Urban Parks: Memorial Park

[Metro Jacksonville]

Urban Parks: Memorial Park



Surrounded by compact residential and commercial uses, Memorial Park is one of Jacksonville's most popular urban park spaces.

Full Article
http://www.metrojacksonville.com/content/view/827

[will]

The best park in the city, in my judgment. The layout is good. The park has two focal points: the statue, centered on the river view and the historic apartments on riverside ave. This helps integrate the neighborhood into the park. The oaks along the circular walkway provide shade, while the large open space is a great place for sports or a picnic. It is a special place.

[billy]

I could see the Park Lane from across the river at my Grandmother's house.
It was freakin' Gatsbyesque .....

[civil42806]

absolutely the best park in the city.  Beautiful sculpture, nice access to the river and well maintained grounds

[DetroitInJAX]

It really is the best park in the city.. great views, great design, great sculpture.. It just fits right into the neighborhood.  It's like Riverside's little "Central Park".

[KenFSU]

My absolute favorite place in the city of Jacksonville. Nothing tops a cool Saturday morning in the fall, a hot beverage from the Starbucks across the street, and the New York Times or a good book to read in the park. If Jacksonville had five or six more areas as urban and pedestrian friendly as Memorial Park and the surrounding area, we'd be a whole lot better off.

[thelakelander]

So what makes Memorial Park special (is it being on the riverfront, the layout, maintenance, dense housing/retail nearby, etc.)?  I wonder if those special elements could be carried over to existing public spaces like Hemming Plaza or Confederate Park?

[will]

One of the subtle, but important, aspects of the park is way the pathway guides you through the park. The ultimate destination is the river, I suppose - but the sidewalk brings you back to the entrance. So, in that sense, the park has a "narrative". The green space is also, importantly, at the center of the park, rather than being buried away in a corner like many of our parks. So people just strolling through become part of the activity going on in the green space. Finally, you have people doing a bit of casual fishing. I would guess there are people that dislike that to some extent, but I think it adds interest and character to the park and layers on another kind of social interaction. So, ultimately, there are two critical things going on: 1) a diverse set of activities going on in a beautiful setting, and 2) a pedestrian layout that guides visitors through each of those areas of activity.

[DetroitInJAX]

I think alot of things make this place special..

-Proximity to retail, especially carry out food places.  Lunch in the park is great.

-The river views.

-The historic feel of the park, with the sculpture, the entryways, the railing along the river, etc..

-The layout of the park.  How many of us have jogged around the circular sidewalk?  Its just beautifully planned out... Very well thought out.

-The surrounding dense residential neighborhood that is pedestrian friendly.

-The relative lack of crime/panhandling.

-The relative GOOD upkeep of the park, someone actually trims the hedges, plants flowers, cuts the grass, etc..

Relating all of this to Hemming Plaza, one would have to increase the residential population within 5 blocks about 10 fold, rip up all those stupid pavers and put in some grass, completely rid the park of vagrants, and keep the place clean.  Hemming Plaza could be Jacksonville's "Campus Martius", the downtown square that Detroit has.  Add a freestanding Au Bon Pain and a band shell, hold big events there, concerts, etc... police it well, and get rid of the panhandlers and it just might work.  Create DESTINATION events in Hemming, not just some guy singing bad Elvis covers for a few hours on a Friday for the benefit of the few office workers that dare venture into the park.

All in all, I guess the point Im trying to make is that the parks reflect the areas that surround it.  Hemming is dying (or already dead) due to the vagrants and poor planning and the fact that downtown is a no-go zone after 5pm.

[David]

Memorial Park is also a great place to fly & crash your r/c helicopter. I'm thankful it exist, the downside of living in such a dense area is you don't have many places to fly your toys.

I may have already posted these photos before, but here's some pics of the park at night:

[JeffreyS]

That is the retirement home I am going to put my parents in just so I can visit.

[jakeingram]

I am always looking for old (pre-1960) photographs of the park to give a sense of what the park was like before its dedication in 1924 and the mid sixties. 

[thelakelander]

Memorial Park during the 1920s. State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory, http://floridamemory.com/items/show/31981


Memorial Park during the 1920s. State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory, http://floridamemory.com/items/show/34448


Easter Service in 1947. State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory, http://floridamemory.com/items/show/66274