Size:
32 acres /
1.3 million sq ft

Client:
Gainesville CRA

Location:
Gainesville, FL

Completion:
July 2016

Landscape Architect:
JOLA, Inc.

Engineer:
Jay Brown Professional Group

Downtown Depot Park

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Depot Park is anchored by a restored, 1860s-era train station that served as Gainesville’s main railroad hub for 60 years. The Downtown Central Park includes: a football field-sized Adventure Play Area with more than six distinct play zones, two iconic gateway features, site lighting, landscaping, a water’s edge promenade designed to host food truck rallies and festivals; picnic pavilions; and a pedestrian bridge.

This rustic, railroad theme informs the aesthetic of the whole park.

One of the park’s biggest construction challenges was overcoming the brownfield site’s lingering coal tar contamination.

Our team coordinated extensively with local environmental regulatory agencies and implemented several safety measures to maintain the integrity of the clean soil cap.