Coonamessett River Gateway Park
Falmouth, MA

The Coonamessett River Gateway Park creates new forms of public engagement with the recently restored Coonamessett River, serving as the primary access point to the river and the broader Coonamessett Greenway Heritage Trail. Working in close collaboration with river restoration scientists and engineers, our charge was to weave public access into the restoration of a formerly controlled cranberry bog system, reestablishing ecological function while shaping how people encounter the river's recovery.

The landscape acknowledges centuries of transformation—from Indigenous fishing grounds to mill operations and cranberry agriculture—while restoring ecologies characteristic of Cape Cod's riparian corridors. Through a series of precise, light-touch interventions, we introduced parking, overlooks, outdoor classrooms, trails, river crossings, and boardwalks that extend access through the restored floodplain.

An amphitheater constructed from salvaged granite blocks from the removed lower dam anchors a new community gathering space. Throughout the project, stone, steel, and timber elements sit lightly within the terrain, framing views, guiding movement, and creating moments of pause that reveal the river's evolving dynamics. The result is a landscape that supports restoration, recreation, learning, and stewardship.

Collaborators
Inter-Fluve
Falmouth Conservation Commission

Photography
Charles Mayer