Architects share concept designs for redeveloped Coleman Hawkins Park

By Chris Fortune

Local architects recently helped visitors imagine a redeveloped Coleman Hawkins Park.

Redevelopment at Coleman Hawkins Park will focus on moving the stage, most likely to a location on the south side of the park, to provide better viewing and seating on the hill near where the stage currently sits.

Goldberg Group Architects held a community engagement open house during a recent Sounds of Summer concert with designs they are currently working on.

“We had three concepts which we’ve got pulled together with our best thoughts and ideas based on work with the (parks department) and the city of St. Joseph and previous input from the public,” said Kevin Rost, vice president of the architecture group.

The architects also brought blank maps of Coleman Hawkins Park so visitors could draw their own designs.

“We wouldn’t leave any option off the table right now,” Rost said. “We want to see what everybody’s ideas are. It may be 100 different ideas, and you see one and it’s like ‘Wow, I never thought of that.’”

St. Joseph resident Chris Moore sketched his idea and provided input from a performer’s perspective. He plays drums for a band called Vinyl Revival.

“We’ve been up here twice this season to play at the gazebo,” he said. “It’s always been a blast.”

Moore would like to see the stage moved south to face the hill to provide better acoustics and accessibility for bands.

“My preference would be for it to be as close to Felix Street as it could be,” he said. “Feasibly, it would just make it easier for the bands to load in.”

Sydney Goldberg, president of Goldberg Group Architects, expected a large turnout during the Sounds of Summer concert, but she was unsure how many people would walk across the street from the park to engage with her team.

“We’ve had a lot of people (visit) so far,” she said. “We want a lot of ideas so we can come up with the best solution for the community.

Funding for the redevelopment project, set to begin in the construction season of 2025, is included in the park sales tax program. Some schedules for next spring’s and summer’s events could be changed while construction takes place.