VIEWPOINT
BY AUS TIN BAIL E Y, SCOT T CL A RK E, ERIC GUNDERSON, S TA N HONN, R A NDY NISHIMUR A A ND TR AVIS SHERIDA N
Key Principles for a Rejuvenated
Civic Center
LOCAL ARCHITECTS WEIGH IN ON THE CITY HALL PLAN
T
he Eugene-Springfield Committee on Local Affairs (CoLA) of the
American Institute of Architects – Southwestern Oregon Chapter com-
mends the Eugene City Council for its decision to work with Lane
County officials and pursue locating City Hall on the site of the current
“butterfly” parking lot at 8th and Oak.
We’re confident locating our new City Hall there can contribute significantly
to downtown’s continued revitalization by capitalizing upon a synergy of estab-
lished public open spaces, symbols of civic engagement, and community-defining
facilities. This is a propitious moment worth embracing, an occasion that warrants a
proactive and considered evaluation of the prospect
at hand.
Toward this goal, we strongly encourage our
government leaders to approach plans for City Hall
with the following in mind:
Reevaluate the Facility Program
Perhaps the change in location warrants a reevaluation of portions of the pro-
gram. For example, would the prospect of an all-weather shelter for the Farmers’
Market provide a new City Hall with the option of its shared use for civic functions?
Does the fact City Hall will be a backdrop for activities on the Park Blocks (in-
cluding public gatherings larger than would have been imaginable at the formerly
proposed site) prompt an architectural solution tailored to that possibility?
Do we intend City Hall to be primarily ceremonial and symbolic in nature? Or
do we want it once again to be an all-encompassing center for the functions of city
government, consolidating far-flung departments?
If so, now is the time to anticipate future additions to
City Hall.
We’re confident locating
Hit the Reset Button
The bottom line is the new site is very differ-
ent from the old one; accordingly, the design for
our new City Hall deserves a place-specific solu-
tion. Its location at the historic heart of downtown,
adjacent to the Park Blocks and the existing County
Courthouse, sharing a home with the Lane County
Farmers’ Market and along Eighth Avenue — con-
ceptually the city’s “Great Street” for civic uses
— presents opportunities and challenges not com-
pletely shared by City Hall’s previous location.
Simply transplanting the new City Hall design
from its old site to the new one unchanged would
tragically fail to make the most of a truly unique
setting.
Zoom Out
Thinking broadly, the impact of setting City Hall
on the “butterfly” lot parcel will extend well be-
yond its boundaries and immediate neighbors. This
is a chance to make a place where City Hall and the
pieces it will touch contribute to a much larger and
richer whole.
We can create a strong civic district but also re-
inforce Eighth Avenue connections to the river and
from downtown to the Fifth Street Market District,
via Oak Street. There should be a purposeful effort
to update master plans for the whole area.
Zooming out should also include new occasions
for the public to become informed and involved in
the planning process. Citizens deserve a forum in
which their voices are heard during the early stages
of design.
our new City Hall on
the site of the current
'butterfly' parking lot at 8th
and Oak can contribute
significantly to downtown’s
continued revitalization by
capitalizing upon a synergy
of established public
February 16, 2017 • eugeneweekly.com
Be Municipally Modest
Being municipally modest and cost-conscious is po-
litically desirable, as are mutually beneficial actions on
the part of both the city of Eugene and Lane County.
Why not propose rehabilitation and repurposing the
Lane County Courthouse (after a new courthouse rises
on the old City Hall site) for city department offices?
Taxpayers will want to know their elected officials are
looking at every possible means to prudently stretch
available funds.
Pursue Design Excellence
Being who we are, we believe architecture is an art
that goes beyond pragmatic problem solving to reflect
the people, place and time of its making. We’re intent on
fostering a culture of design excellence in which citizens
equate the quality of the built environment with the qual-
ity of their lives, and require the standard of environ-
mental design in their community to be commensurate
with their best possible self-image.
We know the city of Eugene will continue to set a bar
high for the design of City Hall on its new site. A high bar
is crucial to changing society’s values structure such that
everyone views public design and the pursuit of design excellence as imperatives.
In addition to CoLA, others in the local design community similarly applaud the
collaborative efforts of our local governments and endorse the Eugene City Coun-
cil’s decision to move City Hall to the site of the “butterfly” lot. Two of the more
vocal among their number, Jerry Diethelm and Otto Poticha, have unabashedly
lobbied in favor of this option ever since the old city hall building met its end.
We do think Eugeneans will one day regard the protracted and at times contro-
versial course City Hall traveled to arrive at this point as serendipitous. This is a
watershed moment for the project and our downtown; let’s not squander it by failing
to make the most of a tremendous opportunity.
open spaces, symbols
of civic engagement,
and community-defining
facilities.
Build Upon the Existing Historical and Physical Context
Much more so than the old City Hall site, the “butterfly” lot is central in both
historical and physical terms to downtown Eugene. The new City Hall should ac-
knowledge those contexts, the most important of which may be the Park Blocks.
An open and public dialogue to explore their value will be important. The art,
stone walls, fish fountain and other elements of the Park Blocks are noteworthy
examples of mid-century modern design and iconic elements of downtown Eugene.
We believe an artful balance between improvements and preservation is necessary,
adding life to the Park Blocks and sympathetically knitting them together with the
future City Hall development.
6
Look to Design as a Crime Prevention Tool
All parts of a vibrant civic center can reinforce the
safety and security of public spaces using creative Crime
Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED)
principles. Along with its neighbors, a new City Hall
can provide “eyes on the street” and discreetly integrate
other design strategies supportive of positive behaviors.
Simply encouraging active use of the spaces around
the new City Hall would go a long way toward making
downtown Eugene attractive to citizens of all ages and
from all walks of life.
Austin Bailey, Scott Clarke, Eric Gunderson, Stan Honn, Randy Nishimura and Travis Sheridan
are members of the Eugene-Springfield Committee on Local Affairs of the American Institute of Architects – South-
western Oregon Chapter. The opinions expressed above are solely those of the members of CoLA, though we do
believe our perspective is shared by a preponderance of AIA-SWO members.