Kerr & Couch Parks

[Pete]

Finally taking down the fence today.

[Pete]

[Bellaboo]

Kind of wonder if that pedestal in the last pic will still have the '89er monument ? My guess would be yes.

[Pete]

Kind of wonder if that pedestal in the last pic will still have the '89er monument ? My guess would be yes.

Yes, just not placed yet.

[HOT ROD]

Sorry, looks like just more plaza space to me. Sure wish a tower could have gone here instead. ....

[BillyOcean]

what an absolute waste of money. hopefully, if and when the SD tower sells, the new owner will take over maintenance of this.

[Just the facts]

Sorry, looks like just more plaza space to me. Sure wish a tower could have gone here instead. ....

You didn't see the original renderings? This place will be crawling with people because it is a park, and people spontaneously generate in parks.

[Pete]

The middle part of that park is almost completely barren.

Just grass and criss-crossing sidewalks.

[Just the facts]

That is so the view of three parking garages isn't obstructed.

[skanaly]

This might work as a "passing through" park, if there were retail and food along the north side of city place (besides coolgreens) then maybe there would be a reason for someone to go to the park. Idk...if I was working in the Sandridge tower I would still walk to MBG 5 days of the week.

[Urbanized]

I'm not a huge fan of the design, but will say that the space really lends itself to programming. Especially considering its location in the heart of the CBD.

[Spartan]

Also not a huge fan of the design. I would rather have new downtown residents, including SandRidge workers, moving into the KerMac and India Temple bldgs. This was a bad choice, plus the city will soon end up on the hook for maintenance.

Even if you're short-sighted, that was a bad choice - tearing down a bldg with known interested housing developers, for a plaza that bleeds the public for maintenance dollars. Maybe we can rent out booths to job fairs for laid-off energy workers.

[Pete]

The area near the Parkside Building is nicely illuminated at night as show below.

The eastern parts of the park -- where all the trees are -- is almost completely dark. I hope they just haven't finished the lighting in those areas.

[Pete]

This park is such a disappointment.

There is zero landscape lighting at the eastern edge of the park and it doesn't look like there will ever be, even though renderings showed plenty. There is merely a large flood light along RSK pointed in that direction.

The statute is still not placed on its podium near Robinson (first photo).

Several trees have already died.

[HOT ROD]

i think this is a case of too many parks.

At some point, can we get rid of the 'couch' park and just retain the Kerr pocket park (with a 'new' redesign back to what it was)?

[shawnw]

I think it would have been fine, but it wasn't designed to be interacted with. Who builds a park with no benches? I think it's more a case of too much Sandridge involvement in the beginning.

[Spartan]

i think this is a case of too many parks.

At some point, can we get rid of the 'couch' park and just retain the Kerr pocket park (with a 'new' redesign back to what it was)?

Too bad we can't get the India Temple and KerMac bldgs back.

[HOT ROD]

- fail -

[Pete]

The "Pioneers of 1899" sculpture was reinstalled today along Robinson.

They had to completely restore it before placing in the same general area as it has been before, but now it is more ground level instead of on a granite pedestal.

It had been removed in 2013 as part of the park renovation.

[AP]

Riflesforwatie and I walked through this park a couple of nights ago and talked about why on earth this park is there. It is poorly designed, serves no purpose, and could be way better utilized.

[Ross MacLochness]

I'd like to see a building built on the east side of the park that and mirrors the parkside bldg but with retail/restaurant space on all 4 sides leaving a a bit of green in between the two buildings. It would block the view of the Ugly garages for the most part and could activate the space in between. I think this area could be successful once first national is renovated and we get more retail on Park as well. It would be really cool if the tiny arevest bank were a bistro or coffee shop that utilized the alley that connects couch to park. Imagine tables and chairs under string lights that would take you from Park into the cozy urban greenspace... Just a dream.

The problem with the park as it is today is that it projects no obvious use or affordance. Theory of affordances is an idea that things need to project their uses to their user without symbolic instruction in order to be successful. For example, a tea pitcher with its bulbous body, long handle, and curved spout is obviously a vessel for storing and pouring liquid. You don't need a user manual to operate it properly or even know what it does. I don't think there were clear intentions when designing the park and when people visit they don't immediately know what to do there.

[Pete]

Just took this:

[HOT ROD]

? Fail. ....

[Spartan]

Guys it's history they preserved history... in writing

[HOT ROD]

huge fail