William Hartman, Executive Director of Revitalize Historic Highland, read the following statement at yesterday's (Wednesday) MPC meeting following this research. Hartman supported the requested MPC approval.
821 Crockett Street
Notes from A Vision for an Uncommon Cultural District
From the History Section:
“Houses were concentrated at the lots near the intersection of Cotton Street. The north side of the block was comprised of an equal mixture of two-story masonry buildings and one-story frame buildings, while the south side featured predominantly one-story frame structures. The many small wood-frame structures served double duty as live/work spaces...” and were typically located adjacent to the sidewalk and public right of way.
From the Summary of Shreveport Common Listening Session, June 15, 2011
What do you have in Shreveport Common that you want to keep?
Mixed use
Pedestrian Experience
Diverse Neighborhood
Providence House Campus Expansion Plans (adding additional property for residential)
One of the goals of the vision plan was to create “a successful mix of residential styles and densities... to satisfy the needs of interested stakeholders and create a sustainable, balanced community.” Regarding new construction the plan states that “the lower-rise, more intimate scale of the cultural district should always be preserved as part of its unique character and appeal.”
There were four infill construction projects identified in the Vision Plan.
1. 655 Common Street which is owned by Shreveport Common remains vacant as it was in 2011.
2. A mixed-use project, The Grand at Texas Ave and Elvis Presley Ave. Many of the parcels that make up this site are owned by the City of Shreveport, but two lots remain in private ownership.
3. The residential projects proposed for Austen Place.
4. A multi-story building at 835 Cotton St. Most of the land at this location is owned by The Church of The Holy Cross who uses it for parking.
None of these have been realized.
The parts of the Vision Plan that have been implemented, (1) the completion of Central Art Station, (2) the landscaped median at Elvis Presley Ave and (3) construction of Common Park, have each contributed to the cultural district. Though not part of the vision plan, a very useful parking lot was constructed on city property across Cotton Street from B’Nai Zion Temple.
Another change that has occurred in the downtown area is the relocation of the SporTran Terminal from downtown to the new multi-modal transit station farther out Texas Avenue. This resulted in the original idea for a new transit station within Shreveport Common no longer necessary.
The Plan’s vision for Providence House was for an expanded campus between Cotton Street and the railroad tracks, basically pushing it into an unsuitable corner of downtown at the base of the Common Street Viaduct. The Plan’s section on Providence House ended with this statement: “With the preliminary endorsement of the concept, the Visioning Process was able to move forward in a concrete fashion... with the confidence that one of its most important residents was an active partner in the future.”
What is a vision plan? It is a document that represents a set of values and ideas conceived at a particular time and place. It is not detailed master plan specifying the building program, or where and when construction is to occur. It is meant to be flexible to account for changes that happen over time. The fact that in the fifteen years since the plan was adopted none of this new construction has been implemented suggests that adjustments to the plan are now needed.
Providence House has re-evaluated the needs of their organization and responded with plans for an expansion project on their own property. This group of new residential structures will place people in the heart of the Shreveport Common Cultural District. These buildings located on a corner of the park will increase the sense of enclosure within this green open space. The scale of the four-story structure will help to balance the size of the performance pavilion. This new construction will be a major step forward in the realization of Shreveport Common and its “uncommon mix of community, creativity, authenticity and sustainability.”
Finally, another potential project of equal significance would be the redevelopment of the stretch of historic structures at 846 Texas Avenue directly across from the park. It would be amazing is the current owners (Kallenberg) would reconsider its sale and develop a creative solution that satisfies both preservation requirements and the users of Shreveport Common. (Their architect for the now abandoned plans is Chris Elberson.)