CITYGARDEN, St.

Louis, New york

Shubani Chandra J
101111017

CITYGARDEN, St. Louis, New york

INTRODUCTION:
CityGarden is a new sculpture garden and park in St. Louis designed by
Nelson Byrd Woltz of Charlottesville, Virginia, in partnership with the City of
St Louis and funded by the St. Louis-based Gateway Foundation.
CityGarden, which opened on July 1, 2009, extends over two formerly
vacant blocks on the Gateway Mall. The project originated in 1999 as part
of the master plan for downtown St. Louis developed by the non-profit group

CITYGARDEN, St. Louis, New york

BACKGROUND:

In 1940, a largeCarl Milles (Swedish Sculptor)work was installed

outsideSt. Louis Union Station. This later became one end of the mall
when it was created in the 1960s, with the Gateway Arch on the other
end.

In 1982,Richard Serra'sTwaina sculpture comprising eight large

plates ofweathering steel - was installed on the 1.14 acres (0.46ha)
block immediately west of Citygarden, creatingSerra Sculpture Park.

In 2006, the City of St. Louis asked the Gateway Foundation to prepare
a master plan for the entire Gateway Mall strip.

In early 2007, the foundation sponsored a competition, soliciting

designs for the planned project;Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape
Architects, aCharlottesville,Virginialandscape architecture firm, was
the winner.

The partnership to develop Citygarden was announced in June

2007.The project was initially proposed to the St. Louis Preservation
Board in October 2007,while development of the land began in April
2008

Over 250,000 people visited Citygarden beforeChristmas, 2009,a

CITYGARDEN, St. Louis, New york

In this map of downtown St.Louis, the Gateway Mall is outlined in

orange and Citygarden in red

CITYGARDEN, St. Louis, New york

Before being converted to a garden and park, the site comprised two empt
blocks of grass.

CITYGARDEN, St. Louis, New york

VISION:

The design of CityGarden represents the intersection of nature, art, and

civic life within the St. Louis landscape.

The park itself is designed to represent the St. Louis landscape and the
natural processes that shape it. The main inspiration for the parks
landscape is the Mississippi River, whose banks are only a few blocks
away.

The site is designed to evoke images of how rivers have shaped the
landscape throughout history. The processes of water that shape the
landscape and, as a consequence, urban form, are the inspiration for
CityGardens design.

CITYGARDEN, St. Louis, New york

The design of the park is connected to water through two main features:
the landscape, which is modeled after the landscape surrounding rivers,
and the parks fountains.
Landscape
The design of the parks landscape is intended to evoke river landscapes,
and, in particular, that of the Mississippi River, which runs only a few
blocks to the east of the site. The park is divided into three bands running
east to west.
The northern band represents the river bluffs, the middle band
represents the floodplain, and the southern band represents the

CITYGARDEN, St. Louis, New york

Fountains
The park contains three fountains; each has a distinct design intended to
offer different experiences of waters role in the landscape.

The two larger fountains in the north-east and south-west sections of

the park are designed with special consideration to the experience of
water.
The largest fountain is located in the north-east quadrant of the site,
on the border between the northern and central bands of the park.
The fountain consists of two split-level basins separated by a six-foot
drop. The upper basin is a large reflective pool .
The water flows out of the reflecting pool into the lower basin, which

CITYGARDEN, St. Louis, New york

Fountains
The second fountain is the play fountain in the south-eastern quadrant
of the park, the southern boundary of which is the meandering wall on
the southern border of the central band of the park.
The play fountain consists of 102 nozzles arranged in a grid, each of
which can shoot water as high as six feet into the air.
A computer system controls the constantly changing patterns created
by the water throughout the day and night.
The water used in this part of the fountain flows into an underground
reservoir, which filters and cleans the water using minimal chlorine and
chemicals, and then re-circulates the water through the fountain.
Thus, the system is designed not to waste water. To the side of this
fountain is a small, one-inch deep pool of water that contains Voyage
by Jean-Michel Folon.

CITYGARDEN, St. Louis, New york

CITYGARDEN, St. Louis, New york

SCULPTURES:
The park was designed so larger works of art rest on wide lawns,
while smaller spaces are reserved for more private areas and it is
home to 24 sculptures.
Park visitors are allowed to touch the sculptures and even walk
inside them.
This means, however, that some of the works require more
frequent maintenance, such as re-waxing.
The sculptures range in medium from various metals
bronze,stainless
steel,
castaluminum,
fiberglassand
evenpolyester.

