BREAKING: Lawrence Halprin-designed Park Central Square added to the National Register of Historic Places

The Cultural Landscape Foundation (TCLF) issued a press release February 17, 2010, to announce the addition of Park Central Square to the National Register of Historic Places.

According to TCLF, Springfield is now the location of the first work by landcape architect designer Lawrence Halprin to be added to the National Register. The designation was made official by Director of the National Park Service Jon Jarvis on February 5, 2010.

"This followed a decision on January 25, 2010, by Ms. Carol Shull, the Acting Keeper of the National Register of Historic Places, to approve the boundary expansion of the Springfield Public Square historic district to include Park Central Square," the press release stated.

Founder and President of TCLF Charles A. Birnbaum indicated Director of the Missouri State Historic Preservation Office Mark Miles notified him of the designation. It was the Missouri State Historic Preservation Office which prepared and submitted the National Register nomination to the National Park Service.

"This is great news for Springfield and for Mr. Halprin’s legacy. The city should be touting their progressiveness, possessing the first, nationally designated landscape on the National Register of Historic Places by Mr. Halprin," Birnbaum wrote in an email.

From the news release:

The addition of Park Central Square to the National Register is an important milestone in recognizing the important legacy of modernist landscape architecture and the career of Lawrence Halprin,” said TCLF president Charles A. Birnbaum. “This is significant since only two years ago the Square was headed for destruction.”

Birnbaum was also happy to announce the launch of an oral history project with Mr. Halprin. He indicated the project had been in development for almost seven years. So, if you'd like more information about the famous landscape architect and designer of Park Central Square, click here.

Although the Springfield News-Leader has been reporting there have been some behind the scenes discussions about the interior design renovations of Park Central Square between Springfield City staff and owner of the Heer's building Kevin McGowan, Springfield Director of Public Information Louise Whall said there is not a complete design available.

"The goal is to adapt as many of the original principles as possible into the new design, taking into account the amount of funding available and the need to respect the specific Halprin design elements that contribute to the historical character recognized by the state Historic Preservation Office," Whall wrote in an email.

Whall listed the major goals of renovation to the inner perimeter of the Halprin designed square:

* Taking down the concrete retaining walls that surround the inner perimeter and were not part of Halprin's original design. This would be to improve both accessibility and aesthetics. The retaining walls pose both literal and figurative barriers.

* Rehabbing the gazebo to address structural needs like replacing rotting wood, while maintaining the Halprin design concept

* Rehabbing the fountain, which needs major repairs to its internal waterworks

* Increasing lighting for aesthetic and security reasons

* Adding more built-in electrical capacity to improve its functionality for hosting events in terms of setting up sound and/or lighting systems.

Note: A big THANK YOU to Neva Schroder for calling this important news to the attention of "JackeHammer." JackeHammer wrote extensively about the issue of Halprin's Park Central Square when a local architectural firm announced a design concept which would have destroyed the integrity of the original Halprin design.

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New Issue of Community Free Press

You might wonder why I devoted my entire Council Notes column to the general ordinance which, if passed November 24, will close the center area of Park Central Square at 11:00 p.m. as opposed to the current closing time of 1:30 a.m. Well, it's because I see it as a class warfare sort of issue, and, really, I'm not the only one who views it that way. I mean, what is the whole square renovation supposed to accomplish? I thought the point was to draw more people to the square, not send them home earlier.

That's where the class issue arises.

Generally, many of the patrons of the center of the park who stay after 11:00 p.m. may not be able to afford a cover charge at one of the local establishments on Park Central so, it seems to me the Urban District Alliance, with the City Council as its tool, wants to pick and choose who should enjoy the area and who should not. If you happen to be one of those who is hanging out in the center of the square, spending little money, well, move along 2.5 hours earlier than the money-spending-people, would ya? "Whaddaya think this is??? A public square???"

I could go on about it when what I really want to do is direct you to the new issue of CFP, which is online tonight and in some stands already but will fill the rest tomorrow. What I tried to draw out was the real reason* there was a request to close the square at 11 p.m. It isn't so much that there are real, tangible problems there, no, it is that some of the preferred clientele being drawn there might get the wrong IMPRESSION, that they might FEEL intimidated by the patrons in the park. You see, those patrons in the park have no control over anyone's feelings, only those harboring the feelings do. Do we, or the City Council, want to hold those people who are hanging out in the center of the square responsible for other people's impressions, for other people's feeeeeeelings? Consider, the worst thing the business owner who spoke last Monday night could come up with when Councilwoman Cindy Rushefsky asked him for a description of "riff raff:" People who yell at passing cars, "What are you looking at!?" Give me a break.

Bob Mace also weighed in on the issue on page 7 with a very good point: "New York’s Central Park is a 24/7 operation with woods, lakes, and structures everywhere. The thought that the city of Springfield would proclaim itself unable to protect and defend one block, populated by a couple of benches, in the very heart of the city is preposterous." Go Bob!

Some guy named Chris Wilson apparently b-u-m-p-e-d MY pension article off the front page to page 2. Seems the guy is a teacher who is running a "Graphic Classroom," meaning, he encourages his class to read by the use of some carefully selected comic books and graphic novels. He rates them for educational quality at a Web site, which is appropriately named: The Graphic Classroom, go figger. But, seriously, thanks, Mert, for a great article about some real creativity at play in the classroom. ;)

Brian Brown explored the Commercial Street Community Improvement District's possibilities, namely, the self-imposed on you (the consumer) tax they can decide to levy if they meet certain conditions. The article is very informative and tells you how many CIDs Springfield hosts and where. I had wondered about that.

City Council Candidate in waiting (a little birdie (psst...I said birdie, not query) told me this candidate turned in his petitions to the City Clerk's office today) Fred B. Ellison, wrote a guest column calling for the City to show a bit more "skin," when it comes to funding the pension plan for the police and firefighters.

On page 13, Kara Hartfield tells you where you can go to create your own Christmas ornaments; host a party to do so or; attend a holiday free art day with hands on activities and story telling.

Kara will also tell you about College Night on C-Street, BUT, you have to read the whole paper before you will be able to find it because I'm not telling.

That's it. That's what I'm spotlighting this time. There's a whole lot more to read in the issue, you'll have to find out for yourself.

Check out the advertisers too and pay them a call. It'll help ensure your locally owned free community paper will continue to be available. It's free because of them. Remember them this holiday season!

*In my opinion

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Park Central Square's New Sidewalk and Streetscape Design

Did you know you can view the Sidewalk/Streetscape plans for Park Central Square at Community Free Press' Web site? Click on the pictures for an enlarged view.

You can thank us later.

Letters of praise to the editor are always appreciated. :)

We work hard over there.

