CAPITOL BOULEVARD REVISITED NASHVILLE CIVIC DESIGN CENTER

CAPITOL BOULEVARD REVISITED NASHVILLE CIVIC DESIGN CENTER

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS The Capitol Boulevard Study was conducted in May of 2002 by the following Nashville Civic Design Center Staff: John Houghton, Blythe Bailey, Mark Schimmenti, and Douglas Romines. The text in this document was written when the work was completed in 2002; however, this publication was assembled in July of 2003. Questions and comments should be directed to: Capitol Boulevard Revisited Nashville Civic Design Center 700 Church Street, Suite 102 Nashville, Tennessee 37203 (615)248-4280 telephone (615)248-4282 fax info@civicdesigncenter.org www.civicdesigncenter.org Revisiting Capitol Boulevard Overview 3 Historic Plan 4 Existing Conditions 5 Analysis of Site 10 Proposals City Promenade 14 City Park 17 Civic Axis 20 Appendix Early Studies 23 The Nashville Civic Design Center is a 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation with funding from the Frist Foundation, the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, the Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency, the University of Tennessee, and Vanderbilt University. 2003 Nashville Civic Design Center Nashville Civic Design Center Report: Capitol Boulevard page 2

REVISITING CAPITOL BOULEVARD OVERVIEW Military parade passing War Memorial Building, World War II Church Street looking north circa 1971 Capitol Boulevard as seen from the library s grand reading room Since the opening of the Main Public Library last May, there has been re newed interest in the role that Capitol Bou le vard, the street directly in front of the Li brary, plays in the life of the city. The Nashville Civic Design Cen ter, the Library s neigh bor at 7th and Church, has been study ing public space down town over the past year and placed Capitol Bou le vard at the top of its research agen da be cause of its prominence and potential. The draw ings presented here are three, of possibly many, con cepts for what Cap i tol Boulevard can become as we con tin u ous ly try to improve the qual i ty of downtown Nash ville. Capitol Boulevard s history dates to 1912 when a 15-foot alley was wid ened 34-feet on each side and a new street was created. Capitol Boulevard ex tend ed from Church Street to Char lotte Avenue for the first 60 years, and during that time, the Bou le vard transitioned from a desirable res i den tial area to a place that held both the War Memorial Building and Square (1925) and shops, the aters, res tau rants, and hotels. Im por tant events in the civic life of the city, such as pa rades, rallies, in au gu ra tions, and troop returns, also took place on Capitol Bou le vard during this period. A 1960 proposal called for ex tend ing Capitol Boulevard to Broad way, but that plan was not implemented. In 1974, how ev er, the War Me mo ri al Plaza Leg is la tive Of fice Building and park ing ga rage opened, clos ing Cap i tol Bou le vard from Union Street to Charlotte, and in 1979, the current design of Capitol Bou le vard was com plet ed. The Nashville Civic Design Center presents, then, three con cepts for Capitol Boulevard and in vites the pub lic to pro vide com ments and additional ideas as we re vis it this im por tant street. The De sign Center s pro pos als are titled, City Prom e nade, City Park, and Civ ic Axis. The first con cept, City Prom e nade, pro pos es two tree lined walks on ei ther side of the street and two lanes of traffic, or one lane of traf fic and one lane of park ing, on the street. City Park in tro duc es a planted and terraced me di an for walking and sitting as well as street trees along both sidewalks. The scheme shows two lanes of traffic, but could be wid ened to in clude two lanes of parking as well. The third concept, Civ ic Axis, reinforces the re la tion ship between the Cap i tol and the Li brary with sim ple rows of street trees on ei ther side and two lanes of traffic and two lanes of park ing. In each of the con cepts, the goal is to re es tab lish Capitol Bou le vard s prom i nence now that the new Li brary is open and to experience the street as a citywide gath er ing place for book fes ti vals, art fairs, and important civic events. Nashville Civic Design Center Report: Capitol Boulevard page 3

HISTORIC PLAN Nashville, Tennessee Figure Ground 1814 Capitol Boulevard Figure Ground 1814 Nashville Civic Design Center Report: Capitol Boulevard page 4

EXISTING CONDITIONS Existing Plan/Section Capitol Boulevard Nashville Civic Design Center Report: Capitol Boulevard page 5

EXISTING CONDITIONS Section through Downtown Library Nashville Civic Design Center Report: Capitol Boulevard page 6

EXISTING CONDITIONS Capitol Boulevard Section - West Nashville Civic Design Center Report: Capitol Boulevard page 7

EXISTING CONDITIONS War Memorial Elevation - West Nashville Civic Design Center Report: Capitol Boulevard page 8

EXISTING CONDITIONS Capitol Building Section - West Nashville Civic Design Center Report: Capitol Boulevard page 9

ANALYSIS OF SITE Civic Space Shadow Diagram, Capitol Boulevard to Courthouse Square Nashville Civic Design Center Report: Capitol Boulevard page 10

ANALYSIS OF SITE Massing sections through Capitol Boulevard Nashville Civic Design Center Report: Capitol Boulevard page 11

ANALYSIS OF SITE Experiential Diagram - Capitol Boulevard Nashville Civic Design Center Report: Capitol Boulevard page 12

ANALYSIS OF SITE Materials Diagram - Capitol Boulevard Nashville Civic Design Center Report: Capitol Boulevard page 13

PROPOSALS CITY PROMENADE CONCEPT Detail Plan, Diagram, Perspective Nashville Civic Design Center Report: Capitol Boulevard page 14

PROPOSALS CITY PROMENADE CONCEPT Proposal represented in site plan and south-facing sections Nashville Civic Design Center Report: Capitol Boulevard page 15

PROPOSALS CITY PROMENADE CONCEPT Capitol Boulevard proposal in section looking west Nashville Civic Design Center Report: Capitol Boulevard page 16

PROPOSALS CITY PARK CONCEPT Detail Plan, Diagram, Perspective Nashville Civic Design Center Report: Capitol Boulevard page 17

PROPOSALS CITY PARK CONCEPT Proposal represented in site plan and south-facing sections Nashville Civic Design Center Report: Capitol Boulevard page 18

PROPOSALS CITY PARK CONCEPT Capitol Boulevard proposal in section looking west Nashville Civic Design Center Report: Capitol Boulevard page 19

PROPOSALS CIVIC AXIS CONCEPT Detail Plan, Diagram, Perspective Nashville Civic Design Center Report: Capitol Boulevard page 20

PROPOSALS CIVIC AXIS CONCEPT Proposal represented in site plan and south-facing sections Nashville Civic Design Center Report: Capitol Boulevard page 21

PROPOSALS CIVIC AXIS CONCEPT Capitol Boulevard proposal in section looking west Nashville Civic Design Center Report: Capitol Boulevard page 22

APPENDIX EARLY STUDIES Two-way street, parallel parking - historical configuration Two-way street, two traffic lanes in each direction, median One-way street, parallel parking, median, pedestrian walkway Nashville Civic Design Center Report: Capitol Boulevard page 23