Harbor District, Inc. constructed the winning design from a public design competition for a new public plaza at the east end of Greenfield Avenue. The concept was created by Ayres Associates and Quorum Architects and is located along the waterfront next to the UWM School of Freshwater Sciences.
The plaza design includes a play structure for children, a water play area and water feature, and a canoe/kayak launch and dock. The play structure is designed to look like the shipping containers synonymous with ports around the world. The water play area allows children to explore water flow and cool off on hot days. The canoe/kayak launch and dock allows visitors to get to the water’s edge and provides the only public canoe/kayak launch and docking south of the Milwaukee River in Milwaukee’s inner harbor.
Harbor View Plaza provides a space for families and children to recreate outdoors and experience the waterfront, a place for neighborhood workers to relax at lunch, and a destination for canoers and kayakers. The plaza is the first major investment in what will eventually be a continuous network of Riverwalk and waterfront parks spanning much of the western shore of the Harbor District. For details on the larger vision for the Harbor District, see the Water and Land Use Plan.
Harbor View Plaza was made possible thanks to the generous donations of Rockwell Automation, Inc., the City of Milwaukee, Brico Fund, and many other donors listed further down on this web page.