Grand Haven was discovered along the search for water routes  across and transversing America. What was first a beaver  trapper’s lodge soon grew into one of many Michigan lumber  settlements, and eventually gained its present identity as a charming river haven. When Grand Haven was organized,  the Court House was built four blocks from the Grand River on  Washington Street, and a bustling downtown developed at the  intersection of Washington and Water Street, now named  Harbor Street. Many tourists are attracted to Grand Haven by  the slow-paced river front, where they amble with the flow of  the river. Grand Haven Festival Park aims to draw people back  to Grand Haven’s downtown by creating desirable sensory  experiences in a comfortable atmosphere with sensitivity to the  vernacular landscape. Through the use of new materials,  organic landscape urbanism, respect for climate, and attention  to design language, the project attempts to address the town’s  history without compromising architecturally.