Newsletters
From time to time the
Waterfront Center e-mails newsletters. The most recent will be posted
here. If you wish to receive these newsletters by e-mail please send your
e-mail address to mail@waterfrontcenter.org
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the newsletter is not blocked by spam filters, add the Waterfront Center e-mail
address to your e-mail address book.
A
Tribute to Ann Breen
In the River Action Inc. Eddy
Magazine
February 2019 Newsletter
Happy Valentine’s
Day to the Waterfront Community
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Water and romance go hand in hand. Pictured
below is couple taking a nighttime stroll on the
over water walkway in Milwaukee featuring
details by public artist Mary Miss.
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Center co-directors Breen and Rigby have begun
working in earnest on a new book – a project
they have been wanting to undertake for years. The
Art of the Waterfront, the working title,
will cover the many facets of artistic endeavors
found on waterfronts from major public art
installations to unique design details. The
Center has had a long-term interest in art
beginning with a panel featuring Athena Tacha,
Bob Irwin and Siah Armajani and a keynote by
John Beardsley at their 1984 conference. They
will be taking a sabbatical of sorts in 2019 to
concentrate on this effort.
If you would like to submit interesting work or
yours or projects you know about that might be
candidates for inclusion in the book, please
send us description and visuals
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The Excellence on the Waterfront Awards Program
will skip 2019 while co-directors are busy on
the book. However, the 31st awards program will
resume in 2020 with an early summer deadline for
submittals. Stay tuned to the website for
details on the deadline for submittals. and 2020
jury members. Meanwhile Stewart continues to add
to the interactive databas
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We will be posting on Instagram samples of award
winning projects and plans and news of
Waterfront Center activities. To view our
Instagram profile go to
https://www.instagram.com/waterfrontcenter1/
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December 2018 Newsletter
Happiest Christmas
and Holiday Season
to the Waterfront
World!
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As we all pause to bask in the warmth of family,
friends and maybe a little feasting, let's pause
to remember all the people who work so very hard
on our waterfronts.
This e-letter is a tribute to all the great
visionaries and volunteers past and present. As
examples we include an account of the Brooklyn
Bridge Park along with a bit of historical
background. Also, we share the sad news of the
recent death of two waterfront pioneers.
To those currently active, may 2019 be the year
you achieve consensus, tie up all the loose
ends, push your dreams forward, put a a spade in
the ground or cut a ribbon!
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Brooklyn Bridge
Park Is All But Complete
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But first, a bit of back story to give readers
full appreciation of this achievement. In the
fall 1992 issue of
Waterfront World
we reported:
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Former use of the Brooklyn Bridge Park site
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The Port Authority of New
York & New Jersey recently announced its
intention to sell
to commercial
developers about 80 acres of prime Brooklyn
waterfront just south of the Brooklyn Bridge.
Local officials and residents have been working
for years in hopes of keeping the land for the
public. The parcel presently comprises five
decrepit piers with warehouses, reported the
New York Times.
Those fighting to keep the land out of
developers hands and thus removed from much of
their influence say the Port Authority made the
announcement to force a resolution on the land
and will appeal to Governor Cuomo to stop the
sale. The Port Authority says that it wants to
sell the property because the piers need
expensive repairs it does not want to make."
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As long-standing chroniclers of urban
waterfronts including Brooklyn for nearly 40
years we were thrilled to see mention by Michael
Van Valkenburgh in the article that follows this
bit of history of our dear friend and former
Waterfront World
correspondent, the late Mickey Murphy. To wit:
Van Valkenburgh recalled the words of Mary Ellen
Murphy a longtime Brooklyn activist who during a
community meeting in the late 90s reflected that
she just "wanted to go down to the river at
night and put her feet in, watch the moonlight
on the water." He said: "That was a paradigm
shift in park making...."We realized this park
wasn't about scenery; it was about the river."
Another great friend of the Center is Marianna
Koval who was executive director of the Brooklyn
Bridge Park Conservancy and who along with
Mickey and numerous other grassroots folks
worked very hard to assure there would be a park
for people, not land for developers. The
Conservancy - an alliance of approximately 75
civic environmental, business and neighborhood
groups - received a Clearwater award in 2000 for
their tireless effort. The coalition also
sponsored educational programs, working with
local schools in order the directly involve
young people park planning as well as learning
about environmental issues.
Another friend of the Center was the late Olga
Bloom who founded the chamber music venue,
Bargemusic docked at Fulton Ferry Landing, a
close neighbor of the aforementioned Port
Authority warehouses.
Below is a photo of Bloom's Bargemusic docked at
Fulton Ferry Landing, a close neighbor of the
aforementioned Port Authority warehouses.
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Olga and Mickey were great pals - in today's
parlance BFF's. They were great smokers and in
my imagination I see them puffing away on the
back deck of the Barge after the performances,
looking across the river to lower Manhattan, the
lights, the stars and dreaming and scheming
together about a beautiful park in place of the
port's old piers. Decades later: voila!!!
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The
December 2019 issue of Landscape
Architecture Magazine has an exhaustive (pages
72 - 131) and beautifully illustrated story
about this fabulous waterfront park on the
shores of Brooklyn's East River.
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The article's title, aptly describes how this
$350 million-dollar, 85-acre park built on six
piers and decades in the making offers
something, as the title suggests for
everybody, not to mention urban wildlife. You
name it, respect for its industrial past, public
art, imaginative play and recreational areas for
kids of all ages, access to the water,
performance spaces, educational components, lush
and gorgeous planting, use of
recycled materials, attention to detail, places
for solitude, water features and the list goes
on. Kudos to author Anne Raver and all involved
putting this varied material together. That
includes Melanie Rehak who explains the creation
and important role of the salt marsh at Pier 1
to assure sustainability. Bradford McKee who
writes about the planting strategy and Haniya
Rae who describes the intricacies of softening
sound and how geo-engineering helps shut out
city noise.
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Images of the Brooklyn Bridge Park Pier
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Brooklyn-based Michael Van Volkenburgh
Associates, Inc were the team leaders and
landscape architects with Regina Myer who was
president of the Brooklyn Bridge Park
Corporation led the effort but as the list of
those involved spelled out in tiny type the end
of the article, it took an enormous cast to pull
off this beautifully executed series of public
spaces. If you don't subscribe to the magazine,
get this issue for your waterfront library.
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Below we share the sad tidings of the loss of
two pillars of the waterfront community - who
died recently: Marty Millspaugh and Joe
Marfuggi. Both were tremendous friends and
supporters of the Center. We offer some personal
reflections and links to their obituaries.
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Marty Millspaugh.
We knew Marty from our earliest days. In fact he
was one the the keynoters at our very first
conference in 1983 and since there was really no
place to hold a snazzy conference reception, he
arranged for us to have the top floor of the
Trade Center on the Inner Harbor. Our attendees
were treated to some really snazzy views of that
groundbreaking waterfront. We bussed everyone
over. Neophyte conference planners that we
were, we hired too many buses, so Dick and
returned to DC in splendid isolation on an empty
bus! Marty shared his knowledge at other events
as well. His beloved Inner Harbor received a few
Excellence on the Waterfront Awards including
one for the generously wide promenade and the
National Aquarium. He was a very gentle, kind
person. He came up to us at one of our
conferences and told us -- "what you have in
this room are the 'doers'. We took that as a
very high compliment. Marty, a singular doer
himself, left a huge legacy - one that will long
be remembered.
His obituary can be found
HERE
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Joe Marfuggi.
We go a long way back with the Hartford
Riverfront. The first director of Riverfront
Recapture, Jill Diskan drove us all around what
was then a pretty dismal place that she had
begun working on. Taking up the cause after her
departure, Joe joined the organization and
stayed with it for decades.
We love to tell the story of one jury passing
over what we considered to be an astonishing
waterfront achievement -- only to be given top
honor the next year!
That was one of those occasions we had to go out
in the hall to hide our disappointment. I
excitedly called him when the project won the
following year. He did not hear the word "Top
Honor" and was floored at the ceremony,
bemoaning he had not brought a delegation.
We pressed him into numerous speaking
assignments and he served on one of our awards
juries. Joe, another extremely thoughtful and
kind person,
brought great care and passion to his work.
Touring his beloved riverfront with him is a
lasting memory - including his stooping to pick
up litter!
His obituary can be found
HERE
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The Waterfront Center Awards
Search Engine
The Waterfront Center has loaded
information about almost all the winners in the Excellence on the Waterfront
Awards program since 1987 into a searchable database. The 2018 winners have now
been added this database. Commentary on the search engine can be found
HERE. Queries can be entered into the search engine
HERE. To see the 2018 winners enter 2018 into the search window and press
enter. To view a project click on the project name. There are 373 awards with
project descriptions and contact information and 2,310 images. This searchable
collection represents probably the most complete record of international
excellence in waterfront planning and design in the last 31 years.
The 2018 Excellence on the Waterfront Award
Winners in the Awards Search Engine
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The search engine stores information in the
following categories: Award Year, Award
Category, Project Type, Project Name, Award
City, Award State, Award Country, Entrants
Names, Award Organization, Organization Website,
Contact Name, Contact Address, Contact Phone,
Contact E-Mail, Project Description, Jury
Comments. You can enter a search in any of these
categories. If you enter 2011 for example you
will see a list of all the awards granted in
that year. Click on the award name of one of the
projects and you will see all the information,
including images, about that project. If you
entered a country, Korea for example, you will
see all the awards granted for that country. The
search engine also scans the text of the project
description and jury comments so if you search
for park for example you will see not only the
projects categorized as parks but also those
that have the word park in their project
description or jury comments. To view only those
projects categorized as Park awards click on
those projects labeled Park in the Award
Category column.
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Thanksgiving 2018 Newsletter
The Center wishes to thank all of our supporters
and friends. Many of you have been with us since
1981! We were on a trip to Morocco
recently (see below) and lo and behold one of
our fellow travelers, Stu Turner, who lives and
works in the Hudson Valley, knew us! Over the
nearly 40 years we have been lucky to meet
hundreds of incredible people.
Special thanks to our right hand, Stewart
McKenzie, who works his
magic from up in Somerville, Mass. If you want
to see all info related to the 2018 awards
winners - another great crop, go
HERE. Thanks to all the presenters at the
September 21st Ceremony.
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2018 winners of the Excellence on the Waterfront
Awards
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2018 awards booklets for sale and a nod again to
Chris Carlson and Steve Durrant for producing
yet another splendid edition.
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2018 awards booklet, see the digital version
HERE
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Stewart continues to add to our interactive
database, a unique resource for anyone involved
in waterfront work. Over 400 entries can be
searched.
The search engine can be accessed
HERE
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We also want to thank once again Donna Walcavage
and Steve Durrant and Chris Carlson for
nominating us for ASLA Honorary Membership.
Donna and Steve are pictured below along with
photo of the 2018 group.
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L-R: Dick Rigby, Donna Walcavage, Steve Durrant,
Ann Breen
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ASLA honorary members 2018
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In late September we took off for a trans-Canada
adventure - mostly by train. Waterfront-wise we
saw lots of lakes, swamps and wild and scenic
rivers. We caught a glimpse of the Forks on the
the Assiniboine in Winnipeg from the train
window but our biggest delight was to venture to
Granville Island and discover that it was still
the same fabulous place as it was when we first
discovered it almost 30 years ago. We feared it
might have changed drastically. But no, it
remains its same vibrant, funky self - all that
vernacular, industrial architecture, lots of
color, the same signs for the public market and
Bridges. The cement plant still very active and
its trucks mingling with everyone and everything
- a continuing example that working waterfronts,
mixed use and public realm can go-exist. I am
only sorry I did not have my phone to take
pictures. Phone and purse slipped out of my lap
in the dark in a cab in Toronto. However,
miracles happen, a friend called the phone, the
cab driver gave her his number and I reached out
to friends - all of whom were willing to help.
My thanks to Michel Trocme and his able AA,
Anastasia, at Urban Strategies. Phone and purse
safely returned.
On November 1, we flew to Paris and Casablanca.
Morocco -- a dream fulfilled for Dick. Wonderful
trip, incredibly varied scenery, ancient cities
fabulous architecture - lots of beauty
everywhere. We covered a lot of ground mostly by
bus.This is not an urban waterfront aficionado's
perfect destination. We only got a brief hint
of Casablanca's enormous mosque on the
oceanfront. We got a taste of Rabat's shoreline
along the Bouregreg River from the Casbah and
spotted Zaha Hadid's Rabat Grand Theater under
construction. Architect's rendering is pictured.
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Zaha Hadid's Rabat Grand Theater
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However, we did struck gold in seaside
Essaouira, once a famous hippie hangout. The
beach along the bay is expansive and the wide
beach and walkway well-used by bikers, runners
and strollers.
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The nearby active port will soon be joined by a
new pleasure boat marina (under construction),
but the real gem for those who relish the
working waterfront is the fishing port. Ann left
the group to wander about and spent about two
hours taking in the sights and sounds of this
historic, very active wharf replete with
fishmongers, boat repair and the ever-present
squaks of the ubiquitous gulls. Despite the
drizzle, the dampness underfoot and the need to
dodge the moving carts and trucks, I hope the
following images show why I was entranced. This
place has patina in spades. I doubt even the old
South Street Seaport and Billingsgate fish
markets-- although large and very colorful in
their day - would top a morning in Essaouira.
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September 2018 Newsletter
Announcing 2018
Excellence on the Waterfront
Award Winners
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A PARK ON THE NEPONSET RIVER IN BOSTON AND A
MASTER PLAN FOR WILLAMETTE FALLS IN OREGON CITY,
OREGON, WIN TOP HONOR AWARDS
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The 2018 “Excellence on the Waterfront” awards
program, organized by the non-profit
Waterfront Center for the past 31 years,
recognized six built projects and two plans for
Honor Awards. Also chosen for a Clearwater Award
recognizing grass-roots efforts was the Billion
Oyster Project in New York. Selected from 40
entries, the awards were chosen over a
day-and-a-half by a jury led by Donna Walcavage,
principal with Stantec of New York. The jury met
at Congress Hall in this seaside resort.
