Delta Dental Play Garden
Whether you’re local or visiting for the day, the Delta Dental Play Garden is the ultimate play destination in Detroit. Come climb, slide, swing, splash, and make memories.
About This Park
Opening in October 2025, Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Centennial Park is a transformational 22-acre green space on the Detroit Riverfront.
Designed to inspire play, wellness, and connection, the park features dynamic play areas for all ages, a serene water garden, an active Sport House for year-round recreation, and beautifully landscaped, tree-lined paths perfect for walking, relaxing, and reflection. Whether you're looking for adventure or a peaceful moment by the river, this new park will be a place where everyone can belong.
Click on the "Related Attractions" below to explore the wide variety of features and zones throughout the park, including the Delta Dental Play Garden, the Huron-Clinton Metroparks Water Garden, The William Davidson Sport House and the DTE Foundation Summit.
Amenities
- Fishing
- Fitness
- Grilling
- Play Areas
- Restrooms
- Seating Areas
Related Attractions
DTE Foundation Summit
This expansive lawn features hills and multiple paths across a tree-lined and tranquil area of the park.
Huron-Clinton Metroparks Water Garden
This 2.5-acre water garden features winding paths, tranquil seating areas, willow trees, a dock and bridge.
William Davidson Sport House
The William Davidson Sport House features two full size basketball courts under a giant pavilion, offering four seasons of activities at Ralph Wilson Park.
Related Events
Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Centennial Park Grand Opening
A full weekend of Harvest Fest Fun! Come discover our new 22-acre park on the Detroit Riverfront.
A Brief History
In early 2017 the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy embarked upon a journey to transform West Riverfront Park into a dynamic gathering place for all Detroiters – and a unique destination for our region and beyond.
The Conservancy formed the West Riverfront Park Community Advisory Team (CAT), a diverse group of 21 Detroit residents from a variety of city neighborhoods, professions and cultural backgrounds. The CAT traveled nationally to benchmark today’s standard-setting parks, sharing their insights, ideas and experiences with the Conservancy, forming the basis for a design competition.
The Conservancy then launched a competitive selection process to identify the best design team of architects, engineers and specialty consultants. The process culminated with a design competition in which four finalist design teams comprised of national, international and local professionals created transformational design proposals for the park.
In February 2018, the four finalist design teams presented their work to the Conservancy and its jury, as part of a Detroit-based public exhibition. In April, the Conservancy announced its selection of the team led by Michael Van Valkenburgh and Associates as the winner of the design competition for West Riverfront Park. Learn more about MVVA here.
On October 17, 2018, “West Riverfront Park” was officially renamed “Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Centennial Park.” The Foundation is committing $40 million for construction activity for the new park and $10 million to support the broader efforts for long-term sustainability along the riverfront. The announcement was made as part of a $200 million investment in parks and trails in Southeastern Michigan and in Western New York.
The gift honors the Foundation’s namesake, Ralph C. Wilson, Jr, on the 100th anniversary of his birth and celebrates his legacy in the communities he loved. The funds will be split evenly, dedicating $100 million to each region to help develop signature legacy parks, advance the vision of completed regional trail systems, and support the sustainability of these public spaces.
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On April 10, 2018, the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy announced New York-based landscape architect firm Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates (MVVA) as the winning firm of its international design competition to transform the 22-acre West Riverfront Park in downtown Detroit into one of the most dynamic public spaces in the world.
Michael Van Valkenburgh and his team look forward to the challenge of transforming West Riverfront Park. “It was love at first sight when I saw the Detroit River,” said Michael Van Valkenburgh, president & CEO of Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates. “I immediately recognized that this new park could draw the city to the water’s edge. My team and I spent a lot of time exploring Detroit and meeting many Detroiters in the process. We’re looking forward to making West Riverfront Park an amazing place.”
Brooklyn Bridge Park in New York and Maggie Daley Park in Chicago are among the firm’s most notable projects. MVVA is known worldwide for its creative and unique urban design with projects that include parks, plazas, cultural institutions, colleges and universities and gardens. Clients include Princeton University, Harvard University, Wellesley College, The Menil Collection and Waterfront Toronto.
The firm’s projects have received many significant professional honors for design excellence and for innovation. MVVA’s work with Brooklyn Bridge Park was awarded the Brendan Gill Prize from the Municipal Art Society of New York in 2010, which is given to a work of art that best captures the energy and spirit of New York City. Additionally, the firm was selected as the Firm of the Year by the American Society of Landscape Architects in 2016. Last year, the firm received the Global Award for Excellence from the Urban Land Institute for its work on the Corktown Common Project in Toronto.
The Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates team also includes Utile, Mobility in Chain (MIC), and Emmanuel Pratt. The firm’s local partners included LimnoTech (Ann Arbor), PEA (Detroit) and NTH Consultants (Northville).
Since the Conservancy opened West Riverfront Park in 2014, it has become a popular destination for Detroiters and tourists alike who enjoy the park’s wide-open spaces and sweeping views of the Detroit and Windsor skylines. At 22 acres, it is comparable in size to Brooklyn Bridge Park in New York City, Maggie Daley Park in Chicago and Riverside Park in Buffalo. For more information about MVVA, visit http://www.mvvainc.com/
The park's development has been guided by extensive community input, ensuring it reflects the needs and desires of Detroit residents.
We set out to build the best park in the country for Detroit by building the best park in the country for Detroiters. We believe that Detroit’s new park must grow out of the hopes and dreams Detroiters have for their families, their many communities, and for this special space.
Our goal was simple: to understand the real needs and desires of the community. So, we built a Community Advisory Team of Detroiters deeply in touch with their communities and eager to elevate voices that are rarely heard in city planning meetings.
The team we assembled surpassed our expectations and reflects the diversity of Detroit: 62 percent women; 48 percent African-American; 29 percent Latino; 30 percent under age 18 or over 60; and 20 percent individuals with school-aged children.
Before we asked Detroiters to dream about our park with us, we wanted to help them learn from other cities that have recently invested in their own public spaces. We packed this group into airplanes and took them all over the country to visit great parks in New York, Chicago and Philadelphia.
What we saw and what we learned on these trips was inspiring. And, it will help us bring a world-class park to Detroit and to Detroiters.
In addition to the Community Advisory Team, the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy has held eight public community meetings since 2018 to inform and engage with the Detroit community during development of the park.
The park's development is a collaborative effort involving the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy, the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation, Huron-Clinton Metroparks, Delta Dental, The William Davidson Foundation, the DTE Foundation and numerous individual donors and stakeholders.
The Detroit Riverfront Conservancy broke ground on the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Centennial Park in May, 2022 and is scheduled to open to the public in October, 2025.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Where is the park located?
The 22-acre park is located at 1801 W. Jefferson between 8th St. and Rosa Parks Blvd.
Q: Is Ralph Wilson Park pet friendly?
Dogs that are under control and leashed at all times will be allowed in the park.
Q: What are the hours for Ralph Wilson Park?
Ralph Wilson Park will follow the same hours as all Detroit Riverfront Conservancy parks and City of Detroit Parks: 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.
Q: When did the Conservancy acquire the property?
The Conservancy purchased the property from the Detroit Free Press in 2007 and demolished the building that was on the site later that year. In 2013 the Conservancy opened the property to the public as West Riverfront Park.
Q: What are the plans for parking?
The current site plan allows for on-street parking the full length of the park along Jefferson and Rosa Parks. The Michigan Central project built a parking deck at Bagley called the “Ford Mobility Hub," which will also have parking and restrooms available with a link to the SW Greenway that connects directly to the Park.
Q: Who was Ralph C. Wilson, Jr.?
Detroit native Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. (1918–2014) was an entrepreneur, philanthropist, and the founder and longtime owner of the Buffalo Bills NFL team. Remembered for his generosity and commitment to community, he was dedicated to improving quality of life in his hometown of Detroit and in Buffalo, New York through the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation.
Q: What was the process for selecting the winning design firm?
The Conservancy issued an RFQ to design firms throughout the world in early 2017. There were 22 firms that responded by the July 19 deadline. The 22 firms were then shortlisted to eight. Those firms were invited to Detroit on February 8 & 9 for public interviews. Four finalist firms were then invited to develop a concept for the park. These four designers submitted concepts by January 16, 2018, and presented to the public and the jury on February 8.
The jury selected Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates and introduced the firm to the public on April 10th. The team includes David Adjaye Associates, Utile, Mobility in Chain, LimnoTech, NTH, PEA, Emmanuel Pratt, HR&A, Wksps and Monstrum.
Q: What was the process for creating the Community Advisory Team (CAT)?
In June 2017, the Conservancy requested nominations for a Community Advisory Team, a group of Detroit residents intrigued by the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Centennial Park project and interested in serving as ambassadors for their respective communities. DRCF staff selected the 21-members from a pool of approximately 100 applicants, building a diverse group to advise the team of the personal experience they wanted for Detroiters in the future Park.
Over the course of the summer, the Community Advisory Team visited 14 parks across Philadelphia, Chicago and New York City, reporting back to the Conservancy which elements of park design they would (and would not) like to see incorporated into a transformed park. The Community Advisory Team continues playing an active role in the design process. The Conservancy encourages public dialogue with the team throughout the entire park design and build process.