Schuylkil Arch Park - a floodplain park

Schuylkill Arch Park

An Urban Floodplain Park by Alex Hoxsie

Contents

Inventory and Analysis regional and city scale: Philadelphia context

2

land use comparison with iconic Philadelphia squares

4

neighborhood scale: arrival + access

6

flooding - rise of the Schuylkill

7

site scale: existing conditions

8

Design: Schuylkill Arch Park design objectives: concepts + programs

10

proposed site plan: Schuylkill Arch Park

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proposed site vegetation: native plant communities

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the study model

16

perspective studies

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Schuylkill Arch: multifunctional open space, urban floodplain Public Lands Design Studio - Temple University Dept. of Landscape Architecture and Horticulture Advisors: Baldev Lamba, Hallie Boyce, Skip Graffam Designer: Alex Hoxsie - December 2014

S C H U Y L K I L L A R C H

Page 1

Inventory and Analysis: regional and city scale: Philadelphia context Philadelphia

2 0 0 M il e s

1 0 0 M il e s

Pittsburgh

New York

Harrisburg

Schuylkill River

Philadelphia

Baltimore D.C.

Delaware River

A Hub in the Mid-Atlantic Center City

A City Between Two Rivers

Schuylkill Arch Park

Major Thoroughfares

Highways

Ben Franklin Parkway Broad Street

Logan Square Franklin Square

Schuylkill River

City Hall Rittenhouse Square

Market Stre

et

Washington Square

Philadelphia’s Five Historic Squares in the Modern City Page 2

Delaware River

Adding to Green Space, Connecting with Nature

Schuylkill Arch Park fits into, and enhances, the mosaic of public park space in Philadelphia. Located along the Schuylkill Banks Trail, the site is connected to the Schuylkill River and the Fairmount Park system upstream.

Fairmount Park

A Park Surrounded by Philadelphia Landmarks

Schuylkill Arch Park is located on the east side of the Schuylkill Riveropposite 30th Street Station and amidst a number of diverse Philadelphia destinations that include: transportation, museums, offices, parks, and major roadways.

Schuylkill Arch Park

Philadelphia Museum of Art

Philadelphia’s Sixth Square

Although it has evolved since its founding, the basic layout of Philadelphia remains true to its original design. This is especially evident in the continued prominence of City Hall and the four major squares (Logan, Rittenhouse, Franklin, and Washington). However, considering its modern population, there is a need for more parks woven into the urban fabric. Schuylkill Arch Park, Philadelphia’s sixth square, satisfies this public need.

Logan Square Cira Center 30th Street Station

Schuylkill Arch Park PECO Building City Hall Rittenhouse Square

Page 3

Inventory and Analysis: land use comparison with iconic philadelphia squares Commercial

Multi-Family Residential

Single-Family Residential

Institutional

Industrial

Rittenhouse Square

This popular park is located in the heart of downtown Philadelphia between dense commercial and residential zoning districts. The location means that primary users don’t have to travel far to take advantage of the space. The mixed user demographic ensures that the park is occupied both day and night.

Logan Square

Located on the busy Ben Franklin Parkway, Logan Square is sourrounded by institutions such as the Franklin Institute, Academy of Natural Sciences, Barnes Foundation, Free Library of Philadelphia, and the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul. This location makes it the hub of this cultural and intellectual destination in Philadelphia.

Schuylkill Arch Park

Situated between Rittenhouse and Logan Squares, Schuylkill Arch Park will benefit from the combined activity of the residential, commercial, and institutional districts that surround it. The site is also uniquely accessible from 30th Street Station and the Schuylkill Banks Trail, further increasing its mixed user demographic.

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500

1000 Feet

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Educational

Transportation

City Infrastructure

Hotels

Health Care

Religious

Commercial

Residential

Grocery Stores

Green Space

Parking Schuylkill Arch

Detailed Land Use in the Logan Square Neighborhood

The Logan Square neighborhood has a diverse land-use pattern. All of this activity encourages similarly diverse usership within Schuylkill Arch Park.

It’s a neighborhood park for those living nearby, a lunch spot for surrounding businesses, a stopping point for

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1000 Feet

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people enjoying the Schuylkill Banks Trail, and a respite for travelers coming to Philadelphia through 30th Street Station or visiting museums along the Ben Franklin Parkway.

