Project Overview
The Children’s Theater and Play Area at Henry Maier Festival Park (Summerfest) was redeveloped into a 54,000-square-foot community park. The landscape architects at raSmith’s Milwaukee Site Studio designed the “funscape” for this exciting project, which features one of the most accessible playgrounds in Wisconsin. The existing mature trees around the perimeter of the playground and stage were retained to provide shade on the site, and the views to Lake Michigan were improved. There are two butterfly gardens, a rain garden, and a permeable paver promenade to slow down and treat rainwater and to provide an educational component throughout the landscape.
The park area also includes new play surfaces and equipment for all ages and abilities, a new accessible stage area, and a new family services building with rest areas, nursing rooms, and programming spaces. raSmith collaborated with Milwaukee World Festival Inc. and Eppstein Uhen Architects on this exciting redevelopment project, which continues to provide access to everyBODY since the park opened in 2021.
This project received a 2022 Mayor’s Design Award from the City of Milwaukee.
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