Slide Presentation from Public Update Meeting no.1 - A Story of the Park: People in Nature & Initial Design Concepts

1. PUBLIC UPDATE MEETING 1 A STOY OF THE PAK:
PEOPLE IN NATUE
INITIAL DESIGN CONCEPTS
The Eldorado Ballroom
September 17, 2014
6–8 pm

2. JAN FEB MAR APR MAY
1
2013 2014
MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC
Public Input
Research
Master Planning
MPC + Uptown
Houston + HPARD
Interview Process
Programming
Public Input
Design Team
Selection
Guiding Principles
Presentation
Master Plan
Presentation
2014 2015
We are here

3. 2 
PUBLIC INPUT
RESEARCH
GUIDING PRINCIPLES
Berg Oliver (Ecology)
John Jacob (Soils)
Hunt Design (Wayfinding)
Sherwood Design Engineers
(Civil Engineering)
Susan Turner Associates (History)
The Lighting Practice (Lighting)
ETM Associates (O M)
Ecotech Panel
Memorial Park Conservancy
Uptown TIRZ
Houston Parks and Recreation
Department
CLIENT INPUT

4. 3
Lord Public Priorities:
1. Enhancement of Existing Character, Amenities and Usage (Magnify)
2. Long-term Sustainability (Tend)
3. Balance (Optimize)
4. Safety and Security (Optimize/Reconnect)
5. Communication (Reconnect/Magnify)
6. Access (Reconnect)
7. Individual and Community Enhancement (Reveal)

5. 4 
DESIGN
ANALYSIS:
DEVELOPMENT,
HISTORY, AND
CULTURE

6. 5
DIVIDED PARK
Memorial Park’s history since its establishment has
been one of increasing fragmentation. Provisions for
access have divided the park into many disjointed
pieces, resulting in 1500 acres effectively divided into
many small separated pieces.

7. 6 
SCALE: 1”=2000’
source: 1915 USFS Topographic map, altered for concept demonstration
Pre-1900: Undivided Land
• West of Houston’s developed extents, yet to be touched
by infrastructure or the thought of a park.
• 1834: Reinerman Tract claimed (image right)
Legend
1925 Park boundary
(Hare Hare)
1834 Reinerman Tract

8. 1925 Park boundary
(Hare Hare)
Elevated rail line
7
SCALE: 1”=2000’
source: 1915 USFS Topographic map
1915: Land Bisected by Rail
• The land goes largely unused between Reinerman
ownership and Camp Logan.
• 1914 Eureka Cutoff railroad bisects this land west of
Houston’s urban extents
• Washington St. to the north created
• Post Oak Rd. to the west created
Legend
Adjacent roads
Buffalo Bayou

9. 8 
1925 Park boundary
(Hare Hare)
New roads
SCALE: 1”=2000’
Image: 1922 USFS Topographic map, Data: Moore Archeological Consulting Susan Turner Associates,
1922: 2 Halves and Camp Logan
• 4 years after WWI and Camp Logan 3 years from
being conveyed to the city
• Bisected by the elevated rail line
• Left with the traces of Camp Logan’s small at-grade
access roads.
• Post Oak Rd. to the west created
Legend
Site rails
Adjacent roads
Buffalo Bayou

10. 9
New roads
Buffalo Bayou
SCALE: 1”=2000’
Image: 1930 Aerial Photograph; Data: aerial photograph, Berg Oliver Associates
1930: Park Established, 4 Parts
• Memorial Park is officially established in 1925.
• The first east-west transect emerges. At grade, it
functions more as an access through the park than a
divider of it.
• Road drainage remnants of Camp Logan remain, but
there are no structures.
1 2
3 4
Legend
Site rail
Adjacent roads

11. 10 
Park land gained (To be
confirmed in historical
records)
New roads
SCALE: 1”=2000’
Image: 1944 Aerial Photograph; Data: aerial photograph, Susan Turner Associates
1945: 14 Parts
• NW corner gained for polo and Weiss tract gained as
park land in 1942.
• Golf course constructed.
• Memorial Loop Woodway/Memorial Dr. loosely
adopted from Hare Hare Plan. The park is divided, but
roads are narrow scenic routes designed for the slower
speeds of pleasure driving and viewing,
Legend
Site rail
Adjacent roads
Buffalo Bayou
6
1 2
3 4
7 8
9
10
7
5
13
11
12
14

