Tom Lee Park
Tom Lee Park
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Tom Lee Park

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Tom Lee Park

Tom Lee Park is a city park located to the immediate west of downtown Memphis, Tennessee, overlooking the Mississippi River. Encompassing about 30 acres (12 ha) parallel to the Mississippi River for about one mile (1.6 km), it offers panoramic views of the Mississippi River and the shores of Arkansas on the opposite side. The park is named after Tom Lee, an African-American riverworker, who saved the lives of 32 passengers of the sinking steamboat M.E. Norman in 1925.

Tom Lee Park is a popular location for walkers, joggers, roller bladers and cyclists, and hosts one event per year, the Beale Street Music Festival that kicks off Memphis in May.

In 2023, Tom Lee Park reopened following a substantial redesign by Studio Gang (as master planner and architect) and SCAPE (as landscape architect).

Tom Lee Park is approximately one mile (1.6 km) long, but not more than 400 ft (120 m) wide at any point. It encompasses about 30 acres (12 ha), running south from Beale Street, bounded by the Mississippi River to the west, and Riverside Blvd to the east, offering panoramic views of the Mississippi River.

Luxury homes and condominiums line the top of the bluff overlooking the park and the river.

The park is named after area resident Tom Lee (1885–1952).

Late during the afternoon of May 8, 1925, Lee steered his 28 ft (8.5 m) skiff Zev upriver after delivering an official to Helena, Arkansas.

Also on the river was the steamboat M.E. Norman, carrying members of the Engineers Club of Memphis, the American Society of Civil Engineers, and their families.[dead link]

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