Downtown Akron’s outdoor gathering space is about to expand.
Work is being completed on the Akron Art Museum’s new Bud & Susie Rogers Garden, a one-acre park in the shadow of the museum’s cantilevered Roof Cloud. The garden will open July 16 with a preview for members from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., followed by a free public celebration from 2 to 9.
On Thursday the museum’s executive director and chief executive officer, Mark Masuoka, led a tour of the new garden for the media and a handful of guests.
The garden, which fills a sloping lot between High Street and Broadway, is actually a collection of terraced spaces designed to accommodate everything from public events to downtown workers enjoying their brown-bag lunches. The walls alone can seat 150, Masuoka pointed out.
On the High Street side, a concrete patio called the Lehner Family Foundation Plaza offers space for large gatherings. It will be the site of the museum’s Downtown@Dusk concerts, which start July 28.
Tour guest Karen Starr smiled as she stepped onto the plaza. “So much more dancing room,” said Starr, a civic activist who is co-owner of Akron’s Hazel Tree Interiors.
To the south of the plaza is the Canopy, an elevated grove of birch trees. The trees are planted in a permeable, crushed-granite surface smooth enough for walkers or wheelchairs.
A grassy lawn called the Green is just east of the plaza and elevated a few feet above it. A concrete feature wall at one end adds architectural interest as well as a place to display artwork, Masuoka said.
A switchback ramp called the Criss Cross lets people traverse the grade to or from the garden’s upper level. Narrow beds between the Criss Cross’ walkways are planted in native perennials and grasses and are edged with weathered Cor-Ten steel, which Masuoka noted was installed at a slight angle to catch the sunlight in various ways. Subtle lighting will make the Criss Cross glow at night, he said.
At the top of the garden, on the Broadway side, is a grove of trees called the Art Oasis. Masuoka said the various types of trees will eventually grow to different heights, much like the trees in the Cuyahoga Valley.
The entire garden is accessible via ramps, which lead into the space off both High Street and Broadway.
Masuoka said he hopes the garden will encourage museum visitors to extend their stays and also draw others from the community. It’s a public space that will be open daily from 9 a.m. to dusk, he said.
“We wanted people to come together,” he said, emphasizing that the garden is for anyone’s use. He said groups are welcome to meet there without asking permission, although they might want to check the museum’s website to make sure no event is planned.
The $5 million project transformed what used to be a parking lot and was funded largely by a gift from museum supporters Rick and Alita Rogers. The state allotted $400,000 to the project earlier this year.
The garden is named for Rick Rogers’ parents, longtime community volunteers and supporters of the art museum.
Masuoka said the space will continue to evolve. The museum intends to bring in artists to tour the garden and perhaps propose projects for it.
But what he’s really looking forward to is seeing families use the pocket park for picnics.
“To me,” he said, “that’s exactly why we built this space.”
Mary Beth Breckenridge can be reached at 330-996-3756 or mbrecken@thebeaconjournal.com. You can also become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MBBreckABJ, follow her on Twitter @MBBreckABJ and read her blog at www.ohio.com/blogs/mary-beth.