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2018 Awards Jury: l-r Michael Sriprasert,
Pittsburgh History and Landmarks,
Elan Zingman-Leith, Historic Preservationist,
Cape May, New Jersey,
Chair, Donna Walcavage, principal, Stantec, New
York, New York,
Mike Houck, Urban Greenspaces Institute,
Portland, Oregon
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Winners will be recognized at a half-day awards
ceremony in Washington, D.C., home of the
Center, on Sept. 21. After presentations by the
winners, there will be a reception and dinner.
Each winner is given 20 minutes to describe
their project or plan. Go
HERE for more information and registration.
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• Top Honor Project.
Senator Joseph
Finnegan Park at Port Norfolk, Boston,
Massachusetts. Submitted by Iris Lin, Halvorson
Design Partnership, and Dan Driscoll, Mass.
Dept. of Conservation + Recreation, both Boston,
Massachusetts.
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Senator Joseph Finnegan Park at Port Norfolk,
Boston, Massachusetts.
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• Top Honor Plan.
Willamette
Falls Riverwalk Master Plan, Oregon City,
Oregon. Submitted by Laura Terway, Metro and
City of Oregon City and
Carol Mayer-Reed, Mayer/Reed Inc., Portland,
Oregon.
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Willamette Falls Riverwalk Master Plan
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Honor
Awards/Projects in alphabetical order.
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• Newark
Riverfront Park, Newark New
Jersey. Submitted by Weintraub Diaz Landscape
Architecture, Nyack New York., and The Trust of
Public Land, Newark, New Jersey.
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• Refuge
Gateway and Humbug Marsh, Trenton and
Gilbraltar, Michigan. Submitted by John Hartig,
Fish and Wildlife Service, Grosse Isle, and A.
Hicks, Hamilton Anderson Associates, Detroit,
both Michigan.
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Refuge Gateway and Humbug Marsh, Trenton and
Gilbraltar
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• South Waterfront
Greenway, Portland, Oregon. Submitted
by Chelsea McCann, Walker Macy, Portland,
Oregon, and Thomas Balsley, Thomas
Balsley Associates, New York, N.Y.
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South Waterfront Greenway
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• Virginia
Institute of Marine Science (VIMS),
Wachapreague, Virginia, Campus Plan. Submitted
by Donna Phaneuf, VIA design architects,
Norfolk, and Dr. Richard Snyder, VIMS,
Wachapreague, both Virginia.
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Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS)
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• The Wharf,
Washington D.C. Submitted by Mathew Jahromi,
Hoffman Madison Waterfront, Washington, D.C.,
and Justin Wolf, Perkins Eastman, New York, New
York.
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• San Francisco
Bay Trail Design Guidelines and Tool Kit,
San Francisco Bay (Nine Counties), California.
Submitted by Lee Huo, Association of Bay Area
Governments, San Francisco, and Patrick Miller,
Landscape Station, Berkeley, both California.
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San Francisco Bay Trail Design Guidelines and
Tool Kit
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• The Billion
Oyster Project, New York State. Blyss
Buitrago, Community, Stewardship and Engagement
Manager, Governors Island, New York. Submitted
by Michael Fishman.
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The Billion Oyster Project
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2018 Jury
Chair, Donna Walcavage, principal, Stantec, New
York, New York
Mike Houck, Urban Greenspaces Institute,
Portland, Oregon
Michael Sriprasert, Pittsburgh History and
Landmarks
Foundation, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Elan Zingman-Leith, Historic Preservationist,
Cape May, New Jersey
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The Waterfront Center
31st Annual Excellence on the Waterfront
Mini-Conference, Awards Ceremony and Reception
Friday, September 21, 2018
1:30 – 7:00 p.m.
The Churchill Hotel
1914 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, D.C.
Sign up as a supporter HERE
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The City of Biloxi Hires Center Co-directors
Breen and Rigby In early September Breen and
Rigby will return to Biloxi after to work with
the mayor and city officials and help them with
various waterfront sites. To get the
conversation going they will share examples of
waterfront work from around the world in a
tailor-made power point presentation.
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July 2018 Newsletter
EXCELLENCE ON WATERFRONT AWARDS
JULY 16 DEADLINE - TWO WEEKS TO GO!!!
ENTER TO WIN AND BE RECOGNIZED.
SEE BELOW.
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The American
Society of Landscape Architects
Announce their
2018 Honors
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Co-directors Ann Breen and Dick Rigby were quite
surprised and thrilled to learn that they have
been elected to be honorary members of ASLA and
will be recognized during the 2018 annual
conference to take place in October in
Philadelphia. To quote from the press release:
"Honorary membership is among the highest honors
ASLA may bestow upon non-landscape architects in
recognition of notable service to the
profession. Since its inception in 1899, ASLA
has inducted only 223 honorary members." We are
quite humbled to be in such esteemed company.
The other new honorary members are: Carol Ross
Barney, Phillip Enquist, James Garland, Dan
Gottleib, Carolyn Mitchell and Michael T.
Reynolds. For more details on honorary
membership and as well as others receiving
various honor awards go
HERE
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We wish to sincerely thank Steve Durrant, Donna
Walcavage, Chris Carlson, James Brennan, Michael
Krieger, Joel Mills, Carol Mayer-Reed and
William Wenk for nominating us and writing
supporting letters.
Go to
HERE for more info on the ASLA 2018 National
Conference.
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Whole Lot of Art
Going On!
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Anyone who has been around the Center knows that
we have been advocates for art and culture on
the waterfront for many years. Indeed, it is our
aspiration to start work a book on the subject
this summer. We are always excited to learn of
new work being installed. You may find these
stories of interest.
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photo credit: New York Times
Cow Head
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Chelsea Waterside Park in New York welcomed two
cow heads (formerly facade ornaments on the
Butchers' Dressed Meat Company, a 1919 building
that was demolished in 1991). The busts will
play a mere supporting role in the new
playground designed by Michael Van Valkenburgh
Associates. Art Deco-style winged carvings that
once adorned entrance ramps to the West Side
Highway are additional saved artifacts. The main
attraction is a colorful, 64' long rendition of
a pipefish that wraps around a tower with a
spiral ladders and includes a water slide wide
enough for two people. The pipefish "sculpture"
pays homage to real 8-inch long pipefish that
are among the nearly 60 species of fish found in
the lower portion of the Hudson River.
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"A Long Cattle Drive Ends, at a Chelsea
Playground" The New York Times, June 24, 2018 by
Jane Margolies. See
HERE
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Hong Kong's New
Victoria Dockside
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Victoria Dockside, a $2.6-billion project, is
perched at the tip of Kowloon Peninsula is a
three-million-square-foot endeavor. New World
Development is transforming the area into a
modern art and design district along with a host
of mixed uses and an upgraded public realm.
Two American firms have been involved: James
Corner Field Operations and Kohn Pedersen Fox
Associates. The recently-opened shopping mall,
K11 Musea is considered the crown jewel of the
project. According to Mr. Adrian Cheng, the
general manager of the mixed-use project, the
10-story Musea doubles as a a museum by the sea
and a museum of muses. The Musea will house art
exhibitions, live music, creativity workshops
and other cultural events. For a fulsome account
of the Victoria Dockside visit
HERE for Kathy Leong's story and the
website:
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GET RECOGNIZED!
31st Excellence
on the Waterfront Awards Program
Selections made by independent,
interdisciplinary jury. Winners receive
worldwide publicity and are featured on our
interactive Web Site.
DEADLINE for submittals (20 images and two-page
narrative) must be postmarked by July 16, 2018.
Open to built projects, comprehensive plans and
citizen actions as well as students.
See
HERE for entry details. Awards announced on
Friday, September 21 at afternoon program and
ceremony in Washington, D.C.
Optional awards dinner. Details on Web site.
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Happy Fourth of
July week to one and all!.
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Summertime is in full swing here in Cape May. We
share a New Jersey bayfront view my two little
granddaughters were taking in. Wish you fun and
relaxing times with family and friends.
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Early June 2018 Newsletter
We recently had the occasion to visit Newport,
one the country's great sailing capitals and
happened upon a relatively new project called
the Shipyard, not far from the heart of the
downtown waterfront and close to a fabulous
collection of Colonial buildings. The handsome
logo shows the care and thought that went into
this well-designed facility.
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At once a heavy-duty maintenance and repair
yard/pier along with offices, commercial
facilities and a small restaurant named "Belle,"
the project offers generous and inviting public
realm. Past the guard house at the entrance is a
very large shed adorned with names of boats with
the very handsome "Gladiator" perched out
front.
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The next huge building has a mixture of uses
with the restaurant at the very end of what is
termed the "Dockwalk," which allows for public
access around the whole facility including
inviting and attractive protected seating areas
where you can eat, hang out and enjoy the view.
Note the simple addition of a painted pattern
that dresses up the macadam.
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FISHERMEN'S COOP
ON LONG WHARF
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Adjacent to the Shipyard is a pier devoted to
the fishing industry, the Fisherman's Coop. From
here we were able to get a good view of the
Shipyard's massive lift where serious repair is
going on.
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Besides housing the fishing fleet, a very
popular Lobster Shack and seafood market were
attracting crowds.
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EXCELLENCE ON THE
WATERFRONT AWARDS DEADLINE JULY 16, 2018
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As we peruse the periodicals, the web and the
newspapers, we have spotted a lot of great work
out there. Visit our
web site to
read about the award program, criteria and also
dip into the
interactive database to get a look at nearly
400 winners since 1987.
Winners are invited to the September 21
ceremony, mini-conference where they discuss
their projects, reception and gala dinner as
Center guests.
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The non-profits mentioned below offer all sorts
of interesting and educational events. Visit
their web pages/calendars to learn more.
Summertime, Summertime and there is a lot of fun
to be had on waterfronts! Below a small sample:
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July 4 - Bubbly and Fireworks, Houston, Texas.
Buffalo Bayou Park click
HERE and check our their calendar
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August 16 - Floatzilla The Quad Cities
Paddlesports Festival, Quad Cities of Iowa and
Illinois. Link to
River Action Inc.
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have joined forces to bring together an
interdisciplinary group of scholars and
practitioners to discuss strategies for
designing water from the small scale to
integrated regional systems. visit:
designingwater.org for more details.
Charles River Conservancy News. The
Conservancy's founder, Renata von Tscharner, is
set to retire this summer. The Conservancy has
named Laura Jasinski as the new executive
director. Read about Renata and Laura on the
Conservancy's web site:
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Early May 2018 Newsletter
May come up with water wheels
May come up with flowers
May come up the same again
The same again but different
Anon
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May IS a special month enchanting us with the
beauty of nature emerging anew.
“Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth
find reserves of strength that will endure as
long as life lasts. There is something
infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of
nature -- the assurance that dawn comes after
night, and spring after winter.”
― Rachel Carson, Silent Spring
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Center Celebrates
37th Anniversary
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On a beautiful spring day in 1981 - May 1 to be
exact - co-founders Breen and Rigby formalized
the paperwork establishing the non-profit
Waterfront Center. Some skeptics couldn't
believe we could have an organization about
waterfronts! Well, the certified global
phenomenon has proved them wrong.
We would like to thank and recognize all the
people who have supported the Center over the
years: those who attended one or more of our
34annual conferences, submitted plans or
projects to the Awards program (now in its 31st
year), hired the Center and its teams to help
with participatory planning and developing
concept plans. We have been privileged to meet
literally thousands of individuals working of
rivers, lakes, bays, oceans, canals and streams
throughout the world.
Waterfront transformations are not easy and we
salute the hard work, determination and patience
of the many who are involved in these
complicated, worthy endeavors. Ours is an
educational organization and we hope many have
benefited from our newsletters, books and other
forms of communication. Sincerest thanks also to
the various members of our staff and interns
over the years.
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In the March 26 issue of The New Yorker, a
fascinating article about Rachel Carson is
definitely worth a read. Carson notably famous
for her groundbreaking Silent Spring published
in 1962 without which we might not have all the
environmental protections we have enjoyed for
nearly four decades (think Clean Air and Water
Acts; National Environmental Policy Act and the
Endangered Species Act). More's the pity what we
witness going on in EPA today!
Jill Lepore's piece about Carson not only
succintly renders biographical detail
but, important for waterfront folks, describes
her love of the sea. She wrote two books still
available:
"The Sea Around Us" in 1951 and "The Edge of the
Sea" in 1955. She wrote the latter from her
beloved cottage perched atop a bluff on the
coast of Maine.
She did not live to write the next book she was
contemplating about the swelling of the seas.
"We live in age of rising seas," she wrote." In
our own lifetimes we are witnessing a startling
alteration of climate."
Author Lepore concludes her thoughtful profile:
"This spring, in the North Atlantic, not a
single newborn right whale has been spotted: the
water, it seems, is to warm; the mothers have
birthed no calves. The sea is all around us. It
is our home. And the last calf is our,
inconsolable, loss."
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A river trip through the borderlands that Trump
wants to fence off
by Nick Paumgarten
The New Yorker, April 23, 2018
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This is a river story or more precisely two
river stories. In 1977 four Dartmouth
undergraduates undertook a four-month adventure
to mount an expedition to document their voyage
along the two-thousand-mile Rio Grande for the
first time in history. The fourth largest river
in the United States, the Rio Grande drops out
of the San Juan Mountains in Colorado and
empties into the Gulf of Mexico near
Brownsville, Texas. The river landscape varied
from dry river beds (they had to use bikes) to
lush tropical flora with riverbanks and wetlands
full of wildlife.
Forty years later Bob Reicher, one of the
original canoeists from Dartmouth, decided to
put together another journey along the Rio
Grande to not only celebrate the fiftieth
anniversary of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act
(this act now covers more than 12,000 miles of
rivers and streams). The trip was also a
response to Trump's wall. Dan Reicher, a board
member of American Rivers, teamed up with Bob
Irwin, president of the non-profit advocacy
group. American Rivers for the first time since
2003 placed the Rio Grande among the ten most
endangered rivers. Joining Reicher, Irwin and
the author of this article were 20 intrepid
souls and four guides. Democratic senator from
New Mexico, Tom Udall, and Theodore Roosevelt IV
brought strong conservationist lineage to the
assembly.
