Love Bank Park

The vision for Love Bank Park is to create a multi-functional and environmentally sustainable public space on Cherokee Street - one of the most multi-cultural and progressive communities in the City of St. Louis. The curved geometries of Love Bank Park are inspired by Venn diagrams - in which overlapping curves demonstrates areas of commonalities between unique elements. These curves help define program elements and allude to the desires of the Cherokee Street community to create a welcoming and inclusive park and neighborhood.

The site, formerly an empty lot, was partially activated by community members who placed basketball hoops in 2015, instantly creating an active community destination.

Building on this grass-roots momentum, Love Bank Park provides space and infrastructure for a variety of activities. An open plaza space with seating, chess tables, shade trees and planted areas provides a welcoming place for neighbors and visitors to gather and relax - or during community festivals, provides a place for concerts, dances and other activities. A large basketball play area in the northern half of the park is designed for shooting hoops, half-court and full-court play, and can serve as a food truck court during festivals. It is the first permeable basketball court in the region.

Designed with permeable pavers, permeable asphalt, rain-gardens and planted areas, the site is also a demonstration landscape for sustainable design and sustainable storm-water management.