12. New roads
SCALE: 1”=2000’
11
Image: 1953 Aerial Photograph; Data: aerial photograph, 1953 USGS topo map, Berg Oliver Associates
1953: 16 Parts
• Post Oak Drive is created along the western boundary,
splitting two more pieces from the park
• Reliant Energy (now CenterPoint) easements added
along northern half of railroad ROW
• Bayou Club Polo fields occupy the NW corner of the
park.
Legend
Site rails roads
Adjacent roads
Buffalo Bayou
6
1 2
3 4
7 8
9
10
7
5
13
11
12
14
15
16
1 Bridle Trails
2 Golf Course
3 Arboretum Nature Ctr.
4 Ravine Woods
5 Median
6 Artillery/Infantry Woods
7 Green
8 Baseball
9 Playgrounds
10 Median
11 Median
12 Median
13 Picnic Loop
14 Rugby, green, trails
15 Weiss Park

13. 12 
New roads
SCALE: 1”=2000’
Image: 1967 Aerial Photograph; Data: aerial photograph, Susan Turner Associates, Berg Oliver Associates
1967: 23 Parts and Highways
• Loop 610 Freeway and Katy Freeway remove park land and isolate the
park from adjacent neighborhoods.
• Memorial Dr. widens to 6 lanes and is straightened. The Woodway Dr.
split is established and its former curve to the S becomes a secondary
access for ball fields. The picnic loop is extended, closing the loop.
• Reliant Energy (now CenterPoint) easements added
• 1958: Houston Parks takes on Hogg Bird Sanctuary
Site rails roads
Adjacent roads
Buffalo Bayou
3
Legend
1 Bridle Trails
2 Golf Course
3 Arboretum Nature Ctr.
4 Ravine Woods
5 Median
6 Artillery/Infantry Woods
7 Green
8 Baseball
9 Playgrounds
10 Median
11 Median
12 Median
13 Picnic Loop
14 Rugby, green, trails
15 Weiss Park
16 Green
17 Median
18 Median
19 Median
20 Median
21 Median
22 Green / Median
17
19
18
20
21
22
15
16
1 2
4
6
7 8
9
10
7
5
13
11
12
14
23

14. New roads
SCALE: 1”=2000’
13
Image: 1978 Aerial Photograph; Data: aerial photograph, Berg Oliver Associates, Susan Turner Associates
1978: 24 Parts
• Loop 610 Freeway is completed.
• Park maintenance center access road are added.
• Houston Arboretum and Nature center access road is
added
Site rails roads
Adjacent roads
Buffalo Bayou
3
Legend
1 Bridle Trails
2 Golf Course
3 Arboretum Nature Ctr.
4 Ravine Woods
5 Median
6 Artillery/Infantry Woods
7 Green
8 Baseball
9 Playgrounds
10 Median
11 Median
12 Median
13 Picnic Loop
14 Rugby, green, trails
15 Weiss Park
16 Green
17 Median
18 Median
19 Median
20 Median
21 Median
22 Green / Median
23 Reynolds Woods
17
19
18
20
21
22
15
16
1 2
4
6
7 8
9
10
7
5
13
11
12
14
23

15. 14 
New roads
SCALE: 1”=2000’
Image: 2010 Aerial Photograph; Data: aerial photograph, Berg Oliver Associates, Susan Turner Associates
2010: 25 Parts
• The Living Bridge is constructed.
• Picnic loop is connected to Memorial Drive at a second
point further east, creating another fragment.
Site rails roads
Adjacent roads
Buffalo Bayou
3
Legend
1 Bridle Trails
2 Golf Course
3 Arboretum Nature Ctr.
4 Ravine Woods
5 Median
6 Artillery/Infantry Woods
7 Green
8 Baseball
9 Playgrounds
10 Median
11 Median
12 Median
13 Picnic Loop
14 Rugby, green, trails
15 Weiss Park
16 Green
17 Median
18 Median
19 Median
20 Median
21 Median
22 Green / Median
23 Reynolds Woods
17
19
18
20
21
22
15
16
1 2
4
6
7 8
9
10
7
5
13
11
12
14
23
25

