The Swinney Park Japanese Pavilion, constructed last year has recieved an award. Â Press release from the Parks Department:
Swinney Pavilion Wins State Award for Outstanding Park Facility
The Indiana Park and Recreation Association (IPRA) honored the Fort Wayne Parks and Recreation Department at its annual state convention in Bloomington Friday. Director Al Moll accepted the prestigious Outstanding Park Facility award for the new Swinney Japanese Pavilion in Swinney Park.
“The IPRA award is very meaningful to the Department, as it is verification from our peers that the Japanese Pavilion stands out as a unique example of architecture,” said Moll. “Our city cares about the legacy of our parks and this pavilion recreates a beloved structure from the park’s early days.”
The original Japanese Pavilion was built in 1910 and removed from the park in 1966. Many residents who frequented Swinney Park in prior years have fond remembrances of that early structure, and overall community interest in its revitalization was spurred on by a 2002 Cultural Landscape Report (CLR). The new pavilion serves the needs of families near a baseball diamond and playground in West Swinney.
The pavilion, inspired by Japanese pagodas, is an open-air structure that seats 80 people. Materials used for its construction were carefully chosen to both represent the original Japanese architecture and withstand the harsh environmental challenges of the region. The building will be virtually maintenance free and should stand for a very long time. It is supported with concrete columns. The interior roof support is constructed of rough-cut western red cedar with very durable porcelain clay tiles on the exterior. All of this, combined with unique energy-efficient lighting provide for an extraordinary visual experience.
The Indiana Park and Recreation Association is a non-profit organization comprised of park and recreation professionals, individuals and groups dedicated to the promotion of quality leisure time, adding value to the quality of life and the preservation of the environment through research, education and service to an ever expanding variety of users. IPRA is an affiliate of the National Recreation and Park Association.
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