outdoor piano and kids climbing the giant blue blocks on the activity lawn. Across the street, an empty lot had no foot traffic at all.
Later this month, that lot fills up too. A three-story clubhouse at 3015 Richmond Avenue holds a Founders' Preview beginning Friday, November 27, and the club's website says doors open December 1, 2026. It is 55 Seventy, a members-only food and wine club. Its rooftop looks out over the park that once hoped to take in that ground.
For people who use Levy Park every week, the opening settles something that has been unclear for years. Levy Park is staying the size it is. The next changes inside the park will be repairs to what it already has.
Less Than an Acre, Watched for Ten Years
The Chronicle reported that officials at the Upper Kirby Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone had been eyeing the parcel for nearly 10 years. The lot was under an acre and had been vacant for at least a decade. When a blue "FOR SALE" sign finally went up, the district saw its opening.
The district had not negotiated or ordered appraisals yet. It estimated it would need about $8.5 million to buy the land. Houston City Council had authorized the district in December 2024 to study whether an expansion was feasible.
The case for the lot was about frontage more than acreage. Levy Park can't be seen from Richmond Avenue. Drivers only find it by turning down Eastside or Wakeforest. Every other business and attraction on that stretch of Richmond faces the road. Travis Younkin, president of the Upper Kirby Redevelopment Authority, told the Chronicle what the extra land would do:
"Those adjacent pieces allow us to expand program, expand access, expand visibility of the park to those major thoroughfares."
Council Member Abbie Kamin, whose district includes the park, called it "a once in a generation opportunity" in the same Chronicle report. She said land next to a park almost never comes open.
The Board Minutes That Settled It
That window closed within weeks. On April 8, 2025, 55 Seventy announced a 30,000-square-foot, three-story clubhouse with a rooftop terrace overlooking Levy Park. Community Impact reported the announcement a week later.
The Upper Kirby Redevelopment Authority's board met on April 16, 2025. According to the meeting minutes, Younkin told the board that 2025 budget funds for the "Upper Kirby Civic Complex land acquisition effort" would have to be reallocated. "The adjacent acreage desired has now been purchased by another commercial entity for anticipated use as a private club and related wine storage."
In the same report, Younkin raised what will shape the park from here. Per the minutes, "wear and tear from excessive Park use is necessitating infrastructure replacement and rehabilitation," discussions with the City were underway, and parking issues in the park area were ongoing. The money set aside for more land now goes toward repairing the park that exists.
What Rose at 3015 Richmond
The clubhouse went up on a steady schedule.
| Date | Milestone |
|---|---|
| December 2024 | City Council authorizes the tax district to study a Levy Park expansion |
| April 8, 2025 | 55 Seventy announces its Houston clubhouse |
| April 16, 2025 | Authority minutes record the adjacent land sold for a private club |
| October 1, 2025 | Planned construction start in the state accessibility filing |
| May 1, 2026 | Structure tops out at full height |
| November 27, 2026 | Founders' Preview begins |
| December 1, 2026 | Doors open |
The state's accessibility review lists the owner as 55 Seventy Houston LLC. It describes the project as a ground-up social club with wine-storage rooms, a kitchen and a bar. The district had estimated $8.5 million to buy the land. According to Houston Business Journal reporting summarized by Hoodline, the building on it carries an estimated price tag of about $34 million.
The club describes itself as "a standalone destination overlooking Levy Park." Most of the design looks toward the park. As FSR magazine reported in October, the rooftop holds Canopy Bar, a 10,000-square-foot Mediterranean restaurant built around a pizza oven. Its patio is "inspired by the greenery and open spaces of neighboring Levy Park," with trees, water features, a fireplace and firepits. Folding glass doors let part of it be enclosed year-round.
Downstairs is a lounge and dining room with an upscale American menu. The club's site lists a 7,000-square-foot wine cellar, and Community Impact reported 800 wine lockers, a demonstration kitchen and cellar suites for private dinners.
FSR named the opening team. Executive Chef Diego Fernandez most recently worked as research and development chef for Pappas Restaurants. Executive Banquet Chef Jacob Solomon oversees private dining. Master Sommelier Justin Moore runs the wine program. The architecture is by Houston's Abel Design Group, with interiors by Houston's Gin Design Group. Founder Tommy Shuey has run the Dallas club since 2022.
A Park Planned for Three Miles, Drawing From a Hundred
The lot mattered to the district because Levy Park outgrew its plan. Younkin told the Chronicle that planners expected most visitors to come from within about 3 miles. Instead the park draws roughly 6,000 to 10,000 visitors a week as of early 2025, some from as far as 100 miles away, including The Woodlands, Sugar Land, Kingwood and Galveston.
That traffic shows in the park itself. The Chronicle reported that the playground's cushioned no-fall surfaces, the event space, the activity lawns and the putting green were wearing out at a pace officials had not expected for another 10 or 12 years. Photos in that report showed tape covering holes in the playground surface. The City owns the park, but the Upper Kirby District Foundation maintains and operates it. Repairs are paid out of the district's own money.
Kamin noted another feature the lot could have changed. The park has a single way in and out, which she described as a safety plus for families. Without the Richmond frontage, that layout stays. Levy Park is still reached from Eastside and Wakeforest, and it will now sit beside a building whose rooftop was designed to look at it.
The board has kept the park's budget on its agenda. The authority's October 21, 2026 meeting at 3120 Southwest Freeway included approval of the Levy Park budget. Board members also heard updates on Kirby Drive, Buffalo Speedway and West Alabama street projects. For the broader shift in what's opening around the park, see our look at Upper Kirby's 2026 openings.
The First Weeks Side by Side
The club's opening falls in one of the park's busiest stretches of the year:
- Friday, November 27: 55 Seventy's Founders' Preview begins at 3015 Richmond Avenue.
- Tuesday, December 1: The club's doors open, according to its website.
- Wednesday, December 2: Levy Park's Japan Junction series has a session on the calendar.
- Saturday and Sunday, December 5–6, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.: The Levy Park Holiday Festival brings Santa photos, a holiday market, crafts and live music to 2925 Richmond Avenue.
The festival listing points visitors to parking next to the park, along Eastside Street and Wakeforest Avenue, and in the paid Kirby Grove garage. The authority's own minutes already flagged parking around the park as an ongoing issue before the clubhouse was built.
A new neighbor on Levy Park's edge changes how the blocks around it present to buyers. If you own near the park and want to talk through what the clubhouse means for your listing, Spagnola Realty Group can walk you through it and show you what's moving in our Greenway / Upper Kirby guide. Get Exclusive Access to Top Listings and schedule a consultation.
