Maplewood Memorial Park Conservancy
Ensuring the legacy of our historic park and looking toward the future
The Maplewood Memorial Park Conservancy is a public-private partnership that assists the Township of Maplewood in caring for, restoring, and improving our historic local gem, Memorial Park, a twenty-five acre oasis in the center, and at the heart, of town, designed in the early twentieth century by Brinley and Holbrook and the Olmsted Brothers firm.
A popular community gathering space and home to events such as Maplewoodstock and the Fourth of July celebration, the park invites both passive and active recreation, with ballfields, courts, and an amphitheater, as well as a landscape designed in the picturesque style, with broad greenswards, copses of trees and shrubs, a pond, and rustic bridges over a channelized river.
The Conservancy develops long-term master plans, designs and oversees landscape projects, hosts engaging events, and seeks funding sources to ensure our beloved park continues to serve the many and varied needs of our community. For more about our initiatives and mission, see our About section.
News
The Conservancy is thrilled to announce that we have been chosen as a 2024 AARP Community Challenge Grantee for our Valley St. border and pathway project. We are one of only 343 grantees selected out of over 3,300 applications from across the United States!
This grant will allow us to begin our project, years in development, of creating a beautifully landscaped entryway along Oakview Avenue and the Valley St. A new pathway along Valley will mirror the existing path to the south of Oakview and will complete the interior walking loop around the park. This will allow a safe and pleasant place to walk and access the playground, courts, and ballfields, avoiding the narrow sidewalk along the busy roadway.
Landscape designer Jennifer C. Ryan’s beautiful plan, based on original park designs by the Olmsted Brothers and Brinley & Holbrook landscape architecture firms, balances sensitivity to historic precedent with adaptability to modern climate, benefits to wildlife, mitigation of stormwater runoff, and the needs of contemporary park goers.
The first phase of the project, funded by the grant, will be completed in the fall, and will include the path and the enhanced entryway at Oakview. Border planting along Valley St. will be the second phase.
The AARP Community Challenge grant program funds innovative, quick-action projects that inspire change in areas such as public places, housing, transportation, digital connectivity, community resilience, and more. More info can be found at AARP.org/CommunityChallenge.
Olmsted Network Features MMPC’s Year
FIELD NOTES
In January, the Maplewood Township Committee proclaimed 2024 the “Year of the Maplewood Memorial Park Conservancy.” Mayor-elect Nancy Adams read a proclamation that underscored the historic significance of the park and lauded the Conservancy’s accomplishments. READ MORE
Lastest Posts
Events
MMPC Events Calendar
Weeding Wednesdays
Join stalwart volunteers to remove invasive plants throughout the park each Wednesday from 9:00 a.m. till noon. Meet at the Skate House off Oakview Ave.
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Trash Pandas Clean Park
on 4th Saturdays
Want to help keep the park clean and trash free? Join the Trash Panda Crew from 10:00 till 11:00 a.m. as they tackle park litter the fourth Saturday of every month. MMPC provides gloves, trash grabbers and bags. Meet at the Skate House off Oakview Ave. All ages are welcome.
Membership and donations are tax deductible to the extent permitted by law.
Or mail your contribution to Maplewood Memorial Park Conservancy PO Box 1091 Maplewood, NJ 07040