COLUMBUS, OH – The Wexner Medical Center at The Ohio State University (OSU) has recently recreated the Spirit of Women Park. The Park recaptures the soul and importance of the original park, both named for Chlois G. Ingram, a dedicated American Red Cross volunteer at the OSU Wexner Medical Center during the 1950s and ‘60s. MKSK partnered with OLIN, two landscape architecture, urban design, and planning firms, to take on the first completed project in the $1.1 billion phased development of the Wexner Medical Center Expansion. The design team was tasked with relocating and creatively reimagining a former open space within the Medical Center campus as a memorial space to honor the extraordinary lives of women, both living and passed, in their roles as mothers, grandmothers, sisters, nieces, friends, teachers, healers, and mentors.

The original concept to reuse the artwork from the former park proved difficult due to the weathering and fragility of the original ceramic tiles. Therefore, a team of artists individually photographed and painstakingly digitally traced each tile to maintain the hand-made quality of the original art. The donor tiles were given a new life by placing 1,515 glass etched tiles just below the surface of the 175’ long crescent-shaped reflecting pool. Although the tiles are now in shades of black, white, and gray, they show crisp and clear beneath the smooth reflective surface of the water. Even at night, the appearance is striking as the crescent-shaped Donor Fountain is illuminated, allowing the artwork to glow above a base of dark granite.

The park’s organic form combined with the use of water, stone, and native plantings give the sense of being transported to a natural environment within the context of this urban campus. Landforms work with plantings to block out noise and frame spaces, helping to provide a sense of intimacy and reflection. Sustainable design features include bio-retention cells to capture and purify rainwater from the surrounding streets and walkways. LED lighting was also used in the fountain for low energy consumption. In addition, many of the existing trees were saved and stored during the construction and then replanted as part of the new park.

A separate inscribed monument honors Chlois G. Ingram and her legacy, “With a spirit of caring, compassion and kindness, the nourishment she shared healed hearts and restored hope”, celebrates her contributions as a wife, mother, daughter, and friend.

Every aspect of the park was meticulously thought out to include attractive and expansive space for patients, visitors, staff, and neighbors, to relax in the area surrounded by wildflowers which bloom throughout the seasons, dine at the handicapped-accessible tables, utilize the park’s Wi-Fi capabilities, or spend time reflecting in front of the Donor Fountain.

Completed in August 2012, the new Spirit of Women Park provides a restorative space for well-being and healing for patients, family members, visitors, and staff, and a dramatic signature space for the Wexner Medical Center at The Ohio State University.

Photo credits: Nick Fancher, Randall Schieber