W.C. Handy Park Amphitheater

The W.C. Handy Park proposal is designshop’s entry to a local design competition re-imagining the existing park and its future along famous Beale Street. Seeking to expand the profile of the park as host to a growing summer concert series, the competition sought to ideas from local design firms. The proposed redesign of the park involves manipulation of the ground plane and pushing the stage below grade. In doing so, grade can then gently slope back up to sidewalk level while providing a nice, uniform lawn surface upon which one can sit to enjoy the concerts. Alongside the sloping lawn, vegetated surfaces and heavy tree plantings provide a buffer from the street noise and traffic. The stage is backed by an acoustical retaining wall capped with a glass guardrail that allows curious passersby to stop along the sidewalk and catch a unique perspective of the stage and concert. An overhead canopy provides substantial structure for various modes of rigging and speaker arrangement, including protection from the elements. Adjacent to the stage is a small, enclosed pavilion that houses concessions, restrooms and vertical circulation to green rooms and additional service spaces at stage level. A public plaza surrounds the stage at street level, energizing the block opposite Beale Street.