The DIRT Competition centered around redeveloping several industrial sites in the Milwaukee area. We selected a track of land in the Menonomee Valley occupied by railways, vacant land, and a large industrial company called Falk foundries. The Menomonee River Valley consists of 1,500 acres and drains into a watershed, ultimately ending up in Lake Michigan. Previously the site was home to the first railroad between Wisconsin and Minnesota, known as the Milwaukee Road, and the subsequent locomotive and rail car repair shops inhabiting what is currently the Milwaukee Road Shop Site. In 1985, after 106 years of service, the railroad declared bankruptcy; the surrounding industries declined and the land became vacant.
Our project, which was completed by a team of 6, developed part of this area into a park. The area would be connected by way of a pedestrian bridge to the Falk Corporation for employee use, and a trolley running on the existing railway from downtown to the nearby Miller Park. Also near the site is the Hank Aaron State Trail, which connects to the larger Oak Leaf trail. Road access is limited to the viaduct over the site, but Canal street now connects all across the valley.
The site serves to repair the watershed and clean up contaminated soil. Some artifacts renaming are railway pieces and gears created by the Falk Corporation, some as large as 43 feet in diameter. These elements as well as the natural environment were used to rehabilitate the area.
