The City of Walla Walla, Washington, is honoring the past while building a stronger community for the future. First Avenue (formerly a public right-of-way) in downtown Walla Walla was permanently converted from a temporary half-street closure into a pedestrian-centered community plaza. The city initially closed the street to provide a temporary outdoor space for the surrounding businesses to use during the COVID-19 safety restrictions, but they quickly saw that the central gathering space was becoming an attraction for more than just the immediate businesses. The overwhelming support and use of the space during the pandemic prompted the City of Walla Walla to move forward with constructing a downtown plaza to use as a permanent gathering space. What once was a city street is now called Walawála Plaza, meaning "many little waters" in the indigenous Sahaptin language, and is a vibrant public space that sees ever-increasing use as a place to meet, rest, and gather with community.
The design process began in early 2022 when PBS Engineering and Environmental Inc., a local multidisciplinary firm, led a stakeholder advisory committee and city staff through the conceptual design process. The goal was to create a space where the community can be together in a way that honors and celebrates the historic gathering location while creating flexibility for various uses. The hardscape materials were chosen to be sensitive to the historic surroundings, but still provides an updated feel.

A curved stamped concrete ribbon, surrounded by Belgard pavers in a Victorian style (Mega-LaFitt three-piece), represents Mill Creek, a waterway that, to this day, runs underneath the downtown intersection. The natural-tone paver color and the hardscape surfaces were chosen for durability, to reduce heat island effects in the summer, for ease of snow removal during the winter, and to blend well with the surrounding building materials. The weather in the region varies from 100+ degrees in the summer to below zero in the winter. The plaza needed a hardscape that could withstand punishment from the weather and still look good for years of use. A skilled team of artisans were assembled to execute the challenging hardscape elements.

Mike Laughery, PE, Deputy Director of the City of Walla Walla Public Works Department, praised the team, saying that there were four very challenging aspects of the project that required a high level of craftsmanship. First, the water features have very few right angles, so the contractor was required to create radial forms with a high level of precision. Second, there were no wide expanses of straightforward paver installation; the masons needed to perform radius cuts to accommodate the multitude of existing and proposed features within the plaza area.

The third challenge took place outside the plaza and within the road intersection, where the existing pavers had failed over time due to settling and freeze-thaw cycles. To prevent this, a 3/4-inch layer of bituminous sand was installed above the new reinforced concrete and below the pavers. Humbert Asphalt was able to work through the installation of sand in the road intersection and the rest of the plaza to create a solid paving installation that will stand the test of time.

 

The fourth challenge involved bronze art inlays that were cut from sheets of bronze material to represent the balsamroot plant. The bronze art was then inlaid into the stamped and colored concrete, held flush with the surface during the pour using vertical forms. In order to keep the concrete from binding to the top of the bronze inlay, the tops of the bronze surfaces were coated with Crisco and then cleaned with Brasso after the concrete had cured. Bronze balsamroot sunflowers inlaid into stamped concrete represent "Pàšxa," a prevalent pioneer species in the valley, and its connection to the local Cayuse band known as Pàšxapu, meaning "sunflower people." Working with the Tamástslikt Cultural Institute, additional imagery and text will be added to the plaza features for education and furthering the indigenous peoples' story for a new generation of community, tourists, and residents alike.

The modern-day plaza at Main Street and First Avenue continues the historical use as a trail crossing and gathering place the Cayuse and Walla Walla indigenous peoples used to rest, trade, and tell stories. Two water features anchor the ends of the plaza, illustrating the natural waterway connection of Mill Creek in the past. The two shade structures were inspired by the resting shelters used when the Cayuse and Walla Walla moved through the area with the seasons. The metal custom fabricated structures are located to create shade, shelter, and a whimsical pattern of shadows on the hardscape. Sun Valley Maple, Thundercloud Cherry, and Autumn Blooming Cherry trees will provide both shade and seasonal interest. Over time, flowering wisteria vines will grow over and through the shade structures, creating a sense of place and charm. Drought-resistant and native plants like yarrow, blanket flower, and milkweed soften the human scaled space and reflect the region's culture.

Large spaces within the plaza were purposefully left free of obstructions to maximize accessibility to different levels of mobility, accommodate casual moving of tables and chairs, and to hold larger, scheduled activities. The plaza was raised to be flush with the existing sidewalk adjacent to the surrounding local businesses, creating a seamless transition from the plaza to the business frontage. The lack of curbs on the sides of the plaza removed a huge barrier to people with different mobility needs or those pushing wheeled items, such as strollers or food carts. As well as providing a flexible use zone, the stormwater runoff from the buildings can now be treated in underground facilities instead of remaining on the surface.

Project construction started in late 2022 and was completed in June 2023. Since its completion, people have been using the space for a variety of things: contra dancing, live music, a quick lunch spot, and a myriad of other ways to celebrate the vibrant community in downtown Walla Walla.

TEAM:
PBS Engineering and Environmental Inc. (Landscape Architect)
DeMambro Architecture LLC
DKS Associates
Building Dynamics LLC
City of Walla Walla, Washington
Nelson Construction Corp.
Humbert Asphalt Inc.
Edwards Mechanical & Welding LLC
Smith Brothers Landscaping