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Among the many facts our reporter Paumgarten
brings to our attention:
• The wall would go on the American side of the
river a good distance from the banks.
• It would seal the United States off from the
river and cede it to Mexico.
• it would cut people off from their property
and wildlife from the main source of water.
• Ninety-three listed or proposed endangered
species would be adversely affected.
• Hundreds of miles of inhospitable desert
terrain border both sides of the river.
• Additionally a hundred miles of deep canyons
cut through it - far more prohibitive to
immigrants than a slab of concrete or steel.
Paumgarten wryly points out the canyons don't
require Congressional funding!
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The story is chock full of historical and
cultural anecdotes, the lure and life style of
river trips, colorful characters and reflections
by paddlers on the wall. When Bob Reicher
reflected on his youthful journey he turned to
Heraclitus with a quote that is no doubt
applicable to all such trips:
"No man steps in the same river twice, for it is
not the same river and he is not the same man."
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31st
Excellence on the Waterfront Program
Ten Reasons to
Enter!
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Get your waterfront project/plan worldwide
recognition!
The winning entrants and their project or plans:
• are announced at a ceremony in Washington,
D.C. on September 21, 2018 attended by
practitioners like yourself;
• opportunity to give a presentation of your
undertaking, with images;
• are celebrated at a champagne reception
that follows;
• are treated to a gala dinner in a private
room for winners, jurors and past winners;
• are included in a special illustrated
16-page booklet that you receive with your
certificate;
• are featured on the Center’s website
showing images of the ceremonies and the winners
accepting their awards, and
• are also included on the Center
website’s interactive database depicts the
nearly 400 + projects that have won awards since
1987 – a unique resource freely available to
anyone interested.
Your award is then announced to the following:
• The Center’s press list of 600+,
• An e-mail list numbering in the thousands,
• Included in a special e-blast devoted to
the 2016 Excellence on the Waterfront award
winners.
Entering is simple: a two-page narrative that
addresses judging criteria and 20 images. That
is all that is required! Additional information
such as articles, endorsement by local
officials, additional photos are welcome. Full
details and entry form on our Web site
HERE
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DEADLINE: POSTMARKED BY JULY 16, 2018!
An interdisciplinary jury of varied geography
and city sizes will convene in Cape May, N.J.,
in July. They will spend a full day-and-half
reviewing the entries and selecting a limited
number of winners. In most years, a Top Honor
project and Top Honor plan are picked.
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Urban
Waterfronts '86 - Finale Presentation
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Folksinger Larry Long from Minneapolis leads
attendees group round circle in singing
"Farewell My Friends". Show left to right: Rick
Wiederhorn, then with City of St. Paul,
unidentified woman , Breen and Rigby.
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Center Board
meeting aboard Bargemusic, below the Brooklyn
Bridge in 1987
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Left to right: the late Olga Bloom, founder of
Bargemusic; Ellen Dawson; Chuck Davis,
president, EHDD, Barry Hersh, currently at New
York University, Doug Sethness, CH2M; Barbara
Kauffman, currently Newark Renaissance, Stu
Dawson, principal, Sasaki Associates, Watertown,
Massachusetts; Michael Krieger, then with the
Port Authority NY&NJ, Joe Schachter, Concrete
Flotation Systems the late Mickey Murphy,
citizen activist and Willem Polak, Potomac
Riverboat Company, Alexandria, Virginia.
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CBS Interview
Summer, 1994
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Dick Rigby and Ann Breen being interviewed for
CBS's Sunday Good Morning America show on the
Baltimore waterfront. More precisely on a Fells
Point Pier. Note the City Pier in the background
the location for the TV show Homicide. The
building and pier have recently been completely
renovated into a spiffy new hotel complex by
Under Armour.
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1994
Interdisciplinary Awards Jury in Cape May, NJ
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Standing left to right: the Honorable Bill
Norrie, then mayor of Winnipeg; Deb Dietsch,
then editor of Architecture magazine; the late
Barry Young, urban designer, Sydney, Australia,
Keimi Harada, architect, Tokyo. Seated left to
right: Jennifer Bartlett, staff volunteer,
directors Breen and Rigby and staff member Susan
Kirk
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Clearwater
Winners at the 2005 Conference
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The Clearwater award is given to grass roots
individuals and organizations for their
contributions to their waterfronts. The six
winners who were on hand in Portland
pictured left to right: Kathy Wine, River
Action, Inc., Quad Cities, Iowa and Illinois,
Holly Ewald, Pawtuxet Village Voices & Vistions,
Pawtuxet, Rhode Island, Sandy Threlfall,
Waterfront Action, Oakland, Calfironia, Marianna
Koval, Brooklyn Bridge Park Coalition, Mayor
Koichi Sueyoshi, Women's Battle for Blue Skies
and Clean Water, Kitakyushu, Japan, the late
Sylvia McLaughlin, Citizens for East Shore Park,
Berkeley, California and Mrs. Sueyoshi.
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25th Anniversay
Gala Dinner at Pier 4 on the Boston Harbor
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Mr. Fumihiko Tanaka, director, water environment
section, Kitakyushu, Pratap Talwar, Thompson &
Associates, Boston; Charlotte DeWitt,
International Festivals, Boston, Akiko
Kinoshita, Owls Ltd., interpreter joined by the
Mayor of Kitakyushu and his wife.
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April 2018
Newsletter
Excellence on the
Waterfront 2018 Awards Program
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Deadline for Submittals: July 16, 2018
Forms and instructions are now posted
HERE
2018 Interdisciplinary Jury
Donna Walcavage, principal, Stantec, New York,
New York will be this year's jury chair. She
will be joined by Mike Houck, Urban Greenspaces
Institute, Portland, Oregon, Lamarco Morrison,
City of Greenville Parks and Recreation,
Greenville, North Carolina and Michael
Sripiprasert, Pittsburgh History and Landmarks
Foundation.
We encourage those considering entering to visit
the
website and browse through material about
previous winners including the interactive
database which give details on the over 400
winners from 1987-2018.
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The Waterfront
Center
31st Annual
Excellence on the Waterfront
Mini-Conference
Awards Ceremony and Reception
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Friday, September 21, 2018 12:30 – 7:00 p.m.
The Churchill Hotel
1914 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, D.C.
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Friday afternoon attendees at the
mini-conference will hear presentations by the
2018 award winners. The winners will be
announced on the Center’s web site in August and
the list of speakers posted. They will receive
their awards and be feted at a champagne
reception following the ceremony. Donna
Walcavage, principal, Stantec, New York, New
York, this year’s jury chair, will preside. Fee
will include conference attendance and the
reception.
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Gala Dinner Honoring the 2018 Winners
Friday, September 21, 2018, 7:30 p.m.
2101 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, D.C.
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The Optional Gala Dinner, immediately following
the awards reception at the Churchill Hotel, is
held in the historic parlor of the 1927
apartment building across from the hotel. The
convivial evening will include a delicious
multi-course meal with wine and champagne
toasts.
Sign up on the Center's
Website. Details to be published in
mid-April
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Urban
Waterfronts Still on a Roll
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The urban waterfront phenomenon begun in earnest
nearly 40 years ago continues apace – whether
new projects or re-dos. Here are some
articles/links to check out.
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Another Chicago
Navy Pier Renovation
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Navy Pier has long been a fixture on Chicago’s
Lakefront and the
article “Pier Review” by Zach Mortice, pages
93-109 in the December 2017 issue of Landscape
Architecture Magazine offers a fulsome history
of the 3,300 foot structure as well as detailed
account of James Corner Field operations update.
The pier has always been a major public space
but in the words of Steve Haemmerle, executive
director of Navy Pier: “ Public places are
living, breathing things, and in order to remain
relevant throughout time, they need to adapt and
be flexible.” The 1990’s revision added a Ferris
Wheel along with a mix of commercial uses and
entertainment that gave short shrift to the
planned open spaces. This current remake is the
“product of careful decluttering as much as it’s
a showcase of new space” and is sleeker and
provides much more public realm. The
article is fully illustrated with photos and
diagrams.
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The Navy Pier Ferris Wheel
The Navy Pier Fountain
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See chapter on Navy Pier in
The New Waterfront: A Worldwide Urban Success
Story by Breen and Rigby, pages 84-87. The
renovation preceding the latest one was
completed in 1995 at a cost of $150 million. The
design team was Thompson and Wood Associates and
VOA.
The biggest splash if you will was the
installation of the Ferris Wheel that had
historic significance since George Ferris first
displayed the amusement ride that now carries
his name in 1883 at the Chicago's World's
Fair. The six-story Crystal Gardens featuring
palm trees was one of the first attractions.
Remembering…….what pier public access looked
like in 1995!
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Thirty some years ago things were quite
different as you can see from this photo from
our files. Well, however rudimentary, at least
you could sit, get views the lake, and maybe
catch a fish. Shows you how far we have come in
the design and execution of our urban
waterfronts!!!
People ask us all the time: “What has changed?”
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Major
Developments in Dundee, Scotland
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Dundee Waterfront, is a massive 1-billion-pound
transformation of 593 acres on the River Tay
that is the longest river in Scotland. This
ambitious project will include all manner of
commercial, residential, recreational, tourist
developments and major amounts of public realm.
We urge you to visit their
Website to gain an in-depth understanding of
the project. There is a fly through of the
project
HERE.
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Among many exciting developments and plans in
the works for the Dundee Waterfront is a new
Victoria and Albert Dundee Museum designed by
Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, set to open on
September 15, 2018. This international center of
design will feature Scotland's design
heritage for the first time. Besides Scottish
Design Galleries, the museum will house touring
exhibitions from around the world, temporary
exhibitions as well as learning spaces for all
ages.
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Victoria and Albert Dundee international center
of design
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A fly through of the Victoria and Albert Dundee
international center of design is shown
HERE
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Conferences/Events of Note
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April 11 - 22, 2018
Baltimore, Maryland
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New York, NewYork
May 8, 2018 Aboard the Hornblower Infinity
May 14-17, 2018
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Contact: breederl@msu.edu
deadline for hotel Early bird April 13
October 24-25, 2018, Stoney Creek Hotel &
Conference Center
Moline, Illinois
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Late March 2018
Newsletter
The Old Mill District, Bend, Oregon, 2017 Honor
Award
Photo Nate Wyeth, Project Design: Mayer/Reed
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31st Excellence
on the Waterfront Awards Program
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Selections made by independent,
interdisciplinary jury. Winners receive
worldwide publicity and are featured on our
interactive Web Site.
DEADLINE for submittals (20 images and two-page
narrative) must be postmarked by July 16, 2018.
Open to built projects, comprehensive plans and
citizen actions as well as students.
See
HERE for entry details. Awards announced on
Friday, September 21 at afternoon program and
ceremony in Washington, D.C.
Optionai awards dinner. Details on Web site.
If you wish to receive our periodic newsletter
send an email to: mail@waterfrontcenter.org and
make the request.
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Mid March 2018
Newsletter
A Brilliant
Waterfront Opportunity Awaits!!!
Special Field
Trip to the Baltimore Festival City Lights
April 13-15,
2018
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A longtime friend and associate of the
Waterfront Center has put together a really
exciting weekend for those interested in
experiencing this spectacular event that won a
2017 Excellence on the Waterfront Honor Award
(check out
HERE for more info).
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April 13-15, 2018
Baltimore, Maryland
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Pictured: Peacock by Tim Scofield & Kyle Miller
with Steve Dalnekoff & Will Cocks.
Photo courtesy of Crystal Whitman
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Charlie the Peacock will host a Behind the
Scenes field trip to the third annual Light City
Baltimore Festival April 13-15. The festival is
America’s only large-scale international light
and ideas festival.
For waterfront specialists, Light City
re-imagines the waterfront into a premier
cultural destination: fully accessible, free and
open to all. The festival, running April 14-21,
is the perfect marriage of cutting edge artistic
installations utilizing the latest lighting
technology set against the backdrop of
Baltimore’s beautifully restored Inner Harbor.
Neighborhood Lights installations April 6-8 and
Labs@Light City innovation conferences April
18-21 act as bookends to the festival.
According to Baltimore Office of Promotion and
the Arts (BOPA), in just its second year, Light
City 2017 attracted nearly 500,000 nighttime
visitors, generated $44 million in economic
impact, and created one billion media
impressions for Baltimore. Conceptualized in
2015 to shed a “light” on all the amazing
cultural, artistic, and community assets that
define the city in the aftermath of the tragic
death of Freddie Gray in May 2015, Light City is
an extraordinary testament to the
transformative, healing powers of light as a way
of bringing people together in a secure,
celebratory setting.
86% of visitors said they felt safe during the
festival;
88% felt it changes perceptions of Baltimore;
and
91% would recommend friends and family visit
Light City.
Click
HERE to see Baltimore’s powerpoint
presentation at The Waterfront Center’s 2017
Excellence on the Waterfronts awards ceremony.
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Light,
innovation, and ideas
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Special arrangements for Waterfront Center
participants include VIP credentials to the
festival and hospitality areas, including an
invitation to a private preview event on Friday,
April 13th at Light City Baltimore’s VIP
Artists’ Reception and Media Preview Party from
5-7 p.m., followed by the final, full dress
rehearsal of the light installations from 8-10
p.m., courtesy of Baltimore Office of Promotion
and the Arts, producers of Light City Baltimore.
VIP Venue is Pier 5 Hotel, 711 Eastern Ave,
Baltimore, MD 21202, with validated parking at
the hotel for those driving.
The opening night parade is Saturday, April 14,
with informal walking tours and discussions on
April 14 and 15. Twenty-one light artists were
commissioned by an international jury at a cost
of $2million to create light installations for
the festival and to work with local artists to
create “Neighborhood Lights” displays during the
week prior to the festival.
