Summer’s Treehouse at Chastain Park
Honoring memory through an inspiring play structure
The Chastain Park treehouse asks: how do we honor memory through an inspiring play structure?
Conceived as a play structure that simultaneously honors the memory of Summer Gentry, an Atlanta resident who was struck down by cancer in her teens, the treehouse is centrally positioned within a larger re-imagining of an existing children’s playground in Chastain Park.
Our response was to install two trees to remember her life – a new oak and seating area would be planted alongside the new treehouse. Anchored by five telephone pole timbers, the playscape and enclosing framing consists of a single timber frame profile repeated and rotated each of the poles. Our goal was to create a variety of places to climb, tunnel through, see the larger park, and inspire. The structure includes Plexiglas panels, netting, and cedar siding.
Sadly, the original structure was destroyed by arson in late 2022.
Client
Chastain Park Conservancy
Location
Atlanta, Georgia
Status
Completed
Size
300 SF
Project Team
Gregory Walker, Amy Leathers, Jennifer Lewis
Collaborators
Uzon + Case, Harrison Design, Astra Group
Tags
Cultural, Recreation, Parks
The building structure consists of a single, branch like module that is repeated regularly around a central post. Five telephone poles provide the foundational support around which the branches are arranged.
Complimenting the treehouse is an oak sapling that was planted in a sitting and climbing area next to the structure.
The branches were pre-fabricated offsite and assembled over one day. Infill panels of wood, acrylic, and netting provide safety and vistas, while allowing others on the ground to watch.
A series of climbing platforms and trap doors allow for children to imagine numerous ways to play.
“Meeting at Houser Walker Architecture that first time to talk about the children who would play in Summer’s treehouse, the limitations imposed by a site in a public park, and the budget was not at all what I expected. Instead of feeling restricted I could practically see the ideas flying around the room as the team listened and asked questions — eyes wide and enthusiasm high. Summer loved nothing more than her friends and the treehouse Houser Walker Architecture designed is a perfect place for kids of all ages to hang out and still be able to see for miles. Most importantly, for someone who was named Miss Empathy in elementary school, Houser Walker Architecture created what my stepdaughter would want more than anything else, a place that excites children’s imaginations and brings them joy. To some it is a giant tree. To others a spaceship. To all, it is a great, happy, beautiful, and exciting place to play.”
– Cynthia Gentry, Founder, Living Playgrounds
The building and planted tree were both lost in an act of arson.