Experience Downtown Blog

Design Team Selected to Lead Recommendations for Red Arrow Park

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Milwaukee Downtown, BID #21, the City of Milwaukee and Milwaukee County have taken another step forward in exploring future improvements to Downtown’s 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 re-design process for this key Downtown public space.

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 Connec+ing MKE: Downtown Plan 2040. Red Arrow Park was identified as a catalytic initiative in the comprehensive plan.

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. Funding for the design services will come from TID #48, the district encompassing the corridor of the former Park East Freeway.

“We are thrilled to be part of the Red Arrow Park redesign process and are excited to partner with the world-class talent of OLIN for their first urban park project in Milwaukee,” said Chris Socha, partner at TKWA. “OLIN’s experience on some of the country’s most recognized public spaces, coupled with our extensive local knowledge, combine for what we believe will be something truly special for the future of Red Arrow Park,” Socha added.

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 https://tkwa.com/featured-projects/.

OLIN has led the design of several of the most prominent and highly regarded 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 https://www.theolinstudio.com/featured-projects.

“We are excited to partner with a highly regarded, Milwaukee-based firm like TKWA on this generational opportunity to reimagine Red Arrow Park while honoring its community significance,” said Jessica Henson, partner with OLIN.

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, B32º 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.

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.

“This is an incredible opportunity for our project team to work with design and community engagement experts to develop concepts that will further enhance Red Arrow Park as one of the most important places in Downtown’s public realm,” said Matt Dorner, economic development director for Milwaukee Downtown, BID #21. “We look forward to working with TKWA, OLIN and their entire team.”

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 to visit https://www.milwaukeedowntown.com/do-business/red-arrow-park-redesign-rfq.