2022 Professional Design Awards | Indiana Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects

Recently, INASLA hosted its Annual Conference on Landscape Architecture at The Commons in Downtown Columbus, Ind. where the 2022 Professional Design Awards were announced during a luncheon ceremony.  

V3 Companies was among the INASLA Professional Design Award recipients in the category of Unbuilt Works for The Parks Alliance at Riverside Park Placemaking Plan. A number of The Parks Alliance partners were among INASLA Professional Design Award recipients.  

Honor Award Category: Constructed Works Over $1,000,000 Shelbyville Town Center RATIO Design	Merit Award Category: Design | Unbuilt Works The Parks Alliance at Riverside Park Placemaking Plan V3 Companies
Merit Award Category: Constructed Works Over $1,000,000 Turn to the River Central Plaza Taylor Siefker Williams Design Group	Merit Award Category: Planning & Analysis Catapult Central Clarksville (3C) Master Plan Rundell Ernstberger Associates
Merit Award Category: Constructed Works Over $1,000,000 Depot Street Park Context Design	Merit Award Category: Environmental Stewardship The Parklands Rundell Ernstberger Associates

The Parks Alliance at Riverside Park Placemaking Plan  

Established in 1903, Riverside Regional Park is the second-largest park in Indianapolis with 862 acres of parkland uniquely located along both banks of the White River on Indianapolis’s near west side. In 2017, the City of Indianapolis conducted a park planning process which resulted in the Riverside Regional Park Master Plan. 

The Parks Alliance has been involved in reimagining Riverside Regional Park since that master plan, working in partnership with Indy Parks on implementation of key projects within the park, including the historic restoration of the Taggart Memorial and its creative reuse as a neoclassical backdrop for a multipurpose, outdoor amphitheatre.  

As part of a strategic rebrand and to better demonstrate the mission, The Parks Alliance relocated their offices in 2020 to a vacant building in the heart of Riverside Regional Park nestled between the White River and White River Greenway, and just north of the historic Klaussman 30th Street Bridge.  

In the late Nineteenth Century, The Parks Alliance grounds were known as Riverside Marina, and were used as one of the key locations for boating and water recreation along the White River. This space was an extension of Riverside Park’s “historic core” and was adjacent to the iconic Riverside Casino shelter house. Along with the Marina, the Casino activated the area by being a landmark destination that offered a park shelter, golf lockers, and green space for relaxation. 

The former Riverside Marina provided boating access to the park, and park access to the White River. Their complementary relationship helped activate the location. A former wharf boat structure allowed for the launch of boats and covered stands for hundreds of spectators. The former Marina was also across the river from the historic Canoe Club, which was later replaced by the Riverside Naval Armory, and now Riverside High School.  

Only a few remnants of these elements remain today. While many of these exciting waterfront features activated the river, it is worth noting that the site’s heyday occurred during the time of segregation and most of the activities were reserved for white people only. Using the historical precedence, and a desire to activate the riverfront in a meaningful way for all people, The Parks Alliance was awarded a grant in 2018 from Allen Whitehill Clowes Charitable Foundation to develop a placemaking plan for their site, and funding for the first phase of improvements.  

The Parks Alliance wanted to complement the conversion of Riverside Golf Course into Riverside Adventure Park and draw park visitors back to the White River through improvements at their site. The landscape architecture team, V3 Companies, “listened to the land” through their site inventory process, which included a historical review of the surrounding site’s uses, as well as analysis of present-day view sheds and use.  

V3 Companies took inspiration not only from the historic context, but from modern examples such as the Paris-Plages and the Chicago Riverwalk. The landscape architecture team’s opportunities and constraints analysis identified a series of “river rooms” each with unique characteristics and ways to interact with the river.   

In the River Access Room, a formalized boat drop-off, overlook terrace for boat staging, and accessible ramp system lead to a boat dock at water’s edge. These improvements connect to the White River Greenway trail and the historic Klausmann bridge staircase at 30th Street. Remnants of a historic Wharf Boat dock are incorporated into a new deck and grand staircase overlooking the river, Riverside High School, and historic Klaussman 30th Street Bridge. These improvements provide gathering spaces, celebrate the site’s boating history, and make river access more visible and accessible.  

The Upper and Marina Terrace Rooms includes a large greenspace for flexible gathering, swings overlooking the river, and an extended building patio with a fire pit. It affords the best panoramic view of Riverside High School and the historic Klaussman 30th Street Bridge. It can function as the main public gathering and performance space on the site, and it connects to a covered terrace area with a reconfigured counter on the south side of The Parks Alliance office building.  

The Parking and Picnic Terrace is a lovely, shaded natural area that can support picnic tables and a beautiful view of the river sandbar leftover from levee development in the 1930s. Interpretive signage at this location can communicate how the sandbar was created and why stewardship of the river is important. A combination stair and ramp system provide a fully accessible northern entrance and an additional connection to the Greenway.  

An AES Indiana (formerly IPL) Day in the Parks volunteer event in the fall of 2019 cleared invasive plants along the river, which opened views from and to the building’s covered patio space.  

The first phase of improvements focused on the spaces adjacent to the office building including the parking terrace and covered patio terrace. These spaces were prioritized for their ability to immediately serve The Parks Alliance’s partners, staff, visitors, and the community-at-large. Improvements to the covered patio terrace included seating and railing upgrades that allow The Parks Alliance to host gathering events for the community or for impromptu relaxation along one of the more scenic views of the White River.  

Late Fall of 2022, The Parks Alliance was awarded a second grant from Allen Whitehill Clowes Charitable Foundation for implementation of phase two of the placemaking plan, which is currently in development. The goal of phase two is to capitalize on The Parks Alliance’s riverfront and historic location to be a quality public space that contributes to people’s health, happiness and well-being by being a safe, inspirational natural location along the river. It will allow The Parks Alliance to continue offering and expand engaging program and events that foster social connections and celebrate the cultural heritage of the Riverside neighborhood.  

The Parks Alliance, V3 Companies, and Indy Parks looks to improve and activate a space along the White River, in line with the vision and values of the White River Vision Plan. The White River Vision Plan is a multi-county, community-driven vision to enhance 58 miles of the White River in Marion and Hamilton Counties and is aimed at identifying the natural resource as an asset for the region as part of economic development, ecological enhancement, and quality of life for talent attraction and retention.