LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Just past the mud and machinery, you can see progress taking place in the Gatton Park on the Town Branch.
“The space that we’re in now used to be 10 acres of asphalt parking lot, and in this space it’s really starting to feel like a park,” said Allison Lankford, executive director of the park. “It’s really starting to take shape and turn in kind of to the vision that we’ve all been dreaming about.”
With the park coming together, Lankford shared how costs caused a few changes.
“We were starting to be concerned about costs so we started thinking of ways that we could be creative in the park,” said Lankford. “One of those ideas was to cut the brick-and-mortar café from the plans and we started really trying to creatively think of some alternatives.”
Just behind the amphitheater building, you could say the new café plans went off the rails.
“We thought, why can’t we turn a boxcar, much like people turn shipping containers into things, let’s turn a boxcar into a place for food and beverage provision in the park, so we started working toward that idea.”
RJ Corman donated a vintage box car that will serve as the park café, with daily food and beverage options. Trees, tables, and chairs will occupy the café plaza with the boxcar as a fixture.
Local design firm NOMI Design will help transform the boxcar into its new fit. With RJ Corman just across the street, it took two cranes to move the boxcar.
Now in position, the park issued a call to local artists.
“We are looking for an artist that can help us transform the outside of this space of the boxcar into something really beautiful, unique to Lexington that maybe draws on the history,” Lankford said. “I don’t know, we’ll see what they come up with.”
The park is on track to open late summer or early fall next year.
