This fall, you’ll be able to stroll through the elevated Suzanne Deal Booth Skywalk that snakes its way through the southwest corner of Waterloo Park. Starting at the intersection of 12th and Trinity Streets, the skywalk — often referred to as the “S bridge” because of its shape — will provide a stunning view and entrance point to Waterloo Park’s endless trails, lush gardens, welcoming gathering spaces, and of course, the 5,000-person-capacity Moody Amphitheater.
Due to significant grade changes in this area of the park, our planning and design team used an innovative approach to create a path that welcomes people of all abilities to discover the wonders of Waterloo Park. Rather than building a zig-zag ramp with rough edges, our design team fashioned an artful, ADA-accessible path that winds its way into the heart of the park.
This isn’t just an ordinary sidewalk — the skywalk, supported through a generous gift from Suzanne Deal Booth, was intentionally designed to appear as if it’s floating over the park and smoothly slope back down to ground level. Similar to the design of the Moody Amphitheater’s canopy, thin columns will be scattered across the underside of the walkway. These support columns will be painted a dark gray color to blend in with the natural environment and create space for people to explore areas of Waterloo Park beneath the skywalk.
As you can see in the slideshow photos, scaffolding is currently set up along the path of the skywalk. This platform will soon support the custom molds that will give the bottom of the skywalk a perfectly smooth, round finish after concrete is poured. This construction technique is uncommon for a park project and typically used in high-end architecture like museums.
Meandering its way over and around the Johnson Family Hill Country Garden, Lowell H. Lebermann, Jr. Community Plaza, and Kitty King Powell Lawn, the Suzanne Deal Booth Skywalk will ultimately lead visitors into the park’s great lawn. Here, you can kick back and enjoy live music, theater, dance and a variety of family-friendly programs on the Moody Amphitheater stage.
