Evertson District: A Social Gathering Place
Justin M. Risher
Chair: Fernando Munilla, Christine Wacta, and Margo Jones
Fall 2011 - Spring 2012 - Savannah College of Art and Design
Abstract
To integrate, connect, and re-establish a thriving, popular community destination is the intention for the Evertson District. The program for this built connection, including entertainment venues, will be a vital part of its success, impacting the everyday life of the city’s residents and visitors. Behind the unique facade of these buildings, Mount Vernon’s Evertson District will revolutionize the adaptable future and technology of today’s world. This change will only benefit the city, its residents, and the new businesses in the downtown area, resulting in an economic gain and an urban form that allows for upcoming growth within the community.
Building Type- Urban Redevelopment and a Civic Hall
Size/Scale- Urban Redevelopment - 2.75 Acreage / Civic Hall - 35,000 SF - Total (2 Stories)
Building Type- Urban Redevelopment and a Civic Hall
Size/Scale- Urban Redevelopment - 2.75 Acreage / Civic Hall - 35,000 SF - Total (2 Stories)
Program
Site Plan
Project Inspiration
Mount Vernon is very fortunate to have vacant lots for designers and architects to fill. The program for this thesis will serve the physical buildings, the users, and the city’s needs on many levels. A successful civic hall and entertainment programs for Mount Vernon will provide the permanence that a successful redeveloping downtown needs. The engagement of entertainment through a literal venture in the built context brings dependability to the efficiently developed vision that Mount Vernon needs to convey to its citizens and its traveling through visitors to attract their attention.
The goals of this thesis project are to integrate a small civic hall into a larger development that would not only serve as an anchor, but a lasting charisma to ensure the viability of the neighboring historic context. This block development would include the character and, most importantly, activity and entertainment of surrounding sites in a way that would incite growth and innovation through the natural phasing of real estate turnover and entity parcel maturity for generations to come. All these deliberations have the interest of the county and city but are directly compassionate to the neighborhood scale. This not only insures the protection of localism but also brings a practical approach to the project that will decrease vacancies and promote tourism. It will also limit the careless invasion of vacant lots into the surrounding neighborhoods. The overall program seeks to create venues of new construction that will readdress business to Mount Vernon’s downtown and therefore make the adjacent historic spaces more economically practical.
The individual programs for the enduring spaces are flexible and may be based on two considerations: relocating downtown tenants in inadequate spaces or providing spaces for new tenants that are not available. Their projected uses will be managed by an analysis of the current downtown amenities and a proposal based on what would best serve the area. The program will be motivated by an evaluation of the analysis of services compared to a short list of what people enjoy in similar public spaces today. Since this is an exploration into an cost effective social center, those activities that are most trendy and reasonable will be heavily considered.
The goals of this thesis project are to integrate a small civic hall into a larger development that would not only serve as an anchor, but a lasting charisma to ensure the viability of the neighboring historic context. This block development would include the character and, most importantly, activity and entertainment of surrounding sites in a way that would incite growth and innovation through the natural phasing of real estate turnover and entity parcel maturity for generations to come. All these deliberations have the interest of the county and city but are directly compassionate to the neighborhood scale. This not only insures the protection of localism but also brings a practical approach to the project that will decrease vacancies and promote tourism. It will also limit the careless invasion of vacant lots into the surrounding neighborhoods. The overall program seeks to create venues of new construction that will readdress business to Mount Vernon’s downtown and therefore make the adjacent historic spaces more economically practical.
The individual programs for the enduring spaces are flexible and may be based on two considerations: relocating downtown tenants in inadequate spaces or providing spaces for new tenants that are not available. Their projected uses will be managed by an analysis of the current downtown amenities and a proposal based on what would best serve the area. The program will be motivated by an evaluation of the analysis of services compared to a short list of what people enjoy in similar public spaces today. Since this is an exploration into an cost effective social center, those activities that are most trendy and reasonable will be heavily considered.
Final Presentation
Realizing that the downtown area of Mount Vernon is deteriorating, the Evertson District and the Evertson: civic hall will be the catalyst and the continuation of the Master Comprehensive Plan adopted by the city in 2008. The Evertson District will create a sense of place within the downtown core that visitors and citizens will want to walk and enjoy the natural beauty that Mount Vernon has to offer.
Behind the unique facade of these buildings, Mount Vernon’s entertainment district will revolutionize the adaptable future and technology of today’s world. This change will only benefit the city, its residents, and the new businesses in the downtown area, resulting in an economic gain and an urban form that allows for upcoming growth within the community.
Evertson District: A Social Gathering Place
The overall master plan of the downtown area is shown in the image below. Main street, shown in grey, will be composed of grey brick pavers and the red shows red brick sidewalks that will be connected from the riverfront to the Evertson district. By changing the materiality of the Main street, it is noted that this particular street is more important than any other street in the city. Material changes will also keep pedestrians safe having motorists drive slower due to the rough texture. The material also shows the connection to the proposed condominium and the riverfront. Having a renovated main street will draw visitors and citizens to the downtown area and by making Mount Vernon a pleasant destination to walk around.
The Evertson plaza is composed of alternating materials of brick and limestone that mimics the banning of wood slats of a wooden barrel that ties in the history of the downtown area. This material banning can be seen in the image below. Even with the exterior of the Evertson Civic Hall, the banning is repeated with the brick, limestone, and the spandrel glass, as shown in the images below.
The Evertson: an Ever Changing Civic Hall
Named for John R. Evertson, the inventor of the grain and mill drier that is used in the transportation of grain, and the existing building, the Evertson Civic Hall will serve as an anchor and ensure the viability of the neighboring historic context. This block development will include the character and, more importantly, activity and entertainment of surrounding sites to incite growth and innovation. The interior design of the civic hall, including the ballroom, recalls the history of the wooden barrels that were once manufactured in Mount Vernon during the 1800s.