16. SCALE: 1”=2000’
15
source: 2013 (RAM) RODS Aerial Mapping aerial photograph
2014: Divided Park
Site rails roads
Adjacent roads
Buffalo Bayou
Legend

17. 16 
SCALE: 1”=2000’
Source: 2014 Lee Lupher aerial photograph
VISION: RECONNECTED PARK
• Stitch fragments together with contiguous spaces that
feel like a cohesive park
• Limit visual and pedestrian boundaries within the park
• Maintain existing programmatic elements of the park
Site rails roads
Adjacent roads
Buffalo Bayou
Legend

18. 17
HISTORIC SITE
IMPACT
Memorial Park has been manipulated by humans for
as long as historic records of the site exist. These
diagrams chart the course of human impacts on the
site over recorded time.

19. PRE-1917: RANCH LAND
• Land used for timber harvesting cattle grazing during the Reinerman ownership (track shown in image to right)
• The site was not a pristine woodland before Camp Logan
18 
Legend
Current Park
1925 Park boundary
(Hare Hare)
1834 Reinerman Tract
SCALE: 1:24,000
SCALE: 1:96,000 Image: 1915 USFS Topographic map, altered for concept demonstration

20. 19
CAMP LOGAN
370TH INFANTRY

21. 1914-1918: RAIL CAMP LOGAN
• Camp Logan covers most of the eastern half of today’s Memorial Park.
• A subway is purported to exist under the rail line north of the 370th Regiment quarters
• A road and the rail cross the Bayou
20 
Legend
Buildings, Railroad
Roads
Camp Logan
Infantry quarters
370th Regiment
Infantry quarters
Stables
Hospital
Public space
“Train” centers
Officer division
Headquarters
Remount area
Water towers
Bridges
Possible subway
SCALE: 1:24,000
Image: 1915 USFS Topographic map; Locations are estimated based
on Moore Archeological Consulting findings, accounts of the site, and a
map by Corporal Paul B. Hendrickson, 1918
Buffalo Bayou

22. New Impact areas
Previously
Impacted areas
Water features
21
1919-1922: POST CAMP LOGAN
• The site is largely unimproved since Camp Logan. Nearly all remnants of roads remain while most structures are not evident.
• Four wetland areas are evident in a USGS survey.
• Two development areas.
Legend
SCALE: 1:24,000
Base Image: 1922 USGS Topographic map, Data: Moore Archeological Consulting Susan Turner Associates,
Buffalo Bayou

23. 1923-1930: VARNER REALTY PARK CONVEYANCE
• Park established in 1924
• Memorial Dr. construction
• Cattle grazing is likely in the NW corner of the park
• 55% of the site is moderately to heavily forested, likely predominated by pine trees.
22 
Legend
Previously
Impacted areas
Cattle grazing area
SCALE: 1:24,000
Image: 1930 Aerial Photograph; Data: aerial photograph, Berg Oliver Associates
New Impact areas
Water features
Buffalo Bayou

24. Previously
Impacted areas
23
1931-1944: GOLF COURSE SPORTS FIELDS
• Memorial Park Golf Course is graded and constructed
• Significant areas around Memorial Park Loop at Washington St. are disturbed for new road construction and possibly initial Hare
Hare entry
• Memorial Dr. is rerouted and new roadways including the Picnic Loop are created
• Sports fields are constructed including the polo fields, rugby pitch, and NE baseball diamonds
• A large clearing is made in the SE corner of the park with either unimproved trails or small roads
SCALE: 1:24,000
Image: 1944 Aerial Photograph; Data: aerial photograph, Susan Turner Associates
New Impact areas
Constructed water
bodies
Buffalo Bayou
Legend

