Marcum Park Hamilton, Ohio
Services Provided
Master Planning
Site Planning & Design
Construction Documentation
People Involved
Darren Meyer
Matt Kellogg
Awards
2018 APA Great Public Space
Urban planning and design for a vibrant new riverfront community park.
In 2007, MKSK began engaging stakeholders in order to successfully redevelop the urban river corridor in Hamilton, Ohio to meet the needs of the regional community. Located on a brownfield redevelopment site, the former Sister of Mercy Hospital, the Hamilton Riversedge Urban Design Plan study area included the parkland on the east bank of the Great Miami River, several select streetscapes, and the integration of private development in this area into the fabric of the city riverscape.
MKSK helped build consensus around several shared community goals: creating both active and passive recreational opportunities, introducing a Performance Amphitheater, providing for critical linkages to the regional bikeway system and neighboring land uses, environmental graphics concepts for the district identity, design guidelines, standards, and preliminary cost estimates.
Completed in 2013, the first phase - RiversEdge Amphitheater and Overlook - activated the site by hosting live musical performances and events throughout the year, as well as a popular Summer Concert Series which draws thousands of visitors to downtown Hamilton.
After 2013, MKSK worked with the City of Hamilton, Hamilton Community Foundation, the Hamilton Park Conservancy, and stakeholders to develop a Park Expansion Master Plan and phased development strategy that builds upon this momentum. The park program for the new Marcum Park, was developed on 6 acres along the Great Miami riverfront downtown, complete with a playscape, large event lawn, terraces, gardens, and park signage.
Made possible through a $3.5 million private donation by the Marcum family, Marcum Park opened in the summer of 2016. The development of the park continues the goals first introduced by local and regional stakeholders in 2007 as part of the larger plan to redevelop this area of urban river corridor to meet the needs of the regional community and users of all ages and interests.
