Virtual caches are back….in a limited form after being grandfathered in 2005. On August 24, 2017, four thousand select Geocachers were picked world-wide and rewarded the ability to hide one virtual cache each.
I was pleasantly surprised and honored when I got this email from geocaching.com: “Congratulations! You have been chosen to receive a Virtual Reward from Geocaching HQ! You are an invaluable contributor to the game and are in the top 1% of quality geocache hiders in your country!"
For my virtual cache, I have selected GC7B6HJ Buffalo Bayou Cistern as a new virtual cache. To that end, I would like to celebrate the new virtual cache with everyone when it is published on October 28, 2017 at 10:30 AM by having an event at the listed coordinates for the cache (same as this event). Further, anyone who signs the event log that day can also claim a FTF on the virtual cache! (Note that the Buffalo Bayou Cistern is now available for tours after being closed for a while due to damage from Hurricane Harvey).
Date/Time: Saturday, October 28TH at 10:30 AM Houston time.
Where: the listed coordinates
Duration: 10:30 to 11:00
Group picture: 10:45
The coordinates for this event 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 plus reservations required), 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