Description

A vision for the transformation of the public realm of Downtown Washington, DC.

Overall Plan: "As a consultant to the Washington DC Redevelopment Land Agency, Steve Carr, with Ashley/Meyer/Smith, designed pedestrian improvements for the entire downtown shopping area of Washington as part of an overall urban design plan. The first eight blocks of public spaces and streetscape improvements were completed at a cost of $6 million. The work included two large plazas with several fountains and a market area for street vendors."

Gallery Place Celebration: "Gallery Place is the downtown space where the public life of Washington goes on display. Steve Carr designed it as both a forecourt for the great neo-classical National Portrait Gallery and as an activity center linking the two intense downtown retail areas. It included three fountains, the central one of which had several modes of operation and could be drained to create an open plaza for other uses. This central space was flanked by two recessed areas shaded by bosques of trees- the locales for performances and other street events. Eighth Street, on axis with the Gallery porch, was designed as a vending market. Gallery Place became the locus for City Celebration, a yearly DC festival, as well as Renaissance fairs and other major local events."

Gallery Place Fountain: "This sculptural and active fountain was designed by Steve Carr and Jim Sandell as both a terminus and an invitation to Gallery Place. During festivals, the fountain always became part of the action. At other times, the jetting and spilling water diverted the eye and ear from the heavy traffic. It was a key part of the linkage in the Streets for People project between the lower income 7th Street shopping district and the more middle income shopping on F Street."

Library Place: "Steve Carr designed Library Place as a block-long fountain with falls, rills, streams, small jets and quiet pools, overhung by plants. It fronted on the Mies van der Rohe designed Martin Luther King Jr. Public Library. It was a refuge from the noise, confusion and summer heat of downtown Washington, and complements the active performance and shopping spaces of Streets for People. The original planting was designed as a garden for the blind, with the materials selected for their scents and textures as well as their appearance. This peaceful space was conceived in memory of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., as a place where busy city people might be still and dream."