Gwen Giles Park, the victim of misguided urban renewal efforts, still contains evidence of its rich ecological history and the significant role it once played in the community. The installation of a mile-long jogging track with distance markers and outdoor fitness equipment takes advantage of the altered topography and the rich bottomland soil; the legacy of a once-thriving prairie ecosystem. The Catalpa tree, for which the park was previously named, is reintroduced, and a field of Goldenrod on the mounds becomes the catalyst for on-site biodiversity. Central to the proposal is the introduction of the Ornate Box Turtle. Shelters for these turtles are inserted into the mounds, and areas of water collection are exaggerated through regrading in order to limit runoff and create an ideal habitat for this threatened species.
SITE PLAN
The recycled rubber jogging path begins at the park's entrance, just north of where Hodiamont Avenue intersects with the future greenway. It eventually merges with the tracks, encouraging park-goers to continue on. Footbridges connect the mounds, allowing runners to easily cross over areas where water is likely to collect. Two “fitness playgrounds” are nestled between intersecting paths and shaded by Catalpa groves. A proposed partnership with the 200 year old deHodiamont House provides space for educational workshops, exercise clubs, and after-school programming that would create additional opportunities for community members to engage with the park.
dynamicity | abeyance
Morphology of the Goldenrod Gall Fly
The design process included leveraging the lifeways of some of the less visible arthropods to develop site-specific, environmentally-just, high performance interventions by choreographing natural systems along the Tracks. The diapausal process of the Goldenrod Gall Fly, characterized by the larva's capacity to exist in both a dynamic state as well as one of abeyance, inspired my approach to the intervention as an act of regeneration.
Conceptual Model
Regeneration as Form: Basswood + Sewing Pins
I studied the notion of regeneration using a deployable, three-dimensional system. When contracted, the device locks into place, mimicking the decrease in mass experienced by the Goldenrod Gall Fly larva during diapause. Studying the site through this lens, the intervention became a tool to reactivate and expand the site, with consideration of its historical landcover as well as the prominent role it once played in the neighborhood, prior to its abandonment.
SITUATIONAL ASSEMBLAGE
Dynamic Intensity Map
The situational map is a visualization of interacting systems in the West End neighborhood, while also considering natural processes, historical events, economic and legislative conditions, political interests, local stories, and regulatory mechanisms. Layered geospatial data sets, including vacancies, surface water runoff, metro routes, and existing local assets, were used to determine microsites that would act as a node along the greenway. After identifying 3 potential locations, I selected Gwen Giles Park, located just east of N Skinker Parkway, nested between the tracks, Hodiamont Ave, and Maple Ave, as the site for intervention. Despite its current abandoned state, the park, named for the local civil rights leader and first black woman to serve on the Missouri Senate, has a powerful legacy, and is in close proximity to various community resources.
Hydrological Analysis
Analysis revealed that rainwater in the West End drains into the River des Peres. Capturing runoff before it enters the sewer system will help alleviate flooding issues plaguing the St. Louis region. Using a physical topographic model of the site, I tested drainage patterns by pouring water mixed with lavender gouache paint. This, together with a water flow simulation created using LiDAR data and Grasshopper, informed elements of my intervention, and was integral in determining placement of turtle shelters.
Top: details of physical model
Bottom: site conditions during a period of heavy precipitation
WAYFINDING
Distance markers are combined with wayfinding and ecological information, allowing users to track their progress, find meeting points, and learn about the park’s diverse ecosystem.
LONGITUDINAL STUDY
For over a century, the #15 Hodiamont Line radiated from Downtown through the core of the West End before terminating at the Wellston Loop, providing the neighborhood with a direct line to the city center. But on May 21, 1966, the last remaining streetcar in St. Louis ceased operation. The Hodiamont Line's closure coincides with a period of profound economic decline across city neighborhoods during the latter half of the 20th Century, to which the West End was no exception. The private right-of-way that ran from Vanderventer Ave at Grand Center to Skinker Boulevard remains largely intact, though a lack of visibility or designated function has made the track vulnerable to disuse, illegal dumping, and criminal activity. In the late 1960s, the park formerly named for its abundant catalpa trees was stripped and regraded to form mounds intended to increase visibility and prevent crime, and an adventure-style playground was installed. The effort was futile, and in the last decade, the city removed what was left of the equipment, leaving the space empty and inactive. Despite its current state, the park's location, together with its dynamic ecological and cultural history, makes it a natural gateway to the greenway.