Welcome to the neighborhood: A review of the new park at the Science Museum (Guest Commentary)

An aerial shot of the Science Museum’s The Green. (Photo by New Altitude Photography – Eric Howard)

In 1919, when the first train chugged into Broad Street Station, West Broad Street was a barely paved, suburban road. However, by the early 1920s and with the popularity of automobiles, the thoroughfare was becoming the commercial strip it remains today. An Exxon, McDonald’s, Chanello’s Pizza, 7-Eleven, CVS, and, most recently, a Hustler Hollywood adult novelty store now vie for attention.

The environs of the Science Museum of Virginia, which has occupied the former train terminal since 1976, has also become a mixed-use neighborhood. In addition to the museum, anchors include the monolithic Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles building, the Children’s Museum of Richmond, the William Byrd Senior Apartments, the Interbake apartment building and a GRTC Pulse station. Sprinkled in are such popular small businesses as Sally Bell’s Kitchen, City Diner, William Byrd Hotel Barber Shop and the Broadberry music venue. Yes, it goes without saying that Scott’s Addition is rapidly injecting residential density to the area.

Recently another amenity, a public park, has joined the mix. Situated on the north side of Broad between Robinson Street and Terminal Place, the modest-sized but smartly designed and intelligently planted green oasis replaces a surface parking lot that had served both the science and children’s museums. Any time green space trumps peripheral highway infrastructure is a cause for celebration, so give three cheers.

(Courtesy of the Science Museum)

Not only will the $4.5 million park serve the burgeoning residential population, but it enhances the setting of the Science Museum. This top-rung landmark, with Roman-infused architecture, was designed by John Russell Pope, who also conceived the Jefferson Memorial and National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. (see the family resemblance?).

After months of planning by the museum director, staff and consultants, the institution followed an updated master plan and converted the former 1.5-acre parking lot into a park. Officials wagered that this would animate the public facade of the popular museum as well as benefit the commercial and residential neighbors. To compensate for the lost parking spaces, a 400-vehicle deck was built between the science and children’s museums. Compared to the adjacent Science Museum, this structure, designed by Glave & Holmes Architects, is stoic. It reads as a deck but provides a lesson in how a support building can be contextual without being decorative or cloying.

With the asphalt gone, the stage was set for the park, also a Glave & Holmes project. The tapestry of paved walkways, gravel pathways, hillocks and trees and plantings creates a strong sense of place. On a recent evening it was clear that area residents – with their dogs – are discovering the place. The park layout provides a series of outdoor “rooms” that allow visitors to make their own space while remaining part of the overall goings-on. These spaces will become even more attractive and well-articulated as the numerous shade trees mature. There are also ample and attractive metal park benches designed for comfort (not to deflect skateboarders).

Pedestrians enter the park from its four corners. This means that the southern border of the park, a blocklong stretch, is delineated by a low retaining wall and a wide border filled with indigenous plants. This serves as a buffer between the park and Broad Street with its noise from passing vehicles. This wide plant bed also delineates a broad, straight sidewalk that runs the length of the park; the English might call it “the long walk.” A huge legacy oak tree defines its eastern axis; the western end at Terminal is marked by a McDonald’s. Moving deeper into the park, a number of earth berms provide slight elevations in the topography. Of the various “rooms,” the one that should become a popular spot is a thicket of local evergreens – hollies, pines and cedars. As these trees grow they will subtly screen the park from commercial buildings.

But if the park is smart and understated in its design, its freshness contrasts with the front of the Children’s Museum, a ragged hodge-podge of structures, fencing, playground equipment and sculpture. Now that the unsightly surface parking is gone, that museum should up its game to bring its campus up to par with its new “gateway” park.

The Cosmic Perception installation sits at the eastern end of The Green. (BizSense file photo)

Bottom line, despite its newness and the ceaseless flow of Broad Street traffic, the park already exudes a tranquil sense of enclosure. And still you are constantly reminded of the urban surroundings; standing in the center of the park and making a 360-degree turn, you see that the rectangular park has distant architectural features that inadvertently define each corner. The Science Museum is at the northeast corner, the 11-story William Byrd marks the southeast entrance, the Interbake building is at the northwest, and the remarkable WTVR radio tower rises to 843 feet to the southwest.

An intriguing nongreen aspect of the park is a commissioned sculpture that serves as a visual bridge between the park and the Science Museum itself. “Cosmic Perception” was designed by artists Shane Allbritton and Norman Lee. Its sharp angularity could not be more different from the soothing and enticing water piece, “The Grand Kugel,” at the museum’s main entrance. Surprisingly, it is carrying on a spatial conversation with the kugel. Check it out.

In addition to the Science Museum’s staff, consultants and architect, kudos to VHB designers, engineer PACE Collaborative and the Virginia Department of General Services. The task of reworking the grounds of the campus will continue this fall with a $3 million overhaul of the spaces immediately in front of the museum.

And the name of the new park? “The Green,” appropriately enough.