Project Overview

With a grant from the Wal­ton Fam­i­ly Foun­da­tion, the City of Rogers, Arkansas embarked on a project to re-cen­ter their down­town with a new park that enhances eco­nom­ic devel­op­ment, spurs place­mak­ing, and improves con­nec­tiv­i­ty.

Project Commissioner

City of Rogers, Arkansas

Project Creator

Ross Barney Architects

Team

Collaborative Partners:
AFJH Architects (Associate Architect)
CEI Engineering Associates (Civil Engineer, Surveyor)
Crowne Group (Music Venue Consultant)
Goodfriend Magruder Structure (Structural Engineer)
HP Engineering (MEP, Fire Protection Engineer)
Schuler Shook (Lighting Design)
SPAN (Environmental Graphics and Branding)

Photography Credit: Kate Joyce, Kate Joyce Studios

Project Brief

Sit­u­at­ed on the east bound­ary of Rogers’ his­toric down­town dis­trict, the new park has the poten­tial to cap­i­tal­ize on recent pub­lic space invest­ments and help to make down­town Rogers a region­al destination.

Project Innovation/Need

The project uti­lized a vig­or­ous com­mu­ni­ty out­reach effort, which helped build a sense of own­er­ship and pride from city staff and res­i­dents. Through a dig­i­tal sur­vey that col­lect­ed over 1,000 respons­es and in-per­son char­rettes the design team helped define the park’s desired out­comes and objec­tives through the words of the com­mu­ni­ty. This shared vision result­ed in five pri­or­i­ties: Invit­ing, Mem­o­rable, Chal­leng­ing, Beau­ti­ful, and Authentic.

Rogers, has been defined both eco­nom­i­cal­ly and phys­i­cal­ly by the rail­road that cre­at­ed a strong divid­ing line in the cen­ter of down­town. The park’s design ignores the rail as a bar­ri­er and blends the east and west togeth­er. The result is a series of plazas that trans­form through­out the day, week, month, and year. These ver­sa­tile and flex­i­ble spaces cre­ate a new and dis­tinct rhythm that extends beyond the park into adja­cent streets.

These dense­ly veg­e­tat­ed and pro­grammed spaces help cre­ate unique expe­ri­ences through­out the park and frame this piece of down­town as the new cen­ter instead of the edge.

A series of plazas trans­form through­out the day, week, month, and year. Each space takes on a unique iden­ti­ty as an urban room: Frisco Plaza, Water Plaza, Pla­yard, and the But­ter­field Stage.

The Water Stop pays homage to the his­to­ry of Rogers as a loca­tion for steam loco­mo­tives to refill. These revi­sioned tow­ers fea­ture inter­ac­tive water instal­la­tions that help park-goers cool off dur­ing Arkansas’ hot sum­mer days.

These func­tion­al relics turned bill­boards fea­ture murals by the Mex­i­co City-born, Fayet­teville-based Octavio Logo, French street artist Mantra, and Lon­don-based Lakwena.