In February of this year, Crescent Park opened. The park—a 1.4 mile, 20-acre stretch of linear park—hugs the shore of the Mississippi River and runs through the Bywater. The park was conceived post-Katrina by investor and hotelier (International House) Sean Cummings. Cummings was the director of the New Orleans Building Corporation, the city agency that oversees municipal property. He assembled a crack team of architects, landscaping experts and designers to create the park in 2008, so it was under construction for eight years before it finally opened.
Creating Crescent Park was quite an undertaking, considering its location immediately adjacent to the river’s edge, meaning its location also included some wharves (some operating), and access was blocked by the Public Belt Railway tracks (a similar situation exists at Woldenberg Park). A crescent-shaped bridge at Piety Street was constructed to allow pedestrians to cross over the tracks unimpeded, and there’s an elevator close to the entrance over the tracks closer to Elysian Fields.
My first exposure to the park was a bit before it opened officially. I took a park tour with KC Guidry, who manages the park and is a staff member at the French Market Corporation (disclosure: I am on the FMC board). I was pretty amazed at the facility; there are running paths, a dog park, huge covered areas (perfect for an arts market—in fact there are art bazaars there regularly), and a couple of staging areas for music; picnic tables. It’s really a perfect place to enjoy the serenity of the river, great views, and nature, because right now, not that many people have experienced the park.
Last weekend, the French Market’s 30th annual Creole Tomato Fest opened the park up (they call that “activation”) to the public by putting music stages and food in Crescent Park during the two-day festival. But not many people wandered over across Elysian Fields from the Old U.S. Mint to check out that part of the festival (the market areas and Dutch Alley were packed). Why? Is it just a matter of doing more events there?
At one point in time, it was rumored that the French Quarter Festival would extend its footprint downriver to Crescent Park, but that didn’t happen this year. Will it happen in the future? Should it happen? Is Crescent Park too far removed from the French Quarter to be a viable extension of an existing event?
One problem with the park is that the entrance at Elysian Fields is pretty hard to find.
Sidewalk entrance to Crescent Park at Elysian Fields.
Although the words “Crescent Park” are painted on the retaining wall at Elysian Fields, I don’t think anyone pays much attention to this. It’s obvious that there needs to be an appealing, highly-visible entrance to Crescent Park on Elysian Fields just to let people on this end of the park know that there’s something even there. That’s a pretty important component that seems to have been neglected in the planning and construction process for the park, because there are hundreds of thousands of people who patronize the French Market’s Flea and Farmer’s Markets every year; the entrance to Crescent Park is maybe a half block away from the Old U.S. Mint. More signage at the Flea Market is called for, maybe on the neutral ground at the end of Elysian Fields, and a grand entrance where the sidewalk begins. And the riverfront streetcar end right there as well. Get the RTA involved?
That’s one way to help raise the profile of the park. The other way is to hold regular, high-profile events there. The Creole Tomato Fest was just a start. Perhaps the park needs its own unique events and festivals, especially during the hotter months of the year—the breezes from the river make it really pleasant, and there are lots of places to sit and enjoy the view, along with covered areas to erect music stages, art markets, and food booths. Have you been to Crescent Park?
