Civic Center Park
Civic CenterRobin Nigro
Culture in the City
10 October 2012
Assignment 1: City Beautiful in Civic Center Park
“The noblest sort of heart is that composed of the united will of many citizens” (Robinson, p. 10), and this united will is brought forth by the City Beautiful movement. The core goals of the City Beautiful movement is to create a better city through the development of unity, civic pride, and better citizens. Civic Center Park in Denver, Colorado is a prime example of the City Beautiful movement manifested into reality. With its’ grand manner architectural style it attempts to instill a sense of unity and civic pride with in the residents of the city, which in the City Beautiful style is intended to lead to better citizens over all.
Civic Center Park illustrates the core goals of the City Beautiful movement through the monuments present, the design, and the location of the park its self. In the city beautiful movement it is key to create pubic space; this idea of public—shared—space is intended to create a place where all members of the community can come together in a central location. Civic Park is a large public space that is located in the center of downtown Denver, with busy streets on all sides that do not cut through the park but strategically curve around it as to simply incorporate the park into city life; this curvilinear street design is an aspect that Camillo Sitte advocated for in urban design. Also in order to create this sense of a shared public space the park is completely encircled by public buildings, which is an aspect of Grand Manner design that Sitte greatly appreciates in ancient cities (Sitte, p. 469); it creates an “...unbroken frame of public buildings” (Sitte, p. 475), which produces a “…cohesive effect of the square…” (Sitte, p. 477). From the center of the park one can spin around and view the Denver Art Museum, the Denver Public Library, City Hall, and the newly added Colorado History Museum with out leaving that one
Culture in the City
10 October 2012
Assignment 1: City Beautiful in Civic Center Park
“The noblest sort of heart is that composed of the united will of many citizens” (Robinson, p. 10), and this united will is brought forth by the City Beautiful movement. The core goals of the City Beautiful movement is to create a better city through the development of unity, civic pride, and better citizens. Civic Center Park in Denver, Colorado is a prime example of the City Beautiful movement manifested into reality. With its’ grand manner architectural style it attempts to instill a sense of unity and civic pride with in the residents of the city, which in the City Beautiful style is intended to lead to better citizens over all.
Civic Center Park illustrates the core goals of the City Beautiful movement through the monuments present, the design, and the location of the park its self. In the city beautiful movement it is key to create pubic space; this idea of public—shared—space is intended to create a place where all members of the community can come together in a central location. Civic Park is a large public space that is located in the center of downtown Denver, with busy streets on all sides that do not cut through the park but strategically curve around it as to simply incorporate the park into city life; this curvilinear street design is an aspect that Camillo Sitte advocated for in urban design. Also in order to create this sense of a shared public space the park is completely encircled by public buildings, which is an aspect of Grand Manner design that Sitte greatly appreciates in ancient cities (Sitte, p. 469); it creates an “...unbroken frame of public buildings” (Sitte, p. 475), which produces a “…cohesive effect of the square…” (Sitte, p. 477). From the center of the park one can spin around and view the Denver Art Museum, the Denver Public Library, City Hall, and the newly added Colorado History Museum with out leaving that one