Almost twice as large as New York City’s Central Park, Houston’s urban wilderness is a place for running trails, wildlife watching and just enjoying nature. 4 million Houstonians and visitors visit Memorial Park each year.
For the first time in its history, the Park is also a venue for cultural and community events.
The Park’s History
There’s a humbling peace that envelops you when you walk through the redwoods at Memorial Park. It’s a place where the beauty of nature, along with the memory of your loved ones, come together to create an atmosphere of reverence and peace for quiet contemplation.
The Memorial Park Association is committed to ensuring that the legacy of Memorial Park is maintained for generations to come. Our mission is to provide the public with a space that offers natural beauty, peace for meditation and an atmosphere of respect for the memories of loved ones.
This is accomplished by raising funds for Village-owned parks and public spaces. We are the only charitable organization dedicated to fundraising for the Memorial Park and we have raised funds that enabled the Village to add the Nyack skate park, state of the art zero depth children’s splash pad, and new basketball courts and other amenities.
The Memorial Walls
Memorial walls are built to honor those who lost their lives in tragic occurrences such as wars and natural disasters. They are designed to bring people together, educate future generations on the event and the deceased, and offer a space for healing.
Maya Lin’s design for the Wall of Remembrance is a beautiful example of this concept. It features a shining black granite wall that is divided into two 200-foot-long sections and engraved with the names of 58,000 local service members who died in the Vietnam War.
The inscriptions are written in both English and Vietnamese to reflect the diversity of the fallen. The rounded edges of the stones resemble tombstones to symbolize a broken life. A statue by Frederick Hart is positioned at the apex of the walls to connect the living with those who were killed in the war. The Walls are often decorated with flags and flowers during special ceremonies and on holidays like Memorial Day.
The Gold Star Monument
The Gold Star Monument, designed by Medal of Honor recipient Hershel “Woody” Williams, focuses on those families who lost a loved one while serving in the Armed Forces. It was created to help the family members know that the community cares for them and appreciates their sacrifice.
The Monument features a large gold star that represents the legacy of those who made the ultimate sacrifice for freedom. It is flanked by two smaller blue stars and is framed by a flagpole that flies a Gold Star flag. The monument also includes unique community photos.
The Monument is the first of its kind in Utah, and it joins four others nationwide. Hundreds of people attended the ceremony to dedicate it March 26. Nothing can erase the pain of losing a loved one to military service, but it is hoped that this memorial will facilitate comfort and provide a place to remember. The monument was funded by private donations and was coordinated by local board members of the Woody Williams Foundation.
The Land Bridge and Prairie
The Land Bridge and Prairie, designed by Nelson Byrd Woltz, spans over Memorial Drive to reunite the Park’s long-divided north and south sides, creating dynamic new community spaces and enhanced recreation opportunities. Native savannah and prairie ecologies and a multi-use trail network cross the highway, offering safe passage for people and wildlife. The landscape also re-introduces endangered native Coastal Prairie species and provides additional wetlands for ecological storm water management functions, strengthening the site’s overall resiliency.
The project is a response to a loud ecological wakeup call, a call to merge infrastructure with ecology; what Nelson Byrd Woltz calls “landscape infrastructure.” This approach seeks to revivify and strengthen the ecosystem, increasing the site’s resilience in the face of climate change and other environmental stresses.
Sustainability was built into the design from the start. For instance, the tunnels under Memorial Drive were constructed using dirt dug from within the Park; no earth was imported to build them.