Fort Smith Riverfront

Overview

The expansion of an existing park facility and a desire to create a public space linking the downtown with an underutilized riverfront was the impetus for this project. The threat of flooding and a grade transition of 22 vertical feet presented a challenge for the architects. A state highway and three railroad lines that bisect the project into two distinct pieces further fragment the site, which is bordered on one side by the Arkansas River.

The existing park located at the river’s edge is used for performances and was lacking in amenities. The existing stage was fine for large concerts but was not well suited to more intimate performances. The Events Building provides staging areas for events including meeting rooms, concessions, and public toilets. The new 1100 seat amphitheatre provides a venue for smaller performances while its switchback handicap ramps tie the upper and lower parks together.

The other half of the park located inland on the other side of the highway and railroad provides a transition and edge between civic and downtown realms in the City. At one end of this park sits a glazed pavilion. The pavilion’s unpartitioned space can be opened to the park by raising the glass overhead doors. The pavilion’s ten-foot overhangs provide solar shading and protection from the weather when the overhead doors are raised.