Rediscovering The River by Matt Perotto

REDISCOVERING

THE RIVER

connecting old sacramento to the city

Front Street and its river’s edge represent the founding of Sacramento as a destination. It was the gateway to the Gold Rush, the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution in the west, and a center of agricultural commerce. Fundamental to its appeal was the river and railroad, which connected the City to the western US and the world. These transportation corridors not only carried goods and services but also the hopes and dreams of residents and visitors for a better life. At this time, the layers of the City – its urban fabric, the river, and rail – were all intricately connected. They were then disrupted by the insertion of Interstate-5, creating a visual, physical, and experiential barrier between the old city and burgeoning downtown.

Between the City and terraces are two new park destinations within which the historic railroad is embedded – The Railway Green and Promenade. The Railway Green along Front Street consists of a grove of native trees and gardens. A clearing in the grove next to the railroad provides a flexible space for events including concerts on a flatbed stage. To the south of the grove is a garden of native, drought-tolerant planting representing the ecological history of Sacramento. This tree-lined, green corridor is the new lungs of the district boasting signature trees of Sacramento. Two new mixed-use, live/work loft buildings for artists and makers complete Front Street and bring new residents to the district, helping enliven it and serve as catalysts for innovation, growth, and diversity.

REDISCOVERING THE RIVER focuses on repairing the current isolation of Old Sacramento by reconnecting it to the City and reinvigorating the district as a place of entertainment and innovation. The River Terraces step down to meet the river evoking its former riparian bank and allowing visitors and residents to experience the river yearround. Planted terraces and slopes of native grasses and perennials create summer river gardens that become salmon spawning habitat when submerged during winter months. Meandering, accessible walkways crisscross through the terraces of gardens, seating, and overlooks creating a tapestry of spaces within which to experience the Sacramento waterfront. The dynamism of the seasonal fluctuations of the river are celebrated and made legible, bringing visitors closer to the drama of the California water cycle.

The Promenade connects the north and south sides of the Sacramento River Bike Trail, completing this important recreational corridor. Running within the promenade is the active, main rail line where visitors board at a new platform for excursions into the agricultural heritage of the region. A new layer of movement along the waterfront, the promenade is defined by an allée of California Sycamore trees and punctuated by a playful, interactive sculpture that serves as seating, frame and fitness course. Connecting downtown to the river are two new pedestrian corridors along I and K Streets. The K Street Plaza extends through the K Street tunnel connecting Old Sacramento to the new Golden 1 Center and retail district. The

roadway is narrowed to one-way traffic allowing for a generous pedestrian boardwalk that expands the existing timber walkways of the historic district streets into a neighbor porch, a place that welcomes visitors to walk along native gardens under a canopy of Valley Oaks, and to linger, shop, eat, and learn about the district through new interpretive elements. At Front Street, a field of lights punctuate The River Green before the Plaza projects out over the River Terraces under a shade pavilion. The I Street Gateway Walk reaches into the city underneath I-5 to connect to the railyards to the riverfront. Here too, the roadway is narrowed to one-way traffic allowing a pedestrian boardwalk to become a forecourt to the California State Railroad Museum and Sacramento History Museum. The Valley Oaks and native gardens along this walkway lead visitors through a grid of lights and past the railroad house to a new restaurant with indoor-outdoor dining on a sister pier overlooking the river. These elements combine to create new layers within the Old Sacramento Waterfront District that build upon its historic and cultural narrative, add contemporary experiences, and beckon all to Rediscover the River.

THE PROMENADE

K STREET PLAZA

THE RAILWAY GREEN I-STREET GATEWAY WALK

RIVER TERRACES

WATCH THE VIDEO

http://bit.ly/rediscovering-the-river

02 REPAIR URBAN FABRIC

RIVER TERRACES

K STREET PLAZA

RK LI

/W O

RK STREETSCAPE

URBAN REVITALIZATION

Knitting the district back into the City are two connective corridors – I Street Gateway Walk and K Street Plaza.

I STREET GATEWAY WALK

THE PROMENAD

RAILWAY GREEN

03 CONNECTIVE AXIS

The urban fabric is repaired with green streetscapes and the introduction of new mixed-use, live/work development that further defines Front Street, brings all-hours life back into the District, and creates a place for innovation in the Old City.

/W O

At the river’s edge, a new public space is created with The River Terraces stepping down to the water; The Promenade that connects the Sacramento River Bike Trail through the district. And Railway Green, a new commons, that creates a dedicated public space along Front Street.

Old Sacramento and its waterfront were isolated from downtown and the rest of the City when I-5 was built. Within Old Sacramento, access to the river is physically and visually walled off by several underutilized buildings and the railroad.

01 CREATE PUBLIC SPACE ALONG THE RIVER

00 CURRENT CITY

These simple moves create a framework to bring richness and vitality once again to this former working waterfront.

