Rifle’s Centennial Park, one of the projects Design Concepts is currently working on, presents new opportunities for creativity. One of the unique aspects is the wayside locations that are positioned throughout this riverside park. The community of Rifle’s (with specific input from the Historical Society and the Downtown Districts) wanted a passive park that people could move through and enjoy. Because it is along a river the park moves in a linear way that gave birth to the idea of the park’s features moving through time. Working under the park’s title—which had been chosen when the community initially decided a park would be built in conjunction with the celebration of its centennial—DC came up with the idea of incorporating both the town’s 100 year history as well as that century’s global history into several aspects of the park.
Each wayside is unique so that interest is maintained throughout the park and repetition is minimized. The park is comprised of 10 waysides, one for every decade the city has experienced. In each, different styles of interpretive signage convey information about the decade represented (see photo). The first decade, 1905-1915, conveys the town’s rich history with oil. The area is shaped like an oil Derek to represent the town’s oil industry with signage showing the cityscape in silhouette. The signs are artfully done and are meant to inspire multi-generational interest along with seating and other aspects unique to each wayside.
Read more about Centennial Park’s unique features on our website.
