Neighborhood
Crescent Park recognized on the national level for the Design Merit Award
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The American Society of Landscape Architects has recognized the newly renovated Crescent Park as a recipient of a Design Merit Award. URS Corporation accepted the award at the 26th Annual Conference and Awards Ceremony held in Midland, Michigan.
Crescent Park’s hilltop served as a foreground for the home of Grand Rapids’ first mayor in 1851, offering a westerly view overlooking the bustling town-scape developing along the Grand River. For over 160 years Crescent Park served as a respite for pedestrians. Over the years the park’s casual design, characterized by mature canopy trees, had endeared itself to the growing urbanized environment which had sprung up around it. However, during this same period of time, Crescent Park had grown neglected due to budget cuts. The canopy trees exhibited signs of distress and the crumbling concrete stairs connecting the upper park plateau level to the lower street level, 35 feet below, had been closed for years. All user accommodations and furnishings were minimal and broken.
The purpose of this project was to: Reinvigorate this neglected urban green space for public enjoyment. Create a functional hilltop plaza and accentuate views to the west. Provide a new pedestrian walk connection stair from upper park and adjacent medical district level connecting to street level below, to Division Avenue and downtown Grand Rapids. Analyze and address the condition of existing canopy trees and introduce measures of care, plus plant new trees to replace existing over time.
Van Andel Institute (VAI), a Cancer Research Facility which flanks Crescent Park on the north, adopted the Park, and a non-profit organization called The Friends of Crescent Park was created with the goal to renovate Crescent Park. The City of Grand Rapids Park’s officials and community stakeholders participated in the planning and design process. The VAI funded this $1.4 million project. The upkeep and continued maintenance responsibilities are shared by Spectrum.
contacts:
MARK WRONA, ASLA, CLARB
PH 616-574-8576 / EMAIL [email protected]
JAY STEFFEN, LLA
616-456-4308/ EMAIL [email protected]
JOSEPH GAVAN,
PH 616-234-5390 / EMAIL [email protected]
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