“Many years ago this site would have been a breathtaking Texas prairie. Today the park is planted once again with native habitat for birds, butterflies and other wildlife. Visitors can experience this state’s beautiful natural environment in the center of Dallas.”-Mrs. Laura Bush The 15-acre Laura W. Bush Native Texas Park at the Bush Center is unique among presidential libraries and reflects President and Mrs. Bush’s love of the native Texas landscape, their longstanding commitment to environmental conservation and restoration, and their belief that the Bush Center’s grounds should contribute to the everyday life of nearby communities and enhance the experience of visitors. The landscape contributes to the Bush Center’s ambitious sustainability objectives by increasing biodiversity, restoring native habitat, reducing the need for irrigation, and employing an organic maintenance program. These significant landscape achievements have helped the Bush Center building, designed by Robert A.M. Stern, earn the U.S. Green Building Council’s highest rating in Leadership in Energy Environmental Design. Additionally, the landscape earned the distinction of being featured within the Landscape Performance Series by the Landscape Architecture Foundation as an exemplary built project with quantified environmental, economic, and social benefits.
