Major Achievements

Continuing the legacy of our founding visionaries, Friends of Warner Parks embraced the opportunity in 2004 to acquire additional land and ensure nearly 500 acre- including an old growth forest- were forever safe from the threat of commercial development. In partnership with Metro Parks and thanks to the generosity of the Lucius E. Burch III family and others, a total of $15 million was raised and the Burch Reserve and Hill Forest were brought into the fold of Warner Parks, boasting natural habitats, undisturbed vistas, and recreation opportunities.

The gateway to our beginning, that is what the Belle Meade Entrance to Percy Warner Park represents. The land was a part of the inception gift by Col. Luke Lea that began Warner Parks; it’s where thousands of friends begin their day with walking/hiking/running rituals, where loving partners make promises of forever, where families document their newest additions, and so much more. 
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The entrance has been and continues to be a focal point of the Warner Parks experience, which is why painstaking steps have been taken towards the preservation of historic structures and expansion of its amenities available to all park users.  

First came the restoration of the Memorial Sandstone Gates in 2017, a $190,000 initiative that celebrated the 90th Anniversary of Warner Parks and 30th Anniversary of Friends of Warner Parks. Next came the historic reconstruction of the Allée Steps, designed by Bryant Fleming, built in 1936, and listed with the National Registrar of Historic Places. Such is one of three priorities of our $15 million It’s My Nature Capital Campaign, and includes restoration of the Allée, the onsite World War I Memorial, additional stonework, watershed and erosion issues, and subsequent landscaping in and around the steps.