2026 ASLA Professional Awards
Honor Award, General Design

Gathering Place

Tulsa, OK
Firm: Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates
Client: George Kaiser Family Foundation, Gathering Place, River Parks Authority, City of Tulsa

A Park for Tulsa | Gathering Place is a destination for exploration and respite defined by strong waterfront connections, inclusive design, and year-round programming.

Gathering Place

Gathering Place transforms 66 fallow acres on the Arkansas River into an inclusive community hub and Tulsa landmark just two miles from downtown. Defined by natural stone, expressive water, and dramatic topography, the park is an expression of regional ecosystems and a network of unique spaces for any kind of user. Two land bridges spanning a high-traffic roadway connect Tulsa to a thoroughly renewed Arkansas River shoreline. The Williams Crossing pedestrian bridge links Gathering Place to the west side of the river, offering another sixteen miles of waterfront trails and iconic views of the city skyline. Together, these projects have reshaped Tulsa's identity with a new center of public life that celebrates the region.

Gathering Place opened to the public in 2018 and attracted nearly 3.5 million visitors in its first year, revealing Tulsa’s long-standing need for a landmark public space for people of all ages to unwind. The name speaks to the city’s aspirations for inclusion, connection, and renewal. Through an extensive engagement process, residents described critical gaps in public space: nature play for children, welcoming places for families and young adults, and destination-worthy recreation on the river. The resulting landscape functions as both a refuge and a civic hub, pairing imaginative experiences unavailable elsewhere in the city with rigorous attention to access, equity, and year-round programming.

Led by the George Kaiser Family Foundation in a public-private partnership with the city, the project consolidated four parcels into one cohesive public realm. Major infrastructural interventions enabled a unified landscape: a 6-million-gallon irrigation pond was carved into the site, and its excavation yielded 30,000 cubic yards of earth used to sculpt sixty feet of grade change across the park. These landforms create niches for every visitor—expansive lawns, sheltered play groves, overlooks, and beaches. Almost 6,000 newly planted trees and more than 16 acres of meadow root the landscape in the ecology of eastern Oklahoma, while the 1.5-acre wetland gardens help sustain habitat, recharge groundwater, and filter pollutants before they reach the Arkansas River and Crow Creek.

Play is the cultural and spatial heart of Gathering Place. The park’s interconnected play environments support exploration and cognitive development through open-ended nature play, sensory landscapes, interactive water features, towers, and fantastical wildlife-inspired structures embedded in the terrain. Constructed hills, valleys, and multiple circulation routes weave play into the landscape, allowing children to encounter each Playground in multiple ways. Material diversity heightens this immersion, and recurring expressions of water offer comfort, engagement and delight while performing essential functions. The central pond doubles as a vast irrigation reservoir and boating course, while a tall outcrop of local sandstone fitted with fountains, misters, and flowing runnels wraps visitors in cooling water and invites exploration. Athletic courts, a pump track and skate park, round out the park’s amenities for young adults, residents, and repeat users.

Two 300-foot-long land bridges span Riverside Drive to restore a vital connection between Tulsa and the Arkansas River long severed by the highway. To clear the roadway, forty feet of grade change was created using 450,000 cubic yards of silt reclaimed from behind the former dam, transforming a legacy sediment burden into on-site construction material. Williams Crossing, a 1,440-foot-long pedestrian and cycling bridge is the newest addition to Gathering Place as of September 2024, along with 5 ½ acres of improved waterfront. At the bridge’s eastern landing, a reengineered dam improves fish habitat and moderates currents to create a recreational channel for Tulsans who have long hoped for more ways to touch the water. The bridge reinforces Gathering Place as a central link in Tulsa’s growing trail and open-space network. It is a monument, per critic Christopher Hawthorne, that is “likely to solidify Tulsa’s spot on the shortlist of American cities worth visiting for the design ambition of their civic infrastructure.”

  • Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, Official Entrant
  • George Kaiser Family Foundation, Client/Owner
  • Gathering Place, Client/Owner
  • River Parks Authority, Client/Owner
  • City of Tulsa, Client/Owner
  • Applied Ecological Services, Ecology
  • Cerami Associates, Acoustic Engineering
  • Domingo Gonzalez Associates, Lighting Design
  • ETM Associates, Park Management
  • Fluidity, Fountain Design
  • Greenberg Consultants, Urban Design
  • HNTB, Civil, Structural and MEP Engineering
  • Hydropower International Services, Hydrology
  • Johnson Law, Zoning
  • LimnoTech, Hydrology
  • Mack Scogin Merrill Elam Architects, Architecture
  • Moore Engineering, Irrigation Design
  • Natural Learning Initiative, Playground Consultant
  • Olsson Associates, Soil Science
  • Preaus Landscape, Arborist
  • Project Projects, Graphic Design and Signage
  • SITE Design Group, Skate Park Design
  • Terracon, Geotechnical Engineering
  • Wallace Engineering, Structural Engineering
  • Schlaich Bergermann Partner, Bridge Engineering
  • Jacobs, Engineering
  • Landscape Forms — Furniture
  • Kenneth Lynch & Sons — Furniture
  • Carl Stahl — Fences/Gates/Walls
  • Richter Spielgerate — Parks/Recreation Equipment
  • Kompan — Parks/Recreation Equipment
  • Monstrum — Parks/Recreation Equipment
  • Goric — Parks/Recreation Equipment
  • Corocord — Parks/Recreation Equipment
  • Most Dependable Fountains — Water Management/Amenities
  • BlueBird Stone — Hardscape
  • Iblson Stone Supply — Hardscape
  • Green Country Stone — Hardscape
  • Wassau Tile, Inc. — Hardscape
  • American Lighting — Lighting
  • Structura — Lighting
  • Valmont — Lighting
  • We-ef — Lighting
  • Northstar — Lighting

