Avondale Estates Town Green Park & Commercial Center

Avondale Estate’s downtown reflects its endearing 1920s Tudor Village and a mixture of commercial and residential development. In 2017, 3,500 residents held a ‘Call for Ideas’ on developing four underutilized city-owned acres, creating a heart for the downtown area and a catalyst for economic growth. SSOE provided a concept plan for a destination park with adjacent commercial development. Two two-story mixed-use buildings overlook a two-acre park designed with active and passive uses for city events, festivals, and concerts. At the site’s highest elevation, a grand terrace has outdoor dining and prime seating for events, with a sweeping view of the park. An existing road bisecting the site becomes a pedestrian-only path that, along with new pathways, increases pedestrian and district connectivity.

SSOE provided architecture and engineering services for the park portion of the project as part of the developer-led team selected by the city. After a robust public involvement process, the team-established critical goals for the project – a flexible central gathering space with an identity that is unique. SSOE coordinated the work of all disciplines: landscape architecture, civil, lighting design, structural, and electrical engineering.

SSOE designed the Performance Pavilion, which has a stage fronting the Performance Green, covered seating facing a playground, and a decorative brick enclosure screening existing utility duct banks that are too expensive to relocate. In addition, SSOE designed the Market Pavilion, an open-air structure for events, food trucks, and farmer’s markets. Both buildings feature glulam arches that nod toward the Tudor architecture. Brick details match the Arts and Crafts style found throughout Avondale. Curved roofs and walls of the Performance Pavilion are in harmony with the winding site design.