Improve Access and Safety

Improve Access and Safety

To help visitors feel safe and welcome in Volunteer Park we intend to look at ways of opening lines of sight and improve park green spaces.

Part of this idea is to restore the lawns and open spaces – a famous feature of all Olmsted landscapes. This would include restoring the flow of lawns around the amphitheater down to green strolling areas along the western border of the park. We would like to address areas that are overgrown (often with invasive plants) and support extensive tree restoration as well as large shrub borders that create a safe yet airy evergreen retreat from city life, allowing everyone to experience the restoring effects of nature.

The southeast entrance to the park at 15th Ave East & East Prospect Street is of particular concern.  It is no longer the welcoming neighborhood gateway envisioned by the Olmsted Brothers. It is now overgrown, with a worn, narrow, often muddy pathway leading into the park.