Merschel Park: Built! 
It's finally completed! The park is named for Wanda Merschel, who liked kinetic sculptures. This park has 16 spherical kinetic sculptures, by artist Lyman Whitaker, to represent the 16 years she was an alderwoman/council person. This is one of only two or three works by Lyman Whitaker east of the Mississippi. Most of his work is in the western United States, but he has artwork in other countries, too.
I want to thank the photographers and local businesses, sharing updates on projects, who make this thread possible. Without you, these updates won't happen. I don't make money doing this and I live out-of-state and can't take photographs of these projects. Please allow your photographs to be shared here, to show people the many interesting construction projects happening.
The first event held in this park was a silent disco...
This is a completion party, so we are going to rock and enjoy a large photography post!
• Video Link
Credit: George M Bryan Jr.
Credit: George M Bryan Jr.
Credit: George M Bryan Jr.
Installing the signage:
Credit: Jeff MacIntosh
Wednesday (4/12):
Quote:
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Originally Posted by RoedigerHouse @ WSTB Forum
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To save the trees, they planted a Christmas Tree to decorate in the park:
Credit: George M Bryan Jr.
Credit: Credit: George M Bryan Jr.
On a bright, sunny day, I'm sure that white stone is difficult to look down at around lunch time without very dark sunglasses. My prescription glasses turn into sunglasses in those situations, but can they turn dark enough for that? At night, a bright white stone can also make the park lighter, which is a benefit to using it.
Constructing the "Grand Opening" tent:
Credit: City of Winston-Salem
Credit: Hungry Palate
Credit: Clare Fader
Ribbon Cutting:
Credit: George M Bryan Jr.
Credit: Clare Fader
Credit: viatordesignandconstruction
Credit: stewartknight
Credit: stewartknight
Credit: stewartknight
Credit: dale briggs
Aerial View (An apartment building with retail space and a Hotel Indigo expansion are planned to the left of the park):
Credit: dale briggs
Credit: dale briggs
Credit: George M Bryan Jr.
This is the artwork described above:
Credit: Jeffrey L. Smith
Credit: Fam Brownlee
Credit: Fam Brownlee
Credit: Jeffrey L. Smith
This is the artwork described above:
Credit: Jeffrey L. Smith
An apartment building will be constructed on the other side of that fence and will have a restaurant space fronting this section of the park:
Credit: David Swift
Kaleideum from the park:
Credit: David Swift
Credit: DWSP
And a few days later... people are using it, even in the intense mid-day sun:
Credit: winstonsalembusiness
Third Street is closed for multiple construction projects, but when it opens... food trucks will be able to access the park's food truck courtyard and that should bring more people to the park. This entire section of downtown Winston-Salem has been a never-ending construction site for roughly 25 years. And there are more projects proposed in this section of downtown, so it will continue to be a never-ending construction site into the future.
Again, the park in use, a few days later, in the mid-day sun:
Credit: winstonsalembusiness
The next time you're downtown, enjoy the new park! Maybe the hotel expansion and new apartment building with retail spaces fronting the park will start soon, to finish this block? The park won't really be finished until that restaurant space, that uses the park for outdoor dining, is completed in the proposed apartment building.