The Detours series celebrates lesser-known locales worth visiting across the state.

Once a concrete wasteland, the largest public rooftop garden in Texas offers unbeatable views of Houston’s skyline. The five-acre space, Post Skylawn, which is open to all, includes an organic garden, meditative walking paths, and plenty of room for picnics and yoga classes. It sits atop the former warehouse that was part of the Barbara Jordan Post Office, a sprawling sixteen-acre complex that reigned as the city’s U.S. mail hub from 1961 until nine years ago. (In 1984 it was renamed after the pioneering Black congresswoman.) The facility found new life in 2021 as Post Houston and also features an international food market, coworking spaces, the 713 Music Hall concert venue, and a retail village, which opened in February. But it still honors its past. Late last year the developers unveiled a new Jordan statue outside the entrance—the only one in her hometown. 

This article originally appeared in the March 2024 issue of Texas Monthly with the headline “A Park Above the City.” Subscribe today.