Acanthus spinosa, Acer burgerianum, Acer ginnala, Acer palmatum, Acer saccharinum, Acer saccharum, Acer triflorum, Acer truncatum, Acer x freemanii, Acorus americanus, Acorus calamus, Aesculus pavia, Aesculus parviflora, Agastache aurantiaca, Agastache rupestris, Ageratina altissima, Ajania pacifica, Ajuga reptans, Alchemilla mollis, Alisma plantago-aquatica, Allium atropurpureum, Allium bulgaricum, Allium carinatum ssp. pulchellum, Allium moly 'Jeannine', Allium multibulbosum, Allium purpureum 'Purple Sensation', Allium schubertii, Allium sphaerocephalon, Amelanchier x grandiflora, Ampelopsis arborea, Amorpha fruticosa, Amorpha nana, Amsonia hubrichtii, Andropogon gerardii, Andropogon glomeratus, Andropogon hallii, Andropogon virginicus, Anemone x hybrida, Anisacanthus quadrifidus var. wrightii, Aquilegia canadensis, Aralia spinosa, Aristida purpurea, Artemisia ludoviciana, Artemisia tridentata, Arundinaria gigantea, Asarum europaeum, Asclepias asperula, Asclepias incarnata, Asclepias tuberosa, Asimina triloba, Aster puniceus, Athyrium filix-femina, Baptisia australis, Bergenia cordata, Betula nigra, Bignonia capreolata, Bletilla striata, Bothriochloa barbinodis, Bouteloua curtipendula, Bouteloua dactyloides, Bouteloua gracilis, Brunnera macrophylla, Buddleia davidii, Buxus sempervirens, Callicarpa dichotoma, Callirhoe involucrata, Callirhoe pedata, Calycanthus floridus, Campanula persicifolia, Campanula rotundifolia, Canna glauca, Carex blanda, Carex muskingumensis, Carex plantaginea, Carex spp., Carex texensis, Carex vulpinoidea, Carpinus betulus, Carpinus caroliniana, Caryopteris x clandonensis, Catalpa bignonioides, Catalpa speciosa, Cedrus atlantica 'Glauca', Cedrus deodara, Cedrus libani, Celtis occidentalis, Celtis x 'Magnifica', Cephalanthus occidentalis, Cephalotaxus harringtonia, Ceratostigma plumbaginoides, Cercis canadensis, Chamaecrista fasciculata, Chasmanthium latifolium, Clethra alnifolia, Conoclinium coelestinum, Coreopsis lanceolata, Coreopsis verticillata, Cornus drummondii, Cornus florida, Cornus kousa, Cornus mas, Cornus racemosa, Cornus sericea, Cotinus obovatus, Cotinus x 'Grace', Cotoneaster horizontalis, Crataegus marshallii, Crinum americanum, Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora, Cupressus arizonica, Delosperma cooperi, Desmanthus illinoensis, Dianthus gratianopolitanus, Dicentra spectabilis, Dichelostemma ida-maia, Dicliptera suberecta, Dierama pulcherrimum, Diphylleia cymosa, Diospyros virginiana, Dryopteris erythrosora, Echinacea purpurea, Echinops bannaticus, Echium amoenum, Elymus canadensis, Elymus virginicus, Engelmannia peristenia, Equisetum hyemale, Eragrostis trichodes, Eremurus 'Cleopatra', Eryngium planum, Eryngium yuccifolium, Eucomis comosa, Eupatorium fistulosum, Eupatorium perfoliatum, Eupatorium purpureum, Eupatorium serotinum, Euphorbia amygdaloides, Euphorbia 'Nothowlee', Euphorbia divaricata, Exochorda x macrantha, Fargesia nitida, Fargesia rufa, Filipendula rubra, Filipendula ulmaria, Forsythia x intermedia, Forsythia suspensa, Fragaria virginiana, Gaillardia pulchella, Galanthus elwesii, Ginkgo biloba, Glandularia bipinnatifida, Geranium cantabrigiense, Geranium macrorrhizum, Geranium x 'Rozanne', Gymnocladus dioicus, Helleborus argutifolius, Helleborus niger, Helleborus orientalis, Hemerocallis fulva, Hesperaloe funifera, Hesperaloe nocturna, Hesperaloe parviflora, Heuchera sanguinea, Heuchera villosa, Hibiscus moscheutos, Hibiscus syriacus, Hilaria belangeri, Hosta plantaginea, Hydrocotyle umbellata, Hyacinthoides hispanica, Hymenocallis liriosme, Inula helenium, Ipheion uniflorum, Ilex crenata, Ilex decidua, Ilex glabra, Ilex opaca, Ilex vomitoria, Iris cristata, Iris sibirica, Iris versicolor, Isotoma fluviatilis, Jasminum nudiflorum, Juncus effusus, Juniperus chinensis, Juniperus conferta, Juniperus horizontalis, Juniperus virginiana, Kerria japonica, Koeleria macrantha, Koelreuteria paniculata, Lagerstroemia indica, Lavandula angustifolia, Lespedeza capitata, Lespedeza thunbergii, Leucothoe axillaris, Leucothoe fontanesiana, Ligularia dentata, Ligularia stenocephala, Lindera glauca, Liquidambar styraciflua, Liriope spicata, Liriodendron tulipifera, Lobelia cardinalis, Lobelia siphilitica, Macleaya cordata, Magnolia grandiflora, Magnolia macrophylla, Magnolia virginiana, Malus ioensis, Malva sylvestris, Mimulus ringens, Monarda citriodora, Muhlenbergia capillaris, Myrica pensylvanica, Nassella leucotricha, Narcissus spp., Nolina texana, Nyssa sylvatica, Oenothera macrocarpa, Oenothera speciosa, Osmanthus heterophyllus, Ostrya virginiana, Panicum virgatum, Parthenocissus quinquefolia, Parthenium integrifolium, Passiflora incarnata, Passiflora lutea, Peltandra virginica, Penstemon barbatus, Penstemon fruticosus, Perovskia atriplicifolia, Persicaria polymorpha, Phlomis fruticosa, Phlox divaricata, Phlox drummondii, Phyllostachys aureosulcata, Phyllostachys nigra, Physocarpus opulifolius, Pinus nigra, Pinus taeda, Pistacia chinensis, Platanus occidentalis, Platanus x acerifolia, Poa arachnifera, Polygonatum odoratum, Polygonatum pensylvanicum, Pontederia cordata, Populus deltoides, Prunus laurocerasus, Prunus subhirtella, Prunus yedoensis, Pulsatilla vulgaris, Pyracantha coccinea, Quercus alba, Quercus bicolor, Quercus imbricaria, Quercus lyrata, Quercus macrocarpa, Quercus muehlenbergii, Quercus nigra, Quercus phellos, Quercus shumardii, Quercus stellata, Ranunculus repens, Rheum palmatum, Rhododendron maximum, Rhododendron x roseum, Rhus aromatica, Rhus copallinum, Rhus glabra, Robinia pseudoacacia, Rodgersia aesculifolia, Rosmarinus officinalis, Rosa carolina, Rosa rugosa, Rubus trivialis, Sabal minor, Sagittaria ambigua, Salix alba, Salix babylonica, Salix exigua, Salix matsudana, Salix nigra, Salix purpurea, Salvia conacea, Salvia farinacea, Salvia greggii, Salvia guaranitica, Salvia roemeriana, Sambucus canadensis, Sassafras albidum, Sasa palmata, Sasa tsubolana, Schizachyrium scoparium, Schoenoplectus acutus, Shepherdia argentea, Silphium perfoliatum, Smilacina racemosa, Sorghastrum nutans, Spartina pectinata, Sporobolus cryptandrus, Stachys macrantha, Stipa gigantea, Stipa pennata, Styphnolobium japonicum, Symphyotrichum cordifolium, Symphyotrichum oblongifolium, Symphoricarpos albus, Symphoricarpos orbiculatus, Taxodium ascendens, Thalia dealbata, Thalictrum delavayi, Tiarella cordifolia, Tradescantia occidentalis, Tradescantia ohioensis, Trillium grandiflorum, Tripsacum dactyloides, Ulmus crassifolia, Ulmus 'Morton', Veronicastrum virginicum, Veronica peduncularis, Veronica spicata, Viburnum burkwoodii, Viburnum carlesii, Viburnum dentatum, Viburnum nudum, Viburnum opulus, Viburnum prunifolium, Viburnum x rhytidophylloides, Vinca minor, Vitis mustangensis, Yucca filamentosa, Yucca glauca, Ziza aurea

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