Posted
May 2, 2008
CIVIC PARK MEETING HELD
A
public outreach meeting was held on April 22, 2008 at 6:00
p.m. in the Grand Hall of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. The
Civic Park, an approximately 16-acre site at the heart of downtown
Los Angeles' civic and cultural center, will remake an existing
public space into a spectacular community gathering place that
provides an iconic centerpiece for Downtown Los Angeles. The
Civic Park Master Plan strategy and design have been carefully
cultivated by extensive outreach and dialogue with public stakeholders,
elected officials and cultural partners. A place for all Angelenos,
Civic Park will be a memorable destination for generations
to come.
Designed
by Rios Clementi Hale Studios at the direction of the Grand
Avenue Authority, the Master Plan is conceived to offer the
greatest public benefit in the shortest amount of time by using
resources efficiently and providing for building in phases.
Further, the initial base plan has been deliberately crafted
to accommodate a potential enhanced plan with additional features
when more funding is available.
The park's flexible design provides for the many facets of urban life, from passive
to programmed, personal to public, picnics to parties. The Civic Park responds
to its surrounding context, welcomes to diverse neighborhoods unique to L.A.,
and incorporates the latest technologies and sustainable techniques, while at
the same time is sensitive to the site's rich history.
The park provides places for children and families, youth and school groups,
couples and the elderly, downtown dwellers, daily commuters and cultural tourists
from near and far. Its central location makes it easily accessible by local and
regional mass transit and is convenient to existing cultural and civic places
of interest in Downtown Los Angeles.
Park amenities will include improved pedestrian access, public restrooms, security
lighting, electrical, data, event infrastructure, hardscape and landscape renovation,
and multilingual directional signage.
Funding:
The $56 million Base Park budget is funded by the pre-paid ground rent paid by
the Related Companies to the Grand Avenue Authority. The Enhanced Park will be
implemented in phases as funding is secured by the Grand Avenue Authority from
various sources including public funds, private donations and corporate sponsorships
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Features and Design Strategy of the Base Park:
The existing 4-block site, bounded by Grand, Spring,
Temple
and First streets, is divided by three city streets and challenging
topography - in some places 18 and 20
feet
grade changes between blocks. To create a connected, unified
and effortlessly navigated
park, the Plan employs several key design strategies:
1. Tie it Together: Sun & Shade Gardens: A series of Sun Gardens
connect the length of the northern boundary of the park,
while the southern boundary is tied together with Shade Gardens, allowing
diverse microclimates
for all guests to enjoy.
2. Increase Pedestrian Access: Vehicular ramps will be removed
from the pedestrian realm, creating a more generous, universally accessible
entry points to the park, offering a softer, greener street
edge that is
welcoming to park goers and passers-by.
3. Soften Grade Changes: Using the site’s grade changes as an asset, the plan envisions generous amphitheater steps and planted terracing at Grand and at Broadway, providing integrated accessible pedestrian
ramps and creating inhabitable vertical space that can serve as seating for events, dining al fresco or people watching.
4. Sustainable Leader: The plan calls for the park to serve as
a demonstration site for sustainability. The park will employ sustainable
strategies such as preserving existing specimen trees, relocating
other
healthy trees, establishing a native plant palette and botanical
garden, and providing an educational outreach program.
Key features of the Base Park include:
1. Fountain Plaza: The popular, yet currently hidden, 60s-era
Arthur J. Will Memorial Fountain will be renovated to become a focal
point of
Civic Park. Remaining sensitive to the iconic fountain’s historic
significance, the fountain will be rehabilitated and reenergized to create an interactive gathering place.
2. Event Lawns & Market Place: Civic Park spaces are designed
to provide an open framework allowing for diverse activities such as
regular
farmer’s markets and cultural festivals, gatherings for groups
of 500 for small performances to larger assemblies of 20,000 or more for film and music festivals, yet also allowing for the quiet enjoyment of picnicking and reading.
3. Public Art: The Base Park identifies several prominent locations
for future installation of iconic works of publicly-engaging
outdoor sculpture. The plan’s ambitious public art program also contemplates
artist workshop programming and outreach, curated seasonal installations and signature objet gardens.
Features of the Enhanced Park:
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As
additional funding is secured by the JPA, the park will be
enhanced in a thoughtful, envisioned manner. Guided
by the Master Plan, the enhancements may involve a competition
for the design
of additional
architectural elements, such as the pavilion and bridge
suggested in the master plan, and commissions for iconic
works of art. Key features
of the
Enhanced Park include:
1. Event Pavilion: At the center of the park, a new open-air
event pavilion will be a draw for visitors at all times of the
day and serve as a host to civic parties, cultural festivals,
and sponsored events.
2. Pedestrian Bridge: At Broadway, where the grade change is
20 feet, the Enhanced Plan calls for a pedestrian bridge spanning
the street to unify the pedestrian experience of the park,
provide a lookout viewing
platform, and create a gateway marker over the street.
3. Beautified Streetscape: Integrating the park with the streets
that cut through it, the Enhanced Park Plan proposes distinctive
street pavings to define a broader pedestrian realm and
calm traffic.
4. Public Art: The Enhanced Park Plan will realize the interactive
outdoor sculptural pieces planned for in the Base Park.
It will also build upon the series of cultural objet gardens
of the Base Park.
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