For more than 50 years, Louisville, Kentucky’s, Belvedere has been a gathering place for concerts, festivals and community events. Located on the riverfront between 4th and 6th streets in the heart of downtown Louisville, the 5.5-acre elevated civic space connects the city to the riverfront with sweeping views of the Ohio River.

Conveniently situated atop downtown Louisville’s largest parking garage, it offers easy access to premier cultural and entertainment destinations. But the Belvedere has seen better days, and Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg and Louisville Metro Government are reimagining the Belvedere project as a vibrant, contemporary public destination built around community input. Construction began this year, with a grand opening anticipated in 2030.

Designer Heatherwick Studio visualized by © NOD 2026

Some new amenities scheduled include Firefly Pavilion, inspired by Kentucky’s fireflies, intended both for everyday use and for large cultural events and performances. The Belvedere will also include a signature performance space with capacity to host a variety of events and activities, from Louisville Orchestra performances to yoga classes, while also serving as a large shade structure. A children’s play space with a nature playground, designed in partnership with Bernheim Forest, also boasts a water feature. A new riverfront connection will offer a safe and accessible pathway from the Belvedere down to the wharf and Louisville Loop, with an enhanced green space with plans for about 350 new trees, as well as new landscaping.

London’s Heatherwick Studio was selected as the designer, and revealed its plans for the transformation of Belvedere, a historic, under-loved civic space in downtown Louisville, Kentucky. Positioned between the city’s commercial center and Ohio River, the renewed Belvedere will become a welcoming place for everyday life, a place for meeting friends, spending time outdoors, attending community events or simply watching the river go by.

Designer Heatherwick Studio visualized by © NOD 2026

Originally opened in 1973, Belvedere was conceived as a place where residents and visitors could gather and relax. Over time, however, the site became disconnected from both the waterfront and daily rhythms of city life. Heatherwick Studio’s design reimagines the site as a generous, green and flexible space that strengthens these connections and creates a new center of gravity for downtown Louisville.

“For more than fifty years the Belvedere has been a stage for public life in Louisville,” said Thomas Heatherwick, founder and design director, Heatherwick Studio. “But over time it has become barren and disconnected from the energy of the city around it. My studio’s design is about restoring the buzz and sense of connection of its early years, by creating a greener, more welcoming urban heart, where everyday life can take place; from chance encounters and children’s play, to festivals, performances and community celebrations. Our goal is for the newly-reimagined Belvedere to reflect Louisville’s unique character, and bring people together again across generations, backgrounds and interests, and go on to become a place that local people proudly call their own.”