Art Spaces developed the Turn to the River project as an initiative to celebrate the city’s downtown and the Wabash River. Taylor Siefker Williams Design Group collaborated with Art Spaces and artists Brad and Diana Goldberg in coordination with the City of Terre Haute and Vigo County to create a dynamic new civic space in the heart of the community.

An extensive site inventory and analysis as well as the facilitation of stakeholder and community conversations are a part of the larger Turn to the River initiative. This initial implementation phase creates a new central plaza space in the heart of the government campus led to the development of four primary goals for the project. These goals include: 1. Create an ICONIC DESTINATION for workers, residents and visitors; 2. Improve CONNECTIVITY throughout the central downtown government campus; 3) Celebrate the unique CULTURE and HISTORY of this riverfront community through ART and design; and 4) Attract additional PROGRAMMING OPPORTUNITIES to the government campus area for the 200-plus city/county workers, community residents and visitors.

As part of the community conversations, a desire to create a formal space given the historic French Neo-Baroque architecture County Courthouse and the early art deco style of the Terre Haute City Hall was identified. In addition, the plaza needed to feature a new art piece that vertically didn’t compete with the historic governmental buildings. As such, the landscape architect worked to create a formal, yet modern, new public space.

This project serves as an opportunity to enhance the community “front door” while strengthening and promoting the local identity of the region. The Turn to the River project is a dynamic vision for the Terre Haute community. Ultimately, this type of public investment elevates the quality of life within the community and could leverage additional investment and improvement initiatives along the Wabash River.