Project represents Zakery Steele’s experience under preivous employment. This project was not completed by Sue Steele Landscape Architecture, PLLC.
Washington Square is one of the oldest public spaces in the City of Rochester. It is the site of a range of monuments and has long served as the staging ground for community activism – from Frederick Douglass to the Occupy Movement and beyond. Aside from activist gatherings and passive daytime use, a range of factors has contributed to the park lacking meaningful engagement with the City around it. This is in contrast with new vibrancy brought by redevelopment in the neighborhood and a hyper-passionate community association leading grass-roots revitalization in downtown Rochester.
The Washington Square Park Community Association received a grant from the Community Design Center of Rochester to reimagining the square through a community-based process. The result is a design plan that is sensitive to the cultural history and engages with the 21st century city. Mr. Steele served as Project Manager and lead landscape architect through all phases of the project. The resulting design concept engages the social history of the square and adjusts boundaries, gathering spaces, and sight lines to open up Washington Square to the vibrant City beyond.
Client
Washington Square Park Community Association
Community Design Center of Rochester
Services
Landscape Architecture
Urban Plaza Design
Project Team
Stantec Consulting Services Inc.
Recognition
2019 Honor Design Award, New York Upstate Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects
*Project and visualizations completed under previous employment.