Entry No. 24 — the Memphis file — filed under: giant-sculpture
Tom Lee Park — river-creature playground & Tom Lee memorial
Giant sculptural playground pieces by Danish design studio Monstrum — a sturgeon, a caterpillar, a salamander, and a family of river otters — line the riverfront as part of the park's 2023 redesign by Studio Gang and SCAPE, near a bronze memorial to Tom Lee, a riverworker who couldn't swim but pulled 32 people from the sinking steamboat M.E. Norman in 1925. His original granite obelisk was destroyed by the 2003 'Hurricane Elvis' storm; David Alan Clark's bronze rescue sculpture replaced it in 2006.
The story
In May 1925, Tom Lee—a Black riverworker who famously couldn't swim a stroke—was navigating the Mississippi River in a 28-foot motorboat named Zev when the excursion steamboat M.E. Norman capsized nearby. Working alone against swift currents, Lee pulled 32 drowning passengers out of the water, making trip after trip until no one was left alive to rescue. The 30-acre park along the downtown riverfront carries his name, though commemorating him here hasn't been easy: his original 1954 granite obelisk was smashed to pieces in July 2003 when a devastating straight-line windstorm, dubbed 'Hurricane Elvis,' swept through Memphis. In 2006, sculptor David Alan Clark replaced it with the current bronze monument, which freezes the exact moment Lee reaches down over his skiff's gunwale to haul a survivor aboard.
A major 2023 redesign by Studio Gang and SCAPE added a bizarre, surrealist companion to Lee’s serious memorial monument. They commissioned Danish design studio Monstrum to hand-craft a playground populated by gargantuan river creatures built from timber. Scattered along the open lawn, these aren't typical plastic park fixtures—they are anatomically strange, oversized local fauna including a hollowed-out lake sturgeon, a crawling salamander, a giant caterpillar, and a family of towering river otters frozen mid-scramble.
What it's like
You'll want to head down to the riverbank at golden hour when the light coming off the Mississippi turns the entire park orange. The grounds run for a mile along Riverside Drive, and while local families crowd around the oversized otters, plenty of adults end up climbing inside the sturgeon's belly to get out of the river wind. It gets breezy off the water, so bring a jacket, wander down to Clark's bronze rescue sculpture, and take in the scale of the river where Lee pulled off his impossible rescue.
The move: Walk the mile-long riverfront at golden hour, climb around the oversized creature sculptures like you're kids again, then read the Tom Lee memorial plaque before watching the sun drop behind the Mississippi.
- 📍 Downtown Riverfront
- 💸 Free
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Outdoors
Where: Riverside Dr at Beale St, Memphis, TN 38103
Hours: Added 2026-07-20 — confirm current hours before you go.
Pair it with
- Rooftop Stargazing at Beale Street Landing — Walk a short way along the riverbank from the giant wooden critters to gaze through telescopes set up on the dock roof at night.
- Earnestine & Hazel's — Head a few blocks inland into South Main after dark for a Soul Burger inside a storied dive bar that once operated as a brothel.
- Tops Gallery — Trade the open air and bright daylight of the riverfront for a walk down wooden stairs into a dark, subterranean warehouse gallery nearby.
- A. Schwab / Beale Street Hoodoo History and Folklife Museum — Walk east up Beale Street from the park to explore Memphis's oldest general store and its second-floor collection of folk history.
Good to know
What creatures are featured in the playground area?
The playground features giant, climbable wooden sculptures of native Mississippi River creatures: a lake sturgeon, a caterpillar, a salamander, and a family of river otters.
Who designed the park and the giant creature sculptures?
The park's 2023 overall redesign was led by Studio Gang and SCAPE, while the giant river creature sculptures were built by the Danish design studio Monstrum.
What happened to the original Tom Lee monument?
The original granite obelisk was destroyed in July 2003 by 'Hurricane Elvis,' a severe windstorm that hit Memphis. Sculptor David Alan Clark created the replacement bronze rescue statue, which was installed in 2006.
Is Tom Lee Park free to visit?
Yes, Tom Lee Park is a public city park along the riverfront and free to enter.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Wikipedia · Official site · ilovememphisblog.com · metropolismag.com
last checked: 2026-07-20