Sasaki
Between 1880 and the early 1950s, the 168-acre Bonnet Springs Park site was home to the Lakeland Railyard, which served as a major hub for the movement of freight up and down the east coast. In 1952 the railyard closed, leaving the land in an abandoned state and Lake Bonnet all but forgotten.
Then in 2015, recognizing that metro Lakeland is one of the fastest growing regions in the country, and building upon the city’s strong tradition of parks and natural areas, a group of Lakeland enthusiasts proposed the creation of Bonnet Springs Park—a central park for Lakeland.
In 2017 the Bonnet Springs Park board hired Sasaki to create a master plan for the park. Sasaki took input from the public during a six-month outreach period and incorporated ideas and desires into an approved design and park mission: to become an ecological jewel, a cultural magnet, and connected community asset.
Aerial shots show how the landscape and hills merge with the buildings to effectively define the boundary of the event lawn.
Sasaki’s park design includes heritage gardens, a canopy walk, boating activities, botanic gardens, playgrounds, and an event lawn. New walking and biking paths connect major park spaces with new buildings designed by Sasaki: Welcome Center, Nature Center, Event Center, and the Florida Children’s Museum and CafĂ©.
The master plan shows the full scope of the project: 168 acres of unused land transformed into a new “Central Park” for the city of Lakeland.
A grove of live oak trees shade sections of the quarter-mile-long canopy walkway that soars up to 20+ feet above the woodland floor.
Decades of industrial use and outdated stormwater management practices left portions of the site in a degraded condition, and the brownfield status was a primary factor that influenced the design process. Sasaki’s interdisciplinary team, along with a group of local consultants, developed strategies for restoring natural systems and remediating harmful contaminants on the site. The remediation strategy included the removal of invasive exotic plants, constructing wetlands and bioswales to treat runoff, and capping contaminated soil in large hills that double as overlooks for the park.
In other parts of the site, mature live oak trees and meandering waterways are protected and enhanced. A Nature Center is located at the nexus of these environments overlooking Lake Bonnet where park visitors have the opportunity to learn about the ecology of central Florida. The Nature Center features a classroom and exhibition space as well as a café and boat rental facilities.
Perched on stilts above a remediated lagoon overlooking Lake Bonnet and shrouded by preserved oaks, the Nature Center welcomes all visitors seeking to learn more about the flora and fauna of Bonnet Springs Park.Â
Connected by boardwalks, the cypress-clad Nature Center consists of two buildings providing exhibit space, classrooms, food vendors, and paddle boat rentals.Â
The Nature Center is nestled within the existing trees of the Bonnet Springs Valley and visible from various points along the boardwalk.
A series of lush constructed wetland gardens play a vital role in improving the ecological health of the Bonnet Springs Valley and Lake Bonnet.
At moments along this quarter-mile-long walkway through the canopy, the view opens up to showcase the magnificent 200-year-old Grandfather Oak—a centerpiece of Bonnet Springs Park.
Perched on stilts above a remediated lagoon overlooking Lake Bonnet and shrouded by preserved oaks, the Nature Center welcomes all visitors seeking to learn more about the flora and fauna of Bonnet Springs Park.Â
Connected by boardwalks, the cypress-clad Nature Center consists of two buildings providing exhibit space, classrooms, food vendors, and paddle boat rentals.Â
The Nature Center is nestled within the existing trees of the Bonnet Springs Valley and visible from various points along the boardwalk.
A series of lush constructed wetland gardens play a vital role in improving the ecological health of the Bonnet Springs Valley and Lake Bonnet.
At moments along this quarter-mile-long walkway through the canopy, the view opens up to showcase the magnificent 200-year-old Grandfather Oak—a centerpiece of Bonnet Springs Park.
The park’s downtown location creates a prime opportunity to build upon Lakeland’s tradition of hosting renowned cultural and educational institutions and furthering the city’s commitment to supporting the arts. Interpretive exhibits at the Welcome Center highlight the region’s agricultural, industrial and cultural history, and outdoor spaces feature an extensive botanic garden as well as the integration of fixed and ephemeral works of art throughout the park. Most notably, the Florida Children’s Museum has relocated into an expanded facility at the heart of Bonnet Springs Park and participates in the development of educational and cultural programming for the entire park.
The playground is a staple park attraction with stroller and wheelchair accessibility.
The Children’s Museum and Cafe form a new gateway into the event lawn. The museum facade serves as a blank canvas for colorful murals.
The large, central event lawn is designed to program cultural events and festivals throughout the year. An estimated 25,000 visitors attended the grand opening of the park in October 2022.
Bonnet Springs Park welcomes visitors of all ages and backgrounds from throughout the city and connects neighborhoods currently divided by transportation infrastructure and a gap in the urban fabric. New walking and bike paths, welcoming entrances, and the integration of transit allows the park to be easily accessible from near and far. The park also serves as a place to connect people socially with gathering facilities such as a large banquet hall at the Event Center, a full-service restaurant at the Welcome Center, and a large central event lawn for concerts and festivals. Smaller gathering spaces such as a tree house, tea house, and nature playground help bring people closer to the daily magic of the park. The range of activities in the park supports physical and social equity for all visitors in an effort to reinforce shared experiences and forge new connections within this growing and changing community.
Walking paths provide public connections to the Welcome Center at multiple levels
The Bonnet Springs Valley was created by the natural eroding processes of the Bonnet Springs, a sand seep spring. The rare hydrological system is the result of ground water being squeezed out of a porous hillside. A new restored ecosystem along the spring corridor will naturally stabilize the banks, clean the water, and provide new habitat for water-loving fauna.
The Nature Playground’s water play area takes inspiration from the site’s sand spring
Walking paths provide public connections to the Welcome Center at multiple levels
The Bonnet Springs Valley was created by the natural eroding processes of the Bonnet Springs, a sand seep spring. The rare hydrological system is the result of ground water being squeezed out of a porous hillside. A new restored ecosystem along the spring corridor will naturally stabilize the banks, clean the water, and provide new habitat for water-loving fauna.
The Nature Playground’s water play area takes inspiration from the site’s sand spring
For more information contact Zachary Chrisco, Andrew Gutterman or Anna Cawrse.
A truly interdisciplinary project, Sasaki brought together landscape architecture, civil engineering, and architecture to create a holistic, resilient design for Bonnet Springs Park
From raw sketches to construction, how do our interdisciplinary design teams bring their visions to reality?
"Great cities have a great park." Creating a special public place out of underutilized, industrial land for the whole Lakeland, Florida community to enjoy
The first stage of revitalization efforts have set the stage for the park to come
At Bonnet Springs Park, ecological challenges inspired Sasaki to use conservation as a main driver of form and function
