As a new civic hub anchoring downtown Ogden's creative district, Dumke Arts Plaza is a vibrant, multiuse public space that activates a once-abandoned half-acre site. Completed in 2022, the plaza occupies a corner of the Nine Rails Creative District, an emerging center for Ogden's arts community that includes galleries, performance spaces, studios and public art.

 
In March 2020, Sasaki was hired to lead the visioning and design of the public realm for the Nine Rails Creative District in partnership with local firms. The plaza emerged from this effort as a defining cornerstone for the district. The engagement process was conceived as a "Welcoming Campaign," focused on fostering collaboration and a sense of community ownership. At the conclusion of the engagement phase, a public Welcome Fest was held on-site, featuring projection mapping and live music and dance performances as a preview of the creative programming envisioned for the space.
The design draws from the geologic and geographic context of the Salt Lake Basin. Using Sasaki's in-house data and design tools, the team analyzed views of the Wasatch Mountain Range visible from the site to inform the plaza's character and strengthen the connection between the Ogden community and its surrounding landscape. By importing more than 150 square kilometers of topographic data and modeling the downtown core using GIS, the team identified optimal mountain views, resulting in a design defined by shifting elevations and an elevated platform known as the Plinth.
To further integrate the plaza with its environmental context, the landscape is planted with native species that reduce maintenance needs while introducing a sense of wildness. Trees provide shade over the misting elements, evoking the foggy forests of the Wasatch Mountains.
The plaza incorporates a range of flexible amenities designed to support diverse artistic uses. The main gathering space includes a flat pad for outdoor sculpture and performances, framed by perimeter dimmable lighting. An additional sculpture pad is located on the Plinth, while an immersive space beneath the overhang is designed for video art displayed on an LED screen. This area is illuminated from above by a perforated, backlit ceiling that creates a cinematic glow. The hardscape was engineered to accommodate the weight and dimensions of equipment required for art installation.
At the northeastern corner of the site stands the Beacon, a public sculpture that serves as a prominent landmark and entry marker for the plaza. The 40-foot cantilever extends over the sidewalk and plaza, finished in blue and purple hues that reference the alpenglow of the Wasatch Mountains. At night, the structure is illuminated from within, revealing a perforated pattern inspired by the mountain landscape and developed in collaboration with Union Creative. Lighting throughout the plaza supports a seamless transition from day to night, with dimmable and color-changing fixtures enhancing performances and installations. Six three-phase power sources and integrated speakers are distributed across the site to support live music, theater and dance. Outdoor exhibitions are curated by the Mary Elizabeth Dee Shaw Gallery at Weber State University, reinforcing connections across Ogden's arts ecosystem. The plaza functions as both a creative staging ground and a valued community space for gathering, relaxation and engagement with northern Utah's natural setting.
The project received a 2024 Merit Award in General Design from the American Society of Landscape Architects Colorado/Wyoming Chapter, as well as the Landscape/Urban Development Best Project Award from Engineering News-Record Mountain States.

As seen in LASN magazine, February 2026.