Recommended Reading 17: Park Central Square

What the square needs is maintenence and scheduled programming

A letter to the editor written by Springfield resident Dorothy Thurman to the Springfield News-Leader is recommended reading 17.

Pleasant time down on square

You know, the Lawrence Halprin-designed Park Central Square?

Yeah, that one.

McGowan Delays Start of Heer's Tower Renovation as City Officials Consider Park Central Square Issue

His interest in downtown is not waning

Developer puts brakes on Heer's Tower lofts, Springfield News-Leader

"On Tuesday, he (Kevin McGowan) met with the owner of the McDaniel and Woodruff buildings -- downtown -- and indicated an interest in other buildings in Springfield.

"We are looking at more than the McDaniel and Woodruff buildings," he said. "I've said before that if we came to Springfield we weren't interested in doing just one building. I don't find the recent issues involving the square to detract from that.""*

Shop owner: Heer's delay 'frustrating' , Springfield News-Leader

I can't help but wonder if the News-Leader's Mr. Bridges told the shop owners that McGowan is interested in purchasing other properties on the square and that he doesn't find the controversy over Park Central Square's Eligibility for the National Register of Historic Places to be a detraction from those plans. I'd think other invested downtown property owners would find that anything but 'frustrating.'

Further, Springfield's Economic Development Director fully anticipates beginning "Phase II" of square renovations by the deadline of August 1, which will meet the contractual obligation with Kevin McGowan under their agreement, isn't that what she said?:

"I don't have a date for bidding yet, but we feel like we have just enough time to get everything underway so that we could start construction by August 1st.

"If we need to, we can break the canopy out as a separate contract. We already know what we need to do in order to take that down and that would absolutely be the start of construction on repair of the sidewalks, and we've been working with Kevin McGowan, he thinks that this is a really good solution. He obviously wants the sidewalks in front of his building repaired." - Economic Development Director Mary Lilly Smith, June 3, 2008

Why does it seem that some people are trying to make this out to be more of a problem than it really is, unnecessarily worrying the public that the city will end up buying back the Heer's Tower? Is that productive?

Yes, McGowan has a "put option" under the agreement with the city of Springfield that he can force them to buy back the Heer's Tower if they don't begin construction on the redevelopment of the square by August 1.

Yes, the city has double insurance on meeting that deadline. According to Smith, the city will be able to mark the beginning of construction on "Phase II" by starting the process of removing the canopy:

"...that would absolutely be the start of construction on repair of the sidewalks...." - Smith

So, there you go.

We can have our cake and eat it too. We can begin construction of Phase II, by the August 1 deadline, by removing the Halprin canopy, thus taking away the threat of McGowan exercising his "put option" and forcing the city to buy back the Heer's building, and the city will be in a postion to more carefully and fully weigh the decision concerning how best to renovate the Halprin designed portion of the square.

McGowan seems like a smart business man. He takes his time and is methodical about how he proceeds. Usually, less mistakes are made by a person who takes their time and doesn't rush into the decision making process than when one gets in a hurry to make something happen.

Kevin McGowan impresses me more and more all the time. :)

*emphasis mine

Update: Background: McGowan gung-ho about Heer's, April 23, 2008:

"McGowan doesn't seem the least bit concerned.

"That issue (Park Central Square design) is going to be resolved," he said. "The Heer's project is going to get done -- I promise you that.""

Bait and Switch on Park Central Square?

This is interesting to me and I think it deserves distinction. Today, June 5, 2008, the News-Leader quoted itself from yesterday, June 4, 2008, in its By The Numbers feature:

"The improvements to Park Central Square's sidewalks in Springfield will be paid for with $800,000 in federal highway funds and the city providing $200,000 in matching funds. - Local architects Butler Rosenbury & Partners will be paid $53,700 for the redesign and documents." - News-Leader, June 4

On June 3, 2008, at the City Council luncheon, which took place at Fire Station 12 on Blackman Road, Springfield's Economic Development Director Mary Lilly Smith said a couple of things:

"...being mindful of our contractual obligation on the Heer's building and the fact that we've generated a lot of interest in having something done to the square through our public involvement process, staff's recommendation is that we re-direct the federal funds to what was initially going to be Phase II, to the perimeter sidewalks, the sidewalks right up against the buildings on the square."

That quote, supports the idea that the federal funds will be used for the perimeter sidewalks, but here's the distinction, as found here (and supported by the tape recording of that Tuesday meeting):

"We will need to engage them (Butler Rosenbury & Partners) to do the construction documents for Phase II. We will owe them some more money, yes, because that was not part of our original contract with them. All of these funds though, in talking with federal highway administration, the money that we spent on Phase I...and this new design money will all count as part of our match to the federal money, you know, the federal money was an 80/20 match, 80 percent federal, 20 percent local...." - Economic Development Director Mary Lilly Smith, June 3, 2008

I can't say whether it means anything or not that Phase I money, money used to develop the construction plans for the Halprin designed interior of the square, is being counted as part of the city's match to the federal money but I think it might.

The city appears, in my opinion, to be making an effort to separate these phases into distinct projects so that they might keep open the option of using private donation money to make changes to the Halprin designed interior of Park Central Square without consideration of state and federal preservation organizations.

If part of the city's match money, to qualify for the federal grant, involves concept and construction design plans prepared for the redesign of that portion of the overall project, designed by world renowned landscape architect Lawrence Halprin and eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, it may tie that federal money to the overall project, making that option impossible. It would take someone more knowledgeable of the federal grant process than I to sort that out. I just thought it deserved noting.

Complete Transcript: Economic Development Director Mary Lilly Smith Comments on Park Central Square

From the June 3, 2008, City Council luncheon regarding Council Bill 2008-172.

Council Bill 2008-172

"A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING City staff to proceed with Phase 2 of the design proposal of Butler Rosenbury & Partners, Inc. for the downtown square area."

Smith:

"As you know, we had contract plans done for the redevelopment of the square and it included three different phases. The first phase, what we were calling the first phase, was the interior of the square. The second phase was the perimeter (and) sidewalk, the third phase was a media tower, a canopy and the interior of the square.

"We went through the section 106 process on the interior of the square to get permission to use the federal funds. The State Historic Preservation Office came back with a determination of eligibility, saying, the square was "potentially" eligible for the National Register (editor note: see Park Central Square Eligible for National Register of Historic Places, according to a May 23, news release from the City of Springfield the square is eligible, not "potentially" eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places) and found that our design had an adverse effect on the historic resource, potentially historic resource.

"So, our option at that point, if we were to continue with a project on the interior of the square, would be to enter into a mitigation process with the federal agencies and the consulting parties and to determine how we could continue to, how we could modify, or if we could modify, the design to respect the historic resource or if we wanted to just ignore the historic resource.

