Photo by Walker Evans.

The Scioto Peninsula just got a bit greener (or at least it will next spring once the leaves return). The construction barricades are gone from the new Scioto Peninsula Park adjacent to COSI, and visitors have begun enjoying the area despite it not quite being 100% completed. The 6.5-acre park replaces a former surface parking lot, which has been shifted into a new 600-space parking garage located on two levels underground.

Today, the park features open grass areas and a playground. Once finished it will also include themed garden areas, an outdoor cafe and water fountain features. In addition to COSI, the park will also anchor the new Veterans Memorial and Museum once it opens in 2018, and will eventually serve as the front yard to a large-scale 21-acre mixed-use development that will encompass the remaining land on the Scioto Peninsula.

The new park was designed by local landscape architecture firm MKSK, developed by the Columbus Downtown Development Corporation (CDDC) and will be managed by the Columbus Recreation and Parks Department.

For more information, visit www.columbusddc.com.

All photos and video by Walker Evans.