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Bearden Park in Third Ward, Uptown Charlotte


dubone

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Perhaps we can start a campaign in which people 'buy' a single brick via small donations (such as a dollar). Even the specter of such a thing might influence the county to push the brick issue if not LandDesign itself.

I'm in! Great idea. I wonder how to get something like that started? Maybe with Center City Partners...

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Parks and Rec was/(is?) selling bricks for the Little Sugar Creek Greenway several years ago. They charged $75 per brick that could have a personalized inscription.

So...it sounds like they have experience with the concept...they just need to apply it here.

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The inscription thing is popular but represents a different tact, and most will not spend the $75, I think a simple 'Buy a Brick' for an amount no one will miss would work better, though you could still offer the personalized ones for more. Whether it raised enough, the point would be some kind of public effort to subtly admonish the county for going "cheap" on this aspect of the project.

CCP does sound like a good candidate, know we have a member here who is on their staff, will have to track them down and see what they think..

Edited by nowensone
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I agree that the county needs to make an environmental statement with this park. Brick pavers are much more desirable than a concrete path. They could even forgo paving it period and use a fine gravel like the parks in London, Berlin and the Mall in Washington do. That'd be best in regards to permeability and run-off.

Although I do think the overall design is good, I worry that it will have an "over programmed" look when complete. Just reading the design narrative gives me pause in regards to that there is way too much going on in not such a large space. I can hear it now "Y'all meet me in Maudell's garden--no not Madeline's, Maudell's--next to the Childhood Muse--right off the Evocative Spine--no, not next to the Paris Memory--you know, Maudell..." Methinks they've taken this theme just a wee bit too far.

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Although I do think the overall design is good, I worry that it will have an "over programmed" look when complete. Just reading the design narrative gives me pause in regards to that there is way too much going on in not such a large space.

This is tame compared to what they have going on in 2nd Ward.....

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I agree that the county needs to make an environmental statement with this park. Brick pavers are much more desirable than a concrete path. They could even forgo paving it period and use a fine gravel like the parks in London, Berlin and the Mall in Washington do. That'd be best in regards to permeability and run-off.

Although I do think the overall design is good, I worry that it will have an "over programmed" look when complete. Just reading the design narrative gives me pause in regards to that there is way too much going on in not such a large space. I can hear it now "Y'all meet me in Maudell's garden--no not Madeline's, Maudell's--next to the Childhood Muse--right off the Evocative Spine--no, not next to the Paris Memory--you know, Maudell..." Methinks they've taken this theme just a wee bit too far.

Agreed! I do think these spots will get names we actually use after time though. Everything tends to. Freedom Park for example -- not sure how widespread these are but they are the names everyone I know refers to:

High Guy Hill -- the stepped hill at the top. Where all the neighborhood kids sit and get high.

The bandshell -- the area all around, well, the bandshell!

I don't see many if anyone saying they are hanging out downtown at Paris Memory or Whatever Spine. Pretty goofy but I really don't care, just delighted to get a park. I would more imagine telling people you were at The Field, or the Art Wall, or the Ampitheater.

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After speaking with a few folks it's my understanding that the specific finishes have not been decided at this point and the 'concrete' sidewalks shown are more of a placeholder than an indication what the finish will be. That being said, it certainly wouldn't hurt to let the designers/county know if you have a preference.

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This is tame compared to what they have going on in 2nd Ward.....
So true. How many people have to say that NO ONE wants a Carousel before it finally gets through the thick skulls of the folks at LandDesign? GRRRR!

Why does everything have to have a name right now? Why can't we just let things happen organically? And I still get the image of a large backside in a car window in my head when I read the "big moon green" label.

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After speaking with a few folks it's my understanding that the specific finishes have not been decided at this point and the 'concrete' sidewalks shown are more of a placeholder than an indication what the finish will be. That being said, it certainly wouldn't hurt to let the designers/county know if you have a preference.

That's good news. I would certainly hope that conversations like this one are taking place at board meetings, so that it's understood how tacky a concrete sidewalk will look in this project.

