The tree canopy is primarily pines and oaks fairly evenly distributed in the non-developed and programmed areas of the park. The site was used as ranch land in the nineteenth century and was then logged after that. The construction of Camp Logan saved the major existing trees in 1917, but there is little evidence that those trees still remain on the site. The appearance is of regenerated landscape within the last 75 years, with no dominant, centuries-old trees.
Buildings and structures The buildings and structures in Memorial Park are an accumulation of assorted architecture that has been constructed since the WPA-era work in the park in the 1930s. There are buildings from almost each decade for the past 90 years that the park has operated. Most buildings are situated for proximity to associated education and recreation. The oldest building within park property is the small, bungalow-style structure that formerly housed the Memorial Park Conservancy and other associated offices. Adjacent to this is the collection of greenhouses and maintenance sheds. The newest building on park grounds is the Memorial Park Running Trail Center (2014). This is the new home of the Memorial Park Conservancy, a police precinct of the Houston Police Department, showers and lockers, and a reception hall/meeting room. The golf course club-house was constructed in 1995, at the same time that the golf course was renovated. Other significant buildings within the park are the tennis center, swimming center, and Arboretum buildings.
Views and vistas The site has three interesting types of views or vistas that are very different: the natural views along Buffalo Bayou up and down the bayou, the long right-of-ways along the railroad and electrical pylons, and the constructed views associated with the golf course. Obviously, each of these categories has a very different feeling and the visitor experience within each is quite different.
Constructed water features Golf course lakes and water hazards are the primary constructed water features at Memorial Park. These add both to the beauty of the golf course and change the difficulty of the fairways adjacent to them. The other constructed water features on the site are at the Houston Arboretum & Nature Center
115