Quorum Architects and Ayres Associates has been chosen by The Harbor District Inc. to design a new public plaza on Milwaukee’s Inner Harbor at the end of Greenfield Avenue.
Milwaukee-based Quorum and Waukesha-based Ayres’s project, Slosh Park, was chosen following the nearly year-long Take Me to the River project that started with community outreach and the submittal of five designs at a public event in November.
The teams were asked to create a project in two phases. Phase one will be constructed for a budget under $150,000 that will be executed this year. Phase two, the more extensive design portion, will require additional fundraising and will be done in 2018 and beyond.
“We are excited to be a part of the team that will create a place which truly invites the public into this amazing yet elusive part of the city,” said Jennifer Current of Quorum Architects. “The Harbor District is such an important and unique asset for Milwaukee – our project aims to show how thoughtful design in this setting can allow industry, urban life and freshwater ecologies to thrive simultaneously . . . all in a space we think would just be really great to simply be in.”
Harbor District Inc., a nonprofit organization formed to promote redevelopment of the city’s Inner Harbor area, is working with the Environmental Collaboration Office of the City of Milwaukee, the City of Milwaukee Department of Public Works, and the Take Me to the River Steering Committee to advance the project.
Harbor District executive director Lilith Fowler said the project is a first step to re-introduce people to this part of the city.