"That (mitigation), obviously, will take some time and being mindful of our contractural obligation on the Heer's building and the fact that we've generated a lot of interest in having something done to the square through our public involvement process, staff's recommendation is that we re-direct the federal funds to what was initially going to be Phase II, to the perimeter sidewalks, the sidewalks right up against the buildings on the square. This would include pedestrian lighting, it would include some, potentially, some movement on the exterior curve of the street to get a little bit more space next to the buildings to allow for more outdoor activity.

"We will, what we talked with the federal agencies about, is that we would re-engage the public discussion on the interior square later in the fall and go back to the stake-holders and say, "Okay, now that SHPO (State Historic Preservation Office) has decided, has determined that this is "potentially" eligible for the National Register, (editor's note: again, see City of Springfield News Release) how does that impact the design, you know, and is that something that we need to re-address in the design or how do you want to move forward?"

"We (staff) think it's important, at this point, to move forward with the project on the square. It's federal money obligated, meet our contractural obligation on the Heer's and do the perimeter...."

Question on costs. Had Butler Rosenbury & Partners been paid for Phase II, from Councilman Denny Whayne

Smith:

"No, what, they (Butler Rosenbury & Partners) had done a concept plan that included all three phases but they have not done construction documents on Phase II. We will need to engage them to do the construction documents for Phase II. We will owe them some more money, yes, because that was not part of our original contract with them. All of these funds though, in talking with federal highway administration, the money that we spent on Phase I, which, you know, we may still be able to implement, we're just not going to pursue it at this point in time, but that design money and this new design money will all count as part of our match to the federal money, you know, the federal money was an 80/20 match, 80 percent federal, 20 percent local...."

Question from Deaver regarding compatibility issues. "The thing that has to be compatible is the buildings, themselves, that are around our, the entire area. Have a little bit of discussion about your view of the impact....." - Mayor Pro Tem Deaver

Smith:

"Sure, we actually, when we convened all the agencies in May to talk about the square, we had the State Historic Preservation Office, Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), which is where the money comes from, MoDOT, which is where FHWA funnels the money and then, ultimately, it comes to us. We actually spent some time talking about the perimeter of the square and talking about, how do you, what do you try to make your improvements respect? Do they respect the 1970s Halprin interior or do they respect the buildings that, primarily, were built 1900s to 1920, which, if you talk to the historians, what you'll find out is that almost all the buildings around the square were built in that 20 year period and that was a really significant era of development for our community, and in talking with the State Historic Preservation Office, their strong feeling was that we need to be the most respectful of the structures.

"The sidewalk, the pedestrian lining, is going to be up against those structures (the buildings) and that's really the window that they'll be looking at that from, rather than the interior of the square.

"Now, we showed them what we've done elsewhere downtown, with the window pane sidewalks and the pedestrian lights and said, you know, "we'd like to just carry forward with the same design that we've done elsewhere." They felt very comfortable with that.

"Now, we still have to submit, we still have to go back through the 106 process again with this federal money, but we've had all those initial conversations. They've seen, on the ground, what we've got and they said, "We feel like we can give you a finding very quickly of no adverse impact."

Question from Councilman Burlison, unintelligible

Smith:

"Well, actually, what the state has said, and we won't know for sure until they come back, you know, with their actual determination, but they said that they felt like they would probably give us a finding of no adverse impact on our streetscape, conditioned upon a couple of things and those were probably going to be, and this was, you know, just in the conversation stage, those would probably be that we would have to document the last piece of that canopy, you know, we've taken off three of the four quadrants of the canopy, it turns out the canopy was designed by Lawrence Halprin, but this is kind of, you know, from a policy perspective, this is where you get into the real interesting thing, that (canopy) was designed by Halprin, it was part of that whole design of the square which they've said is historic, but because that canopy is attached to these, or sits in front of these 1910, 1920s era buildiings, it actually makes those buildings not eligible for the National Register. So, it's kind of a paradox there, but, they've said we have to document the canopy before we take it down, which, we have to take it down in order to improve the sidewalks, and then, that would make those properties eligible for the National Register. Most of the remainder of the square is on the National Register already.

"The National Register places no restriction at all on property but it makes it eligible for significant tax credits, and so the state has said they may come back and say, "We'll grant you a finding of no adverse impact provided you write a nomination to place the rest of it on the National Register." We don't have that from them yet, but we think, that's kind of the direction we think they're going...."

Question on time line from Councilwoman Mary Collette

Smith:

"We will submit our section 106 review documents, possibly as early as the end of this week, to SHPO. We've been out taking pictures and gathering information, you know, kind of anticipating we would have this action (approval of Bill 2008-172). So, we will submit that, potentially, the end of this week.

"We will also engage Butler Rosenbury to prepare the construction documents for it (Phase II, perimeter of square) so that we could be in a position to bid and we would be, I don't have a date for bidding yet, but we feel like we have just enough time to get everything underway so that we could start construction by August 1st.

"If we need to, we can break the canopy out as a separate contract. We already know what we need to do in order to take that down and that would absolutely be the start of construction on repair of the sidewalks, and we've been working with Kevin McGowan, he thinks that this is a really good solution. He obviously wants the sidewalks in front of his building repaired."

---end transcript---

Council Bill 2008-172 passed unanimously. Councilman Chiles and Councilman Manley were not present for the vote.

President of The Cultural Landscape Foundation, Charles A. Birnbaum, Issues Press Release Regarding Park Central Square

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Media Contact:
Andrea Hill, The Cultural Landscape Foundation
202.483.0553, Andrea@tclf.org

The Cultural Landscape Foundation Hails Decision of Missouri State Historic Preservation Office Finding Springfield’s Park Central Square’s Eligible for Listing in the National Register

Recognition is first ever for work by living landscape architect Lawrence Halprin

(Washington, DC – May 23, 2008) – On May 22, 2008, the city of Springfield, Missouri’s Park Central Square, which had been threatened with almost total demolition, became the first work by landscape architect Lawrence Halprin deemed eligible to the National Register of Historic Places, the official list of the Nation's historic places worthy of preservation. The Missouri State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) determined the square “eligible for listing in the National Register” because its design is “the work of a master.” Ninety-one year old Lawrence Halprin, a Presidential Medal of Arts winner and designer of the FDR Memorial in Washington, DC, is known for his visionary urban landscapes such as Freeway Park in Seattle, Washington, and the Chain of Open Spaces in Portland, Oregon, which are celebrated places of those cities.

The determination of Springfield’s Park Central Square’s eligibility is significant not only because it is the first Halprin landscape so recognized, but because the park was designed in 1970, and thus less than 50 years old, a baseline for assessing eligibility. The Square, an early urban design commission for Halprin, was viewed by the city as an agent for downtown revitalization that would yield a “public Square for beauty, convenience, commerce and fun [with] a different feel which will be easily perceptible to everyone.” Constructed for $2 million (nearly $12 million in 2008 dollars), the Square, lauded at the time of its opening, has suffered from years of poor and deferred maintenance, and the city proposed to demolish nearly all of it.