We have a block of discounted hotel rooms
(closing soon) and special hotel packages, as
well as validated parking at Pier 5 Hotel for
those driving.
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Behind the
Scenes of Light City Baltimore is
produced by Charlotte DeWitt, CFEE, President of
International Events, Boston. Email:
charlotte@internationaleventsltd.com Cell:
+1 617 513-5696.
Charlotte is Past-Chair of the International
Festivals and Events Association, and
founder/past-President-CEO of IFEA Europe. She
is a member of the IFEA Hall of Fame, the
industry’s highest honor.
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Confirmation details and an updated program will
be send upon registration.
There is no cost to register.
Participants are responsible for their own
travel, hotel accommodations, and meals.
Accessibility
In an effort to provide a positive experience
for all,
Light City
is a fully accessible event, regardless of
ability.
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Light City Field
Trip at a Glance
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Pictured: Elantica by Tom Dekyvere. Photo
courtesy of Bart van Overbeeke Fotografie.
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Artists’ Reception and Media preview party
Courtesy of Baltimore Office of Promotion & The
Arts
4:30PM Registration 5-7PM Program 8-10PM Final
Dress Rehearsal
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Light City VIP
Lounge
Pier 5 Hotel
711 Eastern
Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21202
Limited space.
Please RSVP by Wednesday, April 4, 2018, to
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Light
City Opening Night Parade April 14
Informal
walking tours and discussions TBA
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Late February 2018
Newsletter
Urban Waterfront 2018 - Yuma
Powerpoint Presentations Now on the Web!
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If you missed the conference altogether or were
there and missed some presentations because you
were attending another panel, Stewart has
secured the material and placed it on the web.
They can be seen
HERE. The conference was highly informative
including an in-depth exploration of the
Colorado River and presentations from a variety
of speakers from around the U.S.
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Visualizing the Universe: Athena Tacha's
Proposals
for Public Art Commissions - 1972-2012
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Artist Athena Tacha is a longtime friend of the
Waterfront Center who helped us put together our
first public art panel in 1984. At the time
despite the star power (Robert Irwin, Siah
Armajani and herself) it drew very few attendees
as the topic was quite new. When we repeated an
art panel in 1997 in Baltimore that included
Athena, the room was packed. Today public art in
its many guises is not so novel any more,
enriching the world around us.
Visualizing the Universe is an exhaustive
history of the Athena's proposals as a finalist
for 139 permanent public art commissions
including the 45 that she won. This book gives
insights into the world of public art
competitions, commissions and indeed the whole
realm of public art. One can see and read about
works that were never built, were built and
destroyed as well as ones that survive. The text
is greatly enhanced by color photographs and
drawings.
In 1970 Athena articulated her two basic
principles for her art:
" -To render perceptible the rhythms of energy
and after that I sense within the visible
universe, from the macro to the micro levels.
- To execute my sculpture in public spaces,
making it available to everybody to
experience."
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Whether you are a Lenten observer or not, the
Church of England put out the suggestion of
giving up plastic instead of sweets or other
more typical practices. Given our mission to
promote cleaner water, this change in habit
might be a good thing year-round. See: " What
to Give Up for Lent" by Richard Perez-Pena
in the February 15, 2018 New York Times.
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Incidentally, as Washingtonians, we do know that
the 5-cent charge for plastic grocery bags put
into practice here has made a major change and
helped the Anacostia River.
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Conference/Events of Note
|
|
May 8, 2018 Aboard the Hornblower Infinity
|
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Aboard the Hornblower Infinity
|
|
May 14-17, 2018
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Contact: breederl@msu.edu
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October 24-25, 2018, Stoney Creek Hotel &
Conference Center
Moline, Illinois
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February 2018
Newsletter
The Waterfront
Center 31stAnnual Excellence on the Waterfront
Mini-Conference,
Awards Ceremony and Reception
Friday, September
21, 2018 12:30 – 7:00 p.m.
The Churchill
Hotel 1914 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, D.C.
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Friday afternoon attendees at the
mini-conference will hear presentations by the
2018 award winners. The winners will be
announced on the Center’s web site in August and
the list of speakers posted. They will receive
their awards and be feted at a champagne
reception following the ceremony. Donna
Walcavage, principal, Stantec, New York, New
York, this year’s jury chair, will preside. Fee
will include conference attendance and the
reception.
|
|
Gala Dinner
Honoring the 2018 Winners
7:30 p.m. 2101
Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, D.C.
|
|
The Optional Gala Dinner, immediately following
the awards reception at the Churchill Hotel, is
held in the historic parlor of the 1927
apartment building across from the hotel. The
convivial evening will include a delicious
multi-course meal with wine and champagne
toasts.
|
|
Sign up on the Center's Website:
www.waterfrontcenter.org. Details to be
published in late February.
|
|
Excellence on the
Waterfront 2018 Awards Program
|
|
Deadline for Submittals: July 16, 2018
Forms and instructions are now posted
HERE
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|
2018
Interdisciplinary Jury
|
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Donna Walcavage, principal, Stantec, New York,
New York will be this year's jury chair. She
will be joined by Mike Houck, Urban Greenspaces
Institute, Portland, Oregon, Lamarco Morrison,
City of Greenville Parks and Recreation,
Greenville, North Carolina and Michael
Sripiprasert, Pittsburgh History and Landmarks
Foundation.
We encourage those considering entering to visit
the website and browse through material about
previous winners including the
interactive database which give details on
the over 400 winners from 1987-2018.
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Urban Waterfronts
2018 - Snapshots from our 33rd Conference
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The Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area
Corporation, our co-hosts, pulled out all the
stops for this waterfront gathering held in this
sunniest of cities. Our thanks once again to
Charlie Flynn and his dedicated and talented
staff - not to mention his wife, Ann who
volunteered, for all their hard work to make
this a very memorable event.
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Charlie Flynn and Ann Walker
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Wednesday evening's a pre-workshop networking
social featured delicious drinks and dinner
was held in the 1909 repurposed old St. Paul's
Episcopal Church. Delegates attending the
Thursday field trip got a full briefing of the
remarkable achievements along the Colorado River
in Yuma (see
awards database and previous
newsletters to see images) and a bus ride
out for a site visit to the Imperial Dam.
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Tour wound up with date shakes at the
Imperial Date Gardens -- a revelation for many
that Yuma has Medjool date farms!
The social events were spectacular! Thursday
evening we watched the sunset from the historic
Territorial Prison yard followed by a most
incredible dinner in the Cell Blocks!
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Dinner at the
Territorial Prison
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Friday, attendees were treated to a very special
Mexican Fiesta with margaritas, music, dancing
and great food.
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Balancing all the fun, the program
itself featured wonderful speakers sharing their
expertise. The keynote speaker, Anne Castle,
former assistant secretary for Water and Science
at the US Department of the Interior,
enlightened us about the intricacies of the
Colorado River's water supply and flow.
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Mary Miss, artist and founder City as Living
Laboratory, delivered a thought provoking finale
presentation beginning with her work at Battery
Park City, touching on waterfront pieces
elsewhere and winding up with her more recent
interactive endeavors in Indianapolis and
Milwaukee. See her web site to see the full
range of her work.
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Mary Miss at the Cell Block dinner
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Over 15 presentations covered the many facets of
Colorado River as well as speakers dealing with
an array of waterfront issues from other parts
of the country. The power points from these
sessions will be posted on the Center's website.
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Co-directors Rigby and Breen shown here at the
Fiesta wish you had been there. Think about
joining us September 21 in Washington for the
Awards event!
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January 2018
Newsletter
Urban Waterfronts
2018
The 33rd Annual
International Conference
Yuma, Arizona
January 26-27,
2018
|
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JANUARY 12, REGISTRATION DEADLINE. Visit
HERE
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NOT TOO LATE -- BEAT THE JANUARY CHILL!!
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|
Join us in sunny Yuma where the temperature will
be more like 72 not 15 pictured above. Working
with Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area staff,
we think we have pulled together a dynamite
educational and social program. You'll learn a
lot and meet wonderful fellow professionals
working on waterfronts.
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Bone Up on the
Colorado River and the West
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Charlie Flynn, executive director of Yuma
Crossing has pulled together three panels for
the conference that will illuminate the varied
and complex issues and challenges involved with
this storied river. To get in the mood, you
might want to go the your library or bookstore
and get a hold of one or more of the following.
Quoting the book reviewer, David Biello in the
May 28, 2017 NYT Book Review:
"The waterways of the west now exist as
monuments to an ambitious desert civilization.
Across the vast region of America, few, if any
rivers flow without hosting one or more dams,
concrete channels, diversions or other
human-made "improvements" that allow people and
farming to flourish in this dry country. And
few, if any, rivers reveal this unnatural world
more than the Colorado, which no longer reaches
the sea or carries along its entire 1,450
mile-length much of the reddish silt that
inspired its name."
Also:
Cadillac Desert by Marc Reinhart - a classic
book from 1986 which remains the definitive work
on the West and its water problems.
If you are attending the workshop on Thursday,
January 26, you'll get a first hand look at
Yuma's Award-winning riverfront and drive
through some spectacular scenery to reach the
Imperial Dam.
Perusing Periodicals - Some Articles of Note
The
Winter 2017 issue of Nature Conservancy has
several very informative pieces that point up
the important work of non-profits like the
Nature Conservancy. Given the current rollbacks
on environmental regulation and funding, these
groups need support more than ever.
•
"Winds of Change" Following years of careful
planning to protect birds, bats, marine wildlife
and fishing, wind turbines operated by Deepwater
Wind have been placed off the coast of Rhode
Island providing renewable energy to homes on
Block Island.
•
"The California Effect" by Brendan Borrell.
California's cap-and-trade program is supporting
scores of conservation project from Virginia to
Alaska, providing funding for forests and other
projects that sequester carbon or reduce
ozone-depleting substances. The article provides
a useful map illustrating where the number of
projects around the country that are earning
credits for reducing carbon. While the U.S.
government is backing away from climate
commitments, states are stepping up, none more
profoundly than California.
• " Greater
Lakes - a $2 billion collaboration between
farmers, conservationists and governments aims
to repair the largest flowing freshwater system
on earth," by Amy Crawford. This
well-illustrated article documents the history
of diminishment and pollution of the lakes and
rivers that flow into them. While pollution was
reduced after the 1972 Clean Water Act but the
lakes were then plagued with invasive species
brought in by seagoing vessels. Since 2010 Great
Lakes Restoration Initiative, backed with major
funding and administered by the EPA and other
federal programs, as well as state, local and
non-profit entities like the Nature Conservancy,
aims to continue to reduce pollution, restore
wetlands and reduce agricultural runoff among
other projects. Given the importance the Great
Lakes economically and environmentally to the
eight states and one Canadian province that
touch their shores, this program is extremely
important to put it mildly. In March of 2017,
the White House budget proposal set out to
eliminate funding for the initiative and slash
EPA's overall budget by a third. Not
surprisingly the proposed cuts are being met
with bi-partisan opposition. (Go to the web and
search Great Lakes Restoration Initiative to
learn latest developments e.g. funding for 2017
was preserved. The real challenge will be
2018).
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Excellence on the
Waterfront 2018 Awards Program
Deadline for
Submittals: July 16, 2018
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The 2018 Interdisciplinary Jury:
Donna Walcavage, principal, Stantec, New York,
New York, Jury Chair
Mike Houck, Urban Greenspaces Institute,
Portland, Oregon
Lamarco Morrison, City of Greenville Parks and
Recreation, Greenville, North Carolina
Michael Sripiprasert, Pittsburgh History and
Landmarks Foundation.
Forms and instructions will be posted in early
2018.
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Mid December 2017
Newsletter
33rd Annual
International Conference on Waterfront Planning,
Development and Culture
January 26-27,
Yuma Arizona
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REGISTRATION DEADLINE EXTENDED TO JANUARY 12,
2018
Visit
HERE for complete information and
registration
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REMINDER - HOTEL CUT-OFF!
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Hilton Garden Inn. A block of rooms has been set
aside for conference attendees at Hilton Garden
Inn overlooking the Colorado River. A special
room rate of $139 will be available until
December 25, 2017. Make your reservations to
assure this offer by calling 928 783 1500 and
mentioning the Waterfront Conference to receive
the rate. When calling make your reservation at
the front desk as they know about group rates.
Social and Networking Opportunities. Our
co-hosts have gone out of their way to provide
some very special venues. Thursday night we'll
have a catered dinner in a repurposed old
church. On Thursday night we will dine in the
old cell block area of the Yuma Territorial
Prison. Friday night, a full-fledged Mexican
Fiesta awaits at a former warehouse in the
Historic Quartermaster's Depot (now renamed the
Colorado River Historic State Park) a short walk
from the conference center. Back in 1864 all far
flung military posts at the traced their roots
to this base in Yuma.
The bookstore at the Depot carries a fascinating
read:
Vanished Arizona: Revelations of the Army
Life of a New England Woman by Martha
Summerhayes. This amazing story recounted by an
Army wife details her experiences during the
1870s in Arizona. She paints a vivid picture
of the harsh climate, rattle snakes, cactus
thorns, white desperadoes among many other
hardships and makes one appreciate how extremely
difficult life was in the frontier-military
West.
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A Closer Look at
Yuma's Riverfront
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Earlier this year, we sent an e-letter showing
various aspects of this incredible restoration
of 400 acres.
While touring the parks, we noted what that
little extra in the budget can do toward design
details that can make a difference in
'placemaking.' Below are some examples of things
to look out for when you tour the parks,
Thursday, January 25th.
One of many park benches found throughout the
parks, the design is straightforward, easily
maintained, sturdy and the logo makes it
distinctive.
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Interpretive signs are found scattered
throughout. This one depicts what once was the
blighted "City Dump' that now has been
transformed into a 110-acre riverfront park.
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Sign Showing Former City Dump
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So often public restrooms are cinderblock
monoliths. Anyone who has seen our visual
presentations knows how we like to point out
imaginative examples. Note the interesting,
sculpted ironwork at the entrance to this
restroom.
