Chris Merritt and Nina Chase Named Emerson Collective Fellows

We are excited to announce that Founding Principals Chris Merritt and Nina Chase have been named Emerson Collective Fellows. Emerson Collective invests in entrepreneurs and innovators driven by purpose and a sense of possibility, working to create a world of abundance for future generations. The Emerson Collective Fellowship encourages individuals of exceptional talent and creativity to advance bold new projects in education, immigration, the environment, social justice, media, and health.

As Emerson Fellows, Chris and Nina will explore work with the City of Indianapolis and downtown stakeholders to reimagine the future of Monument Circle. The Circle is the heart of downtown civic life located at the city and state’s geographic center. The nearly 300-foot tall Soldiers and Sailors Monument anchors the Circle and has become an icon of the city. While the Circle is a grand public space suitable for cars and large-scale public events, there is remaining potential to create space for vibrant human-scaled every day public life. Through meaningful engagement with city leadership, the business community, and the general public, the Fellowship will support a plan that honors Monument Circle’s rich history and shapes a more connected, welcoming future for the city.

You can learn more about Emerson Collective and the Fellowship here.

The City of Pittsburgh's Comprehensive Plan Kicks Off!

At the end of January, the City of Pittsburgh’s Department of City Planning kicked off a two-year comprehensive planning process. The Comprehensive Plan will guide the city in creating a safe, welcoming, and thriving community for all residents. In more than 200 years as a chartered city, Pittsburgh has never created an integrated comprehensive plan to guide its growth. Most plans have been completed at the neighborhood level. Each neighborhood’s plan reflects its character, history, and culture, which is necessary to preserve what makes these communities unique. A citywide comprehensive plan will build on these efforts and will bring a shared vision that connects and aligns future neighborhood plans. More information about the project and how you can get involved is available on the project’s Digital Engagement Hub.

We are excited to join an incredible team led by Toni Griffin, Urban American City, and HR&A. Additional project partners include Buro Happold, Cityfi, Sasaki, Grayscale Collaborative, Common Cause Consultants, 1Hood Media, Brown Mamas, and Alyssa Lyon Environmental Justice Consultant. As the landscape architects on the team, our work is focused on parks, open space, and stormwater management across the City of Pittsburgh.

Georgia Street Renovation Breaks Ground

Construction on the west block of a three-block Georgia Street renovation has begun. The work will transform the street into a park in the heart of the Wholesale District in downtown Indianapolis. This builds on the legacy of Georgia Street as a centerpiece of the city’s event and entertainment district with an initial overhaul occurring for the 2012 Super Bowl hosted in Indianapolis.

Today, the street takes on a new identity with major redevelopment projects happening in downtown Indianapolis. The west block is being renovated in alignment with a new Convention Center expansion and a 38-story 800 room Signia by Hilton hotel.

New flexible plaza spaces, a monumental canopy structure, and significant new tree planting will create a welcoming and enjoyable space for visitors and residents alike in downtown Indianapolis. The new park environment will open in the spring of 2026. Congratulations to our many partners on this exciting milestone including the City of Indianapolis Department of Metropolitan Development and Public Works, the Capital Improvement Board and Indiana Convention Center, Downtown Indy, and Visit Indy.

West End Bridge Connector Park Designs Debut!

For the past year, we have been working on the West End Bridge Connector Parks in Pittsburgh. The West End Bridge stands as an iconic gateway to Pittsburgh’s riverfronts, yet for too long, it has lacked safe accessible connections for pedestrians and cyclists. This project represents more than just a physical connection; it’s an investment in equity, mobility, and community. By improving access, the West End Bridge access structures and park spaces will bridge the gap between communities and the riverfront, ensuring that more people can enjoy Pittsburgh’s world-class outdoor spaces. 

Led by Riverflife, the team includes El Dorado, Thornton Tomasetti, Buro Happold, Sans Facon, and Derek Porter among others. The project reimagines the space beneath the bridge, introducing elegant ramps and pathways that connect the bridge to the riverfront trail system, surrounding neighborhoods, and key city destinations. With seamless connections and a design inspired by the natural beauty of Pittsburgh’s rivers, the new parks and access structures will provide a safe, inviting route for walkers, runners, and cyclists alike. Together, we’re building a more connected, inclusive riverfront experience for all.

City Market West Plaza is Unveiled in Indianapolis

We are thrilled to share plans for the Indianapolis City Market West Plaza after years of planning and design with the City, development team, City Market Board, and downtown stakeholders. The City Market redevelopment will transform a block of downtown Indianapolis by welcoming new residents through a 350-unit office to residential conversion, renewing the Market with new food, beverage, entertainment, and retail, and introducing new pedestrianized alleys and a signature public plaza.

Originally built in 1886, the City Market has been a vital downtown hub and remains a significant historic destination in the heart of downtown Indianapolis. The former Tomlinson Hall building sat adjacent to the Market on the West Plaza site, and the building’s original foundation remains today. The West Plaza design reveals the site’s history by daylighting the Tomlinson Hall “Catacombs” and integrating them into a series of terraced, lower garden and plaza spaces. By showcasing and celebrating this history while providing new flexible public space connections, the City Market block will be an active, historic destination in downtown Indianapolis.

