APA-IL Implementation Award Recipient
When presented with the need to address improvements to the namesake fountain at Evanston’s Fountain Square, the City turned to the community for inspiration. Located at the intersections of Davis Street, Sherman Avenue and Orrington Avenue, Fountain Square Plaza has a long history as the cultural and historic center of downtown Evanston and includes a Veterans Memorial and Fountain. Also a place for community gathering, seating, strolling and events, the City has reimagined a Fountain Square that is durable, functional and reflective of community identity!
During the 2014-2015 Visioning Assignment, Teska assisted the City in leading traditional and ‘pop up’ public outreach activities that guided four preliminary concept plans. During the 2016 Renovations Assignment, Teska was part of a consulting team including Christopher B Burke Engineering and Waterworx Fountain Designers to develop design plans to guide construction of Fountain Square Plaza. The team worked closely with City Staff, Steering Committee, The American Legion Evanston Post 42, Veterans of Foreign Wars Snell Post 7186, Downtown Evanston, Neighbors and the Community to develop the design plans for a contemporary people place.
Staff, stakeholders and the community rallied around a Fountain Square Plaza that placed importance on the pedestrian experience, including reduction of travel lanes at Sherman and Orrington Avenues to accommodate expanded plazas spaces north and south of Davis Street. Additionally, the treatment of the roadway is designed to bring the elevation of the roadway up to the elevation of surrounding sidewalks, thereby creating a “shared” or “curbless” street that would enable the City to close streets in various configurations and expand the people spaces out into the roadways during fests and events.
Other key elements of the plaza spaces include:
In addition to informal seating and gathering, the plaza is home to a variety of community events and festivals including Memorial Day and Veterans Day Ceremonies, Evanston’s Thursday Night Live music events, Northwestern and Evanston Township High School Block Parties, Fountain Square Art Fair, Get Fit Fridays, Library Story Times and many others.
Photo by Matt Booden
Photo by Laura Brown