SELECTED WORKS:
2 Arcs x 4and230.5 Degree Arc x 5(1999) comprise a series of
three steel sculptures
Big White Gloves, Big Four Wheels(2009) is a statue ofPinocchio
Eros Bendato("Eros Bound"; 1999) is a large bronze head by
sculptor Igor Mitoraj.
Femmes au perroquetis a bronzerelief situated on the wall of
the restaurant building.
Four Rectangles Oblique IV(1979) is akinetic sculpture

CITYGARDEN, St. Louis, New york

FEATURES:

Citygarden is not enclosed from the street and can be entered from any
direction.
The park includes
a 102-fountain "spray plaza" in which children can play, as well as a
180 feet (55m)-long pool with a 6-foot (1.8m)-tall waterfall.
The fountain's water is recycled, and filteredrainwateris also used.
A low, winding, 1,110-foot (340m)-long,granite-topped "meander
wall" runs through the park's southern half and acts as seating for
visitors.
In the northern half, a 550-foot (170m)-long curved wall of yellow
Missourilimestonestretches across the property.
A 16-foot (4.9m)LEDvideo screen is on the wall; it displays movies
and artworks, as well as some baseball games.
In October 2009, two films"The Way Things Go" & "Conical
Intersect"were featured on the video wall, running a total of 50
minutes.
Previously, the video wall had displayed a series of nine short films
focused on humor and the absurdity of life.

CITYGARDEN, St. Louis, New york

Big White Gloves, Big Four

Wheels(2009) is a statue
ofPinocchio by Jim Dine.
Pinocchio greets people
with outstretched arms,
and welcomes children to
the nearby fountain that
squirts its water straight
up from the stone floor.

CITYGARDEN, St. Louis, New york

Eros Bendato

"Eros Bound"; 1999 is

a large bronze head
by
sculptor
Igor
Mitoraj. Located on
the corner of Eighth
and Market streets.

The
statue
lays
sideways on a slanted
granite circle, which is
covered by a steady

CITYGARDEN, St. Louis, New york

SCULPTURES AND PLAYING ELEMENTS FOR CHILDREN

CITYGARDEN, St. Louis, New york

WALKING TRACK AND SEATING AREA IN THE GARDEN

CITYGARDEN, St. Louis, New york

Two Rabbits Sculpture (2004), by Tom

Claassen, consists of rabbits cast in
bronze and then painted white

A pink suit sculpture

CITYGARDEN, St. Louis, New york

This is Bruce and Sarah

Walking(2007) is an LED panel
that
displays
two
people
walking.
The work, created by Julian
Opie, is located next to Tenth
Street.
Another
version
of
the
installation, depicting walkers
"Julian" and "Kiera," is located in
another part of Citygarden.
The

video

of

continuously

CITYGARDEN, St. Louis, New york

Zenit(1999) is a bronze
sculpted by Mimmo Paladino.

horse

Instead of a rider, the horse carries

asmall stellated dodecahedronon its
back.
A horse with 3D star on its back
stands atop a grassy hill perfect for
rolling down

CITYGARDEN, St. Louis, New york

The Tai Chi pose invites

movement and serenity.

A crow-person
waits quietly
near the cafe in
the park with
outdoor tables
overlooking
Citygarden

CITYGARDEN, St. Louis, New york

Four Rectangles Oblique IV(1979)

is akinetic sculpturebyGeorge
Rickey

Voyage(1999),
by
Jean-Michel
Folon, depicts a boat sitting amid a
pool of water. The boat has two
passengers: a man with a hat
theeverymanon one end, and a
sleeping cat on the other end

CITYGARDEN, St. Louis, New york

Femmes au perroquet
"Women with parrot"; 1952 is a
bronzereliefsituated on the wall of
the restaurant building.
Created by theCubistartist
Fernand Lger, this work features a
group of women with a parakeet.

CITYGARDEN, St. Louis, New york

Terrace garden
restaurant with a
large reflective pool.

CITYGARDEN, St. Louis, New york

CITYGARDEN, St. Louis, New york

Water fountain along the meandering wall with stepping

stones inside.

CITYGARDEN, St. Louis, New york

Night view with lighting along the play fountain in the

CITYGARDEN, St. Louis, New york

Night view with lighting on the sculptures in the Citygarden