25. New Impact areas
Previously Impacted
areas
Constructed water
bodies
ADDICKS AND BARKER RESERVOIRS ON BUFFALO BAYOU,
1945 - PRESENT
1945-1953: BAYOU, PICNIC HIGHWAYS
• Addicks and Barker Reservoirs are created to regulate and control water flows of Buffalo Bayou
• The picnic loop is cleared and the swimming pool area is graded and constructed
• The northern and southwestern boundaries of the site are cleared and graded, likely for the construction of Katy and 610
Highways
• Construction of drainage ditches is extensive along Memorial Drive and to the east of the railroad
• 70% of the site is heavily forested
24 
Swimming pool
SCALE: 1:24,000 SCALE: 1:368,000
Image: 1953 Aerial Photograph; Data: aerial, 1953 USGS topo map, Berg Oliver Associates;
Harris County Flood Control District
Buffalo Bayou,
Uncontrolled
Buffalo Bayou
Controlled
Legend

26. Previously
Impacted areas
Constructed water
bodies
Swimming pool
25
1954-1967: MEMORIAL DR. PARK AMENITIES
• Significant changes to Memorial Dr break up the park into many fragments and impose a large footprint of disturbance on
adjacent land
• 1958: Houston Parks assumes management/ownership of Hogg Bird Sanctuary
• The picnic loop is extended; and maintenance facilities, outer loop trail, and Arboretum access road are constructed;
• Significant clearing has taken place north of the golf course and for a new rugby pitch
• 85% of the site is heavily forested
Legend
SCALE: 1:24,000
Image: 1967 Aerial Photograph; Data: aerial, Susan Turner Associates, Berg Oliver
New Impact areas
Buffalo Bayou
Controlled

27. 1967-1995: RECREATION ARBORETUM
• Houston Arboretum and Nature center creates a clearing for a pond and buildings, trail construction becomes apparent in
Arboretum
• Loop 610 + I-10 Freeways are completed.
• A secondary roadway from the picnic loop is added north to Memorial Dr. and other areas are cleared for recreation
• Golf course and driving range altered; pond between fairways 16 17 extended to the south
• 90% of the site is heavily wooded with mostly pines and significant areas that are either wetlands or hardwood trees
26 
Legend
Previously
Impacted areas
Constructed water
bodies
Swimming pool
SCALE: 1:24,000
Image: 1978 Aerial Photograph; Data: aerial, Berg Oliver, Susan Turner Associates
New Impact areas
Buffalo Bayou
Controlled

28. 27
1995-2010: FOREST COVER TYPE PATHS
• The Living Bridge is constructed in 2009 and areas around it are cleared; the outer loop is constructed
• Two clearings, one in the Arboretum and one east of the railroad in the Bayou tract have been made
• The pond between fairway 6 7 was extended southward in around 1995 and some of the course’s fairways were reconfigured
• Heavily-wooded with mostly pines and significant areas of wetlands or hardwoods; 2008: likely suffered impact by Hurricane Ike
Legend
Previously
Impacted areas
Constructed water
bodies
Swimming pool
Living Bridge
SCALE: 1:24,000
Image: 2010 Aerial Photograph; Data: aerial, Berg Oliver, Susan Turner Associates
New Impact areas
Buffalo Bayou
Controlled

29. 2014: FOREST COVER
• The 2012 drought leads to the death of many of park’s pine trees
28 
Legend
Previously
Impacted areas
Constructed water
bodies
Swimming pool
Living Bridge
SCALE: 1:24,000
Image: 2014 Google Aerial Photograph; Data: Berg Oliver
New Impact areas
Buffalo Bayou
Controlled

30. 29
2014: CONCENTRATED CULTURAL LANDSCAPE
• 100 years of intensive grading, varied uses, and alteration: a rich cultural landscape
• Most intensive site work has taken place in the NE quadrant of the site. Within this quadrant, some areas are of cultural and
historical sensitivity that are location-specific and other areas of importance that are not location-specific.
• The NW, SW, and Southern sections of the park are areas with very limited site work
Legend
Image: 2014 Google Aerial Photograph; Data: Berg Oliver
Previously
Impacted areas
Land impacted by
foot traffic only
Previous grazing area
Constructed water
bodies
Swimming pool
Buffalo Bayou
Controlled
Living Bridge
SCALE: 1:24,000

