Eastern Glades at Houston's Memorial Park
Eastern Glades, the first major project to be completed in Houston’s Memorial Park, has reclaimed 40 hectares of previously inaccessible land for the local community.
It has expanded recreational opportunities in the area, and is responding to demand from families wanting to enjoy and make use of the space.
The Eastern Glades project in Houston. Image courtesy of Memorial Park Conservancy.
Created by Nelson Byrd Woltz, the Eastern Glades project, “aims to enhance the area’s ecology while providing plenty of acreage for strolling along boardwalks, joining cultural events and catching the sunset over Hines Lake.”
It adds additional parking, extends the Seymour Lieberman Trail to a three-mile loop, establishes a five-acre lake and wetlands, and provides space for picnics, trails, boardwalks, and opportunities to learn about natural habitat systems.
Eastern Glades is the first major project to be completed in Houston’s Memorial Park. Image credit - Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects
Ecological restoration was critical in order to open the previously inaccessible portion of the park. This will happen over multiple years, and involve the removal of invasive species and reforestation with native plants to create a healthy forest structure.
Hines Lake forms a new basin for the reclamation and reuse of storm water, as well as a habitat for native species. Rainwater is filtered from the parking lot through swales and rain gardens before flowing to the lake, and wetlands and aquatic plants purify this stormwater to be used for irrigation.
The project has reclaimed 40 hectares of previously inaccessible land for the local community.Image credit - Barrett Doherty
Native trees including Pinus echinata, and native plants such as Pontederia cordite and Sagittaria lancifolia, have been planted to restore the forest’s ecosystem and the wetland’s plant diversity. The wetlands are now used by white egrets, great blue herons, red-tail hawks and gold crested night herons.
A pedestrian plaza on Blossom Street forms the formal entrance to Memorial Park, and traces the site’s history as a WWI-era training camp. New stone pillars mark the original entrance, and the architectural detailing of the plaza walls and built-in stone benches are inspired by this time period. The gateway is surrounded by native plantings and set against a forested backdrop.
Ecological restoration was critical in order to open the previously inaccessible portion of the park. Image credit - Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects
The nine-acre oval at the centre of the glades features open lawns and native plantings circled by a pedestrian promenade, the design inspired by the original park plan from the 1930s. It features trees and islands of native grasses that wind through the turf grass, and is perfect for gathering, play and relaxation.
Eastern Glades has become a popular outdoor destination since its opening in 2020. Once a degraded and inaccessible landscape, it now sets the tone for future projects in the 10-year plan for Memorial Park.
Image credit - Barrett Doherty