Wheaton Downtown Revitalization

Wheaton, Illinois

Timeless additions for a historic district

As the first implemented project of the Downtown and Strategic Streetscape plan, Design Workshop ensured that the design process for Front Street considered both the cost of construction as well as the cost of maintenance and life cycle. Our process qualified various material alternatives for paving, curbs, crosswalks, wayfinding, furnishings, site lighting, planting methods and street tree treatments. Adjacent to the railroad tracks that parallel Front Street is the Illinois Prairie Path which has eight hundred thousand annual visitors. A new plaza is strategically located to encourage Prairie Path users to visit downtown. Now called “Wheaton Promenade,” this space was designed to serve as a central gathering place, flexible in its composition to accommodate soft programming, yet firm in its design to allow it to serve as a gathering space in all seasons. Anchored by an iconic fireplace with the Wheaton ‘W’ front and center, surrounded by flexible café seating, the plaza is defined by its catenary lighting, custom rail system of planters, rich materials, and a custom water feature. Wayfinding signage guides visitors, while the new multi-purpose canopy and the branded obelisk identify and anchor the new area. The design redefines public gathering space within the downtown where limited gathering space existed.

Services Provided: Public Engagement, Land Use Planning, Streetscape Design, Strategic Planning, Signage & Wayfinding Design, Construction Observation

Client

City of Wheaton