You can't have the River City without the Mississippi River. Since its founding, Memphis has relied on and grown around this powerful resource. As industries and times have changed, so has the river's role in the city's function. Tom Lee Park is one of many Memphis riverfront assets. However, at 31 acres, this park has the unique potential to connect these assets along the river further and connect Memphians to the heart of River City.
Memphis River Parks Partnership manages over five miles of Memphis' riverfront. Since 2016, MRPP has assembled an impressive group to bring the Memphis riverfront to life. The team includes Studio Gang as the architect and master planner, alongside SCAPE as the Landscape Architect and Park Designer. Chris Bennett, Studio Gang Senior Project Leader, notes, "With the scale of the project - silos don't work; we all had to work together."
A project of this magnitude requires a talented and multifaceted team who can bring years of planning to life. The project team includes Randy Burkett Lighting Design, Kimley-Horn as Civil Engineer, Resource Environmental Solutions as Ecologist, Thornton Tomasettis as Structural Engineer, Innovative Engineering Services as MEP Engineer, and Databased+. Carol Coletta, CEO of MRPP, attributes the success of this project to the team's collaborative effort since 2016, "If you're going to spend $61 million on something, you better get as much value out of it as you can." This project's wide-reaching capital campaign began in 2017. Of the $61 million invested in Tom Lee Park, about $30 million comes from private donations and $30 million from Shelby County, the City of Memphis, and the State of Tennessee.
What unifies every person and entity involved with this project is their desire for connection and community in Memphis. Carol characterizes this desire, "What we're trying to build in Tom Lee Park is community. This park is an expression of who we are as Memphis. It's reflected in what you see in the park and who we are when we're there." Tom Lee Park has long been the home of Memphis in May and other large events that bring revenue and tourists to the city and draw residents downtown.
Before construction began, Carol and a team visited four other riverfronts in large US cities. "I can think of no place that has a better river. The Mississippi is at its widest and wildest at Memphis. Yet, in part because of that dynamism of the river, we have done so little with our riverfront," says Carol. Memphis's riverfront is unique from Chicago or Philadelphia. When you look west from downtown Memphis, not only are you looking at another state, you see open space and natural landscapes for miles.
Studio Gang created the concept in 2017. Their plan, which has evolved over the past six years, conceptualized the incredible potential for Memphis's riverfront. Studio Gang and SCAPE strove to highlight this connection between the urban and natural landscapes by reimagining the 31 acres of Tom Lee Park. Their design reflects the thoughts and input from thousands of Memphians surveyed in 2016-2017. They consistently returned to the residents' feedback throughout the project as a reminder of the goal to make the park a point of pride for Memphians.
The new Tom Lee Park realizes more of the riverfront's potential as an ecological space while simultaneously multiplying the opportunities for public engagement. Brad Howe, Design Director at SCAPE, notes that a space's ecological, biodiversity, and public engagement goals should not be at odds with each other. The park will feature native species of trees, grass, and other plants naturally occurring in Tennessee, therefore, more deeply and sustainably connecting the park to its larger environment and displaying the "transformative potential of landscapes".
Previously, Tom Lee Park was mostly open lawn space with little shade, no bathrooms, no water fountains, and limited access points. The new design mirrors the flow of the river in the park's unique topography, with vistas and bluffs. The park connects to downtown with increased walkability and ADA accessibility through Cutbank Bluff. This walkway takes you into the heart of the park on a winding path from downtown.
The goal to connect the Memphis riverfront to downtown Memphis is a worthwhile one. Chris Bennett and other team members have been coming to Memphis for seven years as they've worked on this project. Memphis stands out to them compared to the many other projects they've worked on, beyond the scope and scale of this project: "Many Memphians deeply relate to the river. People are so connected to it," says Chris.
The Tom Lee Park project has highlighted Memphians' pride in their city, including the riverfront. The added elements in this park are intended to multiply residents' use of the park and their connection to it as they make new memories and spend more time in and around the park. The new play areas for kids, complete with larger-than-life wooden creations of river animals, the outdoor classrooms, the Sunset Canopy ready to host events and group workout classes, the fast path designed for running and biking and the refreshment station. Every aspect of the park was designed with Memphians in mind.
A Saturday downtown takes on a different shape with the potential of the new riverfront - an afternoon spent with the kids at the playground, a workout class under the Sunset Canopy, or reading your book in a hammock and finished with a sunset. Tom Lee Park will continue to be the home for large events and will become a place to have consistent, small, meaningful moments too. The park opens to the public in the first days of September 2023.
What we're trying to build in Tom Lee Park is community. It is an expression of who we are as Memphis. - Carol Coletta