Visions for West River Bank Competition
3rd Year Project
Group Members: Jessica Black, Mandy Boccio, Kira Collins, José Garcia, BreAnn Goshe, Erika Omae, Dan Quakenbush
Duration: 6 Weeks
Tulsa, OK
The River West site, located between 11th and 23rd Streets, is one of the more developed portions of the west riverbank in Tulsa. It is home to one of the most prominent German food festivals in the world, Linde Oktoberfest, which draws about 60,000 visitors from all over the world. Other features of the site include a condemned bridge that is part of Route 66, running parallel to 11th Street, and the Mid-Continent Concrete Company near 23rd Street. River West is also closely situated to downtown Tulsa, offering great views of the Tulsa skyline.
After some initial research, it became apparent that Tulsa has a very vibrant cultural and arts community. Keeping those factors in mind, we began designing to reflect this, while also keeping historical elements in place. A multitude of precedents were looked at and several iterations of concepts were created before finally developing the final designs. The River West site was divided into three primary sections: the Route 66 Bridge; the amphitheater and festival site; and the development site, which would be where the existing Mid-Continent Concrete Company is located. Along with these three key areas, bike paths and waterfront access were redesigned to reflect the surrounding area and make the river a more accessible and friendly place.
The Route 66 Bridge is currently unused and some are considering doing away with it altogether. However, our goal is to restore it for its historical and sentimental value. It has been redesigned to not be the typical bridge for vehicle or bike traffic, considering it is bordered on both sides by busy streets and a pedestrian bridge; instead, a shade and seating structure have been designed around the bridge for a more inviting space. The “rainbow” colored material and organic shape is a tribute to the vibrant arts scene in Tulsa. The primary concept behind the bridge is to create multiuse spaces that can be interchanged throughout the year as the city sees fit, while making it a comfortable place to stay and relax.
The current festival site is an empty field, with nowhere to find relief from the sun or comfortably sit on a nice day. Its primary use is for Oktoberfest, with little going on the remainder of the year. There is also a floating stage in disrepair, shielded by amphitheater style seating that is tucked behind the festival site and hidden out of main view. The new amphitheater design is meant to connect the festival site to the area and be used all year round. Access to the venue can now be limited and ticketed, creating a source of revenue. Other aspects of the newly designed amphitheater – classrooms, for example – can be regularly used as well. The festival site has also been reimagined, creating more dynamic green spaces for various uses year round, while giving the space a more intimate and inviting feeling than before.
Lastly, the development area has been designed with the total relocation of the Mid-Continent Concrete Company in mind. A new road system ties directly to the amphitheater and the radial theme throughout the rest of the site has been created. The streets converge on to a common courtyard that borders the river, and gives direct line of site to prominent features, including downtown Tulsa’s skyline. Mixed use spaces have been created along the riverfront, housing commercial and retail spaces, restaurants, offices, and apartments, in an effort to pull people off of the river and into these areas. Buildings dedicated solely to offices, apartment spaces, hotels, and parking, are tucked further away from the riverfront to preserve the feeling of a boardwalk along the river, but still have quick and easy access to the waterfront.
Our goal with the River West site is to reimagine already beloved and existing features to better meet the needs of the community. In addition, we hope to show the potential to bring new businesses and homes to the area in order to create more opportunities. We believe these themes will be an accurate depiction of what Tulsans hold valuable and will only improve the way they interact with their community.
