Park Address: 230 N 4th Ave, Ann Arbor MI 48104
Hours and Rules
Open 6 a.m.-midnight with quiet hours beginning at 10 p.m. Refer to Chapter 39 of the City of Ann Arbor Code of Ordinances for park regulations and rules. Smoking is prohibited, and dogs must be on leash.
Overview
Sculpture Plaza is a small park downtown that provides an oasis where downtown Ann Arbor meets Kerrytown, at the corner of 4th Avenue and Catherine
Street. View the Ann Arbor Parks & Nature Areas Map for location context. The Kerrytown Arch sculpture is central to the plaza, celebrating the gateway
between the two areas. The plaza is frequently used as a walk through
to the Kerrytown Shops, local restaurants, The Peoples’ Co-Op, the Ann Arbor Farmers Market on market days and the Artisan’s Market on Sundays. It has four
picnic tables and two long seating sections for enjoying local food and relaxing.
Access and Parking
The park has no dedicated parking, but there is paid metered parking at two lots directly across the street, and there is also paid metered parking on several nearby streets. View the Ann Arbor DDA's guide to Parking in Downtown Ann Arbor to learn more about parking downtown.
The park is accessible by foot and bicycle using the surrounding streets. Catherine street has a protected bike lane. There are four bike racks in the park.
Public Transportation: There is a bus stop immediately adjacent to the park. Visit The Ride for schedule and route details or check out the parks ride guide.
Amenities
- Picnic tables and benches
- Landfill receptacle
- Bike racks (4)
- Historical interpretative sign
Volunteer
There are many opportunities for volunteering and getting engaged with the Ann Arbor Parks and Recreation Services Unit. GIVE 365 and the seasonal Adopt-a-Park Program offer volunteer opportunities ranging from a 90-minute commitment to a more long term ongoing role. If you are feeling the call to volunteer or give some time, reach out or explore the websites above to see what’s upcoming or how to get involved.
Report a Problem - A2 Fix It
To report any maintenance issues or other problem during your park visit, please report through A2Fix It. Keep in mind that parks are large spaces and A2 Fix It requests can be difficult to find without detailed information. When reporting an issue in a park please include location details. There is a details and description section near the end of the request process to help you provide this. In addition, users can utilize the pin (website) or X (mobile app) feature to provide specific location information inside the park. Finally, please consider including a wide angle photo or include background landmarks, which helps staff find and fix the problem.
Gifts and Donations
Information on donating to the parks and the Guide to Giving can be found here. Alternatively if you have a special project or park improvement idea that you want to donate your time and energy toward, a great place to start is through Adopt-a-Park and the proposing a special park project guide. For information on donating a tree through Adopt-a-Park, the tree donation guide can help you get started.
History
Ann Arbor's city parks sit on the ancestral and traditional homelands of several indigenous Native peoples. Read a land acknowledgement from the city and learn more about the early history of the land here.
The Arch Sculpture, aka The Kerrytown Arch, was initially erected 1977 through a grant from the Michigan Council For the Arts. It is 18 feet of steel. The sculptor, David Heberling, graduated from University of Michigan with an MFA. In his words:
“The history of the triumphal arch dates back to the Romans, who scattered them as a mark of their conquests in Italy, France, North Africa, and Asia. This “arch" updates that ancient lineage with recent accretions from cubism, minimalism, and modernist abstraction. It functions here as a symbolic gate, a segue between the downtown business district and Kerrytown." (From Public Art in Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County, by Martha R. Keller & Michael J. Curtis, 1995.) Courtesy of Ann Arbor Public Art Commission
The Arch was removed in 2007 for restoration by Giorgio Gakas of Venus Bronze Works Inc in Detroit. Graffiti was removed, the corten steel was repaired, the piece repainted and reinstalled in 2008. The DDA upgraded the plaza by repaving the bricks, adding new lights, bike racks, benches and tables.
There is a historical sign in the park which provides a glimpse to 1879 life in Kerrytown, entitled A Supply Side of Town. “This is the area where suppliers and manufacturers established themselves between the town center and the railroad line. They provided the lumber, coal, flour, oil, ice and supplies needed to develop and maintain a prosperous community. Nearby were the homes of workers, and the adjacent area became a neighborhood of evolving ethnic diversity.”
Park Adopters
The two large gardens in Sculpture Plaza are adopted by the adjacent People’s Food Co-op who help to maintain them by weeding, pruning and mulching each year. Contact Adopt-a-Park if you are interested in volunteering to provide additional support and care at the park, and to learn more about how you can be involved.
Updated November 2022. Email
[email protected] for incorrect/outdated information.
