YELL CONSTRUCT
An open framework master plan
Phillip Cooley • Melissa Dittmer • Noah Resnick • Tadd Heidgerken • Renee Chlopan
YELL CONSTRUCT
An open framework master plan
michigan central depot
roosevelt park future astro coffe
slows bbq
community lot
future restaraunt
roosevelt hotel
I-96 I-75 michigan ave
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16t
14t
to downtown detroit
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to mexicantown
Extended Site Diagram Roosevelt Park is located 1 1/2 miles west of Downtown Detroit between 14th and 16th Streets on Michigan Avenue. The park is fractured into four pieces by Vernor Highway, forming a formal axis with the Michigan Central Depot.
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CHAPTER ONE : I n t ro d u c t i o n
In the shadow of Michigan Central Station in Detroit’s historic Corktown neighborhood, Roosevelt Park lies fragmented and unused since the closure of the M.C.S. in the late 1980s. The park’s current state of disrepair – with dead trees, weeds, and overgrown paths – mirrors the abandoned structure that looms over it. Instead of being a space that inspires community interaction, Roosevelt Park remains, as it has for decades, an unlit refuge for the down-andout.
It’s understandable why some Detroiters seem apathetic about Roosevelt Park’s disrepair: it appears to be nothing more than an appendage of the train station, and a makeshift campground for the homeless. Yet not everyone shares this bleak viewpoint. There remains a bright optimism that the park could serve as a centerpiece for the cultural and economic growth of the neighborhood. Countless local artists and entrepreneurs, and even tourists from as far away as Tokyo and Berlin, continue to visit the M.C.S., photograph it, film it, and dream of a new beginning. Today, successful redevelopment efforts, such as the opening of new restaurants at the corner of Michigan Avenue and 14th Street, have brought throngs of new visitors to the area. And with ongoing transformations of Roosevelt Park , the revitalization of Corktown is in full swing.
slows
future
bbq
astro coffee future
sustainable community parking lot
roosevelt hotel
roosevelt park
restaurant
Local Site Diagram New restaurants, housing, and a planned sustainable community parking lot provide additional amenities for potential park patrons.
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Currently, the train station lingers as a remnant of the neighborhood’s and city’s thriving past. No other building in the United States with such historical and architectural significance has been left to degrade to such an extent. Meanwhile, ruins like the Coliseum and the Parthenon are celebrated as icons of human achievement and cultural history. Even without any viable renovation plans on the table, It Is possible to envision the park as a celebration of this architectural masterpiece in its former, current, and future states. The park, with the M.C.S. as a dramatic backdrop, can promote community involvement through public art and cultural events.This is an opportunity to celebrate the M.C.S. – a building like none other – and to create a lively green space in our city, which ranked 43rd of the 50 largest U.S. cities in a recent SustainLane study on urban sustainability.
Local designers and the Greater Corktown Development Corporation have teamed up with small business owners and community members to create a master plan for the park in order to leverage and coordinate volunteering and funding efforts. With the direction of local non-profits and community members, a collaborative of professionals has proposed a phased master plan, which will evolve as the community interacts with the park and defines its use.
CHAPTER TWO : community inter views
Our vision for Roosevelt Park is one that would provide a range of public amenities that would serve the local neighborhood on a daily basis, as well as provide a regional attraction by hosting planned events. These various programmatic elements would also dovetail into the City of Detroit’s Parks and Recreation Department’s mission. In an effort to develop a comprehensive program for the park master plan that balances these desires, members from the community were interviewed and asked to provide input into all programmatic elements. The following pages illustrate excepts from various interviews and summarize the community involvement within the design process.
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As director of Southwest Business District Association, Kathy hopes the park will be more accessible to pedestrians and bicyclists. She is hopeful that the ampitheater will showcase Detroit’s vibrant, diverse community.
KATHY WENDLER Richmond sees the benefit in both an active space for kids to play, along with a serene environment for adults to relax. Richmond is a Vice President at Detroit Commerce and helped develope The Gesu Green.
RICHMOND HAWKINS Nathan has a background in Urban and Regional Planning and works passionately with Young Detroit Builders. He believes that a diverse set of activities will not only appeal to all us in Detroit, but assist in involving an audiance from Metro Detroit and beyond.
NATHAN IZYDOREK
Marvis and the Alkebu-lan Village would like to see unique perfomaces such as large scale puppet performances, circus performances (aerial artists, acrobats, etc.), live dance performances, including ballet, live theater, and live opera. Also, street fair type events that combine arts and crafts and food vendors with music and entertainment.
MARVIS COFIELD Meghan and Ryan moved from Chicago to Detroit to start a family and enhance their careers. They love the uniqueness of Detroit and believe it can continue to grow. Their number one priority is a safe, inspiring public space for their children.
