East End Central Landscape

Tisch Park and East End Central Landscape is the largest capital investment in the recent history of the Danforth Campus of Washington University in St. Louis.

The project is a transformation of the main public face of the University from Bookings Hall, the iconic hilltop building (west), to Skinker Boulevard (east), Forest Park Parkway (north) and Forsyth Boulevard (south).

The East End Central Landscape includes two new engineering buildings, a new building for the Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts, a new public entrance and expansion of the Kemper Art Museum, an outdoor sculpture garden, a Welcome Center and a Multipurpose Student Hub. The project also removes all surface parking lots on the eastern portion of the campus, replacing them with a large underground parking garage and limits vehicular access to three drop-off plazas at the campus perimeter.

The substantially improved central landscape, now called Tisch Park, ties the east end of the campus together with a large park, more open area for formal and informal gatherings, a replanting of the campus’ signature tree allée, a new sculpture garden, and provides a new network of clear and accessible pedestrian walks and bicycle paths.

Arbolope Studio has served as the St. Louis design partner, collaborating with Michael Vergason Landscape Architects and KieranTimberlake.