Detroit's newest waterfront park, the 22-acre Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Centennial Park, opened to the public on Saturday, October 25, 2025 WXYZ.COM, after eight years of planning. The grand opening doubled as a relocated Detroit Harvest Fest, free and running into Sunday.
The site was the West Riverfront Park before 2018. The total project investment came in around $80 million Detroitisit, including a $40 million construction commitment plus $10 million for long-term sustainability from the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation, announced in 2018 to honor Wilson on the centennial of his birth.
Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, the firm behind Brooklyn Bridge Park and Maggie Daley Park, led the design. What you actually find at 1801 W. Jefferson is four zones.
The Delta Dental Play Garden, anchored by three Monstrum animal play structures and a 20-foot Bear Slide, designed in part by Detroit kids. The Huron-Clinton Metroparks Water Garden, a two-acre water feature with engineered sightlines straight to the river and the bridges. The William Davidson Sport House, with full-size basketball courts under cover for year-round play.
The DTE Foundation Summit, a sloped lawn for summertime films and winter sledding. 967 trees. 2,413 shrubs.
Nearly 39,000 perennials and grasses, mostly native, many grown specifically for the project. The bigger move is connective. A new Riverwalk extension also opened in October 2025, linking Huntington Place straight through to Wilson Park, making the Detroit Riverwalk continuous for roughly 4.75 miles from Gabriel Richard Park east of the MacArthur Bridge to Wilson Park west of downtown.
Detroit Riverfront Conservancy You can now walk from Belle Isle's edge to Mexicantown's doorstep without hitting a dead end. This has not been true at any point in living memory. Anthony Benavides, executive director of the Clark Park Coalition, told El Central Hispanic News earlier this year that the Mexicantown community has to actually use the park, not be afraid of it.
The park sits within a ten-minute walk of about 1,000 parking spots, plus the Bagley Mobility Hub at Wabash and Bagley with a direct link to the Southwest Greenway. Open 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., same as the rest of the riverfront and city parks. Dogs and cats on leash welcome.
Fishing on the western shoreline, not in the water garden.
Location: 1801 W. Jefferson Avenue, between 8th Street and Rosa Parks Boulevard