MEGHAN.RYAN.CASS.OLIVER Charles and Karima, owners of Le Petit Zinc, desire open green spaces. Flowers, greenery, and trees are imperative to children’s development and awareness of the natural environment. For adults and child alike, the senses are directly affected by being surrounded by open greenery. By providing access to parks, we maintain our connection to nature.
CHARLES & KARIMA SOREL
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Image courtesy of architecture student, Andrew King.
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CHAPTER THREE : d e s i g n p ro p o s a l
The masterplan design for Roosevelt Park is a phased proposal which responds to the desires of the community, the potential for continued development along Michigan Avenue, and the adaptive re-use of the historic Michigan Central Depot. Among the initial implementations of the master plan, we propose building an amphitheater, installing a public work of art, trimming trees, and lighting the park. The amphitheater will be formed from a series of shifts in the ground plane, utilizing the existing earth along with excess earth from nearby community projects that would otherwise end up in a landfill. The stage will allow for public performances, instantly breathe new life into the space, and offer both a physical and symbolic platform for further fundraising efforts for the park. When it is not in use, the grounds leading up to the stage will provide ample family-friendly green space for exercise and relaxation.
Images courtesy of spohn ranch.
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Subsequent pieces of the masterplan involve the installation of elements that will increase activity in the park by building soccer fields, playscapes, and a skate and bike park. Conversations have begun with Tony Hawk and SLAP magazine in order to acquire additional funding. Todd Mistor, one of the City of Detroit’s foresters, has slated five dead trees to be removed and dried in a solar kiln by Tree of Heaven Work Shop at no cost. Over 100 lights donated from the Greater Corktown Development Corporation will be arranged to create a light sculpture, which will both inspire and increase safety in the park. The community has also expressed the desire for serene spaces for adults to relax. A native landscape proposal offers a respite from the busy Michigan Avenue thoroughfare. A community green parking lot with 50 40 spaces adjacent to the park is currently being built by local business owners and will be a wonderful supplement to the proposed reorganization of streets and parking around and through the park. In order to unify the Park, the obsolete boulevard formed by the eight lane Vernor Highway, will be closed. While the formal axis to the train station will remain in the design as a pedestrian thoroughfare, automotive traffic will be diverted around the Park. This creative move will strengthen the functionality of the public urban space as well as greatly improve pedestrian safety.
EXISTING TRAFFIC FLOW TRAFFIC PATTERN PEDESTRIAN CROSSING PARK SPACE
Existing Traffic Flow Diagram Roosevelt Park has been fractured into four distinct pieces by Vernor Highway. This eight lane boulevard, which once served to bring large amounts of traffic to and from the now abandoned Michigan Central Depot, is currently obsolete.
P2
MICH IGAN E
MICH
U AVEN
IGAN
P1
U AVEN
EXISTING TRAFFIC FLOW
E
TRAFFIC PATTERN PEDESTRIAN CROSSING PARK SPACE
PROPOSED TRAFFIC FLOW TRAFFIC PATTERN PEDESTRIAN CROSSING CITY BIKE PATH PARK SPACE
P1
COMMUNITY PARKING (IN DEVELOPMENT)
P2
PARKING / POSSIBLE DEVELOPMENT PARCEL
Proposed Traffic Flow Diagram All streets cutting through Roosevelt Park will be closed off to vehicular traffic, creating a unified public green space, safe from automotive traffic.
P2
MICH IGAN
P1
U AVEN E
PROPOSED TRAFFIC FLOW TRAFFIC PATTERN PEDESTRIAN CROSSING CITY BIKE PATH PARK SPACE
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P1
COMMUNITY PARKING (IN DEVELOPMENT)
P2
PARKING / POSSIBLE DEVELOPMENT PARCEL
PHASE 1 PROGRAMMING PRIMARY AXIS PARK PARCELS ALONG THIS AXIS ARE THE FIRST TO BE DEVELOPED IN PHASE 1 PARK PARCELS (FUTURE DEVELOPMENT)
Phase 1 Programming Diagram The first phase focuses on transforming the axial boulevard into a performance stage with strategically landscaped public seating. LANDSCAPED PERFORMANCE VENUE (SUMMER 2009) REFLECTION GARDEN (SUMMER 2009)
LIGHT FIELD INSTALLATION (FALL 2009) LANDSCAPED CROSSING ISLAND (COMPLETED)
P PHASE 2 MICH AVEN
IGAN MICHUE
IGAN
PHASE 2
P1
U AVEN
PHASE 1 PROGRAMMING
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PRIMARY AXIS PARK PARCELS ALONG THIS AXIS ARE THE FIRST TO BE DEVELOPED IN PHASE 1 PARK PARCELS (FUTURE DEVELOPMENT)
PHASE 2 PROGRAMMING PARK SPACE
P1
COMMUNITY PARKING (CURRENTLY IN DEVELOPMENT) PHASE 1 COMPLETED PHASE 2 PARK LANDSCAPING AND ATHLETIC FIELDS
Phase 2 Programming Diagram Athletic amenities, including basketball courts, soccer fields, and skateparks, will be placed in the western portion of the Park. The eastern half of the proposed Roosevelt Park design will consist of serene natually landscaped spaces. The four portions of the park are unified by the closing of Vernor Highway.
