Commission by Arts Fort Worth to research and write a Public Art Master Plan for the renovation and redevelopment of Heritage Park and nearby Paddock Park in downtown Fort Worth, Texas. The parks, situated atop a bluff along the Trinity River, occupy roughly the site of the original fort at Fort Worth. The centerpiece of Heritage Park is to be the renovated and reopened Heritage Plaza designed by nationally known landscape architect Lawrence Halprin and originally dedicated in 1980. Halprin's plaza atop the bluff was designed as a series of outdoor rooms unified by water features and cantilevered walkways offering sweeping views to the west, north and east. The Plaza has been closed since 2007 due to maintenance and accessibility issues.
For the Public Art Master Plan, we conducted numerous site visits and over 15 institutions and conducted interviews with a diverse array of stakeholders over a 2 year period. This research led to the production of a 539-million-year to present day visual timeline of the site as well as some surprising discoveries. One such discovery was locating and interviewing the last living residents of the site—a Mexican American Kickapoo family. These site-specific cultural findings will play a vital role in shaping the development of public art for the park.
Above: sample pages from 115-page Master Plan.
Above: sample pages from 115-page Master Plan.
A 539-million-year to present day visual timeline of the Park sites was produced from extensive research: natural, cultural, historic and prehistoric.
A 539-million-year to present day visual timeline of the Park sites was produced from extensive research: natural, cultural, historic and prehistoric.