Page 5

Inventory and Analysis: neighborhood scale: arrival + access 30th Street Station

Schuylkill Banks Trail

One-way

Major Route

23rd Stre

et

Schuylkill River

Train Tracks

22nd Stre

et

Race Stre

et

Cherry St

reet

Arch Stre

et

JFK Boule vard

Traffic Patterns Surrounding Schuylkill Arch Park Page 6

Market S

treet

flooding - rise of the Schuylkill

Schuylkill River

100-Year Flood Plain

Project Site

30th Street Station

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City Edge/Schuylkill Banks Trail

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8

Streets 36

Schuylkill Arch Park in Relation to the Floodplain

+12.5’

100 Year Flood +3.5’ -3.5’

High Tide Low Tide

The Schuylkill River is tidal in its lower reaches, including where it passes Schuylkill Arch Park. Daily fluctuations in water level Schuylkill do not effect the site, but do Banks Trail/ exascerbate floods such that Project Site the river rises to an elevation of +12.5’ during 100-year storms.

Schuylkill River Page 7

Inventory and Analysis: site scale: existing conditions `

Cherry S

Site Zones and Acreage

t.

The Schuylkill Arch site is 5 acres in size and comprised of three distinct zones: Parking Lot Floodplain Area (3.4 acres) The majority of the site is an open parking lot at elevations of +4’ to +7’ that is prone to flooding.

Underpass Area (1.3 acres) On higher ground (between +8’ and +12’), this area is weather-protected and ties into the surrounding urban infrastructure.

JFK Entrance and Overlook (0.3 acres) This elevated area is acccessible from 30th Street Station but lacks connection to the rest of the site.

Arch St.

.

23rd St

JFK Blvd

.

Rail Lines and the Schuylkill Bulkhead

Cherry S

t.

1

2 Arch St.

.

23rd St

JFK Blvd

.

Page 8

1

2

Typical of urban rivers, the banks of the Schuylkill are channelized with a concrete bulkhead, giving the river a well-defined, unchanging shape. This shape is mimicked by the Schuylkill Banks Trail, the adjacent rail lines, and the edge of the urban grid.

Sight Lines

Cherry S

t.

n tatio S t e e h Str

30t

Cira

Cen ter Arch St.

.

23rd St

30th Street Station SEPTA Rail Bridge

JFK Blvd

.

Cira Center

Access

Cherry S

t.

There are three intersections on the site where converging pedestrain and vehicle paths create natural access points.

Arch St.

Where Cherry Street dead ends a pedestrian path provides access to the Schuylkill Banks Trail.

However, the track crossing is more easily accessed

by Race Street one block to the north.

.

23rd St

JFK Blvd

.

Page 9

Design Objectives: concepts + programs Three Zones

Bulkhead Edge N A T U R A L T E M P O R A R Y

Native Plantings

Food Trucks

Fairs, Markets, Galleries

Pier Structures

Outdoor Seating

Lower Plaza

Stormwater Capture

Schuylkill River

30th Street Station

Upper Plaza

Central Hill

Elevator Building

The concept is to create multifunctionality by developing gradients across the site that increase programming opportunities by diversifying the character of the park.

Page 10

H I G H

D R Y

Underpass Room

Underpass Gallery

P E R M A N E N T

JFK Overlook

Floodplain

Wetland

C L A S S I C A L

B U I L T

Cafe

L O W

W E T

Bulkhead Promenade

Street Trees

Apartments on Cherry

M O D E R N

Connected Nodes

Major Sight Lines

1 Bulkhead Promenade 2 Upper Plaza

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3 Pier Structures 6 1

5 Arch Street Entrance

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6 Cherry Street Entrance 7 Schuylkill Arch Plaza

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2

8 Food Trucks

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3

5 16 12 13

4 Central Hill

9 Cafe 10 Underpass Gallery 11 JFK Overlook

9,14 10

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12 Outdoor Flex Space 13 Schuylkill Banks Entrance 14 Indoor Rental Space 15 Functional Bulkhead 16 Function + Education

The primary feature is a constructed plane that rises to the western edge of the site. There it forms a secondary bulkhead that prevents flooding and creates a stylistic tie to the bulkhead at the river’s edge.

Page 11

Proposed Site Plan: Schuylkill Arch Park

C

Cherry St.

A

Arch St.

B 23rd St.

Commuter Rail

JFK Blvd.

