What the new Tom Lee Park means for views of the Mississippi River

The First Horizon Sunset Deck in the Active Core of Tom Lee Park will be one of the best places to experience the power of the Mighty Mississippi and to catch some of the world’s best sunsets with family and friends.

The Mississippi River is at its widest and wildest as it flows by Memphis. We are lucky to sit at a uniquely spectacular spot on the river and to look across to unspoiled wetlands in Arkansas. The new Tom Lee Park will finally be worthy of the river flowing alongside it.

With many new features and amenities added, more than 1,000 trees planted and a diverse and varied landscape created upon what was previously flat and barren land, some are curious about the impact on views of the river — from the park itself, the bluff and for drivers on Riverside Drive.

The river is the star

Tom Lee Park is designed to complement our own version of Mount Everest: the Mississippi River. The park is designed to bring Memphians closer to the river and to be a signature waterfront park that makes Memphis the most iconic place to see and experience North America’s most iconic river.

New perspectives and experiences are created with the addition of elevation within the park.

Within the park, verdant pathways open up to expansive river views and intimate riverside gathering spaces like the First Horizon Sunset Deck. In selected places, small hills and elevation create new perspectives. From the street, framed view corridors beckon those passing by in cars to stop and enjoy the park. From the bluff, the beauty of the park helps to set the stage for the river beyond.

Views from the bluff are not obstructed by the new park below.

The “money shot” — that spectacular view that unfolds as you head north on Riverside Drive — will be made even more stunning with the park in the foreground.

The power of elevation (and plants)

The park’s new topography plays a crucial role in supporting the park program. The two elevated, planted buffers provide:

• Stair-free access to playground equipment for mobility-challenged children
• Stair-free access to A Monument to Listening, the new public artwork by Theaster Gates
• Safety for park visitors from fast-moving traffic on Riverside Drive
• A quieter, more peaceful atmosphere for park visitors (and animals!) by dampening the noise of loud traffic on the street

The new features do not prevent drivers on Riverside Drive from seeing the river but rather create framed view corridors along the street.

Along Riverside Drive, planted and elevated areas give way to open, expansive views of the river beyond.

“A generational chance to do it a different way”

Up and down the Mississippi River there is a growing acknowledgement of living systems and ecology as infrastructure, and of the River itself as a living river. In cities in Minnesota, Missouri, Louisiana, Iowa and everywhere in between, people are reconnecting with their river and restoring a three-dimensional ecosystem and a living, contiguous river edge. Memphis — the most populous city on the river — is leading the way with Tom Lee Park.

The planting palette for Tom Lee Park creates a diverse, living landscape and system.

The ‘old’ Tom Lee Park was notorious for its lack of shade. Trees — and other flora — struggled to grow in the compacted soil. In some places, the soil felt almost as hard as concrete. Creating a living, natural habitat involves rethinking the park’s natural systems from below-the-ground up. Reinventing the soil mix is the first step to creating the conditions for a living system of trees, shrubs, grasses and pollinators to knit the park together and support the ecosystem.

“When we talk about green infrastructure or ecosystem design, it’s never about one thing in one place — it’s about intervening across much broader scales and thinking about broader impact.” — Kate Orff, SCAPE Studio