Montague Park Today

The 2023 Parks and Outdoors Plan, carrying on the legacy of the 1911 Nolen Plan

The 2023 Parks and Outdoors Plan

Chattanooga is home to world-class parks and a breathtaking natural environment. But its current system of public parks falls short of equitably delivering the “cityshaping” benefits of great park and outdoor systems. Some neighborhoods are better served than others, and we must do more to integrate nature into all of our neighborhoods and the urban core, which will not only make Chattanooga a better place to live today, but make for a more resilient city for all, tomorrow.

In this beautiful city, we have the chance to build one of the nation’s most extraordinary public park systems and elevate Chattanooga as one of the best places in America to call home. For the last 25 years, Chattanooga has lacked a strategic vision to guide park investments. That’s where this Parks and Outdoors Plan (POP) comes in. The POP will offer a road map and path forward to reinvent Chattanooga as a city in a park—where a system of parks, greenways and protected open spaces connect people to each other and the natural environment and where all neighborhoods have beloved parks.

The POP has five principles that are informed by community needs and priorities and by the success stories of the globe’s best urban park systems: Access, Equity, Nature, Place and Quality. These principles drove the planning process, informed our public conversation about parks and outdoors, and provide the organizational framework for this document and its recommendations.

The Sculpture Fields at Montague Park

Back in 2009, the Sculpture Fields began as a vision of the late, great sculptor, John Henry, and his wife, Pamela Henry. With his studio bordering the northern edge of the park, John Henry envisaged the then recently closed park to become a premiere and internationally acclaimed sculpture destination. Since its opening in 2016, the Sculpture Fields at Montague Park covers over 33 acres of Montague Park and is home to a diverse collection of large-scale sculptures by both local and international artists.

The park's collection includes over 50 sculptures, ranging from abstract geometric shapes to representational figures. The sculptures are made from a variety of materials, including bronze, steel, and stone, and are situated throughout the park's rolling landscape. The Sculpture Fields at Montague Park offers a unique and engaging outdoor art experience that showcases the creativity and diversity of contemporary sculpture. It has become a beloved destination for art lovers, nature enthusiasts, and families alike in the Chattanooga area.

John and Pamela Henry (sculpturefields.org)

Operation Get Active (chattanoogafcfdn.org)

Chattanooga Football Club Foundation

Since 2019, the remaining portion of Montague Park was leased to the Chattanooga Football Club Foundation to use the existing rugby pitch as a soccer field for the foundation’s youth teams and competitions. The Chattanooga Football Club Foundation is a non-profit organization affiliated with the Chattanooga Football Club, a semi-professional soccer team based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA. The foundation's mission is to use soccer as a tool to build community and promote social and economic development in the Chattanooga area, as well as to create positive social change and build a stronger, more inclusive community.

To achieve its mission, the foundation focuses on several key areas, including:

  1. Access to safe spaces

  2. Connection to healthy community 

  3. Mentorship and leadership development