The park design features a Great Lawn and outdoor performance venue, a lake with paddle boats, urban gardens with a café, recreational facilities, children’s play areas, a civic scaled interactive fountain and multiple walking/jogging paths, all set within regionally-specific native woodland and prairie landscapes. The boathouse, stage, cafe’ and pavilions by Butzer Architects recall the vernacular architecture of the settlements that dotted the Oklahoma plains. The central promenade with unique art lighting by Jamie Carpenter links the downtown end of the park across Interstate 40 via the pedestrian SkyDance Bridge through the lower park and to the river. The restored historic Union Station is the architectural jewel of the park, with adaptive reuses including wedding venues, a restaurant and bicycle rentals. The park is a recreational and cultural focal point of the city and the front yard for the adjacent new convention center, the Chesapeake Arena and new mixed use developments. This park further defines Oklahoma City as a world-class city while greatly enhancing the downtown experience and lifestyle for residents and visitors.
Photography by The Oklahoman, Silas Martin and Timothy Hursley
