Here’s What Downtown Nashville’s ‘West Riverfront Park’ Will Look Like

Image courtesy of the Dean Administration

Mayor Karl Dean’s office has released final design renderings for the future West Riverfront Park, at the old thermal plant site on the Cumberland River. The Metro property — between the newly christened John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge and the Korean Veterans Bridge — has sat empty and mostly idle since the plant burned down in 2002.

At first glance, the park’s design looks almost like a mirror image of Cumberland Park on the east bank. It has a similar garden-landscaped path and teardrop shape. Cumberland Park technically does have an amphitheater — a covered stage with lawn seating, anyway — West Riverfront Park’s amphitheater is meant to be a large scale performance venue that can accommodate 6,500 people.

The amphitheater’s walls are designed to echo the texture of the river’s limestone cliffs. Planners are aiming for LEED certification, with a green roof, geothermal climate control, solar power, and rainwater collection.

Image courtesy of the Dean Administration

The press release says the park will provide a link between the riverfront greenway system and the pedestrian bridge.

The Mayor’s office says the park should be completed during the summer of 2015. Downtown dog-owners may rejoice: Here’s an aerial view that shows, among other things, the location of a “K9 Playground.”