Artist Walk rendering
Published on July 31, 2023 at 5:19 pm
Underneath the Fuller Warren Bridge in Riverside is a dirt lot stretching for three city blocks that is in the process of becoming the newest park in Jacksonville. The space between Riverside Avenue and Park Street under the bridge will be called Artist Walk.
On Monday, Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan and other representatives from the city celebrated the construction of this new park, which will feature a skate park, flexible-use plaza for events and more.
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“This location directly across the street from the Riverside Arts Market will further cement this rich hub of local artists, makers and artisans right here in Jacksonville,” Deegan says.
Artist Walk will feature a skate park with three different areas designed for skaters with all types of experience, a space where local artists can show off their work, synthetic turf and sculptures.
The new park will cost $8.8 million and was funded by the city and the Florida Department of Transportation. Once the park opens in about two years, it will be connected to the new FDOT Shared Use Path across the Fuller Warren Bridge and the Emerald Trail in Jacksonville, once it’s completed.
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Jacksonville City Council member Jimmy Peluso says this new park will be a unique place for people to enjoy the arts and culture of Riverside.
“Riverside is a place where individuals have just more independence, they’re more creative. Culture is a major part of their lives, and art is another major part of their lives. It breathes new life into some of these old buildings and structures, and there’s nothing cooler than now having a gateway into Riverside that specifically speaks to that,” Peluso says.
Artist Walk is the latest project in a string of construction projects in Jacksonville that, once complete, will help to transform Downtown. Phase one of construction is continuing at Riverfront Plaza, near the Main Street Bridge, to turn that area into a city park and cafe. Other notable projects include a new Four Seasons Hotel and Museum of Science & History on the Northbank of the St. Johns River.
