Phoenix Park Plaza/Farmers Market Area
Phoenix Park Plaza/Farmers Market Area, Eau Claire, WI
Ayres prepared designs for Phoenix Riverfront Park, a major downtown park on an industrial brownfield site at the confluence of the Chippewa and Eau Claire Rivers in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. The park’s theme is based on the mythical Phoenix. The metaphor holds significant meaning to the community, as it symbolizes the rebirth of a once-contaminated brownfield site, reminding residents of the foundry that inhabited the site at the turn-of-the-century: Phoenix Steel.
Ayres developed site concepts, alternatives, and perspective illustrations for Council Committee sessions and public meetings to refine the vision for this key riverfront area. Following plan approval, Ayres led the design and engineering team to complete Phase One design of Phoenix Riverfront Park.
Phoenix Park has sparked a cultural and economic renaissance in downtown Eau Claire. Since 2005, every dollar of public funding that has been invested in the project has yielded nearly $15 in private investment. This vibrant area is now referred to as the “Phoenix Park Neighborhood.”