Gaines Street Plaza Little Rock, AR

The Plaza at Gaines Street is located on a single block of Gaines Street between the Federal Building and the State Courthouse in Little Rock Arkansas.  This small park began as the product of heightened security measures mandated by the federal government in the wake of recent terrorist threats around the country.  This block of Gaines Street has been closed off to traffic in order to better secure the buildings on either side.  The GSA agreed to convert a portion of this block of Gaines Street into a park in exchange for closing it to traffic.  The area of the park portion of the site is roughly 14000 square feet.  The program as given to DCI was to simply provide an outdoor space and a limited amount of parking for employees in the federal building.

DCI designed this urban park to accommodate employees of the courthouse and the Federal Building in downtown Little Rock.  The concept for the function of the park was to create an area where employees in the adjacent Federal Building and Courthouse could have lunch as these buildings support several hundred employees and visitors throughout the week. The design features a short promenade flanked by intimately scaled courtyards on one side and lawn panels on the opposite side. The visitor is given many options for finding a secluded space while sight lines are kept open for security concerns.

The completed space is one which discreetly heightens the level of security for this space, while creating a pleasant outdoor space for visitors.