Text description provided by the architects. Memphis River Parks Partnership, Studio Gang, and SCAPE announce the opening of Tom Lee Park, a newly transformed 31-acre public space set between the Mississippi River and downtown Memphis. The park’s design was a collaboration between Studio Gang and SCAPE, with Studio Gang leading master planning and architecture and with SCAPE leading its landscape design. Named for Tom Lee, a local Memphis hero and Black river worker who single-handedly saved 32 people from drowning after a steamship capsized in 1925, the park’s design seeks to foster greater economic equity across Memphis by providing publicly accessible amenities for local residents. Situated on the banks of the Mississippi River, the park is adjacent to a crescent of disinvested neighborhoods, including the lowest-income zip code in Tennessee. “We’ve created a place for park life that could only be in Memphis, one that will delight people of all ages by the variety of spaces and activities on offer, while contributing to the resiliency of the river corridor,” says President and CEO Carol Coletta, Memphis River Parks Partnership. “Insights and input from the Memphis community were essential to this project from the very beginning, to make sure the park’s programming reflects how Memphians from across the city want to enjoy their riverfront,” says Jeanne Gang, Founding Principal and Partner of Studio Gang. “With their help, we’ve created a destination that is down-to-earth but also beautiful and ecologically healthy, where we hope everyone feels welcome to relax, exercise, play, and come together along the Mississippi.”
