Lincoln Street Art Park

Vibrant Urban settings reflect the diverse personalities of those that inhabit them. Over time, urban places build upon their histories to capture the moments that tell a story, long after the individuals have gone. The constant touch of human interaction upon the built environment translates into a dynamic setting of mystery, exploration and delight that transcends generations. The result is a sustainable model of economic growth, as new generations are attracted to the opportunities to explore and to learn from their predecessors, to build upon those experiences, and to create new ones.

Located in Detroit’s New Center area, just West of the US-10 highway, the sculpture park is to nestle behind the Recycle Here facility on Holden Ave., and buffered by the railroad easement. Enclosed on three sides by either the Recycle Here facility or the railroad berm, the proposed pocket park inherently offers a refuge space amidst a changing urban landscape during Detroit’s historic land use changes.

The Lincoln St. sculpture garden, is an instance of public art to serve as a destination and as a discovery. The park is meant to begin humbly as an activity supported by the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs & the Detroit Recreation department. Over time, the park is intended to grow to meet the demands of new explorers and new residents.

The sculpture garden benefits from the bustling activity of the recycle center on the weekends. On any given Saturday hundreds of local residents frequent the center to drop off their recyclables. Many residents take advantage of bicycle to frequent the center. Lincoln St. is a small side street that runs parallel to the main vehicular artery of Trumbull Ave. and is utilized by local residents as a short cut, and safe route for their bicycles as automobile traffic is low.

Connecting to Trumbull at both the North and South extremities, Lincoln St. offers an exciting one-off exploration of the city as it passes under the railroad viaduct, is anchored by the newly rehabilitated Research Lofts project and provides a direct linkage to Wayne State University and the up and coming Woodbridge neighborhood. The sculpture park seeks to compliment and add value to the experience of bicycle culture and good urban design by offering the touches of human intervention upon the urban landscape through art and culture.