The Cultural Landscape Foundation (TCLF), which saw the Halprin-designed Skyline Park in Denver, Colorado, razed in 2003 – a decision now regretted throughout that city – intervened. TCLF noted the use of state or federal money in the Square’s demolition automatically triggered a federally mandated determination of eligibility, known as a Section 106 compliance review (refers to Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act). TCLF became a lead consulting party for the review.

Along with recognizing Halprin’s significance to the Square, the SHPO determined the work proposed by the city of Springfield would have resulted in an adverse effect to the historic site. According to Mark Miles, Director, Missouri SHPO, “We felt that Park Central Square was an extremely important resource, both for the City of Springfield and for the State. It represents the work of a major figure in the field of landscape design and is significant resource from the recent past. We are grateful to the City and FHWA that an alternative approach to the project was developed--one that will permit much needed public and private investment to continue to take place in the downtown Springfield area while allowing time to fully explore preservation sensitive options and alternatives for the Halprin-designed Square. We are confident that design approaches can be developed that address the City's and the citizens of Springfield's concerns as well as protecting the significant elements of this important historic design."

“I must say that I feel immensely honored to hear that Park Central Square is eligible for the National Register,” said Mr. Halprin. “I soon hope to hear that it has gained full recognition for I know that such attention usually leads to renewed public appreciation and involvement. I have always felt that in a democracy, citizens must remain vigilant and involved regarding their important shared resources.”

“We look forward to helping the City in any way we can through this process so they can revitalize their downtown while maintaining their historic assets,” said Charles A. Birnbaum, TCLF president, adding, “as the process continues, we trust more and more citizens of Springfield will recognize they have a gem in their midst.”

The Cultural Landscape Foundation (TCLF), established in 1998, is the only not-for-profit foundation in America dedicated to increasing the public’s awareness of the important legacy of cultural landscapes and to help save them for future generations. For more information, please go to the TCLF’s website, www.tclf.org.

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My Opinion on Park Central Square and Other Current Issues

It's a rainy, Saturday morning. There's a robin out in the yard, soaking wet, no doubt finding plenty of worms washed up by the rain. The thunder is getting more and more distant and my day is just beginning. In fact, I've only drank half of my first cup of coffee (heh, this was two hours ago, now).

I've checked out the News-Leader already. I read the story about Randy D. Sloan's nudity and how his Attorney defends (the) case('s) dismissal. This hasn't been a story I had been following very closely. Beyond listening to Vincent David Jericho's Podcast of his interview with Greene County Prosecutor Darrell Moore, and sharing a few emails with a fellow blogger friend about it. I think my blogger friend is probably right in his thinking there is more to the story than the original knee-jerk reaction. In cases like this I prefer to see what the courts decide, but certainly there's no denying that a man should not be nude on his front porch around school children, any school children, elementary or otherwise, in fact, a man just shouldn't be nude on his front porch at all.

I noticed that Ron Paul supporters were characterized as cult followers in the leed of another story:

"Ron Paul, the Texas Republican with a cult-like following, will be in Branson on Friday for a 7 p.m. "freedom rally" at the Tri-Lakes Center, according to the schedule on his campaign Web site."

Some Ron Paul supporters may be cult-like in their following of Paul, just as some Obama supporters seem to be cult-like in their following of Obama, but those who don't follow Paul in a cult-like trance will probably be greatly offended by such a blanket statement. I know a few Paul supporters, and no, I'm not among their number, who will feel mischaracterized by that leed, and rightfully so.

The first story I read this morning, however, was Focus now on square perimeter. It was a fair story, not all of the stories and information about the square have been balanced, offering both sides of the issue. There has been an agenda.

At any rate, after writing my own story regarding the provenance of Park Central Square, Square Sinks into Controversy, for the May 7 issue of CFP Midweek, in which I simply tried to present a balanced article on the issue, and, since I have been following this issue closely,I decided it's an appropriate time to share my opinion, if anyone is interested in reading about it.

The first time I saw Butler Rosenbury & Partners proposed design plan for renovations on Park Central Square was at a City Council luncheon, held at Springfield/Branson National Airport. At the time I thought some of the ideas were very nice but my own concerns were addressed by Councilwoman Cindy Rushefsky's query about whether the $1 million promised to be spent on the square renovation would cover all the costs of the many beautiful features Tim Rosenbury had presented. The answer was no, but Rosenbury assured the Council he wouldn't bring something to Council for approval without fleshing out some ideas on how it could be financed and it could be done in phases. So, okay.

Later, I don't even remember the date, Rosenbury showed his presentation at another Council luncheon, you'll find that presentation here. I thought it was great, I really liked it.

Mrs. Ruth Kelley addressed the Council the day Rosenbury presented the final proposed design, at that luncheon. It was shortly after her letter appeared in the News-Leader, (since gone to archive at the News-Leader website, but can still be read here, at The Cultural Landscape Foundation's website).

While I really liked Ruth Kelley's letter, and had even made it a recommended reading at this blog, at that time I was of a mind that if the city just saved Halprin's fountain that would be enough.

Really, at that point, I didn't care that much and thought it was a good idea to renovate the square, I did like the existing square and thought it could have been restored using less money, but I was willing to go along. After all, it was part of the Heer's agreement with McGowan, so it's not like citizens had any choice about whether the money was going to be spent or not and Rosenbury touted there'd been over 750 people to weigh in on the design criteria, on what they'd like to see happen with the square.

By the time the special council meeting was called and the Council approved the design concept I had a little better understanding of who Lawrence Halprin was and I had begun to start having misgivings about the wisdom of paving over (how else would the city level the existing sunken plaza?) Halprin's work. I was thinking, "this could be a great boon to Springfield, this could put us on the map, think of the eclectic, artsy types who might plan their vacations around famous landscape sites, think of how Springfield could promote this! Doesn't Springfield like to think of itself as an artist's mecca? Don't we have First Friday Artwalk Events?"

Yes, I had begun to become a Lawrence Halprin fan and I was also becoming very concerned that the rest of Springfield's citizenry hadn't been properly educated on the provenance of the square and without proper education on what we have, how could an educated decision be made about what we want?

At the February 12, special called, Tuesday morning Council meeting, where the majority of Council approved Rosenbury's design, my opinion is that there was a rush to approve the proposal. I'm not sure how anyone could argue otherwise. The Council's discussion of an email received from Kevin McGowan of Blue Urban, the developer of the Heer's Tower, indicated McGowan was putting some pressure on Council and the Council was very mindful of the August 1 deadline the City had agreed to under contract with McGowan. The contract gave McGowan the option of forcing the city to buy back the Heer's Tower if construction on renovation of the square wasn't begun by that August 1 deadline.

