What's happening?
Memorial Park covers approximately 1,466 acres inside Houston's Loop 610. The park consists of miles of trails for biking and walking, several picnic areas, playgrounds and sports fields such as tennis courts, volleyball courts and an 18-hole golf course.
Members of Memorial Park Conservancy are looking to add to a historical component to the parks amenities with a new park project called Memorial Groves.
Memorial Groves is a project intended to recognize all who served at Camp Logan during and immediately after World War I. Camp Logan, according to The Heritage Society, was a WWI training base in Houston that was essential in 1917-1919 for training 70,000 soldiers, housing 30,000 and serving as a social center for Houston.
About the project
The Memorial Groves project will engulf 100 acres in Memorial Park and will be designed as a place-based, interactive experience that will honor Houston's WWI history. The plan will encompass a few of the archaeological remains of the Camp Logan structure such as foundations of latrines, shower buildings and drains.
Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects also envision a conceptual design that includes utilizing abstract art by planting rigorous lines of straight, tall trees meant to symbolize thousands of soldiers standing in formation.
Visitors will also be able to run or walk through Gulf Coast Native Prairie and Savanna to relive the exercise routine of soldiers in the Boot Camp workout trail. The area will also include new spaces in the park where families and children can interact with recreational pieces and picnic.
Get involved
At the public session Sept. 10 officials of the Memorial Park Conservancy, along with architectural partners from Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects, will share the essential stories and narratives that will be displayed at Memorial Groves. The presentation will focus on historical and ecological research as well as give the perspective of stakeholders and experts.
This is the first public session for the Memorial Groves project.
- Sept. 10, doors open at 5:30 p.m.
- Emancipation Park Conservancy Cultural Center, 3018 Emancipation Ave., Houston
- www.memorialparkconservancy.org
Subsequent meetings are expected to be held in 2025, according to park officials.