Transforming Lewis Avenue

By Jim Lee, principal, SWA Group

Perpendicular to Fourth Street, the lowest part of the plaza?EUR??,,????'???s water system (the lower basin) features a cascading waterfall flowing down into a lower pool. This is where the wash ?EUR??,,????'??changes character?EUR??,,????'?? as it moves on through each successive block of stone cobbles, evolving from an organic form to a system of rills.

?EUR??,,????'??The pre-existing Lewis Avenue street environment was brutal. Buildings, generally lacking any detail to provide human scale, were jammed up to the right-of-way line and loomed over the street.?EUR??,,????'??–Jim Lee, principal, SWA Group

The Lewis Avenue Corridor project transformed the three downtown blocks between Las Vegas and Casino Center boulevards into a pedestrian-friendly oasis. Work on the $1.8 million project started in February 2002 and was completed in September 2002.

To many people, the name Las Vegas evokes ?EUR??,,????'??The Strip?EUR??,,????'??–bright lights, slot machines and stretch limousines. But the city consists of much more than just the infamous gaming industry. Las Vegas is the home to 1.4 million people and in 2000, Mayor Oscar B. Goodman began an effort to create a more pedestrian-oriented ?EUR??,,????'??people place?EUR??,,????'?? in downtown Las Vegas. His initial effort was preparation of the ?EUR??,,????'??Las Vegas Downtown Centennial Plan,?EUR??,,????'?? intended to change the face of downtown into a premier cultural, civic, financial and business center.

A close-up of the cascading water wall that merges out of the lower basin shows Lilac-colored New England blue stone cut as ledge stone and stacked in lifts to create a staggered, natural-looking wall. Five underwater well lights uplight the cascade.

The original Lewis Street environment was brutally urban. Buildings were jammed up to the right-of-way line and car lanes in the street dominated the remainder of the right-of-way, leaving grossly undersized sidewalks that were completely devoid of shade. Now a ?EUR??,,????'??double-wide?EUR??,,????'?? sidewalk (20 feet wide) parallels the avenue. The sidewalk, flanked on each side by ash trees, was designed to offer extra width to encourage more pedestrian activity within the commercial district. Street cafes (left side) will benefit with increased space for outdoor seating. The tall building (left background) is the new Regional Justice Center. To give the concrete sidewalk a rougher, natural look, the concrete was specified with a washed finished that takes the fines off the top, exposing aggregates. Within the sidewalk, iron tree grates increase tree sustainability by protecting roots, while allowing them growing room in their concrete, urban environment.

Per the Centennial Plan, the Lewis Street Corridor improvements would create the central pedestrian spine for an Office Core District with the Clark County Detention Center at one end and a new federal courthouse building terminating the other end of the three-block corridor.

The pre-existing Lewis Street environment was brutal. Buildings, generally lacking any detail to provide human scale, were jammed up to the right-of-way line and loomed over the street. The automobile travel lanes dominated the remainder of the right-of-way, leaving grossly undersized sidewalks that were completely devoid of shade. SWA began by reallocating the space within the street corridor. Two of the four travel lanes were deemed to be unnecessary and were removed. The resulting ?EUR??,,????'??found?EUR??,,????'?? space was given back to the pedestrian, which resulted in 20-foot wide sidewalk zones.

Enveloped by the refreshing sound of spilling water, it?EUR??,,????'???s hard to imagine that the now beautifully landscaped plaza was once a parking lot. The cascading waterfall runs through weirs that spill into a wider waterway (the central wash) lined with cobblestones that provide seating for urbanites. ?EUR??,,????'??One of the benefits of building on the old parking lot site was that there was not a lot of infrastructure underneath, which made it easy to dig because there were no utilities to deal with,?EUR??,,????'?? says Lawrence Reed, SWA project designer. The government services building (left) donated half the easement for the plaza, while the federal courthouse building (right) donated the other half.

The linear street space would tie together the public spaces previously created by the landscape architect at the federal courthouse site and the Regional Justice Center. The courthouse, sited 10 feet above street grade, was planned to include a fountain featured at its front door. A design concept emerged from this opportunity. The fountain would become the ?EUR??,,????'??source?EUR??,,????'?? for a ?EUR??,,????'??wash?EUR??,,????'?? that would meander along the street and would become the backbone of the streetscape environment.

SWA created the ?EUR??,,????'??central wash?EUR??,,????'?? as an artistic interpretation of the natural bronze and red sandstone washes that that occur in Nevada. Lilac-colored New England blue stone was stacked to give the water rim a natural ?EUR??,,????'??fractured?EUR??,,????'?? edge look. The meandering, cobble-lined water feature is recessed two steps below the sidewalk grade so that people can sit along the bank edges. A rock salt finish gives the concrete its travertine-like appearance. Double rows of ash trees (right side) buffer street noise and separate the landscape from the street.

SWA prioritized the program elements based upon those most critical in accomplishing the goal of a useable pedestrian space. Shade was of the utmost importance. And now that the sidewalks would be increased in size, a double row of ash trees could line both sides of the street and would create dappled shade as well as a human scale and a buffer against unfriendly architecture. Because the street trees would be of such great importance, SWA designed a continuous planting trough filled with structural soil so the trees could more closely reach their potential height, spread dimensions and have greater longevity.

Poet?EUR??,,????'???s Bridge serves as a walkway over a shallow stream (the central wash) lined with river rock. Imbedded within the precast concrete bridge are verses by local poets who were all, at one time, Nevada residents. The verses were cast in concrete and then filled with colored epoxy to maintain a smooth finish that would not fill with dirt and debris.

The central wash, an artistic interpretation of a natural system, is a meandering cobble-lined feature that is recessed two steps below sidewalk grade so that people can sit along its edges. The exposed edge also reveals the color and texture of the natural landscape. The wash changes character as it moves to each successive block and evolves from an organic form to a system of rills. Fountain features along the way serve as water sources and a cascading water wall merges out of the lower basin, oriented along the plaza axis and perpendicular to Fourth Street to announce the space to those headed for The Fremont Experience. Native, arroyo plant materials are integrated into the wash to allude to the natural desert landscape.

The Lewis Avenue Corridor site plan incorporates two new buildings, the new Regional Justice Center and the new federal courthouse and provides a continuous canopy of shade trees the entire three blocks.

The plaza in the third block celebrates the historic Fifth Street School, providing expanded public space at the new federal courthouse. The water feature emerging from the pool at the federal courthouse carves its way through the center of the plaza, revealing the many layers of the regional landscape.

Pedestrian pole lights: Gardco

Funding was provided by a federal TEA-21 Streetscape Enhancement Grant, the Nevada Department of Transportation Stewardship Program, the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada and the city of Las Vegas.