Ziegler Park Expansion Opens to Public

Project Partners and Community Members Gather for Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

CINCINNATI (June 13, 2023) – Leaders from the City of Cincinnati, Cincinnati Center City Development Corp. (3CDC) and Black Art Speaks gathered this afternoon for a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the completion of the expansion of Ziegler Park. Project partners, community members and neighborhood youth were also in attendance to commemorate the occasion.

The $3 million, eight-month-long expansion project included the extension of the pedestrian-only park space onto Woodward Street and a portion of Yukon Street. The expanded area of the park will also serve as additional gathering space for visitors to the park, with a synthetic turf for outdoor games and activities. In addition to these amenities, public art will also be incorporated, based on feedback and submissions provided through an extensive community engagement effort led by Black Art Speaks.

Construction on the expansion of Ziegler Park began in early November. TriVersity Construction served as the general contractor on the project and managed Prus Construction, who served as the lead subcontractor. Design of the project was led by Human Nature.

Since completing the initial $32 million renovation of Ziegler Park in 2017, 3CDC has programmed the space with a variety of events and implemented the Everybody In Program – an initiative aimed at making access to the pool affordable to all and providing free programs, primarily geared toward neighborhood youth. As a direct result of the program, 3CDC and its partners have provided hundreds of children and adults with free swim lessons and started a free swim team and low-cost summer camp program for neighborhood youth. Additionally, they’ve worked with numerous partners to do various other activations and offer an array of free programming at the Park, including Saturday Hoops, workout classes, and movie nights.

Despite making this remarkable progress over the past six years, public safety concerns had arisen in and around the park over the last 18 months. In partnership with the City of Cincinnati, 3CDC took action to address the challenges by expanding Ziegler Park to Main Street. The project was completed in hopes that the park’s expansion would allow operations staff, as well as the Cincinnati Police Department, to better manage the area, while also creating a more pedestrian-friendly environment in the heart of the Main Street Business District.

Furthermore, 3CDC simultaneously launched the Main Street Pop-Up Program – a recommendation resulting from the work of the Main Street Task Force – just last week. The program offers short-term leases, potential financial incentives, and more to local entrepreneurs, all with the goal of bringing more businesses to the Main Street district. Interested individuals are invited to apply for an opportunity to open their concept as a pop-up in one of the area’s many available storefronts. Information is available at www.DowntownCincinnati.com/pop-up-program.

In creating a safe outdoor gathering space for adults and children alike, while concurrently activating vacant storefronts with new businesses, the project team is hopeful the expansion’s impact will be felt throughout the community.

# # #