Lake Clara Meer, in the heart of Piedmont Park, is known for both its stunning backdrop of the Atlanta skyline and its unpleasant odors that greet visitors who stroll too close.
But the iconic reflection pool is set to get a massive makeover as part of a sweeping plan to revitalize the 185-acre park’s environment and create more amenities.
The city of Atlanta bought the land that is home to the Piedmont Park on June 15, 1904, and extended its boundaries to incorporate it. Last year marked the 120th anniversary of the park that boasts 6 million annual visitors.
Historians say Piedmont Park holds a checkered past of both exclusion and acceptance — from its original Muscogee inhabitants, followed by decades as a segregated space, to its massive festivals and its role in counterculture movements of the 1960s. Today, it may be best known for hosting major events like the Dogwood Festival, Atlanta Arts Festival and Atlanta Pride.
Credit: Ben Hendren for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Credit: Ben Hendren for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Piedmont Park Conservancy — established in 1989 to help fundraise for maintenance and new projects — released on Thursday its highly anticipated comprehensive plan, which will act as a road map for park development over the next 20 years.
Since last summer, the group has been calling on the public to share their dreams for the beloved green space as the city’s population continues to boom. Thousands offered their thoughts on what changes would be at the top of their to-do lists.
“It was really important from the very start that we included all the voices that we needed to make sure that the plan was truly comprehensive in every way,” Doug Widener, chief executive officer of the conservancy, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
“Piedmont Park holds a special place in all of our hearts as Atlantans — whether we’ve been here our whole life or not,” he added. “This really is our crown jewel.”
Credit: Miguel Martinez
Credit: Miguel Martinez
Atlanta’s 11-county metro area added more than 250,000 residents from April 2020 to April 2024, with no signs of slowing down. Park leaders said development is focused on how best to grow the park alongside the city’s population.
The shared vision for the park includes an ecological restoration of Lake Clara Meer — which holds the same name as Clara Fritz, the daughter of cattle rancher John Fritz, who lived at the corner of Piedmont and 10th streets. The lake will undergo intensive dredging to restore the water quality and feature a new boardwalk around the outside with additional overlook areas to enjoy the city’s reflection.
The park’s central gathering space, known as the Active Oval, will get new basketball, pickleball and volleyball courts for athletic enthusiasts. Other improvements park-wide include six miles of new trails, dedicated bicycle and scooter lanes as well as multiple new playgrounds.
Credit: Ziyu Julian Zhu/AJC
Credit: Ziyu Julian Zhu/AJC
“What I love about Piedmont Park is that there is something here for everyone,” said Atlanta City Council member Alex Wan, who represents the district that is home to the park. “It may be concerts, it may be festivals, it may just be a simple, quiet walk by yourself. There’s something here for everybody.”
Major development is also planned for the northeast corner at Piedmont Avenue and Monroe Drive where the Beltline runs between the park and Atlanta Botanical Garden. A natural amphitheater, a first-of-its-kind for the park, will host music, theater and other events.
Widener said making sure the park is more accessible to Beltline users is a top priority as the city grows.
“So what was a little sleepy part of the park is now more engaged and is going to be a great place to host symphony, dance troupe, or even imagine Atlanta Public Schools using the amphitheater for their programming,” he said.
Credit: Ben Hendren
Credit: Ben Hendren
Preserving Piedmont Park’s extensive tree canopy was also voiced as a top priority for residents who have raised fears about losing the natural landscape that earned Atlanta its “city in the forest” moniker.
On Thursday, the conservancy announced its new “Seeds for the Future” campaign, a yearslong initiative aimed at preserving and enhancing tree care across the park. The group plans to inventory and take a health check of more than 3,000 trees as well as plant hundreds of new ones.
A team of designers from Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects was in charge of the massive task of drafting the comprehensive plan that aimed at improving visitor experience and strengthening the park’s diverse ecosystems.
The plan is to also preserve the park’s storied history. Remnants of the park’s past may not easily catch the eyes of everyday visitors, but even stone steps and stone planters have remained untouched since the 1895 Atlanta World’s Fair and the 1987 Piedmont Exposition.
“This is one of the things that draws people to this city and holds people in this city,” said Thomas Woltz, who led the project. “We have over 100 years of history to build on, and we have far more than 100 years to come.”
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