Become a Friend of the Mile
Become a Friend of the Mile
To transform the downtown Scioto Riverfront, by the Columbus Bicentennial Celebration in 2012, from an aging, underused civic asset into a quality, active green corridor for the benefit of the citizens of central Ohio and their guests, while fostering further investments in the revitalization of downtown.
The prevailing attitude of the last several decades has been that urban sprawl and the resulting decline of a downtown area was nothing to worry about. But all that has changed.
We now know that a healthy and vibrant downtown is not just good for business, it’s great for people.
The $44 million investment in The Scioto Mile is an important part of revitalizing our Downtown. The project consists of these two parts:
1. The Promenade on the Scioto Mile
This grand Promenade stretches along Civic Center Drive from Broad Street to Rich Street. This 30-foot-wide Promenade will serve as a seamless green corridor, connecting Battelle Riverfront Park with the John W. Galbreath
Bicentennial Park. Lined with large deciduous trees on both sides of the street, it will provide a canopy of shade during hot summer days.
The historic carved limestone balustrade, a beaux-arts architectural style built as part of the floodwall project in the 1920s, will be fully restored to its original condition. Next to the balustrade will be a 4-foot wide linear water canal with a series of water jets to animate the water surface and a continuous stone bench on which visitors can rest and dip their feet in the cool, moving water.
A 14-foot wide multi-purpose pedestrian pathway will allow for unrestricted movement along the Promenade. A four-foot stone colonnade loggia with trellis structure, accent lighting and copper-roofed pavilions will be built adjacent to the pedestrian pathway. Swinging benches will be integrated into the colonnade, along with traditional park benches, and card and chess tables.
In the center of the Promenade will be a plaza with seasonal flowers in attractive planters. The plaza will feature a signature water feature which will be the centerpiece of the Promenade. The Promenade Fountain on Huntington Plaza will attract children and adults alike and create a cool place to meet. The simplicity and the richness of the materials used in its design, including its marble base, give this fountain a civic characteristic appropriate to the Ohio Judicial Center across the street.
The Promenade will be constructed to facilitate the popular summer festivals, and will include water and electric service hook-ups. Free wireless Internet service also will be available. Civic Center Drive will be narrowed from four lanes to two and converted to two-way traffic flow to make the Promenade more accessible and safe.
2. The John W. Galbreath Bicentennial Park
This Park is already one of the City’s most popular parks and it will be further transformed with the addition of several new features. A stunning 15,000 sq. ft. water fountain will replace the existing fountain, consisting of several different pools of water that can take myriad geometric shapes with special effect lighting to facilitate a varied viewing experience throughout the day. The fountain will have interactive areas with children access, as well as a central pool with a towering jet of water.
A stone-paved plaza and arcing seat-wall will be built adjacent to the fountain. The Park will receive a permanent amphitheater. A glass-enclosed café restaurant with outdoor dining terrace overlooking the Park will serve as an architectural icon along the Riverfront. Attractive seasonal floral displays and landscaping will enrich the Park experience.