Notes from the Pershing Square Renew redesign presentation

At tonight's Pershing Square redesign presentation Q&A, two people who use the park regularly made it clear that they REALLY do not like the Great Lawn, prefer a diagonal path for walking through. (In other words, John Parkinson's 1910 design.)

See some new renderings here.

Additional items of note from the presentation and Q&A:

• Shifting LED light show on top of the electronic pergola has been moved to the Olive Street side, beneath the windows of the Biltmore Hotel. Illumination is important to the design team's aim to make the park usable 24 hours a day. Why the move to block the park's most iconic architectural vista? Because now that preliminary engineering surveying is being done, the "winning" (by private jury) design is un-buildable. They said the only places they believe they can peel away the parking lot roof to create wells to plant large trees in is the Hill Street side, opposite the only modern, undistinguished building on the square. Also, we wonder what the Biltmore thinks about a bright LED art installation under its guest's windows?

• Richard Schave​ of the Pershing Square Restoration Society asked about the bump out for Metro that’s beneath the street—how, if at all, will this be integrated in the redesign? Not at all, is the answer.

• Courtland Jindra​ of the Pershing Square Restoration Society asked about the place of the historic memorials and monuments in the proposed redesign. The answer is that these landmarks are important and are to stay—somewhere. But these are not seen in any renderings, and the park’s design is taking shape without any dedicated place for them. We will continue to advocate for the preservation of the monuments and their return to their historic locations throughout the park.

• Kim Cooper​ of the Pershing Square Restoration Society clarified a design team statement about when the park's elevation was altered to block the interior off from sidewalk viewers--this only happened with the Legoretta + Olin plan in 1994, not in the 1950s.

• A citizen wants to know how this is going to be paid for. Nebulous private $ hinted at. There is enough money in donated and Quimby funds to continue working on the design through the generation of a design budget.

• A citizen is concerned about a rumor that a level of parking will be lost in the remodel. This is denied.

• Last question: how are you going to make this place safe from dangerous people? No answer from the presenters—they are looking at design, not daily function of the space.