Regarding the buy-a-brick idea: that strategy is mostly used as a fundraiser, thus the high cost for the reward of having your name permanently placed on the site. Personally I'm not a big fan of inscriptions; they clutter up the landscape and seem a little short-sighted (what if Rae Carruth had bought one? you can't just remove it once it's purchased by a donor). It'd be more effective to simply calculate the real cost of a brick (about $5?) and go around getting donations from 3rd Ward businesses and residents. Once you collect enough to buy a big pile of brick, make a big fanfare about how the county won't even install donated materials. That should be enough pressure to make it happen; if not, deliver a big pile of bricks to the middle of the park and let the county figure out what they want to do with them :)

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I don't know how much Romare Bearden's original art sells for (quick research puts it probably somewhere in the $20k-$50k range), but perhaps that $1M could buy some of Bearden's works and pay for a dispay within an enlarged visitor's kiosk....either that or reproduce some of his works in mosaic tile along the "art wall".

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I don't know how much Romare Bearden's original art sells for (quick research puts it probably somewhere in the $20k-$50k range), but perhaps that $1M could buy some of Bearden's works and pay for a dispay within an enlarged visitor's kiosk....either that or reproduce some of his works in mosaic tile along the "art wall".

Or better still, convert the House of Jazz building into a small museum/gift shoppe. It's such a cool brick structure with great character--I still think it would be a damn shame to demolish it. Surely there is some way to save it.

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Regarding the buy-a-brick idea: that strategy is mostly used as a fundraiser, thus the high cost for the reward of having your name permanently placed on the site. Personally I'm not a big fan of inscriptions; they clutter up the landscape and seem a little short-sighted (what if Rae Carruth had bought one? you can't just remove it once it's purchased by a donor).

I'm not trying to pick a fight :rolleyes: but I think it would be awesome if Charlotte had some more quirky elements like this. I know I'd take all my out of town visitors to see a Rae Carruth brick. Esp. depending on who it was dedicated to. I do have a sick sense of humor though....

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I visited the area today, and while I'm not as familiar with it as some are, I'm pretty sure I found the spots where both the West Park and the baseball park will be built. I'm thinking that the decent sized patch of open land beside the Panther's stadium must be the park site because I don't see any other spot that would be large enough. Am I correct on that? And I'm guessing that the gravel parking lot beside the Virginia Paper Company must be the basebal site. If so, that will provide a pretty dramatic view of the Charlotte skyline. It should be a lot of fun to watch it all unfold over the next year or so.

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I visited the area today, and while I'm not as familiar with it as some are, I'm pretty sure I found the spots where both the West Park and the baseball park will be built. I'm thinking that the decent sized patch of open land beside the Panther's stadium must be the park site because I don't see any other spot that would be large enough. Am I correct on that? And I'm guessing that the gravel parking lot beside the Virginia Paper Company must be the basebal site. If so, that will provide a pretty dramatic view of the Charlotte skyline. It should be a lot of fun to watch it all unfold over the next year or so.

You can tell where the area is either by the site map, but in person there are rezoning signs up around the baseball park.

This is the site for the park (surface lots above the carriage):

Uptown011.jpg

And here is the site for the baseball stadium (which is directly next door to the Mint St. Parking Garage, which is a block after the Panthers Stadium, the stadium will take 2 blocks, cutting the road off right in front of the brown empty building):

Uptown015.jpg

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  • 3 months later...

If anyone gets a chance, go see Center City Park in downtown Greensboro. Created by the Boston-based firm Halvorson Design,

the park is very well done. High quality materials (granite, brick, steel), cool water feature, interesting artwork, and a small bandshell. All in all, a great effort!

Maybe Greensboro-native Pat McCrory should go visit his parents more often!

Fountainsatnightwithcrowd.JPG

Under-pergolas-websmall_009.jpg

Park_aerial_Johnny_2.JPG

Southwest_park_through_grasses7-3-07.jpg

Aerial-at-night-websmall.jpg

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