Being an old track guy, Memorial Park was my main training ground, and I used to easily run multiple laps around the park in 16 or 17 minutes per 3-mile loop/lap. Not so anymore, but I can still make it around the park in under 20 minutes if I am well rested or just angry, which is pretty good for a guy my age. The park has always meant a lot to me, as well as most Houstonians, so I want to share its remarkable history, and praise our city for actually implementing this otherwise inconceivable redevelopment project that we are now enjoying.
Have you actually walked Memorial Park lately with its new renovations? It’s MIND BLOWING. It’s not just an awesome running trail or stunning golf course, it’s a breath-taking destination that’s only a few minutes’ drive for most local citizens. Honestly, jogging through the trails now, with its added posh savannahs, landscaped green spaces, 5-acre lake (in the Eastern Glades) and breathtaking land bridges, it feels like you are moving through a gift straight from heaven; and yet it is so close to home.
But how did we Houstonians get so darn lucky to have such a massive natural resource for our availability? Don’t we usually over commercialize our natural landscapes with “zoneless abandon”, leading to developments that architecturally define the area, as much or more that the organic terrain that got it there in the first place? But not this time Houston!
Basically starting as a World War I training camp in 1917, and later named to honor the memory of those soldiers, Memorial Park grounds were actually sold in 1924 to the City of Houston, from non-other than the celebrated Ima Hogg family, with the stipulation that it remain “for park purposes only,” or otherwise reverting back to the heirs of the Hogg family. That was a proviso was likely the best condition ever placed on our city.
That was 99 years ago and during this time, for the first 50 years, Ima Hogg, herself, was the park’s guardian, fiercely staring down various location threats of prominent development proposals such as the Houston Astrodome, or large oil well productions!! Keeping her eye on the ball, Ima and others stood strong, all to perpetually preserve the park’s original character, while meeting the recreational needs of our growing city.
Her vision robustly continues today through the Memorial Park Conservancy, with the dreams of a world-class park, fostered by illustrious Houstonians of the past and present including a $70 Million donation from the Kinder Foundation. And now the park’s conservancy is continued by some of Houston’s most dedicated environmentalists.
Now people who know me, know that I am no tree hugger, but I will admit there is a time and a place for trees to be hugged, and Memorial Park is the place…you pick the time.
For more information on Memorial Park Conservancy go to:
memorialparkconservancy.org
And If you want to change where you live visit my real estate website at:
www.LanceRosmarin.com
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