News
October 20, 2008
Raleigh Begins Creating City Plaza
The City of Raleigh officially began work on “celebration central” -- officially known as City Plaza – today at noon.
The event marked the beginning of the transformation of the 500 block of Fayetteville Street into the Triangle’s defining cultural and social public place. When completed in 12 months, the plaza will welcome concerts, markets and just about any event that celebrates life as we know it, love it and live it here in the Triangle.
Design elements of the plaza include flexible seating, an interactive water fountain, planters and trees. The design of the plaza was a collaborative effort of the City of Raleigh, the City’s design consultant, Kimley-Horn and Associates; and the Project of Public Spaces, a New York-based firm specializing in the analysis and design of public gathering spaces. The design was developed with considerable input from the public and from City boards and commissions at design workshops in the fall of 2006. Kimley-Horn is an engineering and land planning firm with an office in Downtown Raleigh.
The work on the plaza is being done by Atlanta-based Holder Construction Co., a 48-year-old national commercial construction services firm. Construction of the $14.8 million City Plaza is scheduled for completion in October 2009.
Greensboro artist Jim Galluci is designing light towers that will allow for varying levels of lights for different needs. The four 55-foot light towers will be the plaza’s signature. The lower designs integrate LED lights, stainless steel oak leaves and a hidden area that will contain power/electrical panels that are to be used for various plaza events. The towers also offer a granite bumper seat to accommodate visitors to the plaza in need of a break. The project also contains bollards throughout the plaza that incorporate the Raleigh-themed oak leaf design and lights. The bollards are positioned to control traffic.
The Importance of Plazas
Throughout the ages and throughout the world, plazas have been the centers of cultural expression and artistic display. They are where a few precious moments to reflect on the season, collect your thoughts or ponder the cosmos are wrestled from the greedy, mundane work-a-day world. Plazas are where our freedom of speech is in full view – be it impromptu conversations between friends or strangers, the fulminations of firebrands, or the proclamations of officialdom. Plazas are where the questions are posed and the answers are sought.
The opening of City Plaza in the autumn of 2009 will add greatly to Fayetteville Street’s claim as “North Carolina’s Main Street” and further enhance Downtown Raleigh’s metamorphosis into the heart of the Triangle and the hottest spot in the South.
Prepared by:
Jayne Kirkpatrick
Director
Public Affairs Department
For More Information Contact:
Jayne Kirkpatrick
Director
Public Affairs Department
222 West Hargett Street
Raleigh, NC 27602
919-996-3100
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