Just across the street from the towering Devon Energy Center, the newly revived Myriad Botanical Gardens (below) teems with activity. The 17-acre park’s centerpiece, the 224-foot-long tubular Crystal Bridge Tropical Conservatory, was designed by Conklin & Rossant in 1985, and is surrounded by playgrounds, green space, and an outdoor amphitheater (below left) master planned in 1964 by I.M. Pei. A major, city-commissioned 2010 renovation of the greenhouse (by Gensler) and park (by the Office of James Burnett), and the erection of Devon’s neighboring headquarters, has led to greater use of the gardens, Burnett notes. Concerts, trick-or-treating, and other seasonal events 'have really activated this area,' says the architect.

This story was updated on October 16, 2012.