Construction begins on the first phase later this year. Congratulations and thank you to our many partners including the City of Indianapolis, Indianapolis Department of Metropolitan Development, Gershman Partners, City Market Indianapolis, Indiana Landmarks, and DKGR Architects.

Check out more information about the project in the Indy Star here.

Merritt Chase Welcomes Craig Rowe!

We are excited to welcome Craig Rowe to the Merritt Chase team. Craig is a registered Landscape Architect and Associate with Merritt Chase based in the Indianapolis office. He is nationally experienced, having worked on projects in over 20 states while working in offices in Indianapolis, Denver, and Nashville. Most recently, he worked with Anderson+Bohlander as a senior project manager, focusing on urban infrastructure and infill, historic industrial reuse, green roofs and neighborhood scale urban design. Early career roles in landscape construction equipped Craig with first hand knowledge of how sites are built, allowing him to troubleshoot design concepts before breaking ground. He earned his Bachelor of Landscape Architecture and Master of Urban Design degrees from Ball State University. As both an urbanist and naturalist, Craig’s work seeks to find connection and balance between the built environment and the natural world. He is active with the Indiana Native Plant Society, Indy Urban Acres, the Indianapolis Parks Alliance and INASLA, where he serves on several committees and volunteers his time. He is also a certified Indiana Master Naturalist and scout leader, where he works to inspire the next generation of outdoor stewards.

Cleveland Foundation Headquarters Recognized with ULI 2024 Award of Excellence

The Urban Land Institute recently selected ten projects from North America for its 2024 Awards for Excellence. We are thrilled our ongoing work with the Cleveland Foundation is among the projects recognized.

The Cleveland Foundation’s goal with its new headquarters was not simply to build an office building but to make a transformative place-based investment aligned with its mission and values. The 55,000-square-foot LEED-Gold-certified headquarters was conceived to fundamentally change the way the world’s first community foundation engages with the community it serves, while also changing the conversation and catalyzing equitable development in Cleveland’s historically redlined near east side neighborhoods.

The headquarters establishes a key community anchor in a district-wide redevelopment. Our initial planning work continues with implementation connected to the Foundation headquarters at the Dunham Tavern Museum and Gardens campus, the MidTown Collaboration Center, and future redevelopment along the new public greenway.

Congratulations to the many civic and community partners involved!

Merritt Chase Selected to Design Downtown Entrance Plaza in Columbus, Indiana

The City of Columbus Redevelopment Commission has announced it has selected Merritt Chase to redesign a 1.5-acre plaza at the city's most prominent entrance into downtown. The project is in collaboration with Columbus Design Institute, a technical service arm of Landmark Columbus Foundation. 

The Downtown Entrance Plaza site is split north and south by a four-lane highway, State Road 46, and encompasses two adjacent memorials, including the POW/MIA/Law Enforcement Plaza and Robert D. Garton Veterans Plaza. The two halves form a circle, a key feature of the design completed by Michael Van Valkenburgh and Associates (MVVA) in 2000. As a main entry into Columbus, approximately 28,000 vehicles pass through this plaza each day. Upon vehicular entry to downtown and the plaza, the Robert N. Stewart Bridge frames the Bartholomew County Courthouse.

The project's goals are to transform the landscape into a more desirable space, collaborate with local partners and adjacent projects, improve key design features and connectivity, and ensure the project’s integrity and universal accessibility.

“Collaborating with CDI on this project has brought forth remarkable design firms,” says Heather Pope, Director of the Redevelopment Commission, City of Columbus. “We are thrilled to move forward with Merritt Chase and welcome their contribution to Columbus’ design legacy. We are confident they will design a public space that is accessible and memorable to our community and stakeholders.”

We are honored to have the opportunity to contribute to the extraordinary design legacy that has shaped Columbus, Indiana!

Eskenazi Health Thomas & Arlene Grande Campus Ribbon Cutting

Eskenazi Health and Health & Hospital Corporation of Marion County officially unveiled its newest and largest health center on East 38th Street on the far eastside of Indianapolis. We have been proud to work with Eskenazi, neighborhood residents, and local community organizations on the design of the campus, and we are excited to watch the public green spaces come to life when the neighborhood arrives. Guided by public input, the campus serves as a hub for community gathering, providing accessible care options and social amenities in one places.

Eskenazi has a long history of caring for the city’s most vulnerable population. “At Eskenazi Health, we know our greatest opportunity to improve the health and vitality of our patients and, by extension, the health and vitality of our community, lies in providing access to care that encompasses the whole person and the many factors contributing to good health.” said Lisa Harris, M.D., chief executive officer of Eskenazi Health.

The 12-acre landscape includes community plaza areas, a loop trail, healing gardens, native meadows and stormwater mitigation connected to Pogue’s Run, a farm and orchard, and two sculptures commissioned from local artists.

Danica Liongson Speaking at LABash 2024

Danica Liongson will be speaking at LABash on March 30 at UC Davis. Since 1970, LABash is a student-led conference for landscape architecture held in North America by a different landscape architecture program each year. The conference brings hundreds of students and professionals together to learn, network, and help shape the future of the profession.

Danica’s talk titled “The Future of Downtown: Designing Places for Joy and Delight After COVID-19” will explore the Monument Circle Park project in downtown Indianapolis.