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This year's awards winners featured not one but
two bridges, one in Memphis and one in Fort
Worth see
HERE to learn more.
Here in Yuma, a pedestrian bridge receives an
extra artistic boost.
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Gates installed to keep vehicles from coming and
going when not appropriate usually look like
something found along a highway: steel and
sturdy, nothing to write home about. How
refreshing to discover these somewhat
nature-inspired portals.
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Given the Arizona climate in Yuma, throughout
the park are a number of what they call
'rarmadas' that provide shade, tables and in
some cases barbecues. ( "Ramada' was a new term
to us that translates to an arbor or porch to
provide shade usually found on beaches or picnic
grounds.) Below are examples found around the
community fishing lake. Here again note the
artful touch in the tile.
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A ramada with children's play area is a popular
spot along the Colorado.
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Ramada with Chidren's Play Area
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Dick pauses at this handsome rest stop to look
out towards the river.
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Excellence on the
Waterfront 2018 Awards Program
Deadline for
Submittals: July 16, 2018
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Forms and instructions will be posted in early
2018.
Donna Walcavage, principal, Stantec, New York,
New York will be this year's jury chair. To date
she will be joined by Lamarco Morrison, City of
Greenville Parks and Recreation, Greenville,
North Carolina, Michael Sripiprasert, Pittsburgh
History and Landmarks Foundation and Mike Houck,
Urban Greenspaces Institute, Portland, Oregon
Awards Ceremony, mini-conference, reception and
gala dinner will take place September 21, 2018
at The Churchill Hotel, Washington, DC. The
dinner will be held at 2101 Connecticut Avenue,
NW. Registration and more information will be
posted on the website in January.
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Early December
2017 Newsletter
Remember the
Center - Make a Year-End Donation
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As you consider your year-end giving, we hope
you will keep the Waterfront Center in mind.
Every little bit helps. This year we will be
holding our 33rd international conference in
January; conducting our 31st Excellence on the
Waterfront Awards program including the Awards
Ceremony and Gala Dinner on September 21, 2018.
For the last several years we have been giving
all the winners a free admission to the
ceremony, reception and dinner which adds to the
festivity but also to the bottom line. We
continue to update our databases, doing an
inventory of our image collection and of course
issuing periodic e-letters. Thanks to all our
past supporters! Send your check to: The
Waterfront Center, PO Box 53351, Washington, DC
20009 or give us a call at 202 337 0356 and we
can take your credit card information over the
phone.
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Urban Outfitters
Corporate Campus First Hand
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Over Thanksgiving trying to avoid crowds in
tourist attractions or the Black Friday mobs, we
suggested to my cousins a field trip to the
Philadelphia Navy Yard. We all ventured down to
this 1,200-acre site proceeded through the gate
and past the stately homes and passed many
impressive office buildings till we came upon
the huge industrial brick buildings - not to
mention all the gigantic mothballed vessels. Our
main agenda was to take a look at the Urban
Outfitters Corporate Campus, the work of Meyer,
Scherer & Rockcastle based in Minneapolis. Of
course we had seen images from the awards
submittal but the reality exceeded our
expectations and we want to return to see more
of the Navy Yard and be able to take photos when
the sunlight is not doing its early winter fade.
The imaginative adaptive reuse of the massive
structures and the creative celebration of the
industrial heritage and artifacts are striking.
Below are glimpses of parts of the extensive
public realm:
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Logo and old storage tank
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One of many pathways. Note the reused rubble
used as a bioswale to capture the rainwater.
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Note echoes of the rail lines and the handsome
plantings.
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What appears to be a storage shed or maybe it's
a "folly" of some kind reuses old wood and
corrugated metal.
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"Ballast benches," and reused paving amidst the
landscaping.
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The entrance to building 543 boasts an old black
and yellow artifact.
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As one approaches building 543 that houses
offices, work spaces, a cafeteria open to the
public, a fitness center, and a cafe we caught a
glimpse through one of large windows of what
looked like shimmering water. In reality, once
inside, we discovered it to be a wall covered
with glimmering discs - in effect a stunning
"water wall" with the atrium off to the right
and retained rail lines.
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Another view
of the "water wall" and more ballast.
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The very large atrium space is broken up with
the cafe and seating; conference style tables
and seating; small pools that echo the nearby
river with cube seating and a small art
exhibition space separated from the cafeteria by
scrim screens.
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The cafeteria scene in the late afternoon light
affords views out onto the waterfront including
the breathtaking sight of an aircraft carrier.
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We only wished we had not run out of time and
light to take in more of this extraordinary
campus that has preserved and recycled five
handsome historic buildings. Kudos to all
involved in the vision and execution of this
remarkable place. We urge you to visit our
interactive awards database found on our web
HERE, type in "Urban Outfitters" and you can
read lots more.
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Meet Some Winners
during Urban Waterfronts 33
January 26 - 27,
Yuma, Arizona
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Urban Waterfronts 33 is shaping up to be a
really interesting event that will include a
number of Excellence on the Waterfront winners
apart from the fact that Yuma's riverfront
itself was a winner. Last e-letter we profiled
Fred Phillips. We'd like to introduce more in
future e-letters.
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Carol Mayer-Reed and her firm Mayer-Reed,
Portland, Oregon received an award in 1987 --
the first year of the awards program -- for
Sellwood Riverfront Park combining park space,
wetlands and a flood-able beach. Her firm also
won in 2001 for the Eastbank Esplanade that
includes a remarkable floating walkway that
opened up access to the east side of the river
across from the downtown enabling the public to
do a loop. She will be speaking on Friday
afternoon relating the past, present and future
of Portland's waterfronts.
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Hotel cut-off is December 25! Call Hilton Garden
Inn. A block of rooms has been set aside for
conference attendees at Hilton Garden Inn
overlooking the Colorado River. A special room
rate of $139 will be available until December
25, 2017. Make your reservations to assure this
offer by calling 928 783 1500 and mentioning the
Waterfront Conference to receive the rate. You
need to make these reservations through the
front desk not "reservations."
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Register for the Yuma Conference
HERE
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Awards Deadline
and Ceremony
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AWARDS DEADLINE: JULY 16, 2018. Watch the
Website in January for details. Donna Walcavage,
principal, Stantec, 2018 Jury Chair.
Next year's Awards Ceremony, Reception and Gala
Dinner will be September 21, 2018 in Washington,
DC. We will return to the Churchill Hotel for
the awards ceremony and reception and hold the
dinner at 2101 Connecticut Avenue. More
information and registration will be posted on
the web site in early January.
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November 2017
Newsletter
Urban Waterfronts
2018
33rd Annual
International Conference on Waterfront Planning,
Development and Culture
January 26-27,
Yuma Arizona
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The conference offers a unique opportunity to
experience two very different tracks. One track
concentrates on the many issues surrounding the
past and future of the Colorado River. The
second track has speakers from around the
country who will address resiliency broadly
defined and case studies tracing the history and
future in Baltimore, Portland, Oregon and
Philadelphia. Visit
HERE for complete information and
registration
Hilton Garden
Inn. A block of rooms has been set aside
for conference attendees at Hilton Garden Inn
overlooking the Colorado River. A special room
rate of $139 will be available until December
25, 2017. Make your reservations to assure this
offer by calling 928 783 1500 and mentioning the
Waterfront Conference to receive the rate. The
hotel is next door to the Pivot Point Conference
where sessions will be held. The hotel has an
attractive lobby, bar and restaurant as well as
a pool area.
Social and
Networking Opportunities. Our co-hosts
have gone out of their way to provide some very
special venues. Wednesday night we'll have a
catered dinner in a repurposed old church. On
Thursday night we will dine in the old cell
block area of the Yuma Territorial Prison. (If
you are an aficionado of old Westerns, the
prison gets lots of mention in the film
3:10 to Yuma
- worth another viewing to get you in the mood).
Friday night, a full fledged Mexican Fiesta
awaits at a former warehouse in the Historic
Quartermaster's Depot (now renamed the Colorado
River Historic State Park) a short walk from the
conference center. Back in 1864 all far flung
military posts at the time traced their roots to
this base in Yuma. Most registration fees are
inclusive, so no add-ons for the dinners and
receptions.
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Excellence on the
Waterfront 2018 Awards Program
Deadline for
Submittals: July 16, 2018
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Donna Walcavage, principal, Stantec, New York,
New York will be this year's jury chair. To date
she will be joined by Lamarco Morrison, City of
Greenville Parks and Recreation, Greenville,
North Carolina and Michael Sripiprasert,
Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation. Two
additional juror have been invited and will be
announced on the Website.
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Forms and instructions will be posted in early
2018
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2014 Honor Award
Winner Fred Phillips
Featured in
October 2017 Landscape Architecture Magazine
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Fred Phillips and his Flagstaff, Arizona
landscape architecture firm specializing in
wetland restoration won an
Excellence on the Waterfront award for their
work in Yuma, Arizona where 1,400 acres were
restored to become Yuma East Wetlands as well as
Quechan Sunrise Park. Fred will be one of the
presenters at our upcoming 33rd annual
international conference in Yuma in January.
Participants will also hear about and see the
result of the work along the Colorado River
during the all-day workshop and field trip.
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In the
October issue of LAM readers can learn about
his newest project working to reclaim the
enormous degraded landscape left by the tin
mining industry. "What Will It Take to Make
Indonesian Tin Miners Stewards of the Land?"by
Brian Barth.
The story describes how Apple hired Phillips to
undertake a 125-acre restoration pilot project
for turning illegal tin miners into eco-friendly
farmers. Wet, tropical places such as found on
Bangka Island allow dense,
multistory plantings. The plan calls for
starting with nonfood crops moving to more
diversity as time goes by and the biological
activity increases. Phillips thinks the reason
Apple hired him is that they heard of his
experiences getting people with diverse
backgrounds talking to each other.
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Center Friends
Recognized
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Rod Marler, director design + place, Panuku
Development, Auckland was honored to receive the
New Zealand Property Council's "People in
Property" award in recognition of his leadership
of the Wynyard Quarter project. Many may recall
that Waterfront Auckland (predecessor to Panuku
Development) won top honor for a major component
of Wynyard Quarter:
Jellicoe St, North Wharf Promenade and Silo
Park in 2012. The Wynyard Centeral Integrated
Development Plan was honored by the Center Jury
in 2015. Rod has also made presentations in
Washington and the Quad Cities for conferences
held there.
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Rod and his wife Fiona accepting the award.
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Kathy Wine, executive director, River Action,
Inc., Quad Cities of Iowa and Illinois received
the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation's Hagie
Heritage Award in Davenport, November 1, 2017.
Kathy is one of the featured speaker at our
upcoming conference in
Yuma.
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Terri Goodman, assistant City Manager of
Dubuque, who nominated Kathy said of her: "Kathy
Wine is a bold visionary and tenacious leader
who invites the community to embrace the
Mississippi River and its habitat by creating
options for residents and visitors alike to
touch the mighty Mississippi through bike
trails, interpretative centers, reclamation of
natural spaces, public design practices, art,
education and economics,"
Wine and River Action’s work to connect the Quad
Cities community to the Mississippi River
promotes improved water quality and
environmental education. They've done a variety
of projects, including their initial start
lighting the Centennial Bridge that connects the
downtowns of Davenport to Rock Island, Illinois.
Kathy has worked tirelessly on their "Retain the
Rain Program," paving miles of riverfront trails
for biking, financed water taxis for the river,
helped to acquire Nahant's Marsh and organize
the Upper Mississippi River Conference that
helps to get high school and college students
involved as well.
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Pittsburgh
History and Landmarks Foundation. Our
friends at the Foundation under the leadership
of our long-time supporter Arthur Ziegler are
receiving a Richard P. Driehaus Preservation
Award the the National Trust for Historic
Preservation's annual conference in Chicago. The
jury recognized the foundation's strenuous
efforts undertaking the Hamnett Place project in
the Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania neighborhood whose
deteriorated buildings have been revitalized to
accommodate low-to-moderate income facilities.
The neighborhood is also home to the rehabbed
building that serves as a hub for wide-ranging
educational programming. Visit
PHLF.org for more information.
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October 2017
Newsletter
Urban Waterfronts
33
January 25-27,
2018, Yuma Arizona
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Plan to join us for this waterfront
gathering. Full details and registration
available on line
HERE
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Postcard from
Seattle
Pike Place
Market's Splendid New Addition
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Quoting from the dust jacket of the book, The Pike
Place Market: People, Politics, and Produce by
Alice Shorett and Murray Morgan: "The market is
Seattle's favorite institution. Annually it
draws more people than do sporting events or
cultural events or the movies. Among American
markets, it has a reputation comparable to those
of Les Halles in Paris and Covent Garden in
London. The difference is that it has survived."
This book published in 1982 is a remarkable
history of the area but also the story of how
people fought hard to save the market from urban
renewal and succeeded. It can still be purchased
through Amazon along with another called The
Soul of the City by the same authors to mark the
centennial of the market. A trip to Seattle
always includes a trek to this fabulous and
funky rabbit warren of a Market.
For those who have never been these photos will give a
hint of the flavor of the beloved place
including the famous fishmongers who throw the
fish around and but one of the many fruit and
vegetable stalls.
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Our main reason for going this trip was to see the new
addition first hand. Dubbed MarketFront, this
$74 million addition has given residents and
visitors - for the first time - a chance to step
outside and relish the vistas of the Puget Sound
and Elliot Bay with the mountains behind as well
the new Ferris wheel on the waterfront. The
addition was designed by Miller Hull of Seattle.
Miller Hull won a 2004 Excellence on the
Waterfront Honor Award for Northwest Maritime
Demonstration Dock in Port Townsend. For more
detailed information on the MarketFront see
HERE.
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MarketFront Top Deck
The big metal piggy bank has long been a
landmark of the Market. Shown below are the
original sculpture as well as the new one.
Obviously a popular photo op. There are slots to
contribute to the Pike Place Market Foundation.
And the little "hoofprints" memorialize donors.
