Once bustling with activity as Indiana’s first state penitentiary and later a Colgate-Palmolive manufacturing plant, Clark’s Landing sat largely dormant for more than a decade. In a multidisciplinary effort between our Land Planning and Corporate + Urban Design markets, Gresham Smith developed a conceptual master plan that transforms this historic 45-acre post-industrial site into a vibrant mixed-use community, revitalized by multifamily housing, retail, commercial attractions, hospitality and 3-plus acres of designated public open space.

Client

JLL; Clarks Landing Enterprises Investment, LLC

Location

Clarksville, Indiana

Accolades

Showcase, Merit Award in Planning and Analysis, American Society of Landscape Architects – Kentucky Chapter and Indiana Chapter, 2020

45

acre mixed use community

1st

phase of master plan

3+

acres of public open space

Keeping Time

Keeping Time

Situated across the Ohio River overlooking downtown Louisville, Clark’s Landing is highly visible to the traveling public, with more than 75,000 vehicles passing daily on I-65, as well as thousands more on the nearby Second Street Bridge. Our conceptual master plan allows the historic Colgate clock, a well-known icon in the region, to remain a treasured focal point.
Maximizing the Site

Maximizing the Site

While the site will be used much differently than before, our design honors the area’s historical narrative while creating a space where people simply want to spend time. The master plan study addresses prominent issues of adaptive reuse with a focus on the site’s industrial character, improving access, working with site constraints and taking advantage of unique landscapes.
Opening up the Development

Opening up the Development

Our design also addresses historic preservation in several creative ways. For example, we strategically manipulated this 120-year-old prison yard wall to open up the site. The historic wall had previously been cut off from the public right-of-way.

Everything Old is New Again

Our multidisciplinary team worked hard to keep as much of the historic architecture intact as possible. A large amount of steel and artifact remnants were also utilized from across the site. Those materials will be implemented into unique designs for components such as public art installations and benches.

A New Type of Complete Street

A New Type of Complete Street

More than 3 acres in size, the public open space will showcase Southern Indiana’s first woonerf-style (a Dutch shared-space concept) Complete Street. The size of the central lawn will allow it to function for multiple purposes, while its spatial definition will help create a sense of place.
After
Before

Creating a Sense of Wanderlust

Celebrating the site’s building architecture and industrial heritage, the conceptual master plan tells a compelling story that will create a sense of wanderlust for both visitors and residents. The former prison turned manufacturing plant is now set to become one of Southern Indiana’s premier mixed-use, adaptive-use developments offerings residents, shoppers and tourists alike dramatic views of the downtown Louisville skyline.

Gallery

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Louis R. Johnson, PLA, ASLA
Louis R. Johnson, PLA, ASLA
Executive Vice President, Land Planning