Client: Home Gr/Own
Location: Fond Du Lac Ave & Meinecke Ave, Milwaukee, WI
Stage
Community Design Solutions (CDS) worked with Home Gr/Own to activate a green public space adjacent to the Fondy Food Market in the Park West neighborhood. The adjacency to the market creates a sense of place for market goers to sit, play, eat, and relax, while shopping and supporting local healthy food.
The park was inspired by the existing building remnants. Incorporating the partially built wall and foundation pillars, the design utilizes the wall to create an outdoor park that is defined but still connected to the neighborhood and visible from Fond du Lac Avenue. With the excess grass and dirt already existing on the site, CDS proposed a serpentine-like berm that acts as an interactive hill for children to play on and creates a natural form to lean and sit on. Game tables and the climbing blocks double as places to sit within the park.
A large focus of the park is centered around the rain gardens and bioswale. The bioswale incorporates sustainable plantings, allows for educational signage, and is a visual feature of the park. Additional rain gardens are located along the east entrance, which is on a slight incline into the park. Due to the incline, planters create a safe edge between the path and the gardens.