Cynthia Haldenby Tyson Garden
A Place for Reflection, Community, and Creation Care
The Cynthia Haldenby Tyson Garden is a new public garden and urban green space being created on Covenant Presbyterian Church's campus at the corner of Morehead Street and Dilworth Road. What was once an underutilized detention pond will become a welcoming destination for church members, neighbors, healthcare workers, students, and visitors seeking a place of beauty, rest, and connection.
Designed to honor both God's creation and the spirit of community, the garden will feature native North Carolina plantings, accessible pathways, gathering spaces, and sweeping views of Uptown Charlotte. The project reflects Covenant's commitment to hospitality, environmental stewardship, and creating spaces where people can encounter one another—and God—in the midst of the city.
Designed to honor both God's creation and the spirit of community, the garden will feature native North Carolina plantings, accessible pathways, gathering spaces, and sweeping views of Uptown Charlotte. The project reflects Covenant's commitment to hospitality, environmental stewardship, and creating spaces where people can encounter one another—and God—in the midst of the city.
About the Garden
Located directly across from Wake Forest University School of Medicine, the garden transforms approximately one-half acre of existing church property into a vibrant public green space. The vision is to create a place that is equally suited for quiet reflection, casual conversation, neighborhood gatherings, and enjoying the beauty of creation. The original proposal envisioned a welcoming urban oasis featuring native pollinator gardens, ADA-accessible pathways, shaded seating, and gathering spaces that strengthen both environmental health and community connections.
The completed design includes:
Our hope is that Covenant members and our neighbors alike will gather here to enjoy fellowship, reflection, recreation, and the beauty of God's creation.
The completed design includes:
- ADA-accessible walking paths
- Granite benches overlooking the garden and the Uptown skyline
- Permanent round picnic tables and seating
- Access points into the grassy center of the garden
- Trees, shrubs, grasses, and flowering plants native to North Carolina
Our hope is that Covenant members and our neighbors alike will gather here to enjoy fellowship, reflection, recreation, and the beauty of God's creation.
Honoring Dr. Cynthia Haldenby Tyson
The garden is named in honor of Dr. Cynthia Haldenby Tyson, whose life exemplified leadership, education, generosity, and faithful service.
Dr. Tyson served for more than forty years in higher education, first at Queens University of Charlotte and later as President of Mary Baldwin University, where she guided a period of remarkable growth and helped establish the nationally recognized Virginia Women's Institute for Leadership. Throughout her career, she championed academic excellence, leadership development, and inclusion.
Following her retirement, Dr. Tyson became President of the Robert Haywood Morrison Foundation, supporting higher education, the arts, and environmental conservation throughout the Carolinas and Virginia.
Closer to home, Cynthia was a devoted member of Covenant Presbyterian Church during her years at Queens and again after returning to Charlotte following retirement. She remained deeply engaged in the life of the congregation until her death in January 2024. Her memorial service was held at Covenant, and she is interred in the church's columbarium.
Naming the garden in her honor celebrates her lifelong commitment to education, community, environmental stewardship, and creating opportunities for others to flourish.
Dr. Tyson served for more than forty years in higher education, first at Queens University of Charlotte and later as President of Mary Baldwin University, where she guided a period of remarkable growth and helped establish the nationally recognized Virginia Women's Institute for Leadership. Throughout her career, she championed academic excellence, leadership development, and inclusion.
Following her retirement, Dr. Tyson became President of the Robert Haywood Morrison Foundation, supporting higher education, the arts, and environmental conservation throughout the Carolinas and Virginia.
Closer to home, Cynthia was a devoted member of Covenant Presbyterian Church during her years at Queens and again after returning to Charlotte following retirement. She remained deeply engaged in the life of the congregation until her death in January 2024. Her memorial service was held at Covenant, and she is interred in the church's columbarium.
Naming the garden in her honor celebrates her lifelong commitment to education, community, environmental stewardship, and creating opportunities for others to flourish.
Project History
The vision for the garden began in 2025 as Covenant explored ways to transform an underused portion of its campus into a welcoming public space.
Recognizing the site's unique challenges as a functioning stormwater detention area, the church engaged Thomas Haapapuro of DGR Design Resource Group, an expert in detention pond and site regulations, to prepare the initial master plan. His work, completed in December 2025, established the framework for what would become the garden.
In February 2026, TG&R Landscape Group was selected to lead the design refinement and construction. Working from DGR's master plan, TG&R collaborated with the congregation to incorporate ideas gathered during two congregational listening sessions, each open to all church members by invitation.
The resulting design balances environmental responsibility with beauty, accessibility, and opportunities for gathering, ensuring the garden will serve both Covenant and the surrounding community for generations to come.
Recognizing the site's unique challenges as a functioning stormwater detention area, the church engaged Thomas Haapapuro of DGR Design Resource Group, an expert in detention pond and site regulations, to prepare the initial master plan. His work, completed in December 2025, established the framework for what would become the garden.
In February 2026, TG&R Landscape Group was selected to lead the design refinement and construction. Working from DGR's master plan, TG&R collaborated with the congregation to incorporate ideas gathered during two congregational listening sessions, each open to all church members by invitation.
The resulting design balances environmental responsibility with beauty, accessibility, and opportunities for gathering, ensuring the garden will serve both Covenant and the surrounding community for generations to come.
Funding the Garden
he Cynthia Haldenby Tyson Garden is made possible through a partnership between Covenant Presbyterian Church, the Robert Haywood Morrison Foundation, and generous supporters.
In September 2025, the Robert Haywood Morrison Foundation invited Covenant to submit a grant proposal for the project, offering a guaranteed grant of $200,000 along with up to $75,000 in matching funds for gifts raised from the congregation and community, creating a total project budget of approximately $350,000. The Foundation requested that the garden be named in honor of Cynthia Haldenby Tyson and envisioned the space as a lasting public resource.
The church has also committed to providing ongoing maintenance and long-term care for the garden so that it will remain a vibrant community asset for years to come.
In September 2025, the Robert Haywood Morrison Foundation invited Covenant to submit a grant proposal for the project, offering a guaranteed grant of $200,000 along with up to $75,000 in matching funds for gifts raised from the congregation and community, creating a total project budget of approximately $350,000. The Foundation requested that the garden be named in honor of Cynthia Haldenby Tyson and envisioned the space as a lasting public resource.
The church has also committed to providing ongoing maintenance and long-term care for the garden so that it will remain a vibrant community asset for years to come.
Project Timeline
Spring 2025
- Vision for a public garden and urban green space developed
- Initial project proposal created
- Public Garden and Urban Green Space initial grant proposal submitted
- Robert Haywood Morrison Foundation invites Covenant to submit a formal grant proposal and pledges funding support.
- DGR Design Resource Group completes the site's master plan.
- TG&R Landscape Group selected as landscape architect and contractor.
- Design refined through four congregational listening sessions.
- Site preparation begins.
- Construction begins.
- Garden pathways, gathering spaces, and landscape installation commence.
- Plantings mature into a thriving public garden that serves Covenant Presbyterian Church, the Dilworth neighborhood, and the broader Charlotte community.
Looking Ahead
When complete, the Cynthia Haldenby Tyson Garden will be more than a landscape—it will be a shared community space where hospitality, environmental stewardship, and faith come together. Whether stopping for a quiet moment, meeting a friend for lunch, walking through gardens, or simply enjoying the view of Charlotte's skyline, visitors will find a place designed to foster rest, reflection, and connection.
