Located within the heart of Fayetteville’s original city park, the Wilson Park Hub is a civic project that reimagines a simple infrastructure upgrade as an opportunity for public connection, accessibility and art. What began as a plan to replace aging restroom facilities evolved—particularly after delays during the COVID-19 pandemic—into a more ambitious vision: a gathering place that reflects the historical and ongoing significance of Wilson Park as a central hub for recreation and community life.

Sited between the northern parking lot and the tennis and pickleball courts to the south, the Hub functions as both a social anchor and an accessible circulation node. A series of ramps, stairs, and terraced seating areas cascade down the site, connecting visitors to the courts, the adjacent creek, and walking trails beyond. Elevated platforms on the east and west sides offer shaded overlooks for spectators to gather and watch the games below. The project also serves as a key intersection on one of the primary east-west routes through the park, enhancing wayfinding and reinforcing its presence as a destination.

Materially, the project strikes a balance between durability and warmth. A steel structural frame supports a stained pine soffit that brings texture and natural warmth to the shaded areas. The restroom volume is clad in brick, grounded by natural stone retaining walls and planters that step down the sloped site. Steel-framed guardrails and welded wire panels define the edges of circulation and seating areas while maintaining open sightlines across the landscape.

The commissioned piece, Wilson Park Wallscape by T.T. Smith Sculpture, is a rusted metal installation illuminated from behind, designed to reflect the park’s unique identity. As the artist describes it, the work is “a back-lit rusted metal wallscape depicting the park’s State Champion Dawn Redwood and sculptural iconography found throughout the park.” Set against the building’s north facade, the sculpture adds a layered narrative to the site—one that connects nature, memory, and community through public art