Arts / Museums

Majestic Menil Oak Tree Torn Down, Devastating Park Regulars: Museum Officials Say They Were Left With No Choice, Vow to Make Up for Loss of 150-Year-Old Treasure

BY // 07.24.18
photography Clifford Pugh and Katie Oxford

“Poems are made by fools like me,

But only God can make a tree.”

“Trees” by Joyce Kilmer

Despite the bright sunshine, an air of melancholy hung over Menil Park Tuesday morning as the last remnants of a majestic 150-year-old oak tree that dominated the area were hoisted onto a large truck and carted away. The tree, which has been a longtime gathering spot at the popular park for a wide range of Houstonians, from picnickers to yoga practitioners, was deemed unsafe and removed Monday, much to the surprise and sorrow of parkgoers who thought of it as an old and valued friend.

As an admitted “tree hugger,” I was overcome with emotion at the loss — and I was not alone. More than 100 people commented after I posted the news on my Facebook page — and many were just as devastated as I was.

“I like that tree more than I like most people,” one commenter wrote.

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Bob Russell, who moved into a house across the street from the tree in 1971 and lived there for many years, recalled too many events to count — weddings, memorial services, concerts, photo sessions, and “just people enjoying life” — that occurred under its branches.

“It was a great place for people to meet,” he tells PaperCity. “There aren’t many like it that are allowed to grow freely with the limbs down to the ground. It was a magnificent tree.”

Menil oak tree
Fans of the majestic 150-year-old oak in Menil Park were devastated to learn that it was cut down.

Five years ago, Russell alerted Houston writer Katie Oxford about the tree’s condition. It had been weakened after being struck by lightning a few years earlier, but, as Oxford pointed out in a column, Russell had seen people trying to skateboard and ride their motorbikes up the tree. Others splattered blue paint at its base, removed bark and jumped up and down on the lower limbs like it was a trampoline.

“I think if they (Menil) put a fence around it, it would at least keep people from climbing it and knocking more bark off,” Russell told Oxford.

The museum elected not to fence the tree, but Menil spokesman Tommy Napier contends that decision had no impact on the its longevity. He says the museum’s arborist has been monitoring it constantly since it was struck by lightning 10 years ago, knowing that its days were numbered.

But the final decision came quickly after city forestry officials deemed it a safety hazard a couple of weeks ago and said that it had to go immediately.

“They gave us a firm deadline. We had to cut down the tree because they required it,” Napier said. “We had to move pretty quickly based on their determination. It was looking pretty frail and if a branch were to break, that’s where the danger came in.”

A Greener Menil — and New Parks

When the weather gets cooler, Menil officials plan to plant a “substantial” tree in place of the fallen oak. Napier noted that last year a large oak was transplanted in a courtyard of the new Menil Drawing Institute, slated to open in November, and the commitment to green space around the 30-acre Menil campus remains a top priority.

He notes that another magnificent oak tree near the Cy Twombly Gallery will became a focal point of a new park between the gallery and the entrance to the Drawing Institute. The park will include a deck for performances and movie showings. Power lines have been placed underground and a fence has been removed to allow the tree’s canopy to expand.

Also, another large green space fronting Richmond called “The Lawn” will debut to the public  in conjunction with the opening of the Drawing Institute.

“Believe me, our staff feels just as sad about this tree having to come down as the public does because we enjoyed it every day,” Napier said.

Maybe so, but I haven’t yet reached the “acceptance” stage of grief over the loss of my favorite tree. I cling to the notion that a fence or sign discouraging parkgoers from climbing and tugging at the tree might have given it a few more years of life. But something Napier said toward the end of the conversation made me realize why it’s so personal to me.

“The Menil parks don’t feel like you’re in a grand public park. It feels like your backyard,” he said. “We know everybody is looking for a shady spot in Houston.”

Napier confirmed that the Menil is saving portions of the tree for future use. “We have not determined how we might use the wood, but we will explore possibilities,” he wrote in a follow-up email.

I’m thinking a bench made out of wood from the old tree situated next to the new tree would be nice because every backyard needs a place to sit, contemplate, and appreciate the great outdoors.

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