I've silently noted that there are some who would like to characterize those concerned about the provenance of the square as being "obstructionists" against what the majority of Springfieldians want downtown but believing the citizens of Springfield weren't properly apprised of the provenance of that square and the status of Lawrence Halprin's designs while considering what they wanted on the square, I believe that is an unfair characterization. I also noted that someone cast a bit of aspersion on my identification of Partner for Public Spaces as BRP's programming "partner" at another blog, enclosing "partner" in quotation marks, but, for the sake of clarification on that matter, I got that identifier straight out of the mouth of Tim Rosenbury, himself, so I felt very comfortable in using it. That was how Rosenbury described Partner for Public Spaces at the special February 12 Council meeting.

Now, the question in my mind is how could anyone not be exited and thrilled that our public square, Park Central Square, was designed by a famous landscape architect, a world renowned landscape architect!? How can this be considered a bad thing, an awful development!? Why wouldn't ALL of Springfield celebrate such a thing? It makes no sense to me.

I'm ecstatic, yes, I'm celebrating the fact that Lawrence Halprin designed our square and that it has been deemed eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. Now all of Springfield knows it. Now real discussions can begin on how to preserve the wonderful asset Springfield has! This is a good thing, how can it be a bad thing? I would also think that every business owner downtown, including Kevin McGowan, would be ecstatic over this wonderful, fantastic news!

Stuart Soloman began the discussion in the May 21 issue of Community Free Press. Be sure and catch his column, "Looking Back to Move Forward," page 7.

Let's look back at what we have, what was planned by Halprin and not implemented, what was lost over the years of the original design (for instance, originally there were stone benches in the park instead of the ugly multiple coated green ones there now, where are those stone benches today?) and then lets move forward and celebrate this fantastic news. We all want what is best for Springfield. It wasn't in the best interest of Springfield to let Park Central Square run down, what about using some money to maintain what we have instead of building things only to let them deteriorate and run down and then bulldoze them under and start over? That would be a good discussion topic for another blog.

Note: I also meant to include another opinion: I, personally, believe Butler Rosenbury & Partners made every effort to point out to the city of Springfield that Lawrence Halprin was a landscape architect of note. The design firm even showed a film spotlighting another Halprin designed park in Oregon. According to Tim Rosenbury, there just wasn't much interest in the provenance of the square on the part of the city.

I had a lovely discussion with Tim Rosenbury back in February and found him to be very forthcoming, honest and direct in responding to my questions and wouldn't want anyone to get the impression that I feel he played a role in dismissing Halprin's relevance. BRP was contracted by the city to offer a design proposal on Park Central Square and, after informing the city of the potential relevance of Halprin's design, he concluded the city had little interest in it and so, he did his job. The design firm of Butler Rosenbury & Partners presented what the city of Springfield had contracted them to present and their firm simply tried their best to please their client.

Park Central Square Decision

Get Councilman Dan Chiles reaction to the news that Park Central Square is eligible for historic listing at Community Free Press - Midweek, here's a tease:

"It turns out that what we have here is like a little teapot on a mantel.You walk past it for 30 years and you never really quite appreciate…you know it’s pretty, so you don’t put it in the garage sale. Then, you take it to one of those Antiques Road Show television shows and they say, "Do you realize that what you have here is of great value?" It gives you a whole new light, a whole new way of appreciating something. You go back and you look at the history of it and how it was made and, once you appreciate something like that, once you understand where it came from, then your esteem for it increases." Councilman Dan Chiles responding to the news that Park Central Square is eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. Read more...

Park Central Square Eligible for National Register of Historic Places

City of Springfield News Release:

The City of Springfield was notified today that the Missouri State Historic Preservation Office has determined that the inner section of Park Central Square is eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places and that the proposed undertaking would have an adverse effect on the Square.

The determination was made in response to the City’s Section 106 application to the Federal Highway Administration and to the SHPO for review that is required when federal funds are used for a project such as the proposed renovation of the Square. The eligibility determination does not designate the Square as an historic site, but means it is eligible for such a designation. Federal law requires that federal agencies take into account the impact of their undertakings on properties listed or eligible for listing in the National Register. The SHPO stated that the Square is eligible in the area of Landscape Architecture and is significant for its association with noted landscape designer Lawrence Halprin.

FHWA concurrence with the Determination of Eligibility means that the City would have to work with SHPO, FHWA and other interested parties on mutually agreeable ways to mitigate any potential adverse impact the renovation would have on elements of the Square determined to be eligible for historic designation. There are a variety of ways in which mitigation could take place, such as documenting the current design or preserving historic elements of the current design. FHWA has the final decision on any mitigation measures.

The City believes the mitigation process can’t be completed in time to meet contractual deadlines related to Blue Urban’s renovation of the Heer’s Tower. Therefore, the City will quickly begin discussions with stakeholders about moving forward on Phase II of the renovation project instead of Phase I.

The Phase II renovations noted in the new design plan involve sidewalk improvements, new lighting and potentially narrowing the existing roadway around the perimeter of the Square. This phase of renovations could enlarge the outer perimeter to allow more room for activities like outdoor dining, an outdoor reading area for the Park Central Library Branch and other potential uses by property owners such as Blue Urban and Missouri State University.

The City has consulted with the SHPO and the office has indicated that it will likely be able to complete review of the outer-perimeter renovations to permit construction to start on the project in a timely manner. The federal funding for the project applied to the Square as a whole, so moving ahead on the outer perimeter is consistent with the grant funding.

“The inner Square is a higher-profile part of the project and it elicited the most feedback about changes people would like to see to make the Square more inviting and user friendly,” said Rusty Worley, executive director of Urban Districts Alliance, which coordinated the public-input process for the Square renovation. “However, the outer Square renovation is clearly a high priority and offers immediate benefits to the Library, Heer's, Missouri State University, and the sidewalk cafes.”

If there is consensus among stakeholders and the City Council to move forward on the outer perimeter, City staff and the design team will aggressively move forward on final design and construction documents to try to meet the Aug. 1 contract obligation for the Square renovation to begin. The City also has been consulting about the process with Blue Urban developer Kevin McGowan, who has expressed his support for this alternate plan.

After steps are in place to meet the contractual obligation, the City will revisit the issues associated with the inner Square and re-open the public-input process.

Recommended Reading 13: Park Central Square

The Community Free Press - Midweek has the most in depth coverage on Park Central Square:

See: CFP Exclusive: City Holds Meeting on Square's Historic Designation

Read the Cultural Landscape Foundation's response to the State Historic Preservation Office and the email answer from Bob Cumley regarding Councilman Dan Chiles questions about the square, including the City Manager's update on the square's section 106 status from May 6, 2008.

