East Nashville Civic Square Landscape Master Plan
Final Draft Document Now Available
The consultant team of Hodgson Douglas, LRK, Fishbach Transportation, Barge Cauthen, and Varallo PR prepared and presented a final draft document on June 6, 2005, which included a cost estimate for the construction of the project.
Read the consultants final draft document (PDF, 314 MB)
Final Presentation Now Available
The consultant team of Hodgson Douglas, LRK, Fishbach Transportation, Barge Cauthen, and Varallo PR prepared and presented its final design for the East Nashville Civic Square on Thursday, January 13, 2005. In March, consultants will deliver to Metro, their final report, which will include a cost estimate for the construction of the project.
Read the consultants’ final presentation (PDF, 3.79 MB)
Project History
On April, 16th, 1998, a tornado blew through downtown Nashville and the neighborhood of East Nashville causing major damage. In response to the tornado, Mayor Bredesen appointed the Tornado Recovery Board. The Mayor then authorized the Board to apply for R/UDAT (Rural Urban Design Assistance Team) assistance.
Link to the R/UDAT program. The R/UDAT program is sponsored by the American Institute of Architects: http://www.aia.org/rudat/
The goal
statement listed in the R/UDAT is as follows:
To create a plan for development that reinforces East Nashville's traditional
urban fabric by focusing on its commercial areas and ways they can enhance
the surrounding residential neighborhoods while creating and identifiable sense
of place. Zoning requirements, land use policies, image perception, investment
hurdles, and social challenges to East Nashville's urban development should
be addressed.
The R/UDAT worked with the community to develop a plan to fulfill the goal
statement provided by the Tornado Recovery Board. In response to the recommendations
produced by the community and R/UDAT, the Planning Department has been working
with the residents in East Nashville to develop a plan and implement the East
Nashville Civic Square recommendation. According to the R/UDAT plan, the Civic
Square is:
The high point, where Main Street turns to the left, and becomes Gallatin Road,
offers a unique opportunity in East Nashville to create a significant central
public space, a space that the R/UDAT Team has named the Civic Square. The
East Middle School (Formerly the East High School) and the East Literature
Magnet School, two school buildings of strong presence and dignity sit on this
intersection. The East Nashville Public Library; and the important neo-classical
Woodland Presbyterian Church are also on this site. The Library, a distinguished
building from the turn of the century, dominates the site and acts as a ventral
community symbol. Furthermore, the Civic Square is all but adjacent to Five
Points, a location that is highly suitable as the core of a new pedestrian-oriented
retail center. The Civic Square also offers a unique opportunity as a venue
in which the cultural and artistic life of East Nashville should be showcased.
The Civic Square should be redesigned, a redesign that could include closing Forrest Avenue between Main Street and 11th Street in order to create a large and useable public space and complement the redevelopment of the Five Points area.
Within the Civic Square, consideration should be given to (1) development of an open-air performing space with the new space created by the closing of Forrest Avenue; and (2) use of the vacant building adjacent to the Presbyterian Church immediately across 11th street from the library as a center for arts activities, including exhibitions and educational activities.
Current Status
Currently, the Department of Public Works and Planning Department have hired the Nashville Landscape Architecture firm of Hodgson and Douglas to work with the community to create a Landscape Master Plan for the Civic Square in East Nashville. Community meetings will being in September. The exact dates and locations will be posted on this site when they become available.
If you have
any questions or comments related to the Civic Square Project, contact
Randy Morgan at the Metropolitan Planning Department
Phone: 862-7158
e-mail:randy.morgan@nashville.gov