| Project Rating: |  |
| Project Snapshot: | An historic downtown and it's historic city park are reuinited through design and redevelopment. |
| Project History: |
Ellensburg is located in the heart of Central Washington's sunny agricultural country, surrounded by sprawling farms and ranches along the dry eastern base of the Cascade Range. The town's history begins with a frontier economy that builds on Ellensburg's location as a crossroads, agricultural hub and college town. By the early 1900s, the city had developed a substantial commerical district along Pearl and Main streets, and adjoining Third and Fourth streets. Today, the economy of Ellensburg relies more heavily on tourism, and Central Washington University has grown to serve more than 7,000 students. Visitors walk the downtown area to visit local shops and the historic architecture. Many of the historic structures have been renovated in recent years, and the historic commercial district along Pearl and Main streets is remarkably intact. The downtown street reconstruction project dates to the late 1980s, and features some early experiments with curb extensions, creative sidewalk paving and landscaping. While there are a few weak or dated features in the design, the improvements are still generally attractive and functional nearly 15 years after being installed. |
| Best Ideas: |
The improved pedestrian crossings at intersections like 4th Street and Main are very successful, serving as traffic calming devices, narrowing pedestrian crossings and making abundant angled parking possible on many streets. The idea of sponsored public landscaping is used successfully here, too, where other communities have struggled to make this idea actually work. The City also observes a century-old tradition with its choice of street lamps, a stately design that can also be seen in the historic images on this site. |
| Worst Ideas: |
The brick pavers on some sidewalks are chaotic, and don't help identify the pedestrian travelway. The project generally lacks in adequate street furniture such as benches, trash bins and bicycle racks. Also, some of the design features are too contemporary for the setting, and detract from the historic surroundings. While these and other design critiques appear in more detail in the gallery pages, most are easily remedied, and the project still represents a major improvement for downtown Ellensburg. |
| Contact Information: |
City of Ellensburg 420 North Pearl Street Ellensburg, Washington 98926 (509) 962-7220 e-mail: planningcomm@ci.ellensburg.wa.us web: http://www.ci.ellensburg.wa.us/ |
