Sundance Square Reveals Plans for Plaza
July 24,2012
Sundance Square released renderings today for its long awaited plaza, the 55,000 square foot centerpiece of the 25-year-old master plan.
“The plaza has been an active item on the master plans for more than two decades,” said Ed Bass, project developer. “We always envisioned a beautiful plaza that would be the fabric of our wonderful city and is now set to become a vibrant social centerpiece reflecting the best of a lively downtown. People will come to Fort Worth just to experience and enjoy this urban ‘living room’ and it is exciting to see it coming to life.”
The new centerpiece of downtown Fort Worth, the Sundance Square plaza will be flanked by two new buildings currently under construction, The Westbrook on the west and on the east, The Commerce. The north side of the plaza running along 3rd Street will be framed by the historic Jett Building and a new multi-purpose pavilion. On the south side of the plaza, a double allée of trees will define the nearly one-acre site.
“Sundance Square’s plaza is intended to be an anchor to underpin the pedestrian friendly environment that has been a key design element of Sundance Square from the beginning,” said Johnny Campbell, president and CEO of Sundance Square. “The plaza has been designed to the activated by cafes, furnishings, and programming to make it the place to be in downtown Fort Worth.”
Designed for flexibility, the multi-purpose stage will anchor the plaza on the west end in front of The Westbrook. A two-tiered platform allows larger musical ensembles to perform. The stage can be further expanded for large concerts with movable platforms or adapted for a large movie screen. Permanent stage lighting and audiovisual equipment will be positioned within the plaza.
“We have responded to great ideas from a workshop with downtown stakeholders last spring led by Fred Kent, President of the Project for Public Space,” said Campbell. “We are pleased that we have been able to incorporate wonderful elements including areas for kids and families and places for performances of all kinds.”
An interactive fountain fronts the stage at the base of the Chisholm Trail Mural. The fountain is lively when the stage is quiet providing visual interest and inviting active participation from the public. Throughout the day, it is a playground and in the evening, the water feature becomes a glowing, illuminated water sculpture continually changing.
A sculptural gateway created by four giant operable umbrellas will cover more than 6,400 square feet and be a focal point on the east side of the plaza. The umbrellas will provide shade, weather protection and create a great outdoor room with lofty canopy by day and at night is transformed into a striking scene of colors and patterns using LED lighting. Manufactured in Germany, Sundance Square will be the first to boast these architectural elements in the United States.
“The successful partnership between Sundance Square and the City of Fort Worth is a significant factor in this new plaza,” said Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price. “Sundance Square’s plaza will be unlike any other public area you will find in Texas. It will be a big attraction and we anticipate it will draw new people to downtown Fort Worth for the events, activities, shops, and restaurants that will make this plaza home.”
The pavilion is a 2,000-square-foot multi-purpose building to be situated at Main and 3rd Streets and encloses the plaza to the north. The pavilion will house public restrooms, and potentially retail and small special events. Movable glass doors will open to tables and chairs outside the pavilion and will look over another water feature where waves will flow towards the center of the cascade from either end to create thick white-water moving waterfalls across the field of the cascades. It will attract people with its water motions, sounds and dramatic night lighting.
The plaza will have a pedestrian friendly paving system in brick with stone bandings. A new streetscape will integrate trees, bicycle racks, and seating to enhance the pedestrian experience.