Lighting Elements Showcase: Downtown Decatur

A comprehensive restructuring of downtown Decatur, Ill. began in 2011, and will continue through 2014. New plans involve relocating the state highway route that bisects the downtown; reducing traffic lane widths; providing additional on-street parking; constructing new sidewalks with special paving; and new streetscape amenities.

One-hundred eighty-five 1960 Gallery series pedestrian lighting assemblies on Monrovia ornamental poles were installed. An additional 16 were mounted on extended pedestrian poles. The aluminum shades are flared and have custom light windows. Blue colored lenses for these windows are primarily used throughout the downtown, but the historic district has red lenses. The lamping is HID 70-watt metal halides.

Each of the 17 new large roadway light assemblies has a 4500K LED glow ring behind a blue lens mounted at the same height as the city's pedestrian light fixtures (above photo). Receptacles mounted inside the decorative bases and near the top of the poles provide power during special events and festivals. Sternberg provided everything on the Decatur lighting assemblies except the roadway cobra heads (250-watt high-pressure sodium lamping).

Downtown Decatur
Much of downtown Decatur, Ill., about 30 blocks, was renovated in the 1970s. The intervening 40 years, however, had proved that modernization was untenable and deteriorating.

A comprehensive restructuring of downtown Decatur began in 2011, and will continue through 2014. The project landscape architectural firm is explains the project landscape architect, Kent Massie of Massie Massie & Associates of Springfield, Illinois. Kent Massie, senior landscape architect, explains the project involves reconfiguration streets, parking, sidewalks, street crossings, street and pedestrian lighting, street furnishings and other amenities.

New plans involve relocating the state highway route that bisects the downtown; reducing traffic lane widths; providing additional on-street parking; constructing new sidewalks with special paving; installing new distinctive light fixtures and other special lighting; and installing various streetscape amenities.

Downtown Lighting
Lighting became an important unifying element early on and throughout the project area. It helps define the downtown. Massie Massie & Associates worked with Sternberg Lighting to develop unique lighting for Decatur. Various colored light rings are included on both the street and pedestrian light assemblies. Blue colored light rings are primarily used throughout the downtown. To designate special use districts other colors were introduced: Green light rings within downtown parks; red light rings were installed on Decatur's historic Merchant Street. The Merchant Street light poles extend much higher than the fixture height to accommodate light cables that span the street at a second-story level. An overhead arch structure, red light rings, and the light cables help designate Merchant Street as one of the main shopping and dining districts.

Light rings on the taller street lights are mounted at the same height as the pedestrian light fixtures to create a continuous line at the pedestrian scale. Receptacles mounted inside the decorative bases and near the top of the poles provide power during special events and festivals.

Note: Derek Emeson, a senior sales engineer with Sternberg, worked closely with Kent Massie of Massie Massie & Associates of Springfield, Ill. from the start.