How to Apply | Project Spotlight | Resources and Links

Patterson Park Dog Park

In urban public parks across the country, DOG PARKS are becoming increasingly popular.  In addition to providing a safe place for owners to have their dogs off leash, these places create centers of positive activity and create new stewards of the park.  In Baltimore, Patterson Park has become an increasingly popular place for nearby residents to take their dogs to walk and play.  In order to create a dog-friendly area within the park, NDC volunteers worked with the Patterson Park Dog Park Committee to envision a new place for them.

Volunteers Tom Woolfolk and Judy Floam of Colbert Matz Rosenfelt, Inc. researched other dog parks to identify main issues and to determine potential options and solutions that could be used for this particular project.  Their findings were presented to the client in report format, and the design grew out of additional discussions between volunteers and the client group.



The primary goal was to provide a fenced-in area that had already been designated in the middle of the park that would provide an amenity for dogs and their owners as well as to lesson feelings of insecurity that other park users might experience (image of existing site above).  The final concept plan includes separate areas for larger and smaller dogs, uses stone dust surfacing for some areas and grass for others, creates a mound for the larger dogs to run up and over, and addresses accessible entrances, fencing to separate dogs from other park users, screening vegetation to further focus attention within the dog area, water sources, notice boards, trash receptacles, and seating (below).



Tom and Judy, both dog-lovers, feel that a dog park is a place where dog owners can socialize and meet each other, and can also be an additional selling point for the neighborhood.  Client representative Annemarie Leonardelli notes "Being a dog owner is a huge part of the community and helps create the small town feel that is so rare in large cities.   Patterson Park will be an all around safer and more enjoyable space with the creation of the Patterson Park Dog Park and provide more reason for all residents of Baltimore City to visit the park."

The next step is for the Patterson Park Dog Park Committee to gain support from the surrounding neighborhoods and then approval from the Department of Recreation and Parks.  To learn more about the dog park you can visit their website at www.pattersondogpark.org.  You can also read "Mutts", a blog by John Woestendiek of the Baltimore Sun.  To support this new facility where "well-behaved canine citizens can exercise in a clean, safe environment without endangering or annoying people, property or wildlife" please add your name to the Committee's petition:  http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/pattersondogpark.

Project Completion: 2008
Project Location: Patterson Park, Baltimore, MD
NDC Architect Volunteers:  Tom Woolfolk and Judy Floam, Colbert Matz Rosenfelt, Inc.
L