Landscape Architect Articles

Boom to Bust to Boom08-01-07 | News

Boom to Bust to Boom

One curious habit of some people with obsessive-compulsive disorder is the need to count certain things. Such a person would know that each panel of ornamental steel fencing on Church Street and Capitol Blvd. has 17 pickets with a post on each end. There are 363 steel fence posts, each topped with a 2-in. diameter steel ball, full-seam welded to the underside of the post top void.

Our featured project is the Church Street reconstruction and Capitol Boulevard revitalization in downtown Nashville. These are two of Nashville?EUR??,,????'?????<

BEFORE & AFTER: The streetscape challenge for the landscape architects, Carol R. Johnson Associates, Inc., was to reinvigorate Nashville?EUR??,,????'?????<

As subconsultants to Barge, Waggoner, Sumner & Cannon, Inc., Carol R. Johnson Associates, Inc. (CRJA) provided landscape architectural design services for the reconstruction of Church Street, and led the design effort to revitalize Capitol Boulevard.

Back in the 1780s, what is today Church Street was a dirt path. A spring along the path prompted people to logically call it Spring Street. The street was soon the site of churches of various faiths: Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians. The spring was no longer the street?EUR??,,????'?????<

In 1928, the Knickerbocker movie house on Church Street showed Nashville?EUR??,,????'?????<

above & BELOW: The height of the architectural precast concrete planter curbs vary from 3.5-in. above grade on the up slope, to 9 inches above grade for the down slope. The curbs have a surface sealant, anti-graffiti coating, concrete footings, aggregate backfill and aggregate subbases. The planters comprise 383 architectural precast concrete blocks. There are expansion joints at all curbs, building faces, walls, steps, light pole bases, pull boxes, manholes and all other vertical surfaces.

In the 1950s, it was a district of upscale stores like Harvey?EUR??,,????'?????<

In 1976, the city spent $1.5 million to turn Church Street into a one-way meandering road of hexagonal brick pavers. Still, the exodus of stores continued and buildings became vacant. The once popular Tennessee Theater and Cain-Sloan Building were razed. As the buildings came down, superfluous parking lots appeared. The street scene was shabby. There were asphalt patches for damaged brick pavers and a hodge-podge of street furnishings and light fixtures. There just wasn?EUR??,,????'?????<

The choice for pedestrian lighting is the Halophane Prismasphere, which has the look of gas globes of the 1900s. Rain sensors on the light poles are part of the irrigation control system. In some urban centers there aren?EUR??,,????'?????<

Compliance

It was important to coordinate the design changes with several Metro departments and with previous studies and plans. Therefore, the project incorporated the Downtown Streetscape Design Guidelines and was coordinated with Metro Planning, Public Works, MDHA, the Nashville Civic Design Center and other entities.

To keep some folks from carting away the site amenities, the armchairs, benches and trash receptacles are anchored with 3/8-in. x 3-in. long stainless steel screws set in .5-in. dia. drilled holes. The void of the holes are filled with nonshrink grout.

Public Engagement

The property owners, business operators and public were concerned about the final configuration of traffic, parking and construction disruptions. Frequent design review meetings were publicized, including door-to-door canvassing. At each meeting, plan views of the street corridors were printed for the owners and tenants to view the proposed configuration bordering their properties. Everyone had the opportunity for input and meticulous notes were kept for all proceedings. These meetings were not empty gestures to public desires and concerns. Many changes to the plan reflected public consensus.

A website dedicated to the project was updated regularly to keep people informed about construction locations and daily traffic closings and detours. Weekly progress meetings with the contractors included an open public session to voice concerns. In addition to publicized phone numbers, the public could also email the project manager with questions.

These public efforts played a significant role in the construction?EUR??,,????'?????<

The street amenities include Plainwell aluminum litter receptacles and metal seat panel benches (landscapeforms), four, six and eight-foot lengths; two-ft. wide armchairs; and stepped steel fence panels for the street planters on Church Street and Capitol Blvd..