There are also other important and informative links at CFP's website regarding the square and the section 106 process.

More: From the News-Leader, Square renovation plans in hands of state agency

Park Central Square Provenance

No claim was made that City told Tim Rosenbury of Butler Rosenbury & Partners, Inc. not to research famous landscape designer Lawrence Halprin's involvement in design of Park Central Square

At another local blog, a quote from Charles A. Birnbaum, president of the Cultural Landmark Foundation, was discussed and responded to by local architect Tim Rosenbury, of Butler Rosenbury & Partners. For a refresher, here is the direct quote from Mr. Birnbaum as published in the Community Free Press and at this blog:

“In my conversation with Tim Rosenbury back in early February, he noted that, in his initial presentation to the city, his firm raised the question of Mr. Halprin’s involvement. Rosenbury noted that the city suggested provenance was not a significant consideration and he was dissuaded from researching any Halprin involvement.”

A question posed by the local blogger led Mr. Rosenbury to make a statement that nobody from the city had told him to NOT look into the provenance of the square as relates to famous architect Lawrence Halprin, so I felt it was my duty to point out, as the writer of the article to which the blogger referred, that Mr. Birnbaum never made the claim that the city HAD told him not to look into Mr. Halprin's involvement or the significance of his role in the design of the square.

Mr. Birnbaum never made the suggestion that anyone from the city of Springfield had told Rosenbury or his design firm not to look into Halprin's involvement in Park Central Square's design and neither did CFP.

Rosenbury clearly let the city know that Halprin's involvement may be of some significance:

At the special Council meeting in February, Rosenbury told the Council, “…during the presentation that we made to the selection committee we had a slide of another square that Halprin designed in Portland and we made the point that that may be of some significance.”

In a strawman sort of way, Rosenbury's answer could be interpreted that Mr. Birnbaum had said that Rosenbury had told him someone from the city expressly told him not to research any Halprin involvement, possibly giving the impression that Birnbaum was lying, but that is not what the president of the Cultural Landscape Foundation said at all .

Mr. Birnbaum stated that Rosenbury told him "he was dissuaded from researching any Halprin involvement."

My interpretation (assumption) would be that the lack of interest on the part of the city in the provenance of the square was enough to dissuade Rosenbury from further research regarding Halprin's involvement in the square design, but Birnbaum didn't expressly indicate why Rosenbury was dissuaded, therefore we don't really know why he and his firm were dissuaded from further research on Halprin involvement and the blogger didn't bother to ask that question.

For clarification, the question CFP asked was:

Did Springfield Consider Provenance of Park Central Square Before Acting?

I'm not sure we have yet received a clear answer to that question. Mr. Birnbaum claimed: "Rosenbury noted that the city suggested provenance was not a significant consideration," and that is all that Mr. Birnbaum claimed to know about the city's interest in the provenance of the square as reported in CFP.

Square Sinks into Controversy

The debate over famed architect Lawrence Halprin’s involvement continues to haunt downtown revitalization.

(Note: This is an article I wrote for the May 7 - May 20 issue of Community Free Press - Midweek)

by Jackie Melton
CFP Contributor

The City Council called a special meeting in February to pass resolution 9570, “authorizing city staff to adopt the design proposal of Butler Rosenbury & Partners, Inc. (BRP) for the downtown square.”

There were concerns, at the time, about meeting an August 1 deadline on construction of the square. Under the terms of the city’s agreement with the purchaser of the Heer’s Tower, if the city does not begin construction to redevelop the square by that date, the owner can exercise a “put option” and force the city to buy back the Heer’s Tower. The stipulation put the city under a lot of pressure to move forward on the BRP design concept.

At that time, Councilman Dan Chiles suggested the city meet with renowned Park Central Square designer, Lawrence Halprin. He felt consulting with Halprin on the design might stave off challenges by historic landmark groups. There was no apparent interest in the suggestion and the resolution passed by a majority vote of Council.

“It would have been prudent for someone, and I’m saying either the (city) staff or the contractor, to look and see what we have, which is a Lawrence Halprin-designed square,” Chiles said. “It turns out, that guy and his firm is the single, most respected and honored landscape architectural firm in the United States.”

The challenge Chiles feared came in the form of a letter to Federal Highway Administration Division Administrator, Allen Masuda. In it, Jennifer Sandy, the program officer of the Midwest Office of the National Trust for Historic Preservation (NTHP),advised Masuda they wanted to participate in the Park Central Square review process, pursuant to the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA).

The NTHP also expressed concern about the city moving forward with plans for the square prior to seeking compliance with the NHPA. Since the city has been granted federal highway money to perform the work, the city is required to insure the money spent will not jeopardize an existing historic work.

In a letter written to the Mayor and members of City Council, Economic Development Director Mary Lilly Smith assured them the city was following the rules. “Staff has been steadily working on this project since the City Council endorsed the design….” Smith wrote.

In a report the city submitted to the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) in late April, the city built a case that Halprin was minimally involved in the project.

The report claimed employee George McLaughlin and unknown other representatives of Lawrence Halprin & Associates made trips to Springfield but there was no indication that Halprin, himself, ever came here.

“Of the 24 concepts found in the Halprin Collection, only one or two appear to be drawn in the loose, organic sketch and design style of Lawrence Halprin….It appears that neither concept was pursued beyond sketch level,” the report said.

Charles A. Birnbaum, president of the Cultural Landscape Foundation disagrees. In an e-mail, Birnbaum wrote there was much more evidence of Halprin’s involvement in the design of Park Central Square than the city suggested. “I am disappointed by the manipulation of the findings,” Birnbaum wrote in response to the report the city of Springfield submitted to SHPO.

“In my conversation with Tim Rosenbury back in early February, he noted that, in his initial presentation to the city, his firm raised the question of Mr. Halprin’s involvement. Rosenbury noted that the city suggested provenance was not a significant consideration and he was dissuaded from researching any Halprin involvement.”

At the special Council meeting in February, Rosenbury told the Council, “…during the presentation that we made to the selection committee we had a slide of another square that Halprin designed in Portland and we made the point that that may be of some significance.”

After BRP’s design was adopted, Rosenbury told CFP he felt a responsibility to observe the use and revitalization criteria that came out of the public input process on the square. That process was said to have included at least 750 people. Many of the people who provided input were members of focus groups chosen by BRP’s programming partner, Partner for Public Spaces.

Former Halprin associate, George McLaughlin, also disagreed with the idea that Halprin’s work was minimal on the project.

“The only one who can professionally be credited with the project design is Lawrence Halprin,” McLaughlin wrote to correct what he felt were misrepresentations in another newspaper.