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100

200 Feet

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Existing Grade

Section A

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50

100 Feet

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50

100 Feet

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25

50 Feet

Section from Arch Street up the proposed main hill to the Upper Plaza and Pier Structures. The Pier Structures provide access to the Schuylkill River over the existing rail lines and Schuylkill Bank Trail.

JFK Blvd.

Section B

Section of the Underpass Gallery and the JFK Overlook.

Section C

Cherry St.

Section of the wetland area and the Lower Plaza along 23rd Street beyond in relation to Cherry Street

Page 13

Proposed Site Vegetation: native plant communities

Page 14

TREES

FLO

SHRUBS

OD

P

LA

IN

Smooth Alder (Alnus serrulata) Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis)

R

E

Highbush Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum) Swamp Azalea (Rhododendron viscosum) Fetter Bush (Leucothoe racemosa) Winterberry (Ilex verticillata)

SHRUBS

AT F RE SH W

Black Gum (Nyssa sylvatica) Sycamore (Platanus occidentalis) Pin Oak (Quercus palustris) Swamp White Oak (Quercus bicolor) Silver Maple (Acer saccharinum) Black Walnut (Juglans nigra) Box-elder (Acer negundo)

F O R ES T

HERBS

Broadleaf Arrowhead (Sagittaria latifolia) Annual Wild Rice (Zizania aquatica) River Bulrush (Schoenplectus fluviatilis) Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis) Pickerelweed (Pontedaria cordata) Crimson Rosemallow (Hibiscus moscheutos) Primrose Willow (Ludwiga peploides)

TI

DA

L W E TL A ND

GRASSES

Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) Pennsylvania Sedge (Carex Pensylvanica) Poverty Grass (Danthonia spicata) Common Hairgrass (Deschampsia felxuosa)

WILDFLOWERS

MEA

AR

EAS

FESCUE MIX - LAWN GRASSES

Typical non-native lawn grass mixes.

NATIVE* LAWN GRASSES

Black Gum (Nyssa sylvatica) Sycamore (Platanus occidentalis) Pin Oak (Quercus palustris) Hop Hornbeam (Ostrya virginica) Willow Oak (Quercus phellos) Pignut Hickory (Carya glabra) Box-elder (Acer negundo)

R N AT I V E S T

DO

W

Evening Primrose (Oenothera biennis) Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta) Gray-headed Coneflower (Ratibida pinnata) Pearly Everlasting (Anaphilis margaritacea) Sundrop (Oenothera fruticosa) Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa) Wild Lupine (Lupinus prennis)

EE

TT REES

LA

Buffalo Grass (Bouteloua dactyloides) Blue Grama (Bouteloua gracilis) * Native to the North American Plains

W

N

AR

EAS Page 15

Getting a Feel for the Park: the study model

Cherry Street

23rd Street

Arch Street Entrance

The Bulkhead from the Schuylkill Banks Trail Page 16

JFK Boulevard

Piers Overlooking the River

Forest Area

Manicured Landscape

Lower Plaza at Arch Street Entrance

Page 17

Getting a Feel for the Park: perspective studies

Underpass Gallery + Market

B e t h e s d a Te r r a c e , C e n t r a l Pa r k , N e w Yo r k C i t y

Hall of Mirrors, Palace at Versailles - Rococo

The underpass is a liminal space; somewhere on the continuum between indoor and outdoor.

Rococo-style decor contrasts the natural forms in the park, the neoclassical 30th Street Station, and the industrial overpass; this makes the underpass room fit into the gradient of structural styles across the site.

Page 18

Palazzo Colonna, Rome Late Baroque, Rococo

Upper + Lower Paths; Lawn + Wetland + Plaza

The hierarchy of paths in Schuylkill Arch Park diversifies the visitor experience by creating multiple ways to interact with the different natural and program elements in the space.

Upper Plaza View Across the Schuylkill River to 30th Street Station

The Upper Plaza and Pier Structures are the final destinations for visitors drawn upward by the major sightlines. Upon arrival, however, new views of the Schuylkill Banks Trail and the river are revealed, changing the way visitors perceive the park.

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S C H U Y L K I L L A R C H

Schuylkill Arch: multifunctional open space, urban floodplain Public Lands Design Studio - Temple University Dept. of Landscape Architecture and Horticulture Advisors: Baldev Lamba, Hallie Boyce, Skip Graffam Designer: Alex Hoxsie - December 2014