White River State Park Extension Indianapolis, Indiana
Services Provided
Downtown Planning
Urban Design
Placemaking
Community Engagement
People Involved
Eric Lucas
Kelly Murphy
David Armbruster
Bohan Qian
Marco Stack-Simone
Don Jewett
Returning the focus of Indiana’s capital city to its signature natural feature - the White River
In partnership with the Indiana Governor’s office, Mayor Joe Hogsett, the White River State Park Development Commission, and prominent community leaders, MKSK is leading a multidisciplinary team of consultants to implement the 10-acre landside extension to White River State Park. The project marks a new era for this renowned 267-acre urban greenspace
A monumental, industrial remnant, originally designed by architect Albert Kahn, remains to honor the Valley Neighborhood’s 150-year legacy of manufacturing and to support a new generation of civic participation along the riverfront. MKSK and Lake Flato Architects are leading the restoration and repurposing of this civic gathering place in a second design phase. As a tenant of Indianapolis history, the Kahn Pavilion framework is preserved and reimagined as a year-round event and community space, showcasing the original ingenuity of a manufacturing facility filled with sunlight and refreshing breezes.
Nestled between the levee and the new Elanco Animal Health Global HQ, the Kahn Pavilion will be surrounded by stonework that celebrates Indiana’s natural history and the enterprising quarry industry that made Indiana Limestone the choice building material in the U.S. during the early 1900’s. Visitors journey through the limestone story, first discovering stone outcroppings, then operational quarry walls with cut stones, and finally retired sites where nature is reclaiming the cracks. Verdant green spaces and terraces recall forested bluffs that overlooked the White River prior to the City’s founding. To the south, an Event Lawn spills out from the Pavilion and connects to the future Indianapolis Cultural Trail through a Slope Scramble with nodes for respite and shade.
As the feature civic gathering place for the One Health Innovation District that surrounds it, this south extension of White River State Park acts as living proof that human health, environmental health, plant health, and animal health can and must live in reciprocal wellness.
“The river has shaped us, literally run over us, defined us. That connection is deep and visceral. We welcome the jewel that is White River State Park to our front yard. This extension will lead to a deeper appreciation for the river and for the people who have lived, played, and worked here for so very, very long.”
- Jay Napoleon, President of the Valley Neighborhood Association, describing the deep personal and collective bond between the neighborhood and the White River.