The concluding paragraph of the city’s report to SHPO reads, in part: “…There is no evidence in the Halprin Collection of the Architectural Archives of the University of Pennsylvania that indicates that Lawrence Halprin had an ongoing, direct role in the project.”

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Informational boxes:

Park Central Square Redevelopment Timeline

> February 15: Develop and refine design at the detail level

> May 15: Submit plans to Public Works for final approval

> June 1: Release for contractor bid

> July 1: Receive contractor bids

> July 15: Submit bids to Council for approval, prepare notice to proceed and paperwork

> August 1: Start of Construction (August 1 is the date the city is bound to begin improvements under the Heer’s building agreement).

Source: Tim Rosenbury of Butler Rosenbury Partners, Inc. at the February 12 Council meeting

Excerpts from February 12, 2008 Meeting Minutes

> Mr. (Ralph) Manley added his belief that Council should adopt this resolution as soon as possible.

> John Wylie noted his belief that this bill should be passed today.

> Mr. (Dan) Chiles expressed concern that the proposed may violate provisions included in section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act.

> Gary Deaver noted Council had received an e-mail from Mr. McGowan (purchaser of the Heer’s Tower) expressing his concern regarding further delays.

> Mary Collette noted her disappointment that Mr. Halprin’s design was not discussed earlier.

> Mr. Manley noted decisions need to be made immediately so no further delays will occur.

> Ms. Collette noted a plaque could be placed by the Halprin fountain to commemorate Mr. Halprin’s design.

> Council Bill 2008-052 (substitute #1) Resolution 9570 was approved by the following vote: Ayes: Deaver, Collette, Wylie, Manley, Rushefsky, and Burlison. Nays: Chiles. Abstain: None. Absent: Carlson

Source: Springfield City Clerk Brenda Cirtin, to view the complete meeting minutes go to www.cfpmidweek.com.

In response to a comment on Council Bill 2008-058

I decided to post this response to Jason's question on my last post about the City's Green Building policy resolution, Council Bill 2008-058, as an entry rather than in the comment section. Mainly, I just felt it was too long and covered too much territory to post in the comment section.

It is personal toward Jason because it is in response to his comment on concerns I raised about the Green Building Policy. He asked:

"Well, a question...if they (Council) had just done it and citizens found out later about the green building standard and perhaps higher construction costs...would we have a whole host of blog entries/talk radio show rants/talk radio phone calls/letters to the editor from all around the Ozarks about it being "done in secret"?

At least they're being open about it."

My response:

Jason, certainly the City Council makes requests of staff all the time. When they, as a whole, make requests of staff it is usually done in an open forum, at least that's what the Sunshine Law requires and we assume it is so unless they cite state law which makes it legal for Council to meet in closed session. Generally, when the public perceives they haven't had an opportunity to weigh in on an issue it's because they weren't paying attention and LOST their opportunity, not that there wasn't an opportunity in the first place.

Then, that scenario brings rise to what I think is the deeper question.

Look at the Storage Container issue for an example, and honestly I haven't had a chance to look over the proposed ordinance closely yet, but I did attend the last storage container meeting before they drafted it. At that meeting the owner of "Pods" was there and he was concerned about the signage being restricted to 12" x 12" for very legitimate reasons. His signage is larger and it is EMBEDDED into the pods but the limitations of signage wasn't changed when the draft was released. So sometimes, it seems that regardless of public input and how legitimate it is the City makes decisions, after celebrating a whole host of public input sessions, that appear to disregard legitimate issues. It makes it appear to be almost a bait and switch, the City has public input, is able to pat themselves on the back for providing ample opportunity for it and then, BAM! The City disregards it and does what they want anyway.

Offering an opportunity for public input isn't enough. There has to be a genuine want to listen, consider and make changes that legitimately rise out of those input sessions.

Look at Park Central Square, lots of opportunity for public input but no real consideration of the fact that it is a Halprin design. Should it have been a part of the process for the City to acknowledge and educate the public about the renowned landscape architect who designed it? Well, I think so, because clearly, now we may have a legal problem brewing because the public didn't realize the value of a Halprin design until it was, in the City's mind, too late to incorporate it and stay within the timeline of the Heer's development agreement. That was poor planning, in my opinion. Now, it seems to be a ticking time bomb, an unnecessary ticking time bomb that if handled correctly from the beginning could likely have been defused months ago, when there was time to handle it. To further complicate things, Councilman Chiles, on the Vincent David Jericho program said he DID raise that question at one of the first public input meetings. Tim Rosenbury later told me that if he'd considered Halprin's design earlier, right after Ruth Kelley's letter hit the News-Leader, the consideration wouldn't have effected the timeline.

The question in this posting is, and was in the previous posting I made about the Green Building Policy: Is it necessary to pass a resolution in order to build green? The city's attorney said no, it isn't. I question taxpayer money and resources being spent unnecessarily for really, no other reason than to make a statement about "being a leader in sustainability." There's nothing wrong with being a leader in sustainability but taxpayer MONEY could have been "sustained" without passing an unnecessary resolution meant to do nothing but make a statement.

Your question about, "if they had just done it and citizens found out later about the green building standard and perhaps higher construction costs...would we have a whole host of blog entries/talk radio show rants/talk radio phone calls/letters to the editor from all around the Ozarks about it being "done in secret"? With the addition of your statement: "At least they're being open about it." Do you mean to imply they've done something special by being open about it? There shouldn't be anything "special" about the Council doing something in the open. Under the Sunshine Law they are very limited in what they can do "in secret." Certainly, when the City does a good job they should be commended however, the openness of government, by law a requirement, should not be viewed as something "special".

It is a welcome thing to ask for public input and a good START, but then, when looking back over the process later, after all is said and done, the real proof in the pudding is whether the City Council holds the staff and contracted employees accountable for actually considering that input, all of it, not just the part that supports what they want to accomplish. There's where public input counts. It isn't in the opportunity to have it, it isn't in the opportunity the City then has to hear it, it is in the opportunity the city has to utilize it when it is legitimate. The Council is supposed to be representative of the people who voted them into their positions

I've heard Mayor Pro Tem Deaver on more than one occasion say, "We can't please everyone" and that's true. They'll never please everyone BUT, that said, I don't recall ANY member of the public making a statement that they think Council's actions SHOULD please everyone. That makes that statement a straw man argument, because no one has ever indicated the people expect the Council to please everyone. So, why bring that up? Is that an appeasment meant to excuse the Council for making decisions that don't consider legitimate complaints from the public they are supposed to represent?

I suspect your question wasn't raised to be answered, it was raised to make a statement but if asked in question form you are protected from being questioned about your assumption. The fact is, we don't and can't know the answer to your question. This is why I suspect it was raised to raise suspicion about someone who expressed a legitimate concern about the Green Building Policy. That's my take on it because it certainly didn't address my concern about the policy or anything I actually wrote. What does your question have to do with my concern about the unnecessary and perhaps untimely taxpayer money and resources spent to bring this bill to Council?

