Brownfield to Greenfield

THE OLD WEST BEND PLATING SITE
WEST BEND, Wisconsin

A 2-acre contaminated Brownfield site is converted into a public park along the banks of the Wisconsin River in the small city of West Bend. Key elements of the artwork include a native Wisconsin Memory Wall that duplicates the foundation of the first building of the nationally known West Bend Company and granite glacial boulders which represent the local Kettle Moraine topography. A circular granite Platform is made from white and black granite laid in a basket weave pattern based upon local Native American designs. The site offers a place for performances and audiences are able to sit upon the Memory Walls or along a sculpted earth embankment. A sculptural element entitled The Feather stands at the northern end of the site looking out over the Milwaukee River. A Brownfield site, a place of 'No Trespassing', segues into a Greenfield, a public user-friendly space.