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Old Pig
New Pig
Along that same vein of paying tribute to
contributors is a the very clever "Charm Fence."
The circular charms shimmer, inscribed with
donor names, shine and dance in the wind making
delightful patterns on the paving.
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The top deck has a handsome
glassed in area to house market stalls while affording
gorgeous views. Wide steps along the front provide a
great place to eat a sandwich or just enjoy the warm
October sun as Dick is doing.
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Top Deck Glassed In Area
Dick Enjoying the Sun
Enhancing the whole experience is a rooftop
garden with a variety of grasses and plants.
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Rooftop Garden
Rooftop Planting
Murals celebrating the fruits and veggies add a
whimsical, colorful touch.
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Roofto p Murals
Mural Details
The new addition as
seen from two vantage points. One showing the
old neon signage and shelter on the street and
the other shows entrance to parking garage with
300 new spaces.
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Old Neon Sign
Entrance to Parking Garage
First Hand News
from Detroit
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This news just in from our board member and
Detroit boosterHarriet Saperstein. Rather than
paraphrase I quote her here.
"On October 16, Detroit REAL (Riverfront East
Alliance)"closed out" its organization, by using
their remaining bank-account funds to make a
contribution to the Riverfront Conservancy, and
in turn they have posted a permanent plaque on a
tree along the Riverwalk.
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Since REAL won a well-deserved Clearwater Award
in 2003 from the Waterfront Center, I thought
you might want to know about this closure and
this very brief update on some of the activities
underway. I do not think we would be where we
are today without REAL's community organizing
and support."
Pictured below are Carol Weisfeld and Dan Wiest
and a group photo including Harriet (in the red
shirt) and her husband Al in the red hat.
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Carol Weisfeld and Dan Wiest
REAL
Group Photo
"Just a few of those involved in the early days
could attend, but two of the crucial founding
members, Carol Weisfeld and Dan Wiest, had
prepared some materials and brought a bit of
sparkling cider to toast and say farewell to the
project, and to celebrate its success. We do not
have casinos on the riverfront; we do have an
effective responsive public/private Detroit
Riverfront Conservancy; Milliken State Park
(expanding and improving St. Aubin Park and
Marina) is in place and may be expanding; the
Dequindre Cut, a bicycle-pedestrian rail/trail
conversion now connects the Riverfront to
Eastern Market all the way to Mack Avenue (with
hopes that it will go further); Lafayette Park's
Miles van der Rohe housing is protected as a
Historic District; extensive new housing is
underway in the East Riverfront area! In
addition, plans with extensive community input
are underway for further park connections
eastward to Belle Isle, (including a
"Beach"), and (at last!) new possibilities for
controlled and responsible community oriented
developments are being planned for the
West Riverfront, now that the massive Newspaper
"printing plant" is gone!"
Note that the the Detroit Conservancy won an
Honor Award in 2015 from the Waterfront Center.
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EXCELLENCE ON THE WATERFRONT AWARDS DEADLINE
JULY 16, 2018
Donna Walcavage, principal, Stantec, New York
will be the jury chair.
Details and entry forms will be posted on the
Website later this year.
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Mid August 2017
Newsletter
Program and Speakers Finalized
September 8 Awards Ceremony and
Mini-Conference
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The
Waterfront Center’s 30th Annual Excellence on
the Waterfront
Awards Conference, Ceremony, Reception and
Gala Dinner
Friday, September 8, 2017
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Awards Conference The Churchill Hotel , 1914
Connecticut Ave. NW
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Gala Dinner, 2101 Connecticut Avenue
NW, Washington, D.C.
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1:00 Registration
1:30 Welcome Remarks
1: 45 Demonstration of the Excellence on the
Waterfront Interactive Database
Stewart McKenzie, Webmeister, The
Waterfront Center
2:00 About Urban Waterfronts 2018, the Center’s
33rd Annual International Conference in Yuma,
Arizona
2:30 Announcement of 2017 Excellence on the
Waterfront Honor Awards with presentations by
the winners about their projects.
William Wenk, principal, William Wenk
Associates, Denver, Colorado, jury chair
presiding
2017 Awards
and Presenters
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• Mike Houck, executive director, Urban Greenspace
Institute, Portland, Oregon. Presenting: Steve
Durrant, Alta Planning + Design, Portland, Oregon
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• Infra-Space 1, Boston, Massachusetts.
Presenting: Dan Adams, Landing Studio, Somerville,
Massachusetts
• Light City, Baltimore, Maryland.
Presenting: Ashley Molese and Kathy Hornig,
Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts
• Old Mill District, Bend, Oregon. Bend
Presentng: Carol Mayer-Reed, Mayer-Reed Inc.,
Portland, Oregon
• Point State Park, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Presenting: Marion Pressley, Pressley Associates
Inc., Boston, Massachusetts
• Principal Riverwalk Pavilion, Des Moines, Iowa.
Invited: Pam Cooksey, City of Des Moines Engineering
Department, Des Moines, Iowa
• Phyllis J. Tilley Memorial Bridge, Fort Worth,
Texas
Presenting: Nadia Westcott, Rosales + Partners,
Boston, Massachusetts
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• Master Plan for the Burlington Beach Regional
Waterfront Park.
Presenting: Cal Brook, Brook McIlroy, Toronto,
Ontario, Canada
• Tar River Legacy Plan, Greenville. North
Carolina.
Presenting: Ron Sessoms, Rhodeside & Harwell,
Alexandria
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• Big River Crossing, Memphis, Tennessee
Presenting: Virginia McLean, Friends For Our
Riverfront and Representative Steve Cohen,
Memphis, Tennessee
6:30 Champagne Reception
8:00 Gala Dinner honoring the 2017 Winners
and the 30th Anniversary of the Awards Program
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ANNOUNCING
URBAN
WATERFRONTS 2018
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The 33rd
International Conference
on Waterfront
Planning Development and Culture
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January 25-27, 2018, Yuma, Arizona, Hilton
Gardens Hotel
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Preconference Workshop – Thursday January 25
Conference – January 26-27
Sponorsored by
The Waterfront Center
And
Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area
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Early August 2017
Newsletter
Announcing the 2017 Award Winners!
The Waterfront Center is pleased to announce
the winners of the 30th Annual Excellence on the
Waterfront Awards program. As usual there is a
range of geography and type of project. We are
looking forward to an exciting awards ceremony
and program at the Churchill Hotel in
Washington, D.C. Visit
HERE for more information and sign-up
forms.
CAPE MAY, New Jersey – The 2017 ‘EXCELLENCE
ON THE WATERFRONT’ awards program, organized by
the non-profit Waterfront Center of Washington,
District of Columbia., for the past 30 years,
recognized seven built projects and two plans.
The jury, led by Bill Wenk of Wenk Associates,
Denver, Colorado, met for a day-and-a-half at
Congress Hall in this seaside resort.
Winners will be recognized at an Awards Ceremony
on September 8 in Washington, District of
Columbia, followed by a reception and dinner.
Each entrant will be given 20 minutes to
describe their entry, usually with a power point
illustration.
BIG RIVER CROSSING’ IN MEMPHIS
RECEIVES 2017 TOP HONOR AWARD
• Big River Crossing, submitted by Friends of
Our River, Memphis, Tennessee. Entrant: Charles
McVean, McVean Trading and Investments LLC, and
co-entrant, Harry Pratt, Allen & Hosall, both
Memphis.
Owner/developer Robert Knecht, City of Memphis,
and Paul Luker, Crittenden County, Arkansas.
Honor Awards/Projects in alphabetical
order.
• Infra-Space 1, Boston, Massachusetts.
Submitted by Dan Adams and Marie Law Adams,
Landing Studio, Somerville, Massachusetts., and
Robin Blatt-Eisengart, Massachusetts Department
of Transportation, Boston.
• Light City, Baltimore, Maryland. Submitted by
Ashley Molese, Baltimore Office of Promotion and
the Arts, and Bill Cole, Baltimore Development
Corporation, both Baltimore.
• Old Mill District, Bend, Oregon. Submitted by
Bill Smith, Old Mill District, Bend, and Carol
Mayer-Reed, Mayer-Reed Inc., Portland, both
Oregon.
• Point State Park, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Submitted by Marion Pressley, Pressley
Associates Inc., Boston, Massachusetts, and John
P. Jaskolka, Department of Conservation and
Natural Resources, Prospect, Pennsylvania.
• Principal Riverwalk Pavilion, Des Moines,
Iowa. Submitted by Paul Mankins,
substancearchitecture (cq), and Pam Cooksey,
City of Des Moines Engineering Department, both
Des Moines, Iowa.
• Phyllis J. Tilley Memorial Bridge, Fort Worth,
Texas, Submitted by Miguel Rosales, Rosales +
Partners, Boston, Massachusetts., and Stacey
Pierce, Streams and Valleys, Fort Worth, Texas.
Honor Awards/Plans, in alphabetical
order
• Master Plan for the Burlington Beach Regional
Waterfront Park. Submitted by Cal Brook, Brook
McIlroy, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and Stirling
L. W. Todd, The Regional Municipality of Halton,
Oakville, Ontario, Canada
• Tar River Legacy Plan, Greenville. North
Carolina. Submitted by Ron Sessoms, Rhodeside &
Harwell, Alexandria, Lamarco Morrison, City of
Greenville Recreation and Parks, Greenville,
North Carolina.
Clearwater Award
• Mike Houck,
Urban Green Spaces Institute, Portland, Oregon
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•
Bill Wenk, principal, Wenk Associates, Denver,
Colorado.
• Thomas Corcoran, president (retired), Delaware
River Waterfront Corporation, Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania.
• Phillip Musegass, vice president, programs and
litigation, Potomac Riverkeeper Network,
Washington, District of Columbia
• Donna Walcavage, principal, Stantec, New York,
New York
• Michael Zaleski, president and CEO, Riverfront
Recapture Inc., Hartford, Connecticut.
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Urban Waterfronts 2018:
Water: The Defining Force – Challenges for
the 21st Century
33rd Annual International Conference
on Urban Waterfront Planning
January 25 -27, 2018
Hilton Garden Inn and Convention Center
Yuma, Arizona
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We are working full speed ahead with our
colleagues in Yuma to put together a dynamite Urban
Waterfront 2018, the 33rd gathering of those
involved in waterfront work. A printed brochure will
be mailed in early September and more detailed
information will be posted on both the Waterfront
Center's and Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area's
web sites soon thereafter.
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July 2017
Newsletter
The Waterfront
Center
30th Annual
Excellence on the Waterfront
Mini-Conference, Awards Ceremony and
Reception
Friday, September 8, 2017
1:30 – 7:00 p.m.
The Churchill Hotel
1914 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, D.C.
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Friday afternoon attendees at the
mini-conference will hear presentations by the 2017
award winners. The winners will be announced on the
Center’s web site in August and the list of speakers
posted. They will receive their awards and be feted
at a champagne reception at 6:00 p.m. Bill Wenk,
Wenk Associates, Denver, Colorado, this year’s jury
chair, will preside. Fee will include conference
attendance and the reception.
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Gala Dinner Honoring the 2017 Winners
and Celebrating the 30th Anniversary of the
Awards Program
7:30 p.m.
2101 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, D.C.
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The Optional Gala Dinner, always a convivial
evening will include a delicious multi-course meal
with wine and champagne toasts.
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Sign up form for the Mini-Conference and Gala
Dinner found HERE
Sign up form for the Mini-Conference, Gala
Dinner, Publicity, and Donation found HERE
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Leaf Litter:"Restoring Ecology on the Urban
Waterfront"
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Leaf Litter, the electronic newsletter produced
by the firm
Biohabitats has just published a must read
issue for anyone involved in waterfront planning,
development and culture. The newsletter can be seen
HERE.
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The issue is chock full of ideas about
sustainability and the public realm along the
water's edge and is amply and beautifully
illustrated. (The entire issue is full of good
information but most interesting for our readers
will probably be the the case examples which
include extensive information.)
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The Waterfront Seattle Program including the
very innovative Seawall Project and shoreline
walkways.
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Seattle Shoreline Walkway
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Seattle Shoreline Walkway
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Toronto's waterfront efforts including storm
water and shoreline restoration efforts including
the handsome WaveDecks that take people out over the
water and created fish habitats using root ball,
logs and other shelter producing materials.
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Toronto Waterfront Wavedeck
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Toronto Waterfront Wavedeck
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Baltimore
has never rested on its laurels and has made great
ecological strides through the installation of
floating wetlands, upgrading the Aquarium's campus,
including introduction of underwater habitats,
Biohuts. And of course there is the Excellence on
the Waterfront top honor winner, the Water Wheel.
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Baltimore Floating Wetlands
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Baltimore Floating Wetlands
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Detroit continues its decades-old efforts to
reclaim the riverfront (Excellence on the Waterfront
award-winner in 2014. In keeping with the other
cities described above, the city has joined the
resiliency bandwagon and is restoring riparian
wetlands, installing soft shoreline, reclaiming
wetlands and provided public realm.
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Detroit Waterfront Restoration
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Detroit Milliken State Park
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Ann Breen was approached by editor, Amy Nelson,
and had a delightful morning being interviewed by
her. She generously profiled the Center and our
work. Part of this profile discusses our upcoming
conference in Yuma see below.
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See the Waterfront Center profile
HERE
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Urban Waterfronts 2018
The 33rd Annual International Conference on
Waterfront Planning, Development and Culture
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sponsored by
The Waterfront Center and Yuma Crossing
National Heritage Area
January 27-29, 2018
Yuma, Arizona
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Not
your everyday waterfront conference venue as some
have noted, but we are very excited about gathering
the waterfront world in Yuma at the Hilton Gardens
Inn and Pivot Point Conference Center hard by the
Colorado River.
We are busy assembling our speakers for two
concurrent panels that will run Friday and
Saturday morning.
The conference will be bookended by keynote
speakers and we will conclude Friday afternoon
with a taste of the Excellence on the Waterfront
Award Winners.