31. 2014: SENSITIVE HISTORICAL RESOURCES
• Archaeological sites from Camp Logan present an opportunity for selected interpretation
• Majority of features found are foundations from latrines and camps, drainage, pipes and traces of roads and trenches
• Roger Moore’s study indicates that while some sites contain few or no surface historic features penetrating radar analysis should
take place before any site development in groups 1, 2, and 3.
30 
Legend
Previously
Impacted areas
Land impacted by
foot traffic only
SCALE: 1:24,000
Image: 2014 Google Aerial Photograph; Data: HRA Gray Pape “In-tensive
Archaeological Survey of a 1.3-mile segment of Buffalo Bayou
in Harris County, Texas” with Roger Moore Archaeological Consulting;
Susan Turner Associates; and Berg Oliver
Camp Logan Remnants
Identified features of
Camp Logan
General location
of 370th Infantry
cantonment

32. Historical Resources
Previously
Impacted areas
Land impacted by
foot traffic only
31
2014: SENSITIVE CULTURAL RESOURCES
• There are many cultural resources throughout the park
• The golf course and Arboretum have been identified as the two largest and culturally valuable to the park
• Because of their size and existing infrastructure, their locations should remain fixed
Legend
SCALE: 1:24,000
Image: 2014 Google Aerial Photograph; Data: Houston Parks and
Recreation Department and aerial photo analysis
Memorial Park Golf
Course
Houston Arboretum
and Nature Center

33. VISION: LIMIT AREAS OF FUTURE IMPACT
• Areas in red indicate places that have been heavily impacted by previous development
excluding areas that are culturally or historically sensitive
• Goal: limit future development to areas that have already been altered by past development
32 
Legend
Areas for future
impact
SCALE: 1:24,000
Image: 2014 Google Aerial Photograph; Data: HRA Gray Pape “In-tensive
Archaeological Survey of a 1.3-mile segment of Buffalo Bayou
in Harris County, Texas” with Roger Moore Archaeological Consulting;
Susan Turner Associates; and Berg Oliver
Historical Cultural
Resources
Land impacted by
foot traffic only

34. 33
GEOECOLOGY

35. 34 

36. 35
Legend
5%
5-8.3%
8.3-12%
12-25%
25-33%
33%
Slope

37. 36 

38. 37
Barrancos

39. Soil Units
38 
Legend
Loamy Claypan Soils
Sandy Claypan Soils
Buffalo Breaks/Barrancos
Not Studied
source: Jacob and Associates 2014
SCALE: 1”=2000’

40. 39

41. 40 

42. 41

43. hhttttpp::////wwwwww..aasseerrggeeeevv..ccoomm//ppiiccttuurreess//aarrcchhiivveess//22000088//665599//jjppeegg//0099..jjppgg Carolyn Fannon
42 

44. 43
Area
Not
Available
SCALE: 1”=10,000’
source: Google Earth
Aerial Photograph 1944

45. 44 
Houston

46. 45
Area
Not
Available
SCALE: 1”=10,000’
source: Google Earth
Aerial Photograph 1944

47. 46 

48. http://http://longleafs.info/pages/ecosystem.html
47
http://longleafs.info/pages/ecosystem.html

49. 48 

50. 49

51. 50 

52. 51

53. 52 

54. 53

55. 54 

56. 55
VEGETATION
AND ECOLOGY

57. Memorial Park: 1930 Memorial Park: 1944
Memorial Park: 2010
56 
Memorial Park: 2014

58. 57
Vegetation: Preliminary Assessment
source: Berg Oliver 2014
SCALE: 1”=2000’

59. Vegetation: Existing Complexes
58 
Legend
Forest
Savanah/Forest
Savanah
Savanah/Prairie
Prairie
source: Berg Oliver 2014
SCALE: 1”=2000’

60. 59
Pine Hardwood Mix Complex Typical along ravine

61. Savannah Complex, South of South Ballfields Savannah complex North of Living Bridge
60 

62. 61
Savannah/Prairie Area near Maintenance Yard

63. Vegetation: Restoration
62 
Legend
Legend
Pine, Hardwoods Forest
Wet Prairie, Savanah
Upland Prairie, Savanah
Native Prairie
Savanah/Forest
Savanah
Savanah/Prairie
Unaffected Areas
source: Berg Oliver 2014
Forest
Savanah/Forest
Savanah
Savanah/Prairie
Prairie
Vegetation: Existing Complexes