I-STREET GATEWAY

K STREET GATEWAY (tunnel entrance)

CAPITOL MALL GATEWAY

SIGNAGE FAMILY

BRANDING & WAYFINDING

A signage family unique to the district creates a new identity for the Old Sacramento Waterfront. It brings hierarchy and legibility to new and historic features from wayfinding to interpretive education and self-guided tours. Gateway elements at key points of arrival provide a contemporary, industrial aesthetic to the district that reflects the raw materials of the railway.

light pole banners

firehouse alley

CAPITOL MALL

pedestrian wayfinding & interpretive

L st

parking directional

K st

gateway identity

J st

vehicular directory

I st

2nd st

front st

project identity gateway pedestrian directory vehicular/parking directional pedestrian directional

CIRCULATION vehicular

To create the I Street Gateway Walk and K Street Plaza, these roads are narrowed to one-way traffic. Similarly, Front Street is converted to a one-way street to accommodate Railway Green, streetscape planting, and a widened sidewalk. A new drop-off and valet zone for the Delta King is located at the south terminus of Railway Green.

CAPITOL MALL

1-5

L st

firehouse alley

K st

J st

I st

2nd st

front st

2nd st

06 02

two way traffic one-way traffic delta king arrival

CAPITOL MALL

firehouse alley

I STR

neasham cir

L st

J st

EET

BRID

I st

K st

CIRCULATION pedestrian

Generous pedestrian corridors stretch from the river into downtown along I and K Streets reconnecting the historic district to the urban grid. A new pedestrian zone is created from Front Street to the river including new sidewalk streetscapes, garden and terrace paths, and the Promenade.

california state railroad museum

03 09

existing rail house

CAPITOL MALL

firehouse alley

L st

J st

I st

front st

sacramento history museum

K st

2nd st

front st

main circulation secondary circulation urban circulation

tertiary circulation

PLANTING ZONES 19

I STREET BRIDGE

SITE PLAN

relocated delta king

Planting is an essential layer of the revitalized district, providing shade, habitat value, and connecting all to the essence of place. Along the I Street Gateway Walk and K Street Plaza are linear gardens featuring native plants of California woodlands under a canopy of Valley Oaks. The Railway Green showcases signature trees of Sacramento and plants endemic to the Central Valley grasslands. The River Terraces and Promenade are planted with the key species of a healthy river bank.

01 railway museum entry court 02 boardwalk & woodland gardens 03 field of lights 04 restaurant on I-street pier 05 new mixed use, live-work lofts with relocated waterfront restaurants 06 streetscape improvements

07 flexible lawn for events 08 temporary flatbed stage 09 grove of signature sacramento trees 10 shade pavilion 11 central valley grassland gardens 12 garden grove 13 old sacramento schoolhouse museum

14 delta king drop-off and valet 15 delta king entry gangway 16 california sycamore allée 17 sculpture seating and fitness element 18 waterfront terraces 19 planted trays and slopes of riparian vegetation 20 boat dock

signature sacramento trees california woodland riparian central valley grassland

RIVER TERRACES THE PROMENADE

I-STREET GATEWAY WALK

CONDITION A: SOFTSCAPE TERRACES

AV G.

5’

Planting trays and slopes are integrated into the terraces to provide much needed riparian habitat for the myriad species living within and along the Sacramento River. Summer gardens for birds and pollinators along the Pacific Flyway transform into flooded riparian habitat for salmon and other amphibious species in winter.

AV G.

’

CONDITION B: HARDSCAPE TERRACES

AV G.

5’

Stairs, seat walls, and overlook platforms create a diversity of spaces to experience the river during summer and fall months. As winter rains and snowmelt cause the river to rise, these terrace spaces temporarily disappear and the river’s edge is brought to The Promenade. The K Street Plaza Pier and Shade Pavilion project high above the water in summer yet barely hover over the river in winter.

SU TE

AV G.

’

CONDITION C: DOCK TERRACES

AV G.

5’

At the south end of the terraces, a floating dock allows for year-round recreational boat access. The seasonality of the river dynamics is echoed in the Railway Green native gardens, above which will change from golden in summer to green with the winter rains.

AV G.

’

RAILWAY GREEN

small performance

large concert birthdays

train rides

il trains farm to fork cockta tuesday train rides

gold rush days

biking

crawloween bar crawl running

railroad festival

RIVER TERRACES

sun bathing

orks fourth of july firew

ing k a y a k s k r o w e r NYE fi

farmers market

polar express

christmas parade

picnic bbq community movie

mardi bark parade

gold fever tour

theatre of lights st. patricks day parade

RAILWAY

underground tour

PLAZAS

From large group gatherings for special events like 4th of July Fireworks, holiday festivals, and concerts to more intimate everyday experiences, the new district framework and spaces provide the flexibility necessary to accommodate a multitude of activities now and in the future.

PLAZAS

K-STREET PLAZA

EVENTS & PROGRAMMING

FRONT ST

relaxing

sitting

yoga

strolling

learning

ride spookamotive train

s excursion train ride PROMENADE

paradetosfork festival farm

waterfront yoga

birdwatching

walking

boating