10/4/2023 update. It appears the periscope is damaged and/or missing. That said, until further notice, to get credit for this cache include a photo in your log that proves you were there. Otherwise, your log will be deleted!
The coordinates for this virtual cache are at the “Down Periscope” that sits atop The Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern. Through Down Periscope, you are able to peer into the 87,500-square-foot expanse of the Cistern below. You can do a guided tour of the Buffalo Bayou Cistern (small fee of $5.00 plus reservations not required but would recommend), but that is not necessary to log this cache as a find. You can also view the Buffalo Bayou Cistern virtually through the Down Periscope Web Cam.
The Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern is a former drinking water reservoir built in 1926 for the City of Houston. As one of the city’s early underground reservoirs, it supported the municipal water system’s goals of fire suppression (water pressure) and drinking water storage. After operating for decades, an irreparable leak was discovered and after a few years, the reservoir was decommissioned in 2007.
In 2010, the City of Houston was sourcing vendors to demolish the Cistern. At the same time, Buffalo Bayou Partnership was developing the $58 million Buffalo Bayou Park project and “discovered” the site. Recognizing the historical and architectural significance of the highly unusual space, Buffalo Bayou Partnership with the City of Houston worked to take over development and maintenance of the space.
BBP restored and repurposed the Cistern into a magnificent public space to house an ambitious program of changing art installations. Houston-based architecture and engineering firm Page was charged with designing a ground-level entry structure to help transition visitors from the outside into the Cistern and making improvements to the shelf on the perimeter of the space to create a six-foot-wide, ADA compliant walkway with guardrails. In May 2016, Buffalo Bayou Partnership opened the Cistern to the public.
Interesting facts:
• 87,500 square feet or the size of 1.5 football fields
• 221– 25-foot tall, slender concrete columns span the space
• Holds 15 million gallons of water when functioning at capacity
• 8-inch thick concrete roof and 8– 18-inch thick concrete side walls
• 17-second echo
• SWA Landscape Architect Kevin Shanley first called the reservoir “the Cistern” because it reminded him of the ancient Roman cisterns under Istanbul.
NO ARMCHAIR CACHING ALLOWED. YOU MUST PHYSICALLY VISIT THIS VIRTUAL CACHE TO LOG IT AS A FIND.AT THE LISTED COORDINATES OR IN THE CISTERN ITSELF YOU MUST POST A PICTURE WITH YOUR LOG AS PROOF OF FINDING THE CACHE. OTHERWISE YOUR LOG WILL BE DELETED!
Virtual Reward - 2017/2018
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between August 24, 2017 and August 24, 2018. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards on the Geocaching Blog.