64. 63
Memorial Park in 1938-typical woodland Proposed forest type with open understory
Image Courtesy Matt Buckingham https://www.flickr.com/photos/
mabuckingham/

65. Vegetation: Restoration
64 
Legend
Legend
Pine, Hardwoods Forest
Wet Prairie, Savanah
Upland Prairie, Savanah
Native Prairie
Savanah/Forest
Savanah
Savanah/Prairie
Unaffected Areas
source: Berg Oliver 2014
Forest
Savanah/Forest
Savanah
Savanah/Prairie
Prairie
Vegetation: Existing Complexes

66. 65
Prairie

67. Savannah
66 
Image Courtesy Matt Buckingham https://www.flickr.com/photos/
mabuckingham/
Image Courtesy Matt Buckingham https://www.flickr.com/photos/
mabuckingham/
Image Courtesy Matt Buckingham https://www.flickr.com/photos/
mabuckingham/

68. 67
Memorial Park Circa 1938

69. 68 
GUIDING PRINCIPLES
Guiding Principles for the project were formulated by
the NBW team to incorporate and summarize input
from the public engagement process and from the
design team’s technical experts. These principles
will guide the design team as they move forward with
design.

70. 69
TEND
Memorial Park needs our care. Let’s be good stewards.
1. Build a resilient park framework for future generations with adaptive
systems that will withstand time, increased use, variable weather
patterns, and will allow Houstonians to maintain its character into the
future.
2. Adopt and sustain management practices that complement the
ecological position and features of iconic indigenous species.
3. Design a park that has a positive impact on the neighborhoods and
the city by collecting, storing, and re-using storm water, improving
water quality, and using alternative energy.
4. Maintain a record of biotic and abiotic ecological factors to track
available quantifiable data to support and influence management
practices.

71. 70 
MAGNIFY
Memorial Park has a lot going for it. Let’s make those things more visible.
1. Strengthen and build upon the cultural, historical, and ecological
assets of Memorial Park that differentiate it from Houston’s other parks.
2. Maintain and enhance existing programmatic uses in the park.
Memorial Park has four major use types:
• Arboretum and Nature Center
• Urban active: Ball fields, tennis, soccer, cycling, running, swimming, golf
• Urban wilds: Trails and bayou-based recreation in an urban wilds context (bird
watching, picnicking, hiking, mountain biking, paddling, horseback riding).
3. Construct and improve existing amenities that fit the character, use,
and scale of the site. Follow the regional vision of Houston Parks and
Recreation.

72. OPTIMIZE
Memorial Park’s parts are out of balance with each other. Let’s arrange them so the
park can function optimally.
71
1. Group similar program uses in the park together to enhance the
experience of different aspects of the park and to reduce user conflict.
2. Orchestrate circulation in the park to improve safety for all types of
users. Make the park inviting by creating gateways and marking paths
and amenities to facilitate self-guiding and understanding of the place.
3. See the park’s current state as an opportunity. The drought and
hurricane of recent years have cleared the site of vulnerable
vegetation. Design landscape types for the site’s climate, soils, and the
maintenance capabilities of the park administration by using intrinsic
ecologies to ensure future resilience.
4. Maximize social opportunities that allow Houstonians to engage with
each other in meaningful ways.

73. 72 
RECONNECT
Memorial Park is divided in many ways. Let’s make it whole and plug it into life in
Houston.
1. Enable external access to the park. New connections will allow for
increased park use, and improve safety in getting to the park on foot,
wheelchair, bike, bus, or car.
2. Bridge the park’s internal divisions to expand usable park space and
enhance its existing character.
3. Provide opportunities for consolidation of habitat areas.
4. Link water systems, allowing them to function holistically as a
complete system.

74. REVEAL
Memorial Park holds stories relevant to all Houstonians. Let’s tell them to the world.
73
1. Preserve and interpret elements of the cultural and natural history. In
so doing, empower future generations in the continued management
of urban landscapes.
2. Make space for users to discover, learn about, appreciate and enjoy
the flora, fauna and water systems of Memorial Park and the region.
3. Interpret and engage multiple cultural narratives that are relevant to
Houston area’s diverse population.