P PHASE 2
IGAN
P1
MICH
PHASE 2
U AVEN E
PHASE 2 PROGRAMMING PARK SPACE
P1
COMMUNITY PARKING (CURRENTLY IN DEVELOPMENT) PHASE 1 COMPLETED PHASE 2 PARK LANDSCAPING AND ATHLETIC FIELDS
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MASTER PLAN LANDSCAPE ISLAND CROSSING IGAN U AVEN
SKATE PARK
MICH
LIGHT SCULPTURE
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BOCCE COURTS TENNIS COURTS SOCCER/FOOTBALL AMPHITHEATER WALKING PATH NATURAL LANDSCAPE REFLECTION GARDEN
Phase 1 Rendering The stage and seating area is formed from a series of shifting ground planes, utilizing existing and excess earth from nearby community projects.
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Phase 1 Rendering Michigan Central Depot acts as a dramatic backdrop to the performance stage. Earth berms provide informal seating while separating the audience area from vehicular traffic along Vernor Highway.
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Phase 1 Night Rendering Placed along the edge of Michigan Avenue, the sculptural light pavilion will be constructed of locally donated materials and light fixtures specially made for Corktown Development.
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CHAPTER FOUR : implementation
The implementation strategy for phase 1 of Roosevelt Park revolves around a series of small to medium scale interventions that fit within the larger framework of the master plan. Each of these individual interventions is supported by a specific grant, donation, or volunteer effort from the community, city, or local and regional businesses. The final designs for each parcel emerge as funding and or donated materials are secured. Since the inception of this master plan in the Summer of 2008, a number of these initiatives have been designed and completed. The phase 2 implementation of the larger athletic park amenities would be supplemented by the City of Detroit’s Parks and Recreation department funding and facilities.
1st Intervention: completed Summer 2008 The initial intervention was implemented through the support of Daimler Financial, who provided a financial grant of $10,000 as well as a crew of 60 volunteer workers for one day. The volunteer effort provided much of the preparatory site work, such as dead tree removal, garbage and shrub clean-up, and preliminary plantings. In addition, the grant yielded the first design element of the park in the form of the sculptural planted island across Michigan Avenue. In conjunction with Daimler Financial’s grant, this intervention was completed with $50,000 of in-kind donations.
The large cement triangle in the middle of the Michigan Ave./14th St./Vernor Highway intersection has been replaced with a public space from which to view the park and train station. This helps to define the axis leading to the M.C.S. and extend the park into the community for broader interaction. Cars heading out from the city center pass across this access, between the train station axis and this triangle- occupying, momentarily, the space of the park while still in their cars. roosevelt park
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2nd Intervention: Completed June 2009 The second intervention consists of a reflective garden space situated on the crescent shaped parcel of land at the foot of the Michigan Central Depot. The design draws inspiration from the dramatic presence of the M.C.D. by transposing the vertical structural geometries of the facade onto the horizontal groundplane. The focal points of this landscaped element utilize a series of large granite paving slabs donated by the City of Detroit, along with an additional financial commitment of $30,000 and 60 volunteers from Daimler Financial for construction. In addition to the stone features, native tall grasses will form intimate spaces for users to relax and view the building. In conjunction with Daimler Financial’s grant, this intervention was completed with a $13,500 cash grant from neighborhood restaurant, Slows BBQ, as well as $250,000 of in-kind donations.
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Future Interventions Funding, materials, and volunteer commitments are currently being sought for the next series of park elements. The largest of these is the stage and seating area to be located in the central boulevard space on axis with the M.C.D. Subsequent pieces would be a new bus stop on Michigan Avenue and a light sculpture/pavilion incorporating 30 ballard lights being donated by the Greater Corktown Development Corporation.
CHAPTER FIVE : acknowledgments
The Roosevelt Park Master Plan design team would like to thank the following individuals, businesses, and organizations for their support with this document: Daimler Financial The Greater Corktown Development Corporation Detroit Collaborative Design Center Slows BBQ uRbanDetail, llc Laura Bouwman Ryan Schirmang Michigan Forklift Industries Ambassador Bridge Company The City of Detroit Brother Nature Greening of Detroit
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