Lafayette Park Renovation

OSCD-4

Observation

Lafayette Park is currently in disarray, awaiting a meaningful role.

Discussion

This sliver of a park lies between Lafayette Street and the Baton Rouge Water Works. The park should be redesigned and extended in three directions. The four mature oak trees and the ancient water tank should be carefully preserved. Within Lafayette Park, the existing, abandoned fountain should be removed and replaced by another of the flush-pavement type that has no bowl to retain water, only underground jets.2 These function as summer playgrounds for children. They are fascinating for adults to watch and, when in disrepair, they look like a pavement rather than a derelict fountain.3

[BREC has agreed to incorporate Lafayette Park into Auto Hotel Block Plan.]

(a) To the east, incorporate a vacated Lafayette Street. This connection would attach the park to the Auto Hotel with the restaurant and cafe envisioned at its base creating the active edge that supports the park.

[Lafayette Street will not be closed.]

(b) The Water Works site should be surrounded by elegant street walls to mask the industrial aspects from the pedestrian experience that connects Baton Rouge Landing to the rest of Downtown.

(c) To the south, the portion of North Boulevard that is directly in front of the Old State Capitol should be repaved as a continuous extension of the Lafayette Park accessible only by buses. Other traffic would be diverted by a turnaround already provided by the last island. The remainder of North Boulevard to the west (the sloped portion) would become a head-in parking lot.

[North Boulevard will not be blocked off.]

Recommendation

Prepare a design to refurbish the existing Lafayette Park, extending it to overlap Lafayette and North Boulevard. In conjunction with the Water Works, extend the park towards the river with a lightweight wooden deck. A new pavement-type fountain should replace the currently abandoned one. This work should be done in conjunction with the renovation of the Auto Hotel.

Responsibility

Plan Baton Rouge and Downtown Development District

Project Status

Lafayette Park will be completely refurbished as part of the Arts Block. Plan Baton Rouge has received a very generous donation to build the Robert F. and Ruth S. Nichols Fountain in loving memory of Robert F. Nichols from his wife, Mrs. Ruth Nichols Calhoun.

The BREC fountain is now functional. A large plaza with unified paving material, defining the pathway through the facility and incorporating water features, including the Robert F. Nichols interactive fountain, will animate this block, linking the Arts Block to surrounding attractions.

Implementation

Explanation of Terms

Product

Renovated and Expanded Park

Responsibility

PBR & DDD

Implementing Agent

BREC

Feasibility Analysis

BREC

Initial Financing

BREC

Project Financing

BREC & BR Water Co.

Timing