Comments on: A better Barr Street, or a barren one? http://www.thegoodcity.com/2008/04/a-better-barr-street-or-a-barren-one/ city, culture and church · Fort Wayne, Indiana Sun, 24 Jul 2011 15:50:38 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Tom Cain http://www.thegoodcity.com/2008/04/a-better-barr-street-or-a-barren-one/comment-page-1/#comment-229 Tom Cain Wed, 09 Apr 2008 19:24:30 +0000 http://thegoodcity.wordpress.com/?p=155#comment-229 Please don't take the rendering verbatim. It is an illustration from the Downtown Blueprint that shares a vision of Barr St as a more lively place than it presently is. Public infrastructure that looks like it ties the arts venues together along Barr St. is a start. The vision includes making blank frontages into lively ones. Don't forget Park Place Grill, conveniently not shown in the photo, just to the right. And the Barr St. Market, used Saturdays in the summer, just out of view. Public infrastructure alone is not intended to cure all Downtown's problems. It can set the stage for adjacent private development and help establish a personality for a district, giving it an identity. And make the area safer and more interesting to walk in the interim. Please don’t take the rendering verbatim. It is an illustration from the Downtown Blueprint that shares a vision of Barr St as a more lively place than it presently is. Public infrastructure that looks like it ties the arts venues together along Barr St. is a start. The vision includes making blank frontages into lively ones. Don’t forget Park Place Grill, conveniently not shown in the photo, just to the right. And the Barr St. Market, used Saturdays in the summer, just out of view. Public infrastructure alone is not intended to cure all Downtown’s problems. It can set the stage for adjacent private development and help establish a personality for a district, giving it an identity. And make the area safer and more interesting to walk in the interim.

]]> By: Jon Swerens http://www.thegoodcity.com/2008/04/a-better-barr-street-or-a-barren-one/comment-page-1/#comment-230 Jon Swerens Wed, 09 Apr 2008 17:32:57 +0000 http://thegoodcity.wordpress.com/?p=155#comment-230 I agree with you, Zach, and good points. But my fear is that it "won't work," and then efforts at building future pedestrian oriented spaces will be curtailed. Curbs and trees are important, but if this doesn't become as popular as desired, I hope the city realizes the deficiencies of the streetscape. I agree with you, Zach, and good points. But my fear is that it “won’t work,” and then efforts at building future pedestrian oriented spaces will be curtailed.

Curbs and trees are important, but if this doesn’t become as popular as desired, I hope the city realizes the deficiencies of the streetscape.

]]> By: Zachary Benedict http://www.thegoodcity.com/2008/04/a-better-barr-street-or-a-barren-one/comment-page-1/#comment-231 Zachary Benedict Wed, 09 Apr 2008 10:54:41 +0000 http://thegoodcity.wordpress.com/?p=155#comment-231 I have always seen this street as a great opportunity to become an extension of the park and Arts United Campus to the north. These “blank” brick walls (i.e. the Verizon building) would make great back drops for art installations such as sculpture, fabric, lighting, etc. and begin to reintroduce the idea of Barr Street being a pedestrian connection from the Barr Street market to Headwaters Park. I agree that new trees and banners won’t change the vitality of the street at all, but if it is treated as an extension of a sculpture park and/or Friemann Square, it may begin to have a unique and “walkable” personality. I have always seen this street as a great opportunity to become an extension of the park and Arts United Campus to the north. These “blank” brick walls (i.e. the Verizon building) would make great back drops for art installations such as sculpture, fabric, lighting, etc. and begin to reintroduce the idea of Barr Street being a pedestrian connection from the Barr Street market to Headwaters Park. I agree that new trees and banners won’t change the vitality of the street at all, but if it is treated as an extension of a sculpture park and/or Friemann Square, it may begin to have a unique and “walkable” personality.

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