Hilliard Station Park & First Responders Park

Urban Parks Promote Connection, Honor Fallen Service Personnel

OHM Advisors worked with the City of Hilliard, Ohio on two urban park additions—each with historical significance—designed to gather residents and visitors to connect and share community.

Hilliard’s Station Park is located at a downtown trailhead of the Heritage Rail Trail that spans seven miles between Hilliard and Plain City, Ohio. The city desired a space to serve as both a recreational hub for trail users and a year-round event space for the community. Our team designed two buildings, symbolic of the site’s past use as a train depot, to accommodate varied programming and events. The buildings include deep overhangs and brackets, as well as large glass garage doors with a transparent feel. An overhead natural cedar trellis connects the structures, unifying the landscape architecture design and reinforcing the use of recycled, natural and environmentally-conscious materials. Near the trailhead is a zone with outdoor lockers and resting areas, and at the park’s center lies a plaza with an amphitheater and programmable water feature/spray park with seasonal lighting and music which hosts concerts and events throughout the year.

First Responders Park was, at the time of its completion, the largest memorial park honoring service personnel who responded to the 9/11 tragedy. The park is composed of a series of contemplative spaces for reflection and incorporates fountain features, seating areas, sculptures, memorial monuments and, poignantly, actual steel pieces from the towers for the plaza.

Project Highlights: parks and recreation, public space, splash pad, events venue