Currie Park is being developed by a multidisciplinary team of experts as a community-based, ecological vision, creating a key place of exchange between the city of West Palm Beach and its urban estuary on the shores of the Intracoastal Waterway. The master planning effort for the 13.6-acre site reflects collaboration between the design team and multiple stakeholders, including members of the local community, multiple tiers of governmental leadership, and representatives from nearby schools and nonprofits. Currie Park’s redevelopment is focused on creating a vibrant urban park that weaves together art, ecology, and community activities along the water’s edge.
Guided by numerous stakeholder meetings led by key members of the design team, the landscape architects studied the park’s relationship to the city and its surrounding neighborhoods and focused on creating a variety of new experiences informed by community discussions and input, which will further strengthen neighborhood use of the park and public access overall.
The reimagined and reprogrammed park will serve a broad audience from the adjacent neighborhoods, all of which are home to communities rich in culture and history. The newly renovated Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Landmark, situated within Currie Park and one of multiple significant sites along a heritage trail celebrating the century-long history of vibrant African American communities and cultural contributions in the Palm Beaches, is preserved and celebrated as the southern anchor of the park.
Currie Park’s open spaces, which serve an array of large and small scale events and active recreation functions, are enveloped by lush, planted areas that provide critical shade and seasonal interest. Based on an in-depth analysis of native ecologies, the landscape architects identified locations along the park’s western edge within which specific native plant communities fulfill aesthetic, performative, and educational goals.
The landscape architects and marine engineering consultant studied the evolution of the Lake Worth Lagoon from a freshwater lake to its current state as an urban estuary, developing a design that both enhances the site’s ecological systems and also remains sensitive to existing seagrass areas, through the implementation of living shoreline strategies; additionally, measures were taken to raise the overall elevation of the park providing enhanced protection against sea level rise, ensuring a more resilient future.
The master plan includes a public art plaza, tidal amphitheater, boundless nature playground, multi-use events lawn, fitness areas, trails, native gardens, an expanded pier system, and an enclosed resiliency hub which will function as a community center. In addition to these future park amenities, the newly renovated MLK Memorial and the existing public boat ramp, the sole public access in the City, will be preserved in place.
Currie Park Redesign
Location: West Palm Beach, Florida, USA
Client: City of West Palm Beach
Design Lead, Landscape Architecture, Urban Design, and Planning: OLIN
Project Management, Civil Engineering, and Landscape Architecture Support, Prime Consultant: Chen Moore and Associates
Collaborators/Other Consultants:
Programming & Activation: Biederman Redevelopment Ventures
Public Engagement (Content): Barth Associates, LLC
Public Engagement (Logistics): L.B. Limited Associates, Inc.
Architecture: Stephen Boruff, AIA, Architects + Planners, Inc.
Mechanical, Electrical, & Plumbing Engineering: Johnson, Levinson, Ragan, Davila, Inc
Coastal Engineering & Environmental Permitting: Cummins | Cederberg, Inc.
Marina Development Services: Brandy Marine International, LLC
Structural Engineering: O’Donnell, Naccarato, Mignogna, and Jackson, Inc.
Traffic Engineering: Via Planning, Inc.
Grant Application Preparation: RMPK Funding, Inc.
Land Surveying: Engenuity Group, Inc.
Geotechnical Engineering: Nutting Engineers of Florida, Inc.
Construction Cost Estimation: Seville Legacy, LLC