A pre-conference event will start on
Wednesday evening with a get-acquainted dinner
in a converted, historic church and Thursdays
offerings include: Briefing and Walking Tour of
Gateway Park and the Yuma East Wetlands, a
400-acre wetlands restoration which is
considered a model for restoration in the desert
Southwest; a Tour of the Yuma West Wetlands, a
110-acre riverfront park converted from the
City’s landfill! and a visit to the Imperial
Dam, an engineering marvel where nearly 90% of
the remaining water in the Colorado River is
diverted, mostly to California.
Details and registration will be placed on
our website in the near future.
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June 2017
Newsletter
June 30, 2017 -
Excellence on the Waterfront Awards Deadline
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Three
Weeks to Go!!!
Still plenty of time to get your entry or
re-entry in the mail. Go to our website
HERE to download the forms.
Award recipients are recognized on our
website in several ways including the
interactive database that now features 400+
winners - a waterfront researchers dream tool.
Winners are featured in an attractive,
illustrated booklet, in press releases and
honored at the half-day mini-conference,
September 8 and a gala dinner that evening. See
below for information and sign up.
Many of our winners get picked up in
magazines and newspapers. Of note in the May
2017 Landscape Architecture Magazine is a major
feature on 2012 top honor winner: Jellicoe
Street North Waterfront Promenade and Silo Park
by Gweneth Leigh (pp 89-105).
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Jellicoe Street, North Wharf Promenade and Silo
Park
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The Baltimore Trash Eater
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On
the lighter side, the cartoon "Arctic Circle" by
Alex Hallett depicts our 2015 distinctive top honor
winner: Baltimore's Water Wheel.
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Baltimore's Water Wheel, 2015 top honor winner
Alex Hallatt's cartoon published in the Boston
Globe
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The
Waterfront Center
30th Annual Excellence on the Waterfront
Mini-Conference, Awards Ceremony and
Reception
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Friday,
September 8, 2017
1:30 – 7:00 p.m.
The Churchill Hotel
1914 Connecticut Ave. NW
Washington, D.C.
Friday afternoon attendees at the
mini-conference will hear presentations by the
2017 award winners. The winners will be
announced on the Center’s web site in August and
the list of speakers posted. They will receive
their awards and be feted at a champagne
reception at 6:00 p.m. Bill Wenk, principal,
Wenk Associates, Inc., Denver, Colorado, this
year’s jury chair, will preside. Fee includes
conference attendance and the reception.
Gala Dinner Honoring the 2017 Winners
and Celebrating the Center’s 30th Awards
Program
7:30 p.m.
2101 Connecticut Avenue NW
Washington, D.C.
The Optional Gala Dinner, a festive evening
of meeting up with old friends and making new
ones, will include a delicious multi-course meal
with wine and champagne toasts. The event takes
place in an historic apartment building built in
1928, within a very short walk from the
Churchill Hotel.
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Sign up form for the Mini-Conference, Awards
Ceremony and Reception can be found
HERE.
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May 2017
Newsletter
Waterfront
Center Celebrates 36th Birthday
and the 30th Annual Awards Program
33rd Annual International Conference
The Waterfront Center was founded on May 1,
1981, almost 4 decades ago and we pause to thank
everyone who has supported us over all these
years. Plus we want to also acknowledge the
people from all over the globe we have met at
our conferences and in our consulting practice.
We hope many of you will join us in Yuma,
Arizona for our 33rd international conference on
waterfront planning, development and culture,
January 25-27, 2018. Yuma Crossing National
Heritage Area is the co-sponsor.
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Urban Waterfronts 33: WATER: The Defining Force
- Challenges for the 21st Century will
be headquartered at the Hilton Garden Inn and
Conference Center. A block of rooms has been set
aside at the rate of $139. The hotel overlooks the
Colorado River and has a pool. An optional all-day
pre-conference workshop will also be offered
Thursday January 25.
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The
Excellence on Waterfront Awards Program was
initiated in 1987 to recognize top quality
waterfront projects and plans. This year's
ceremony/mini-conference, reception and gala dinner
will take place September 8 at the Churchill Hotel
in Washington, D.C. Details will soon be featured on
the website. We will plan a special gala in honor of
the program's 30th anniversary.
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The deadline for submittals: postmarked June 30,
2017
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Recently on
Planetizen's site I noted a job opening of
possible interest to waterfront folk: Director of
Planning at Boston Harbor Now.
(employment@bostonharbornow.org). Boston Harbor Now
is a relatively new non-profit bringing together two
long-standing non-profits: Boston Harbor Islands and
The Boston Harbor Association. Kathy Abbott is the
executive director. Their address is 15 State
Street, #1100 Boston, Mass. 02109.
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Interested
in city news? Check out newsletter@nextcity.org and
you'll find lots of tidbits.
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Waterfront Center Board Member News
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David Benn sent this along: The partners and
principals of Cho Benn Holback + Associates are
pleased to announce that we are joining the
acclaimed architectural firm of QuinnEvans
Architects, effective May 1. Established in 1984,
Quinn Evans is known for its award-winning civic,
cultural, educational, and commercial building
portfolio, with particular expertise in historic
preservation and community revitalization. CBH+A
will operate as Cho Benn Holback, a Quinn Evans
Company, and we will remain in our N. Charles Street
office.
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Fran Hegeler has joined SWA Group as corporate
director of marketing and communications in their
Bay Area office. Fran has served on our board from
when she worked for Wallace Roberts and Todd in
Philadelphia and later when she joined AECOM in San
Francisco. She can be reached at
fhegeler@swagroup.org.
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Al Copp and Dick Wagner - in Memoriam
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I am sad to report the waterfront world has lost
two more stalwarts. We honor their lengthy careers
dedicated to waterfronts.
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Al Copp was a major figure with a distinguished
waterfront career in Baltimore working as a planner
and president of the Charles Center-Inner Harbor
Corporation.More recently he was a serious
winemaker. His wife, Laurie Schwarz, is head of the
Waterfront Partnership and was on hand to get the
top honor for the Water Wheel. See obituary
HERE
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Dick Wagner, founder of the Center for Wooden
Boats on Lake Union in Seattle, was a real pioneer
in maritime education and wooden boats - their use
and the craft of building them. The Center's
educational programming was far-reaching. See
Dick's obituary
HERE. He and his wife received a well-deserved
Clearwater Award. Go
HERE and enter Wooden Boats into the search box
for more detail.
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Late April 2017
Newsletter
Important Marches Coming Up
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Saturday, April 22 Earth Day and March for
Science
Saturday, April 29, People's Climate March
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Earth Day and
March for Science are joining forces for
events all around the country. We are hoping
many of you will turn out in your
community/region or here in Washington where a
monumental crowd could well assemble.
We received notice from the Environmental
Defense Fund and the Adirondack Council to join
them on April 29. To register visit:
edf.org/climatemarch or call 800 684 3322.
Looks like there will be events not just in
Washington but throughout the country.
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BOSTON - Plans Afoot for "Jawdropping Park"
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Our good friend Charlotte DeWitt from Boston sent
us this link about plans for major new public space
around the harbor. Boston was one of the early
pioneers in the waterfront phenomenon and they just
keep on rolling on. A non-profit group
Trustees of the Reservations plans to spearhead
this ambitious project.
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Baltimore,
another of those pioneering waterfront cities, just
staged a nine-day
Festival of Light, Music and Innovation (March
31-April 8). So when the aforesaid Charlotte emailed
that she wanted us join her in Charm City to
experience the festival, how could we resist.
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We were only able to get a very small taste of
this highly ambitious
event now in its second year. Commissioned
artworks by artists from around the world could be
found mostly along the ART WALK around and near the
Inner Harbor. Of course there was food, drink,
music, stuff for children, educational programming
and loads and loads of people. The real magic begins
as darkness falls and the interplay of light and
water comes fully to life. However pieces like this
one installed around the pedestrian bridge between
the Piers 3 & 4 by Belgian artist Tom Dekyvere using
illuminated nylon fabric was awesome even in
daylight, but after dark it was spellbinding
especially with the music accompaniment. It reminded
me of "cat's cradle" (remember that childhood game?)
on steroids.
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String sculpture by
Belgian artist Tom Dekyvere
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'NEW WATER MUSIC'
Lake Pontchartrain, Louisiana
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Ever ones to try a little waterfront adventure
-- when we spotted a notice of a "nautical visual
presentation" of composer Yotam Haber's "New
Water Music" to occur Saturday evening April 8
we ventured to an area of New Orleans we had never
been to. Thousands were on hand to witness the
Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra and hundreds of
musicians perched on a flag-bedecked rusting old
barge and several tents along the shoreline play the
haunting piece. Lots of flags, headdresses, colorful
sashes and costumes rounded out the scene.
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One of the many musicians arrives for the
performance
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Orchestra leader conducts from a perch high
above the water
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Decorated shrimp boats were hired to perform a
"ballet."
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Part of the Shrimp Boat Ballet
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The non-profit New Orleans Airlift artistic
director Delaney Martin oversaw this unusual
production.
An intriguing installation of fishing nets
hanging from the underside of an overhead
highway provided visual interest plus play space
for kids and backdrops for selfies.
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A
number of exhibits were set up by non-profit groups
involved in coastal/environmental/working
waterfront issues. Nearby food trucks and bar were
jammed. Our only quibble with this truly unusual
undertaking was that the crowds were partying (hey
its New Orleans) a bit much, drowning out the
ability to really hear the music as we imagine it
was meant to be heard. We only hope the event was
recorded and could be played on a big screen
somewhere.
Not sure what King George I who commissioned
Handel's Water Music would have thought or
whether the folks who flocked to the banks of
Thames in 1717 were rowdy as well.
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EXCELLENCE ON THE WATERFRONT AWARDS DEADLINE
JUNE 30, 2017
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See
HERE for details and entry forms
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April 2017
Newsletter
Important Earth Day Coming Up - Saturday, April
22
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A
double header is in the offing up and it's not
baseball.
Earth Day and
March for Science are joining forces for events
all around the country. We are hoping many of you
will turn out in your community/region or here in
Washington where a monumental crowd could well
assemble. It may well be the women's march squared
and that was unforgettable.
Trump's budget and related actions are
disastrous for all of us who cherish
environmental values and sound waterfront
planning, development and culture. An historical
footnote: When Dick and I worked for Dept. of
Commerce/NOAA/Coastal Zone back in the day we
wrote booklet called "Improving Your Waterfront:
A Practical Guide" published in 1980. We
compiled information on some 28 federal programs
that offered assistance to localities and we
know that waterfronts all across the national
availed themselves of some of these grants and
loans. Many of these programs/agencies face
elimination or severe cutbacks. Very often the
imprimatur of receiving a federal grant helped
generate other sources of revenue. We need to
try to save as much as we can. Let your voices
be heard. At the end of this blast is a portion
of a letter we wrote to a Washington Post
reporter about the value of National Endowment
for the Arts.*
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Philadelphia's Waterfront - Patience Pays
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As
a native Philadelphian, when we first started the
Center in 1981 and visited the waterfront there, I
have to admit, the experience was less than
wonderful. It was severed from the downtown by 17
lanes of highway (talk about an obstacle!) and
Penn's Landing bunker-like architecture and
detailing lacked luster.
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Apart
from ambitious programming that breathed life to it
on weekends, little occurred. But in the past ten
years or so things began to stir. In 2007 the
University of Pennsylvania's PennPraxis produced a
series of forums and published a Civic Vision for
the Central Delaware that received a Clearwater
award from us. In 2008 the Delaware River Waterfront
Corporation published a Master Plan for the Central
Delaware. The Corporation also recently invested in
three Excellence on the Waterfront award-winning
gems: Morgan's Pier, WinterFest and Spruce Street
Harbor Park which have all been featured in past
newsletters. You can check these projects out on our
interactive database
HERE.
Now after decades of lagging behind, the
waterfront is poised for a huge breakthrough. I
feel as if there should be a big drum roll:
Mayor Kenney recently announced a $90 million
plan to cover the highways between Walnut and
Chestnut Streets and create a $225 million park.
The 3-year construction is scheduled to start in
2020. Philadelphia will at long last gain a
beautiful centerpiece park and a literal toe
hold on the Delaware River!
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Penn's Landing park capping
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Camden - Prison to Public Realm Plus Much More
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Across
the river from downtown Philly, sits the Camden
riverfront which had a waterfront park back in the
'80s, an aquarium, kids play area, a ferry and a
battleship museum. It also had - along with many
other waterfronts - a state prison.
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Former New Jersey State Prison in Camden NJ
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In 2009, the prison buildings were torn down to make
way for a four-acre park which the
State Economic Development Authority will
undertake.
This park is only a small part of the picture:
EDA president also said the agency wants to take
advantage of recent developments: a
groundbreaking for the new American Water
headquarters, under construction; the Liberty
development, which includes proposed housing,
restaurants, and a hotel; and a proposal last
week by three major South Jersey firms,
including the insurance brokerage Conner Strong
Buckelew, to build a $245 million office complex
there. So there are big things in the works on
both sides of the river!
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Excellence on the Waterfront Awards Deadline:
June 30, 2017
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Go
HERE for details and entry forms
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Waterfront Center Indebted to NEA - a Bit of
History
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While NEA is the most popularly known for its
funding: theater, fine and applied art, literature,
film, dance, opera, orchestras and the like -- all
of which are very important to us as a nation. BUT
I don’t think people are aware what an extremely
diversified mission it has had. This a very
important point to drive home. The Center is a case
in point. Our mission is about urban planning,
design and execution, helping communities and
educating them about the tools they need to
accomplish the complex and lengthy process of
improving their waterfronts, balancing the economic,
ecological, social, recreational and aesthetic
considerations.
The Waterfront Center was founded as a
non-profit educational entity on May 1, 1981 --
35 years ago and counting. Its mission has been
-- and is still today -- to help communities
make the wisest uses of their waterfront assets
in the long-term public interest, through its
varied programs.
We owe a great debt to the NEA that funded
three early projects of ours.
