User:Jonas77002/Houston AIDS Memorial Garden

Houston AIDS Memorial Garden

The Houston Memorial AIDS Garden is located in Houston, TX near the intersection of South MacGregor and Armore. The garden was established in 1985 by a Houston community member as a memorial to AIDS victims, and has been privately maintained for more than 25 years. The garden is the location of the cremated remains of at least 5 known AIDS victims and is the site of memorials to more than 25 other victims. The garden is located on an easement that spans approximately 700 feet in length and approximately 50 feet wide (35,000 square feet). Hundreds of tree, plant and animal varieties are housed in the garden, including numerous rare species.

The garden has been the point of conflict between the City of Houston, South MacGregor Civic Association, private citizens, local churches and organizations, as well as family members of the memorialized deceased.

Following a lawsuit from The City of Houston in 2005, and forcible possession of the property from the Railroad Authority through the power of eminent domain, the City made known their intent to demolish the garden for the purposes of constructing a bike path in conjunction with the statewide Rails to Trails (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Rail_trails_in_Texas   ...