the need for a design-voice

The alternative design to the Washington Park proposed plan came out of a community-based process. After the Cincinnati Park Board, in conjunction with Cincinnati's preferred developer for Over-the-Rhine, 3CDC, presented a preliminary scheme for the redesign of Washington Park to the Over-the-Rhine Community Council in September 2007, residents expressed concern about the lack of a deep water pool, basketball court, and other family-friendly and specifically teen-friendly activities. It was then that Miami University architecture students began working closely with neighborhood residents and leaders to create an alternative plan that would help give the neighborhood a critical voice in the design process. Students in the Over-the-Rhine Residency Program simultaneously launched a petition drive in support of a pool and basketball court, gathering over 400 signatures from people who either live or work in Over-the-Rhine.

a park for everyone

While respecting the formality of the current proposed plan, the alternative design suggests a dialogue between cultural institution and community. Public space is meant to bring a variety of people and cultures together in ways otherwise unrealized. By rotating the civic green and opening it to Music Hall, the space begins to naturally converse with its surroundings. A fountain wall forms a backdrop to the green space which not only visually responds to Music Hall, but provides a transition to the pool located behind. In addition, the fountain wall frames concerts that could take place in the civic green and offers the possibility of ground-level water features with seasonal flexibility.

A deep-water pool, dive well, and wading pool are located in the northeast corner of the park, which is one of the main residential entry points. At 25 meters in length, the pool can accommodate swim meets, and the enclosed area is supported by two locker rooms, a storage facility, and a double-sided concession stand. A full length basketball court lies adjacent to the pool and is bordered by one end of the "Sound Garden". The Sound Garden runs the width of the park, beginning directly across from the future site of Music Hall Square and ending just north of 13th Street. This interactive "garden" is comprised of large-scale instruments made from recycled materials, perhaps crafted by local designers. An interactive playground, it both physically and culturally links Music Hall to the surrounding neighborhood, suggesting the park as a place of relationship and conversation that looks to form new histories of community-connection while respecting cultural tradition.