Red Arrow Park Redesign

Future of Red Arrow Park Takes Shape

Red Arrow Park, one of Downtown’s centrally located and most important parks, was identified as a priority project in the recently adopted Connec+ing MKE: Downtown Plan 2040. During the Plan update process, public input led to the following goal statement: Invest in the public realm by improving streets, parks and other public spaces in ways that encourage a more vibrant, inclusive and resilient Milwaukee.

Milwaukee Downtown, BID #21, with its project partners, the City of Milwaukee and Milwaukee County, have taken another step forward in exploring future improvements to Red Arrow Park. Following an extensive review process of more than a dozen qualified submitters, a collaborative team representing Milwaukee-based The Kubala Washatko Architects (TKWA) and Philadelphia-based OLIN was selected to lead the redesign process for this key Downtown public space.

Funded by Tax Incremental District #48, a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) was issued in the fall of 2024, seeking teams that specialize in urban public space design and community engagement to fulfill goals of the recently adopted Downtown Plan update. Amongst a competitive field, TKWA and OLIN assembled a collaborative team that emerged as the best fit for the project through their demonstrated design excellence and experience, a keen understanding of the site and its context, and a proven record of thorough community engagement.

About the Team

TKWA has led the design for several well-known Downtown-area projects, including The Avenue redevelopment, 3rd Street Market Hall, Milwaukee Public Market, the downtown area plan update, and the recently opened Vel R. Phillips Plaza. Additional projects by TKWA can also be found at tkwa.com/featured-projects.

OLIN has led the design of several of the most prominent public spaces in the country, including Bryant Park in New York City, Dilworth Park in Philadelphia, the public spaces at Chicago s Willis Tower and a wide range of other high-profile projects. Featured projects by OLIN can be found at theolinstudio.com/featured-projects.

Community engagement will be led by P3 Development Group. The project team is planning extensive civic engagement with key stakeholders and the public throughout the entire process. Ring & DuChateau, B32  Engineering Group, KSingh, McEnroe Consulting Engineers, and Concord Group will round out the comprehensive consultant team that will bring their expertise throughout the phases of the redesign process. 

Stay Informed

The design process will focus on robust community engagement to steer the creation of several concepts that will be refined through further public input. It is expected that a preferred design alternative will emerge, culminating with plans sufficient to seek conceptual cost bidding to determine future fundraising needs and sources for construction. To be clear, this RFQ is not for the construction, nor has the allocated funding for project construction been identified.

The Red Arrow Park redesign process is expected to kick off in the first quarter of 2025 and will include extensive public engagement and stakeholder outreach. To sign up for email correspondence, engagement opportunities and regular project updates, interested parties are encouraged click the link below. 

Stay informed of public engagement opportunities. Join our Red Arrow Park Redesign database.