Three grants ranging from $5,000-$7,500
grants from the Endowment served as critical
seed money, affirmation and recognition in our
formative years that enhanced our credibility
nationally. The programs/research the Endowment
funded have had long-term impacts as outlined
below. Big bangs for little bucks!
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• The
Waterfront Center’s Annual International
Conference
-
Since 1983, the Waterfront Center has hosted the
premier annual waterfront conference that has
brought together thousands of attendees from all
parts of the country/world who are interested in
learning more about current practices and
initiatives. What distinguishes the Center’s
conferences is that the presenters and attendees
are by and large practitioners -- the “doers”
that make waterfront transformations happen. The
Endowment funds assisted us in launching this
meeting and the publication of the proceedings.
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• Excellence on
the Waterfront Awards Program
-
In 1987 with a grant from the National
Endowment for the Arts, The Waterfront Center
established the “Excellence on the Waterfront
Awards Program.” This is the only awards program
that recognizes top-quality waterfront work
around the world. Over 400 projects, plans,
citizen’s effort and student work have been
recognized for their achievements. The
Waterfront Center is close finishing inputting
all the annual award winners from the past years
into a unique searchable database that is posted
on its Web site and thus freely available to
all.
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• Caution: Working Waterfront: the Impact
of Change on Marine Enterprises
(The Waterfront Press: 1985) Ann Breen and
Dick Rigby
-
A third NEA grant helped support the research,
writing and publishing of a monograph describing
the importance of retaining what the authors’
termed the “working waterfront.” The issue is
still very current where the pressure of the
marketplace is driving up waterfront property
values that threaten small marine enterprises
such as boatyards, commercial fishing docks and
marinas. A related advocacy stand of the Center
is the felt importance of retaining, or
interpreting, components of the industrial past,
put to new uses if the industry has closed. Old
gantry cranes and a host of other artifacts
have been incorporated in many waterfront
redevelopments.
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March 2017
Newsletter
Start to Make Your Plans
JOIN US IN YUMA, ARIZONA!
Hard by the Colorado River.
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Last month co-directors Breen and Rigby
travelled to Arizona to advance the meeting planned
for next January. They conducted a community
workshop there over twenty years ago and were amazed
at the changes. Charlie Flynn, executive director of
the Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area, our
co-sponsor squired Ann and Dick around and they met
with staff to begin lining up events for the
meeting. They came away enthused about introducing
the waterfront community to a new part of the
world.
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The Waterfront Center’s 33rd Annual
International Conference
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January 25-27, 2018.
In cooperation with the Yuma Crossing
National Heritage Area.
“Challenges for Waterfronts in the 21st
Century:
Too Much Water or Too Little?”
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The conference will feature two simultaneous
tracks with 12 speakers each, plus opening
reception, keynote presentations and conference
luncheon. Lots of fun optional social events are
being planned.
Track One: Featuring the Colorado River’s issues
past, present and future.
Track Two: Featuring an array of speakers and
topics covering the national and international
urban waterfront scene.
On Thursday, January 25 an optional
workshop, will include an all-day in-depth
briefing about Yuma’s amazing riverfront
transformation and a field trip to the Imperial
Dam passing through the vast areas where from
November to March 90 percent of the country’s
leafy greens, including lettuce, are harvested.
A glimpse of what you’ll see and learn about:
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East
Wetlands Park, 400 acres cleared of invasive species
and replaced since 2004 with over 200,000
cottonwood, willow and mesquite trees. Features a
3.5 mile hiking trail.
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Along
the trail a glimpse of the historic Ocean to
Ocean Bridge seen through the trees
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Sunrise Point Park, developed by the Quechan
Indian Tribe, overlooks a restored marsh and 40
acres of native cottonwoods and willows.
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From this vantage point you get a appreciation
for the wide open spaces with the mountains in
the distance.
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Pivot Point Interpretive Plaza, marking the
exact spot where the first train entered the Arizona
Territory in 1877. Features a large steam
locomotive. Preserves the concrete pivot on which a
bridge turned to allow steamships to pass.
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Pivot Point plaza gently slopes towards the river
Intrepretive signs explain the history of the area
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1907 Baldwin Steam locomotive is located on the
exact spot where the first train entered the
Arizona Territory in 1877
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West
Wetlands Park, site of the former city dump, being
converted into a 110-acre riverfront park, including
a lake, boat launch, beaches, hummingbird garden
and”Castle Park” built with design ideas of local
children.
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COME TO THE CONFERENCE - MAKE IT A HOLIDAY!
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Shake off the winter blues: Yuma is the sunniest
spot in the U.S. – average January temperature: 70
degrees!
Yuma is steeped in the history of the old West
and lots more to see and learn about including:
• Historic Quartermaster Depot is a beautifully
landscaped state park with 19th Century adobe
structures. The depot’s spacious storehouse will
be the venue for our Friday Gala Dinner - a
colorful Mexican feast with mariachi music.
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Quartermaster Depot Grounds
Quartermaster Depot Wagon
TheTerritorial Prison, state historic park opened in
1876 and housed over 3,000 prisoners. The
stone-walled cell blocks will be the site of a
special candlelit dinner Thursday night.
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• Medjool Yuma Date Festival all day Saturday Jan.
27, 2018, on Main Street. Enjoy a delicious “date
shake.”
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• Saguinetti House, Museum and Gardens – 19th
Century adobe home, historic site and gift shop
downtown on Madison Ave.
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• Lutes Casino is Arizona’s oldest pool hall with
eclectic décor and great southwestern bar food.
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• Three National Wildlife Refuges can be found in
the greater Yuma area.
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Fish and Wildlife Refuges Near Yuma
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February
2017 Newsletter
"WATERFRONT
EXCELLENCE"
1987 - 2016
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Powerpoint presentation of the Top Honor
Excellence on the Waterfront Award Winners
The Center is
pleased to announce
that this powerpoint
presentation with
over 300 images of
top honor winners
selected by
independent juries
was featured at the
WaterEdge Symposium
in Auckland, New
Zealand last
November and is now
able to be viewed on
the Center's
website HERE
Special
thanks to
Stewart McKenzie
for making this
available to
everyone. He is
also the person
behind our
interactive
database of
close to all of
the winners - to
date a universe
of well over
300. So, if you
want to delve
more deeply into
any of the top
winners or
winners in
general read the
instructions
HERE. The
geography
includes 16
foreign
countries, six
Canadian
provinces and at
least 33 states.
This unique
waterfront
resource is
freely available
and we thank
those friends of
the Center who
contributed to
the projects.
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2017 Awards
Deadline: June
30, 2017
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Waterfront
Alliance Annual
Conference
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See Awards Entry
Form
HERE
Measuring
Our Harbor:
Strong, Healthy
and Open
May 7,
2017 -
9:00 to
5:00
Aboard
Hornblower
Infinity
If you want to catch up on what's new in the New York region's waterfronts this is the meeting for you. For more information go to the Waterfront Alliance's website. Varied rates with an early bird at $120 that ends 3/15. Government and non-profit rate is $75.
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Upper Mississippi River Conference 
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River Action, Inc., an organization many of you may remember from our joint conference in the Quad Cities several years ago, held their annual meeting this past October to address issues raised by America's Watershed Initiative Report Card for the Mississippi River watershed. Participants at the meeting were challenged to come up with action items for each of the following goal areas:
Ecosystems, Flood Control and Risk Reduction, Transportation, Water Supply, Economy, Watershed-wide indicators and Recreation. It should be noted that the Upper Mississippi basin received a grade C which was the highest of the River's sub-basins. This 10-page report outlines the priority objectives identified to "raise the grade." One action recognized by every sector was the need for education and outreach. An update on the Action Agenda will be given at the 2017 Upper Mississippi River Basin Conference. You can download the report from River Action's website.
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Groundhog Day
2017 Newsletter
Whether he sees his shadow or not, February
2 signals spring is not so far away which is
always cause for a celebration
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Excellence
on the Waterfront Awards DEADLINE
Postmarked by June 30, 2017. see
website for details.
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2017 Awards Ceremony, Winning
Presentation
and Gala Dinner
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We
will hold the Awards Ceremony and Reception at The
Churchill Hotel in Washington, D.C. September 8,
2017. An optional gala dinner will follow. Our 2016
attendees really enjoyed the 20-minute presentations
by the winners to give more insights into their work
so we will repeat this format. Details will be
updated and posted.
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Postcard from the North of North Island, New
Zealand
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Prior to joining up with the WaterEdge Symposium
in Auckland last November, co-directors Breen and
Rigby were joined by long-time board member, Charley
Norris who was game to drive us all on the wrong
side of the road to re-visit places we had been to
together over twenty years ago. We had fond memories
of these towns and should your travels take you to
this northern most part of the country we recommend
visiting them as well as the fantastically beautiful
Bay of Islands.
Whangearei. our first stop, is located on
the Hatea River and has a charming redeveloped
Town Basin waterfront that is even nicer than it
was on our first visit. Shops, cafes, bars and
restaurants enliven the scene. One waterfront
perch tempted us to stop for a pint of good Kiwi
beer.
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Whangearei Waterfront
Charles Norris and Dick Rigby and a Kiwi Beer
New to us was the expanded, extensive river walk that includes public art
installations, interpretive signage and lovely plantings. One sees a group of
warehouses behind park-like setting at the start of the walk close to town
center.
Warehouses Behind the Park
Do's and Dont's on the River Walk
River Walk Sign
River Walk Seat and Art Installation
A new pedestrian bridge with sail-like shade structures makes a loop walk
possible and doubles as a place to hold events like this Saturday Flea Market.
Pedestrian Bridge
Flea Market
En route to and from Whangarei we stopped at a
very inviting Welcome Center. Not only did they have
tons of tourist information and helpful people,
there was a small shop, an indoor and outdoor cafe.
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The
attractive restrooms had baby changing facility and
a place to shower. Attention to detail is evident in
this handsome red security gate and the etched glass
roof celebrating the pongo or silver fern tree.
Those fronds and tree trunks are actually steel
sculptures.
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Restroom Door
Etched Glass Roof
Our
other small town is the somewhat isolated Russell that is popular with tourists
who flock by ferry from nearby Pahia. Back in the 1830s this peaceful, charming
place was full of swashbuckling whalers and sealers with the reputation as the
"Hell Hole of the Pacific." You'd never guess it now. We enjoyed our return to
the Duke Of Marlborough restaurant expanded and much-refurbished. A terrific
meal and view of the water were thoroughly enjoyed on a fine spring-like
evening! Definitely worth the trip.
Russell Waterfront Beach
Russell Main Street
The Duke of Marlborough Hotel
January 2017
Newsletter
30th Annual
Excellence on the Waterfront Awards Program
The
Center is pleased to announce that Bill Wenk, landscape architect and
principal of William Wenk Associates Inc. of Denver, Colorado will be our
2017 jury chair.
The deadline for
submittals: postmarked June 30, 2017. Details, guidelines and application
forms can be found
HERE
Deliberations
will take place at the end of July and winners will be notified in early
August.
2016 Winter
Solstice Newsletter
Winter Solstice
Greetings
Wishing
everyone a happy turning of the year. Celebrate this day of little light with
lots of candles and winter feasting today and in the coming weeks. To all our
waterfront colleagues and friends: a very merry, happy holiday season!
December 31st
Fast Approaches
As
you contemplate you year-end charitable donations, please keep the Center in
mind. We have lots of exciting projects including
• The
documentary, Waterfronts Re-Born;
• the interactive
database on the website;
• the 30th (!)
Annual Excellence on the Waterfront Awards Program;
• the 2018 33rd
Annual International Conference on Waterfront Planning and Development in
Yuma, January 26-27;
• e-newsletters
• and organizing
and sorting the image and print archive.
We need your help
to accomplish this important work as look forward to our 36th anniversary in
May, 2017!!
Thank you for
you continued interest and support of the Center.
Mid December 2016
Newsletter
Waterfronts
Reborn Trailer Now on the Web Site
The
Trailer for the planned hour-long documentary film is now up on our
web site. The 12-minute film executed by the documentary filmmaker Jon Dann
features Buffalo Bayou in Houston, Texas in particular the new Buffalo Bayou
Park. The Park received an Excellence on the Waterfront honor award this year,
see HERE.
The Center and the film team our currently considering 4-5 other cities as case
studies for inclusion in the full length film and are actively fundraising.
Waterfronts Reborn will soon have its own page to encourage donations and keep
you updated. Pictured below is a portion of the walkway with the imaginative
night lighting that follows the moon phases from blue to white during each
month. Note that these light fixtures can withstand the severe flooding the
bayou withstands.
Buffalo, New York Rejuvenation
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If
you don't already subscribe to City Links, we
recommend it as a good source of urban information. HERE is
a link to a recent very upbeat story.
We absolutely love the idea that embraced the old
silos rather than tear them down. So many cities
over the years have destroyed them. Bravo!
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Co-director
Breen recalls going on waterfront business in 1979 and hearing the then mayor
talk about his vision for the waterfront. Several plans and attempts to fulfill
a waterfront dream over the years have occurred but it seems at last to
have come true! Center awarded a plan "Horizons Waterfront Acton Plan" in
1993 and more recently in 2009 "Erie Canal Harbor Project." Visit the interactive
database and enter Erie Canal
into the Search button to learn more about the 2009 project.
Ring, ring, ring in he joy of the season. Just a
reminder to not forget the Center as you make your
year-end donations.
We appreciate any help you can give us. Wishing
you and yours a joyous holiday! Below is a miniature
waterfront scene that is part of Philadelphia's
Morris Aboretum's extensive magical model train
exhibit to delight children of all ages.
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33rd
Annual International Conference
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The Waterfront Center is planning the 33rd
Annual International Conference on Urban Waterfront
Planning, Development and Culture on
January 26 -27, 2018, Yuma, Arizona.
In collaboration with Yuma Crossing National
Heritage Area."Challenges for the Waterfronts in the
21st Century: Too Much Water or Too Little?"
Optional pre-conference workshop featuring Yuma
Crossing, January 25.
Conference headquarters: Hilton Garden Inn on the
Riverfront.
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