Kinder Land Bridge and Cyvia and Melvyn Wolff Prairie at Memorial Park

Aerial of Kinder Lane Bridge. Photo Credit: Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects

The Kinder Land Bridge and Cyvia and Melvyn Wolff Prairie is found at the heart of Memorial Park, spanning over the park’s most divisive feature, Memorial Drive. The transformative nearly 100-acre project reunites the north and south sides of the Park by creating a land bridge over the busy throughfare, a dynamic new community space and enhanced recreation opportunities for Park users. Native prairie and savannah ecologies as well as a multi-use trail network span the highway, creating an expansive moment where park users can cross the highway without interacting with traffic and enjoy vantage points of Houston's urban skyline views.  

Reintroduced native prairie species. Photo Credit: Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects

The prairie restoration, which adjoins the Land Bridge, re-introduces endangered native Gulf Coast prairie species and adds additional wetlands to areas north and south of Memorial Drive. Both prairie and wetlands serve important habitat and storm water management functions, a key part of the Park’s ecological restoration. With a diverse mix of grasses and forbs, the expanded prairie complex provides dynamic visual interest year-round as well as essential habitat for nesting birds and other small animals, reptiles and insects. The project restores 45 acres of native coastal prairie, creates a new iconic destination for Houston's visitors, improves stormwater management and provides greater safety and connectivity for both humans and animals crossing Memorial Drive. 

Project Partners: Memorial Park Conservancy, Houston Parks and Recreation Department, the Kinder Foundation, Uptown Development Authority

This article is shared with permission from Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects.