BROWN PARK

Brown Park is a scenic, urban oasis in the heart of St. Matthews and a previous winner of an ASLA design award in the mid 1990s. After 20 years of wear and tear, the existing playground and pavilion space were in disrepair and not functioning properly. The play structures were old and rusty, the rubber playground surfacing was tearing at the seams and the existing pavers at the adjacent pavilion space were warped, causing a tripping hazard for the park users. The city was also unhappy with how the two spaces were in such close proximity and, oftentimes, activities on the playground would disrupt the events at the pavilion space. In the summer of 2018, CARMAN was hired by the City of St. Matthews to master plan redesign the existing playground and pavilion space to better serve the parks’ users while also providing a safer experience for children.

In response to the concerns of the city, the existing path cutting between the playground and the pavilion was widened and a landscape screen added to create more separation between the two spaces. The playground area was expanded to make room for three play “zones” comprised of 5-12 age appropriate equipment, 2-5 age appropriate equipment, and musical play equipment. Play equipment included in these zones were a large muti-use structure and dome climber for children aged 5-12, inclusive play elements such as the Buddy Rocker and Ten Spin for the 2-5 year olds, and a musical room with chimes and drums. CARMAN designed the playground and layout of equipment keeping in mind the fall zones for each structure.

The majority of the playground surface is poured in place rubber with sections of 4 different color mixes to depict more natural elements - dirt, grass, a stone path, and a creek. A smaller portion of the play surface is artificial turf with a “turf mound” suitable for children of all ages. Large deciduous trees were incorporated into the design of the playground to provide shade. Species of ornamental grasses and evergreen shrubs were selected as the plant palette to resemble the existing flora of the park. A variety of seating types were introduced such as re-furbished benches, chair swings, stone seat walls, and large boulders.