Author: Bree LaCasse

We are pleased to announce that four design teams have been selected as finalists for the Congress Square Redesign project.  Twelve submissions were received for the design contract, four will proceed to round 2 of the selection process which will include interviews with the selection committee, a site visit, and a public presentation.

The four finalist design teams are (in alphabetical order; click on the name to view the finalist applications):  CRJA – IBI, Michael Boucher Landscape Architecture, Terry DeWan & Associates with Olin Studio, WRT.

The scope of work will include developing a schematic design for the entire Congress Square in coordination with an artist who will create a concept for public art.  The artist selection for the public art commission is still under review and will be announced in the Spring.

The finalists will speak at a public forum on Wednesday, May 4^th from 5:30-7:30pm at the Portland Museum of Art auditorium.  Each finalist will present about their past relevant experience and thoughts on the opportunities for Congress Square, followed by a question and answer session. The public forum will create an opportunity for the community to learn about the prospective consultants, and provide input on the finalists by completing a public survey ranking the finalists following the presentation. The City wants to hire design professionals that the community will be excited about and who will be good partners with the City,  selected artist, and community.

The event is free and open to the public, but RSVP will be required for capacity reasons.  Click here to RSVP today!

The project partners -the Planning & Urban Development Department, the Portland Public Art Committee and the Friends of Congress Square Park – are excited about the unique opportunity to combine urban design and public art to transform Congress Square into a welcoming, accessible public open space in the heart of the city with a focus on arts and performance.

We hope you join us on Wednesday, May 4th at the PMA!

Note: The City currently has funds to develop schematic level concepts for the Congress Square intersection and public artwork.  The concepts developed by the winning design team and artist will be used to help raise money to implement the project.  You can visit the project webpage to find a full history of the redesign project: http://www.portlandmaine.gov/1113/Congress-Square-Redesign

We are thrilled to announce that the City of Portland’s Planning & Urban Development Department, in partnership with the Portland Public Art Committee and the Friends of Congress Square Park, has issued an open call for landscape designers and visual artists for the Congress Square Redesign project. The City has released two Requests for Qualifications (RFQ) to hire a design team and an artist to concurrently develop schematic designs for the Square (Park and the intersection) and an integrated public art commission. This project presents a unique opportunity for collaborative urban design and public art, with the design team and artist to be chosen simultaneously.

We are excited to take this next step towards a high quality re-design that creates a more accessible public space with community use and public art at its core and that prioritizes the pedestrian experience.

Responses to the open call will be collected until 3pm on January 28, 2016. Applicants will be reviewed by the selection committee and finalists will be invited to a site visit, interview, and public forum to present their work. The public forum, to be held in March, 2016, creates an opportunity for the community to learn about the prospective designers and artists and to provide input about the finalists.

The City currently has funds allocated to develop schematic level concepts for the Congress Square and to cover for the artist fee. The design concepts will be used to help raise money to implement the project.

Information about both RFQs (Congress Square Public Art Commission RFQ–Bid #4016 and Congress Square Redesign—Bid #3916) are posted on the City of Portland website (http://www.portlandmaine.gov/1034/BidsRFP-Search). To obtain a copy of the RFQ you must contact the City Purchasing Office at 207-874-8654 or jrl@portlandmaine.gov.

Through the generous support of Southwest Airlines Heart of the Community grant and in partnership with Project for Public Spaces, FoCSP hired Dextrous Creative to conduct an evaluation of park use during the summer of 2015.  The project sought to assess the impact of placemaking interventions (new amenities and arts programming) largely installed in late June with the launch of the Heart of the Community Grant.

Objectives of the project included gaining a better understanding of the following:

• Who uses Congress Square Park
• When do visitors use the park
• Which interventions were most successful
• How do visitors use the park
• What activities or features are most popular

As stated in our evaluation report, “The diversity of Congress Square Park’s visitors and events are key to its vibrancy and success.  Low-cost interventions and amenities installed over the past two summers in the park have turned a forgotten corner within Portland’s Arts District into a thriving and busy gathering and event location.  The park’s renewed vitality has fostered new friendships across generations, cultures and sparked dialogue about the nature and importance of public space in the heart of downtown Portland.  Further improvements to address deferred maintenance will only enhance user experience in the park and accessibility for individuals with mobility impairments as word spreads of the park’s rebirth.”

Check out the full report here.