A Park for Everybody: Shaping the Future of Overton Park

Ray Rico

How one of Memphis’ most treasured public spaces is asking the community to help shape its future.

By Ray Rico | All images courtesy of Overton Park Conservancy

For 125 years, Overton Park has been much more than green space in the middle of Memphis. It has been a place where history was made, where communities gathered, where movements found their voice, and where generations of Memphians have come to breathe, celebrate, protest, play, and simply belong.

Today, as Overton Park celebrates its 125th anniversary, the question is no longer what the park has been. The question is what it should become over the next decade.

That answer belongs to all of us.

A Park Built for a Growing City

When Overton Park opened in 1901, Memphis was rebuilding after the devastating Yellow Fever epidemics. City leaders recognized that public parks were essential infrastructure, investing in places that promoted health, beauty, and community.

The park was designed by renowned landscape architect George Kessler, whose work was influenced by Frederick Law Olmsted, the visionary behind New York City’s Central Park. Kessler also designed much of Memphis’ historic parkway system, helping establish Overton Park as the city’s own urban oasis.

One hundred twenty-five years later, that vision continues to serve more than 1.3 million visitors each year.

A Place That Helped Shape History

Few places in Memphis carry as much civic history as Overton Park.

Many people remember the landmark legal battle that prevented Interstate 40 from cutting through the park’s Old Forest, preserving one of the nation’s few remaining urban old-growth forests.

Fewer people know that Overton Park also played an important role in the Civil Rights Movement. During segregation, Black Memphians staged peaceful sit-ins at attractions within the park, challenging unequal access to public spaces. Their efforts ultimately contributed to a landmark United States Supreme Court decision that helped desegregate Memphis’ public facilities.

For decades, the park has served as a gathering place for community celebrations, artistic expression, peaceful demonstrations, Pride events, family reunions, and neighborhood traditions.

It has always been, as Executive Director Kaci Murley describes it, “the people’s park.”

Learning From the Past

Overton Park has also experienced its share of difficult moments.

One of the most visible came during the lengthy debate over parking on the Greensward to accommodate Memphis Zoo visitors. The issue divided neighbors, conservationists, and park supporters for years.

Today, however, that chapter is giving way to collaboration.

Through a partnership involving the City of Memphis, the Memphis Zoo, and Overton Park Conservancy, land exchanges and infrastructure improvements are creating permanent solutions that protect the Greensward while improving access throughout the park.

Last fall, visitors celebrated the opening of previously inaccessible forest land that had been closed for nearly four decades. Additional land behind Rainbow Lake has also been returned to support future park improvements, creating new opportunities without expanding into the Greensward itself.

“It represents putting a bow on the decades-long fight over parking on the Greensward,” Murley said. “Now we can focus on building the future together.”

Imagining the Next 125 Years

Since 2018, the Overton Park Conservancy has been working alongside landscape architects, engineers, city leaders, and community members to develop the park’s first comprehensive master plan since the 1980s.

The goal is simple.

Preserve everything Memphians already love while thoughtfully improving aging infrastructure, accessibility, sustainability, and opportunities for recreation.

Among the concepts currently under consideration are:

A larger, more natural Rainbow Lake with improved habitat for wildlife.
New ADA accessible boardwalks and walking paths.
A redesigned Rainbow Lake Pavilion that could support community events and environmental education year-round.
Safer, nature-inspired playgrounds.
Improvements to the historic East Parkway Pavilion.
Better walking trails, seating areas, and accessibility throughout the park.
New sidewalks connecting neighborhoods to the park and improving pedestrian safety.

Murley says every idea is guided by one principle.

“The clearest priority we’re hearing is that people want us to improve existing conditions while protecting Overton Park’s natural character.”

Your Voice Matters

Before any of these concepts move into final design and fundraising, the Conservancy wants to hear directly from the community.

A brief online survey asks visitors to review concepts for the Rainbow Lake and East Parkway areas and share their priorities for the future.

There are no right or wrong answers.

Whether your ideas involve more programming, better accessibility, additional family spaces, environmental education, public art, walking trails, or something entirely new, the Conservancy wants to hear from you.

The survey takes just three to five minutes, but its impact could help guide the park for years to come.

Join the Conversation on July 11

Community members are also invited to attend a public event on Saturday, July 11, at the Rainbow Lake Pavilion, where the Conservancy will unveil additional renderings, discuss proposed improvements, answer questions, and gather even more public feedback.

The event coincides with Byway Coffee’s second birthday celebration and will feature family activities, food vendors, games, and opportunities to meet the team behind the master plan.

Whether you’re a longtime park advocate or simply someone who enjoys spending an afternoon beneath Overton Park’s towering trees, this is your opportunity to help shape what comes next.

Help Build Memphis’ Park

For 125 years, Overton Park has reflected the people who use it.

Now it is asking those same people to imagine its future.

Take a few minutes to complete the community survey and tell the Conservancy what you want Overton Park to look like over the next five to ten years. Big ideas, small ideas, and everything in between are welcome. This is your park, and your voice matters.

To stay involved after the survey closes, subscribe to the Overton Park Conservancy email newsletter to receive updates on future projects, volunteer opportunities, free programming, and upcoming community events.