Nashville -- The Warner Parks

Comprising over 2,600 acres of wooded hills and open meadows, The Warner Parks are one of the largest municipally operated parks in the United States. The parks are situated on land acquired between 1927 and 1930 and reflect the vision of three men: Colonel Luke Lea, his father-in-law Percy Warner, and Warner's brother Edwin. There are in reality two parks--Percy Warner Park and Edwin Warner Park--that are adjacent to one another and so are commonly referred to simply as The Warner Parks. Much of the parks' development occurred during the 1930s and incorporated design work by architect Edward E. Daugherty and landscape architect Bryant Fleming. The Works Progress Administration (WPA) was responsible for much of the construction of various park features. The Warner Parks are listed on the National Register of Historic Places and provide a valuable refuge for native plants and wildlife in the midst of a developing metropolitan area.

Persons associated with the site include Percy Warner (developer, ca. 1913-1927); Edwin Warner (developer, ca. 1927-1937); Luke Lea (former owner and developer, ca. 1913-1927); Bryant Fleming (landscape architect, 1931-1933); and Edward E. Daugherty (architect, 1930-1932).