Over-a-ton of Problems in Overton Park
A Contested Space of the Citizens of Memphis
Overton Park, in Memphis, Tennessee, is a popular site for many natives as well as visitors to the city. With the various attractions of Overton Park, such as the Memphis Zoo, Brooks Museum of Art, and the Greensward, it’s no wonder that many people are attracted to Overton Park. Growing up in Memphis, the park was a place for my family and me to enjoy ourselves on a relaxing day. The park is important to my family life as well as the lives of others. Although many people enjoy the park, there are problems that occur when too many people are using the park at a time. Limited space means people are forced to go elsewhere or face opposition from others. This struggle causes less enjoyment from the park. If we were to remove the chance of opposition, the park could be able to be fully enjoyed.
My family and I enjoyed using the various spaces of the park. Our favorite space was the Memphis Zoo. My dad was a salesman and knew many of the workers there, and we were able to go to the back areas of the exhibits to see the animals up close. We also used the zoo for the annual Cystic Fibrosis walk. My cousin battled Cystic Fibrosis all her life until she peacefully passed away two years ago. We attend the run in honor of her and her struggle as well as support those who are currently battling the disease. My family and I also, occasionally, used the Greensward for recreational activities such as throwing Frisbees, kicking a soccer ball back and forth, or just sitting in the field and relaxing. Without Overton Park, Memphis would lose an important part of what makes Memphis what it is today.
November 14, 1901 is the day the park would start its journey to become a Memphis staple. According to the Overton Park Conservancy website, the park was designed by George Kessler as part of his plan to create more parks around Memphis. After the project was completed, the park became a total of 342 acres. After the completion, controversy was created. The State of Tennessee condemned 26 of its 342 acres in order to create a right-of-way for Interstate 40. This caused people to become angry with The State of Tennessee. The people who were against this plan created Citizens to Preserve Overton Park, an organization that challenged the plan in court in order to obtain the acres back. In 1971, the court ruled in favor of the organization and landmarked the case as “Citizens to Preserve Overton Park v. Volpe”. In 1987, the acres were returned to the park. As the years went by, the park added various attractions such as the Memphis Zoo, Brooks Museum of Art, Memphis College of Art, Levitt Shell, a nine-hole golf course, which was the first golf course in the region, as well a playground, which was the first of its kind in Memphis, and various plazas. Two projects that are not in the park today include Clara Conway Memorial Arbor and the Japanese Garden. These projects were destroyed by storms and were never reconstructed. All of these sites, other than the gardens, still exist and are used today in Overton Park.
The park, while popular, may cause contestations between people. One of these contestations include the Memphis Zoo overflow parking into the Greensward. The Memphis Zoo holds many events, such as Zoo Boo, Memphis Zoo on Ice, etc. Many of these events cause many people to have to use the Greensward to park their cars so they are able to enjoy the zoo’s events. While the extra parking may cause people to enjoy the zoo, the people who would like to use the Greensward for recreational activities are out of luck. The contestation of parking and recreational activities causes people to have to return home disappointed not being able to enjoy their time. The effect of the extra parking is really shown in the pictures of the Greensward when it was created and how it looks recently. The lack of space has caused much commotion from the citizens of Memphis. Citizens are are even making petitions or sites promoting the fact that they are against the extra parking from the Memphis Zoo — especially now, since Mayor A.C. Wharton has said that the extra parking will stay until 2019.
Not only does the Memphis Zoo cause contestation, the people enjoying the park may also cause contestation. At some points in visiting the park, I have seen moments where one group of people who want to use a space in the Greensward for one activity and one group of people want to use the space for another activity are in contestation to see who is able to use the space in the Greensward for their activity. This is especially true when the Memphis Zoo Overflow parking fills the Greensward. This causes more people to become angry and frustrated since they have to move their activity or exit the park not being able to fully enjoy themselves. Another example of people in contestation with each other is when there is an event where the majority of the field is being used. The lack of space from the event causes fewer people to come out and enjoy themselves. The park is meant for the use of everyone who wants to come and enjoy themselves. These contestations prevent enjoyment of different groups of people which may hinder the chance of the park to ever see those people again. Without people coming to the park, the park loses meaning. While the people who created Citizens to Preserve Overton Park were able to return the acres and others were able to create many attractions for the park, the park is now losing some of its intended purpose by sometimes preventing people’s enjoyment.
While there are contestations in Overton Park, these can be worked out and solved by adding some changes to the park. One change, in my opinion, that can be made to the park is to add more parking spaces for the Memphis Zoo. By adding more parking spaces, the chance to use the Greensward as parking will be reduced so patrons can enjoy the park how they want to without the trouble of cars in the way. By adding more spaces for parking, the park itself may need to be expanded. This expansion may also be a good idea for patrons wanting to use the Greensward for their activities. The extra space can also help for more patrons to come to the park. By having more patrons come to the park, the park’s popularity will also increase. These patrons may even be more willing to enjoy the other attractions the park offers such as the Brooks Museum of Art or the nine-hole golf course. Another suggestion to improve the park would be to add more sports fields to the park so that groups of people wanting to play sports may also be able to enjoy their time at the park without risking accidentally ruining someone else’s time at the park. The park can create a football field, baseball field, and soccer field as well as any other sports fields or courts that are not currently provided. Not only will the fields and courts create enjoyment of both parties, the addition of other fields and courts will also cause sports players to not have conflicts with each other. By not having conflicts, more people are able to enjoy themselves.
Overton Park is a very popular destination in Memphis. The contestation that arises in the park can cause various problems between visitors of the park. By having these contestations, the reputation of the park may be damaged. Without a good reputation, the park may lose many valuable visitors who regularly enjoy the park. Although accommodations have been made so that people can enjoy the park more, there are still problems that arise in the park. The park is meant for people who want to enjoy themselves to be able to come and spend their time to the fullest. Contestation should not be a problem in the park, yet there are still moments of contestation that arise between the groups at the park. Changes to the park should be made to accommodate more patrons. I would love to see more options in the park available to people who would like to enjoy their time but cannot. The park has been a part of my life for a long time and I despise seeing these contestations arise. I, as well as others, would like to enjoy the park to the fullest and would love to see changes being made to the park to help others enjoy the park more. People want to be able to enjoy the park for all of its appropriate use. It’s people like these captured in this video, by Ginger Guin, that I want to see in Overton Park, enjoying their time and making the most fun out of their time in the park:
