Guide: Dan Chiles
Chiles is the vice president of Emerald Ops and a former city council member and mayor of Springfield, Missouri. He was actively involved in the campaign to save Park Central Square in 2008.
Update: Chiles will be joined by Springfield-based landscape architect Frank Zanaboni during the tour. Zanaboni worked with architectural and engineering firm Butler, Rosenbury & Partners to manage the landscape renovation of Park Central Square, and will be able to speak to the technical side of the project and answer participant questions about the rehabilitation process.
Threatened with a redesign in 2008, Park Central Square subsequently became the focus of a public debate on the value of open space and design.
Completed in 1974, Park Central Square is one of only two designs by the landscape architecture firm Lawrence Halprin & Associates in the state of Missouri. A product of the urban renewal movement, the square differs from more traditional town squares by being offset from the street grid. The siting creates a unique streetscape and interesting viewsheds at the center of downtown Springfield.
The campaign to protect Halprin’s design eventually prevailed due to vocal public support. The park has undergone a full rehabilitation in recent years, including much needed repairs to the fountains. The tour will provide a brief history of the square and Halprin’s vision for Springfield, and describe the efforts made to save the landscape, before diving into a discussion of the values of urban public space and design.
This tour is part of a larger program intended to celebrate the life and legacy of landscape architect Lawrence Halprin. Learn more about the program and view other tours by returning to the event page for What's Out There Weekend: The Public Landscapes of Lawrence Halprin.
