Community Architect Baltimore: September 2026

I didn't make it to the grand opening but have peeked through the fence for months. So last Friday I walked down the promenade to see the Rash Field Phase 2 redesign which opens another chapter in Baltimore park design.

The new Rash Field Plan (Website)

Mahan Rykiel, the landscape architect and designer of, both, phase 1 and 2, a studio with engagements across the US and in several countries beyond brings the latest trends in landscape urbanism to Baltimore. Could phase 2 be as successful as phase 1 which was an instant hit with kids, their parents, skate-borders and casual flaneurs strolling along the promenade?

The new Rash Field was handed over to the public last week in a ribbon cutting ceremony that was quite a bit delayed over original targets and clearly missed the big commemorative Sail 250 event with the tall ships that brought tens of thousands to the Inner Harbor.

The old Rash Field in 2018 (Cultural Landscape Foundation)

The renovated $18.5 million park has a bit for everyone: pickleball, beach volleyball, a fitness field, lawns, gardens, terraced seating, a nature walk, a Pride Memorial (the ship, not the LGBTQ community) and lots of sand. There is still a larger space for concerts, events, and community programming. 200 new trees will eventually provide shade. The Waterfront Partnership and Baltimore Recreation and Parks will share the upkeep.

Phase 2 programming was not easy. What should a redesigned Rash Field offer? The original design was a robust field with some fairly massive sculptural concrete/stone amphitheatre and a larger field. The six-acre public park opened in 1976 and was designed as a recreational space for the surrounding communities and open for a variety of events. The design by RTKL Archietcts evolved over time, aside of being used as a staging area for large events, including state fairs and cultural festivals and the ice rink for some time it was also the home of popular beach volley ball. organized by a real club, Baltimore Beach. The park had several defined subareas and a few trees, but was largely considered undervalued and underutilized. Baltimore Mayors are always eager to update the Inner Harbor as a sustained attraction,. In 2013 Mayor Rawlings- Blake unveiled Inner Harbor 2.0, a master plan for the rejuvenation of the Inner Harbor that identified Rash Field as an opportunity but showed little more than a large green oval with a foot bridge to the pier on which the concert tent sits as the biggest attraction. Community input meetings produced many divergent ideas and ideals. Should the area cater to the surrounding neighborhoods or all of the city, or to tourists? Should it give beach volley ball as much prominence as the old Rash field had done or allow more activities that are seen as less "white".

Pickle Ball at the Inner Harbor (Photo: Philipsen)

The resulting smorgasbord of offerings maybe a bit confusing with its many themes and materials. On eye level it lacks the obvious organizing element, even though the plan view shows that the event lawn facing the water is the major piece around which the various other zones are grouped. On the Friday when I visited, one day after the ribbon cutting, very few people had discovered the space yet, in spite of beautiful weather.

Temporary signs posted within the area optimistically point to the Gensler designed BGE pavilion as a place where food and drinks could be had, but the windows were still covered with brown packing paper and the umbrellas a tables out front were only part of a Potemkin illusion. Time will tell if Baltimore adopts the new park as enthusiastically as it had taken over phase 1 with the skatepark. The ultimate litmus test will be if Baltimore has the resources to keep all of these nice things in good shape. Phase 1 and 2 together will cost multiple times more to keep attractive than the old Rash Field. As much as the new design is focussed on providing cooler and softer spaces and using sustainability standards for plant materials and stormwater management, resilience against abuse and wear didn't seem to be a top guiding principle.

Klaus Philipsen, FAIA

All photos below are from me.