Tom Lee Park

Location

Memphis, TN
United States

Project Size
31 acres
Project type
Open space - Park
Site Context
Urban
Former Land Use
Greenfield / Greyfield
Terrestrial Biome
Temperate Broadleaf and Mixed Forests
Project overview

Tom Lee Park was expanded to its current size by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1991. The construction of a dike wall expanded the small, unremarkable patch of grass at the foot of Beale Street to the 31-acres we know today. For years, the park sat mostly empty with few trees, little shade and no amenities.

In 2O17, Mayor Strickland and the City of Memphis created a task force to reinvigorate the riverfront. That task force commissioned Studio Gang to develop a concept for the transformation of six miles of mostly underused river parks into a connected network of beautiful, natural public spaces that would reconnect Memphians with their river. More than 4,000 Memphians were engaged in the production of the Memphis Riverfront Concept. 

Work to execute the Concept started quickly with the reinvention of two former-Confederate parks, now River Garden and Fourth Bluff Park, completed in 2018 and 2019. The River Line—a five-mile walking and biking trail that connects all river parks—opened in 2O18. The most visible and accessible riverfront park in Memphis—Tom Lee Park—was next. 

The design process for Tom Lee Park began in 2019 and was informed by stakeholders including local teens embedded in the design process through the Youth Design Leadership program. The final design for the park was unveiled in March 2O2O. Construction on the $61 million project began in December of 2020 with the park opening to the public on Labor Day Weekend, September 2O23. 


Symbolically, the underused 31 acres that became a transformed Tom Lee Park in 2023 commemorates a Black man who, in 1925, used his small wooden boat to rescue 32 white people from a capsized steamboat in the widest and wildest part of the Mississippi. Tom Lee’s selflessness and courage in seeing the humanity in people who would not even shake his hand in the segregated South functioned as a guiding light to Memphis River Parks’ effort to redesign and redevelop the park experience to represent the best that Memphis could be.

Downtown Memphis is adjacent to five zip codes that are home to racially and economically stratified neighborhoods, some within walking distance of the new park. In this way, the central location of Tom Lee Park presents a rare opportunity to create public space with the potential to serve people across the demographic spectrum. The design was an opportunity to create a shared public space and common ground for people across demographics that link neighborhoods. A fundamental belief in the park's design was that equity does not sit in opposition to a thriving, appealing riverfront. It is, in fact, central to it. If connections to the community are broadened – and deepened – Memphis gains new perspective and support, and in the best circumstances, the community strengthens. If there is anything the riverfront teaches us, it is this: public space and the pursuit of equity are more important than ever. 

Sustainable features of Tom Lee Park:

  • Potable water: The site reduced water usage by 50% compared to the baseline case using a highly efficient irrigation system and native and adaptive planting communities. 
  • Native plant communities: The site restored 40% of the project’s total land with native plant communities. 
  • Biomass: Given the existing conditions, the landscape architect estimated an existing site Biomass Density Index (BDI) of 1.585. The Park updates and assumed growing period of approximately 10 years yielded a BDI of 3.0279. The project’s biomass increased by 91%. 
  • Adaptable materials: 64% of the materials, by cost, are designed for disassembly. The Project prioritized using materials that could easily be disassembled, which will reduce overall waste and encourage reuse in the future. 
  • Regional materials: 66% of the materials, by cost, were extracted, harvested, recovered, and manufactured within 500 miles of the project site. 
  • Responsible extraction: 35% of the materials, by cost, were purchased from manufacturers that report on environmental performance annually or have publicly available sustainable statements that disclose sustainable practices. 
  • Transparency and safer chemistry: 35% of the materials, by cost, were purchased from manufacturers that develop chemical inventories and disclose all known hazards associated with their products. 
  • Sustainability in material manufacturing: 40% of materials, by cost, were sourced from manufacturers that have Environmental Product Declarations for their products. 
  • Sustainability in plant production: 97% of plant material, by cost, was sourced from businesses that disclose sustainable practices in plant production. 
  • Outdoor energy: Energy used by outdoor lighting was reduced by 83%. 
  • Air quality management: The Park’s maintenance activities are completed using all-electric equipment.

"SITES certification was essential for Tom Lee Park because it reflects our commitment to sustainability and protecting and restoring nature," said Art Davis, Acting CEO, Memphis River Parks Partnership. "This certification recognizes the park not only provides a beautiful, welcoming, and safe public space but also prioritizes environmental health, habitat restoration, and long-term sustainability. By meeting SITES standards, Tom Lee Park serves as a model for how urban parks can enhance community well-being while respecting, maintaining, and restoring the natural environment." 

Project Team

Photo credit: Tom Harris (1-3), Ty Cole (4), Studio Gang and SCAPE (5)