Wilcox Park is a fine example of a Victorian strolling park, in the heart of Westerly, Rhode Islandês business district. Designed in 1899 by Warren H. Manning, an Olmsted protþgþ from the leading landscape design firm of the time, the 14-acre site is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. To ensure its continued representation, Copley Wolff Design Group reviewed all available historical materials in order to understand the intent of Manningês design. CWDG studied the evolution of the parkês improvements since its inception, and then evaluated, and inventoried the features in and improvements to the park in order to determine their impact, condition and/or contribution to Manning's orginal concept.

The site consists of a central pathway which meanders beneath a canopy of mature trees and around an open meadow. The meadow plays host to several performances, events, and festivals throughout the year. The park also contains sculpture, several public monuments, a half-acre pond, a fountain, plant collections and numerous architectural elements that have been added over time. The preservation of both the landscape and features within the park has provided the Town of Westerly with its most precious jewel.

CWDG utilized a client-responsive planning and design process, which emphasized community participation and communication via informal meetings, in order to understand user needs. From these meetings several design alternatives were developed, which were the basis for the final master plan. An executive summary for the park, which describes the philosophy, recommendations and design intent for achieving the long-range goals for the park, is part of this master plan.