Memorial Park Conservancy Breaks Ground on Memorial Groves

Transformative and Historical 100-Acre Project on Track for late 2027 Opening

Memorial Park Conservancy announces that construction has commenced on Memorial Groves, the poetic re-imagining of 100 acres along West Memorial Loop Drive. Project stakeholders including donors, Memorial Park Conservancy leadership and board members, project team landscape architects and designers, were joined by elected officials for a private groundbreaking ceremony to commemorate this milestone. Memorial Groves will honor the Park’s original vision as a green space paying tribute to Houston’s World War I (WWI) history while introducing new parking, restrooms, recreational amenities, play areas, and educational opportunities.

“Today is a defining moment for Memorial Park,” said Chris Ballard, President & CEO of Memorial Park Conservancy. “We are proud to realize Memorial Groves as a project that honors the Park’s historic roots while creating vibrant new spaces for reflection, recreation, and learning that will inspire and serve Houstonians for generations to come.”

Living Tribute

Established in 1924, Houston’s Memorial Park was named to honor the 70,000 soldiers who served at Camp Logan, a U.S. Army training camp during WWI. Now, more than a century later, Memorial Groves will recognize all who contributed to the war effort at Camp Logan. Designed by Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects (NBW), the project will create a place-based, interactive landscape that both commemorates Houston’s WWI history and enhances the park experience for everyday visitors.

A Park Experience Reimagined

As part of this transformative investment, Memorial Park Conservancy also announced sweeping enhancements to the broader park experience to be delivered through Memorial Groves. Anchoring the primary entrance, a new visitor center, designed by Moody Nolan in collaboration with NBW, will serve as a welcoming gateway into the memorial landscape. The Camp Logan Playground will offer a one-of-a-kind experience for visitors of all ages and abilities to engage directly with the Park’s history through unique play features inspired by WWI-era objects, including soldiers’ helmets, army crates, and more. Additionally, improvements are planned for the Seymour Lieberman Trail (SLT), one of the Park’s most popular amenities. Approximately .7 miles (3,600 ft.) of the trail will be shifted farther from West Memorial Loop Drive, creating space for new tree plantings that will provide a more scenic, shaded route for users while adding new grassy gathering areas along the trail.

Timeline

Construction on Memorial Groves is now underway, with completion targeted for late 2027. As with other major Memorial Park Master Plan projects, the SLT will remain open during construction and will be completed in conjunction with the opening of Memorial Groves.