Park Central Square

We haven't heard the last of it.

After the Council luncheon today I mentioned to Councilman Chiles that I was sorry I didn't get to speak to him about the Park Central Square issue as it relates to Lawrence Halprin's design (he didn't return my call after I tagged him the second time) and he mentioned back that we haven't heard the last of this issue. I agreed with him and here's why. I realize I'm not the one to break this news, I got the link to this updated version from an online letter at the News-Leader, though I had knowledge of their involvement before the Special Council meeting called February 12.

The Cultural Landscape Foundation is suggesting that you can help by sending a letter requesting full consideration of the Lawrence Halprin design to:

The Springfield City Council

Springfield Landmarks Board

Missouri Alliance for Historic Preservation

The Springfield News-Leader print editor

The Springfield News-Leader on-line editor

Missouri State Historic Preservation Office

Council Bill 2008-052, Park Central Square Renovation

It's 1:07 p.m. and citizens interested in the bill which Council will vote on at 11:30 tomorrow morning is still not available online. The bill authorizes city staff to adopt the design proposal of Butler Rosenbury & Partners, Inc. for the downtown (Park Central) square.

I have a copy of the bill in my possession, my thanks to Mike Brothers of the city's Public Information Office for spending a great deal of time on my behalf getting this information to me.

Brothers wrote in an email response that they will be voting on the resolution on Tuesday, February 12. Brothers indicated that because it is a resolution it only requires one reading and the Council can vote on it. He wrote, "The Council could decide to hold it over, but that doesn't often happen with a resolution."

Here is what he gave as the reason for it being held in a Tuesday vote rather on the Monday night agenda:

"The reason it was called for Tuesday instead of Monday was to make sure we would be able to meet the 24-hour posting notice per the sunshine law, which would be 11:30 a.m. today, in case it wasn't completed by end of the day Friday."

Since it is (or was) still unavailable online (at the time of this writing), here is the pertinent information on the bill, transcribed from the document Brothers sent me this morning, some of the layout varies but the words are directly from the bill:

Sponsored by: Deaver

Substitute No. 1
COUNCIL BILL NO. 2008-052 RESOLUTION NO.

A RESOLUTION

AUTHORIZING city staff to adopt the design proposal of Butler Rosenbury & Partners, Inc. for the downtown square.

____________________________________________

WHEREAS, the City of Springfield has determined that the downtown square is a functionally obsolete public asset, last renovated 38 years ago; and

WHEREAS, for the last year, the City, the Urban Districts Alliance and a committee comprised of members of the community conducted numerous public meetings to seek input from members of the general public regarding design alternatives for the downtown square; and,

WHEREAS, over 750 people offered input to assist in designing alternatives for the downtown square; and,

WHEREAS, Butler Rosenbury & Partners, Inc. designed three variations for the redesign of the downtown square; and,

WHEREAS, the City Council, in an effort to comply with time frames set forth in the redevelopment agreement with Kevin McGowan for the redevelopment of the Heer's Building has determined that design alternatives proposed by Butler Rosenbury & Partners, Inc. have sufficiently encompassed the concerns and proposals offered by the citizens of the City of Springfield and are ready to proceed with the design and construction of the downtown improvements; and

WHEREAS, the City has obtained federal funding for the design and implementation of Phase 1 for the redevelopment of the downtown square; and

WHEREAS, Urban Districts Alliance, the City, and the business community are working in a joint effort to raise funds to assist in implementing the remaining phases of the square.*

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SPRINGFIELD as follows, that:

Section 1 - The recommended design of Butler Rosenbury & Partners, Inc., as presented to the Springfield City Council on February 5, 2008,* is hereby accepted by the City Council of the City of Springfield as the proposed design for improvements to the downtown square.

Section 2 - City Council hereby directs staff to take any and all steps necessary to prepare plans, documents, and drawings and to proceed with the design set forth above. The City Manager is further authorized to enter into agreements necessary to effectuate the terms of this resolution.

Section 3 - This resolution shall be effective immediately upon adoption.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

SUBSTITUTE #1: EXPLANATION TO COUNCIL BILL NO. 2008-052

ORIGINATING DEPARTMENT: City Manager

PURPOSE:

To adopt the design proposal of Butler Rosenbury & Partners, Inc for development of the downtown square and to permit the City Manager to enter into agreements to meet the terms of the resolution.

BACKGROUND:

The City of Springfield received a federal grant to assist in the renovation of Park Central Square. After an extensive public input process, Butler Rosenbury & Partners presented alternative designs to City Council on February 5, 2008.

REMARKS:

This resolution adopts the recommended alternative design presented February 5, 2008, directs staff to proceed with construction plans, and authorizes the City Manager to take all actions necessary to implement the preferred design.

Submitted and approved by:
Bob Cumley
City Manager

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mike Brothers, Special Projects Coordinator, City of Springfield wrote:

"The public will be able to comment on Tuesday."

If you would like to comment tomorrow, Tuesday, February 12, 2008, the meeting will be conveniently held in City Council Chambers at 11:30 a.m.

*Emphasis mine. Butler Rosenbury & Partners, Inc., recommended the complete package offered, Phase 1, 2 and 3.

Recommended Reading 5

Landslide: Park Central Square, Springfield, MO/ The Cultural Landscape Foundation

On December 15, 2007, Mrs. Ruth Kelley, a long-time property and business owner in downtown Springfield, Missouri, wrote a letter which appeared in the local newspaper, the New Leader. In that communication, she asked the city council to reconsider the proposed reconfiguration of the Park Central Square, in downtown Springfield....

We were intrigued with this undocumented early public project by Halprin – a design that does not appear in any of the early surveys (e.g. Process Architecture No. 4: Lawrence Halprin, 1978.) ....

You can read Ruth Kelley's comments at the link.

Here is what Lawrence Halprin had to say about Park Central Square:

"This work came after the firm was already consulting in Missouri (referencing the Civic Center Master Plan for Kansas City of 1966). The design for Springfield came about as shopping malls such as Nicollet Mall in Minneapolis, MN, were gaining popularity. These public spaces were also becoming cultural centers, with art becoming widely incorporated. The fountain at Springfield was meant to present abstraction and it had a lot to do with design. Architect Charles Moore [who had worked with Halprin on Lovejoy just a few years earlier with Moore & Turnbull as associated architects] likely influenced the Pavilion design, including its clipped corners."

For a look at some other threatened designs of Halprin:

LANDSLIDE /Three Invisible Modernist Designs by Lawrence Halprin

These landscapes suffer from poor maintenance that has led to demolition/redesign proposals at these sites.