Overton Park Totally Explained

Everything about Overton Park totally explained

ť Overton Park may also refer to the U.S. Supreme Court case, Citizens to Preserve Overton Park v. Volpe

Overton Park is a large public park in Midtown Memphis, Tennessee. The area of the park includes the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, the Memphis Zoo, a 9-hole golf course, and the Memphis College of Art. The Old Forest Arboretum of Overton Park, one of the oldest-growth forests in Tennessee, is a natural arboretum with labeled trees.

History

Overton Park was designed by landscape architect George Kessler as part of a comprehensive plan that also included M.L. King Riverside Park and the Memphis Parkway system. The planning began in 1901, and Overton Park was established in 1906.
In the 1960s and 1970s Overton Park was the subject of controversy when 26 of its 342 acres were slated by highway planners to be demolished to build Interstate Highway 40 through the park to make it easier for suburban commuters to get to downtown. However, many residents of midtown formed a group known as "Citizens to Preserve Overton Park" and challenged the plan in court. Ultimately, the United States Supreme Court ruled in their favor in the landmark case Citizens to Preserve Overton Park v. Volpe.

Overton Park Shell

Overton Park also includes the famous Shell Theatre, where Elvis Presley gave his first paid concert.
The Overton Park Shell has been the subject of a large-scale renovation funded by the Levitt Foundation. An active location for local performance art built in the 1930's, the Shell hosted many famed musicians. Despite its central location within Overton Park, the Shell fell into disrepair in the 1980's and 1990's after the site was largely abandoned. Now called the Levitt Shell, this musical venue is being renovated by Memphis firm Askew Nixon Ferguson Architects with state-of-the-art audio and visual design. The project is due to be completed in the fall of 2008, when free concerts will once again be held in the space.

Memphis Zoo

Memphis Zoo) began in 1906, when a resident of Memphis couldn't keep his pet black bear in his backyard. He had it put in a pen in the park, which attracted many people, inspiring the idea to place more animals on display. The Memphis Zoo is now one of the largest in the United States, attracting 1 million visitors per year. The zoo houses two pandas, who are local celebrities, as well as three polar bears, brought in to the Northwest Passage exhibition which opened in March 2006.
   Beginning in February, 2008, the Memphis Zoo clearcut four acres of old growth forest in the Old Forest Arboretum at Overton Park in order to begin construction of the Zoo's new Teton Trek exhibit.
   The Teton Trek exhibit will feature animals native to the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem such as grizzly bears, elk, gray wolves, trumpeter swans and sand hill crane.
   The Memphis Zoo's decision to clear old growth forest to build the Teton Trek exhibit has been criticized by Citizens to Preserve Overton Park and Park Friends Inc .
   The Memphis Zoo’s conservation department’s mission statement is “To use science and technology for greater understanding of the natural world's ecosystems, to preserve the biodiversity of our plants and animals and to educate the public on conservation priorities.”

Further Information

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