Although pedestrians were the focus of the streetscape design, bicyclists were not left out. There are 10 bike posts and rings to secure bikes. ?EUR??,,????'?????<

Resuscitating Downtown

The objectives for the city were clear cut?EUR??,,????'?????<

It was a simple equation. Modern residential living units coupled with an attractive urban streetscape would reinvigorate downtown Nashville. Vehicular and pedestrian traffic had to increase. After studying the traffic layout, Metro Public Works recommended Church Street and Capitol Boulevard be converted to two-way traffic and provide on-street parking.

The Challenge

This streetscape project was not simple and straightforward. It would entail new sidewalks and furnishings, new landscaping, new street alignment, and underground utilities?EUR??,,????'?????<

The Capitol Blvd. renovation turned the one-way road into a two-way road with parking in both directions. The lanes are separated by a median of pavers and deciduous shade trees?EUR??,,????'?????<

Enhancing the Pedestrian?EUR??,,????'?????<

The pedestrian?EUR??,,????'?????<

The design professionals chose materials to reflect the traditional nature of the setting and replicate or recall some of the historic street details during its most vibrant era. The choice for pedestrian lighting, for example, was round globes with the look of gas globes circa 1900.

ABOVE & BELOW: Church Street before was a one-way meandering way with few amenities and a rather somber look, compared to the new, lighter colors and attractive planters. Crosswalks now are clearly delineated and key intersections redesigned for maximum pedestrian safety. ADA-compliant crosswalks and ramps are used throughout, as are audible walk/don?EUR??,,????'?????<

Extensive landscaping helps soften the hardscape, adds visual appeal and brings nature?EUR??,,????'?????<

The Church Street reconstruction project has revitalized the street and given the downtown a new identity. The design updated this 1970s streetscape to give it a more contemporary and unified look.

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There are 39 paver grates, installed with filter fabric and sand setting bed?EUR??,,????'?????<

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CRJA?EUR??,,????'?????<

(rendering) Treeway cross-section.

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(rendering) Fence picket and rail.

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The planting palette is extensive and copious (quantities in parentheses). The ground covers are Pachysandra terminalis (1,810) and ?EUR??,,????'?????<

To keep the roadway plantings properly irrigated a complete automated irrigation system was installed?EUR??,,????'?????<

Project: Church Street Reconstruction and Revitalization of Capitol Boulevard, downtown Nashville, Tenn.

Architectural and Engineering Firm: Barge, Waggoner, Sumner & Cannon, Inc., Nashville

Landscape Architect: Carol R. Johnson Associates, Inc. (CRJA), founded in 1959, is a landscape architectural design and environmental planning firm with offices in Boston, Mass., Knoxville, Tenn., and Abu Dhabi, UAE. The practice has expanded over the years into a 65-person firm with long-standing relationships with many of the country?EUR??,,????'?????<

The Tennessee state flag was designed by infantryman LeRoy Reeves of the Third Regiment and officially adopted by the Tennessee Legislature on April 17, 1905.

Nashville, Tenn.

Name: Originally called Fort Nashborough. The city had its 200 anniversary last year.

Location: Nashville, the state capital, is located on the banks of the Cumberland River in Davidson County (Nashville-Davidson County pop. 607,413).

AKA: ?EUR??,,????'?????<

Civil War days: Last state to secede from the Union and the first rebel state capital to fall to the Union in Feb. 1862.

Industry: Second only to New York as a music recording and production center. The ?EUR??,,????'?????<

Culture: Grand Ole Opry (since 1925); Tennessee Performing Arts Center (home to Tennessee Repertory Theatre, Nashville Opera and Nashville Ballet); Schermerhorn Symphony Center; Frist Center for the Visual Arts; Tennessee State Museum.

Education: Vanderbilt (founded in 1873) is Nashville?EUR??,,????'?????<

Sport Teams: Tennessee Titans (NFL); Nashville Predators (NHL).

Local Curiosity: The Parthenon in Centennial Park is a full-scale reproduction of the Parthenon.

Horticulture: Cheekwood Botanical Garden