Town Sqaure Makes One Year

Two significant projects, North Boulevard Town Square, the first project to be implemented from the Riverfront Master Plan, and the redesign of Galvez Plaza has now made their one year anniversary. Baton Rougeans have embraced these green spaces as their very own. This past year has been a huge success for North Boulevard Town Square and is now well broken in after housing over 150 events since its opening!

The two adjacent spaces were designed by Brown+Danos Land Design and Joseph Furr Design Studio- A Joint Venture, Inc w/subconsultants: ABMB Engineers, Inc., Holden Associates; Covalent Logic; PAL Productions; Dufour/Corie Studio, Ltd.; Varsity Sports; Visual-Logic, Inc.; and Chancelier Skidmore for Landscape Architectural Design Services. The project was constructed by Arrighi Construction, LLC and transformed the previously disjointed area into a cultural epicenter for the City of Baton Rouge. The stage canopy at Galvez Plaza was designed by Trahan Architects and the transit terminal by WHLC, LLC and will be installed in June.

The first phase was funded by $5.7 million in City/Parish and Federal Transit Authority funds. Phase II is funded by $1.9 million in leveraged Federal dollars through the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development.

Adding over one acre of green space to Downtown, Town Square and Galvez Plaza are key components in Plan Baton Rouge Phase II's 'Central Green' recommendation. The 'Central Green' concept draws its significance from the aggregation of cultural and civic buildings that surround it, including City Hall, River Center Library, The Old State Capitol, Shaw Center for the Arts, Louisiana Art and Science Museum, River Center Campus, 19th Judicial District Courthouse, River Center Theatre for the Performing Arts, and the two existing Downtown hotels. The distinct and fragmented grounds of these institutions, along with existing public parks — Galvez Plaza and Repentance Park — hold great potential as a unified system of green spaces.

Town Square has received 10 national and international awards:
2012 ASLA Louisiana Chapter, Honor Award
2012 Municipal Association for Economic Development
2012 City Livability Merit Award
2012 IDA Merit Award in Urban Spaces
2012 Baton Rouge Growth Coalition Good Growth People’s Choice Award
2012 Baton Rouge Growth Coalition Good Growth Award
2012 ENR TX/LA Best Landscape Hardscape Urban Development Project
2012 Associated Builders & Contractors, Excellence in Construction
2012 ASLA Louisiana Chapter, Urban Design
2010 ASLA Louisiana Chapter, Planning Merit

 

"Creating a Sense of Place" - The Creation of Town Square
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