75. 74 
SCALE: 1”=2000’
Source: 2014 Lee Lupher aerial photograph
VISION: RECONNECTED PARK
• Stitch fragments together with contiguous spaces that
feel like a cohesive park
• Limit visual and pedestrian boundaries within the park
• Maintain existing programmatic elements of the park
Site rails roads
Adjacent roads
Buffalo Bayou
Legend

76. 75
VISION: LIMIT AREAS OF FUTURE IMPACT
• Areas in red indicate places that have been heavily impacted by previous development
excluding areas that are culturally or historically sensitive
• Goal: limit future development to areas that have already been altered by past development
Legend
Areas for future
impact
SCALE: 1:24,000
Image: 2014 Google Aerial Photograph; Data: HRA Gray Pape “In-tensive
Archaeological Survey of a 1.3-mile segment of Buffalo Bayou
in Harris County, Texas” with Roger Moore Archaeological Consulting;
Susan Turner Associates; and Berg Oliver
Historical Cultural
Resources
Land impacted by
foot traffic only

77. 2014: EXISTING SITE ORGANIZATION
• The park is currently experienced as a series of smaller and discontiguous uses and typologies
76 
Legend
Active recreation
Image: 2014 Google Aerial Photograph; Data: Houston
Parks and Recreation Department and aerial photo analysis
Urban Wilderness
(trail use)
Arboretum and Nature
Center
Picnic Area
Historical Cultural
Resources

78. Arboretum and Nature
Center
77
GOAL: CONNECT ACTIVE RECREATION AREAS
• Relocate active recreation such as baseball, rugby, and soccer that require more infrastructure and amenities such as parking and
bathrooms
• Combine areas of similar program, use and ecological, cultural, and historical experience
• Share recreation amenities for minimal impact on park and ease of maintenance
Legend
Relocated active
recreation
SCALE: 1:24,000
Image: 2014 Google Aerial Photograph; Data: Houston Parks and
Recreation Department and aerial photo analysis
Active recreation
Urban Wilderness
(trail use)
Picnic Areas
Cultural Historical
Resources

79. GOAL: LOCATE PICNIC AREAS THROUGHOUT PARK
• Picnic areas become moments to experience different parts of the park
• Accessible by car, bike, foot, or wheelchair
78 
Legend
Active recreation
Relocated active
recreation
Urban Wilderness
(trail use)
Arboretum and Nature
Center
Picnic area
Dispersed picnic
areas
SCALE: 1:24,000
Image: 2014 Google Aerial Photograph; Data: Houston Parks and
Recreation Department and aerial photo analysis
Cultural Historical
Resources

80. Connected wilderness
areas
Arboretum Nature
Center
79
Relocated active
recreation
Dispersed picnic
areas
GOAL: CONNECT LAND MASSES
• Create trail areas that connect large swaths of the site, allowing for longer and more rich park experiences and greater ecological
connectivity
• Bridge currently divided parts of the park with green spaces trails that are appropriate to ecologically and historically sensitive
sites
Legend
SCALE: 1:24,000
Image: 2014 Google Aerial Photograph; Data: Houston Parks and
Recreation Department and aerial photo analysis
Active recreation
Urban Wilderness
(trail use)
Cultural Historical
Resources

81. VISION: COHESIVE PARK PROGRAMS EXPERIENCES
Envisioning a park that:
• Preserves and interprets Camp Logan’s richest and most productive archaeological areas
• Embraces the signature existing cultural and ecological resources
• Creates expansive, connected, and complimentary program areas that provide a cohesive experience of this 1500 acre park
80 
Legend
Dispersed picnic
areas
SCALE: 1:24,000
Image: 2014 Google Aerial Photograph;
Active recreation
Relocated active
recreation
Urban Wilderness
(trail use)
Camp Logan
interpretive areas
Historical entrance
experience
Golf course
Arboretum Nature
Center

82. 81

83. 19, 2014
82 
Land Bridge - Perspective from Memorial Drive
Memorial Park
Houston, TX