Prince Concepts

Core City Park - the conversion of an asphalt parking lot into a 110 tree urban woodland and public space.

The project was completed April 2019 and designed by landscape architect, Julie Bargmann, of DIRT studio.

The site, and subsequently the buildings around it, underwent a total transformation.

The history of the site very much informed the design:

In 1893, Detroit Fire Department’s Engine 12 was completed on this site and served Detroit until the mid-1970s. From then until Core City Park was developed, the site was an asphalt parking lot that weeds, debris, and the occasional car called home.

Core City Park honors this past: nearly everything used in the construction of the park was found on site.

Benches are sections of concrete walls removed from an old bank vault in the adjacent Pie Building.

"Islands” - housing the benches - are a patchwork of found building pieces from the historic fire house which was demolished, pushed into the basement and covered with asphalt.

Old drive and alleyways were uncovered and repurposed.

We gave what was decommissioned purpose again; dignity.

The park is also built for the future:

Today, 110+ trees - Flowering Dogwoods and Iconic Locusts - have taken over the corner to create an “urban woodland," that only gets more spectacular every season.

Spring is sweet with with and pink Flowering Dogwoods.

Summer is tropical with the copious Locust leaves creating a canopy that produces a soft, dappled, green Summer light.

Fall is warm with golden Locusts and rich red Dogwood leaves.

Adults, children, dogs, residents, tourists and Detroiters enjoy, populate, occupy, and rule the public space. Sitting, eating, playing, connecting, relaxing and enjoying.

Working with Julie Bargmann was a marvel - her idea to let the site's history dictate the design gave the project spirit, relevance, intrigue, and most importantly - awakened a myth.

As Julie always said, "the right design will emerge, not descend."

Days of digging and discovering slowly led to beautiful hand drawn plans, which were followed by on site simulations.

Core City Park was simple, smart, resourceful and fresh.

A distinct, optimistic, and respectful concept that materialized into an active and vibrant public space.

The world noticed: Core City Park was featured as the cover on the of the October 2020 issue of Landscape Architecture Magazine and in 2021, Julie Bargmann was named the first recipient of the Cornelia Hahn Oberlander International Landscape Architecture Prize, established by the Cultural Landscape Foundation.

Although this park was designed by Julie, and developed by Prince Concepts, it was a truly a hand made project and a collaborative effort between Architect, Ishtiaq Rafiuddin (UNDECORATED), friends and business owners on the park, Daisuke Hughes and Jess Hicks (Ochre Bakery and Astro Coffee Roasting), Randy Pardy and our great crew.

"Planting trees communicates a belief in the future." - Philip Kafka