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The Governor of Louisiana initiated this project in order
to modernize the state's capital, Baton Rouge. Several tracts of land were offered for our consideration, but this
was the most desolate and foreboding. I considered it exciting and my imagination was immediately piqued by the possibilities.
The property had long since been forgotten and was nearly
all but abandoned. What remained was a run-down strip mall built in the early 1970s, a condemned department store and
a movie theater, with much potential, from the 1950s. My plan was to transform the property into a mixed-use commercial/residential
development with an old-time Main Street look, feel, and lifestyle, while at the same time enticing the local community
to join the inhabitants of the property in an old American style of community that has sadly long since been forgotten
in most large cities. I desired to build community connections, promote environmentally responsible landscapes,
and create a regionally distinctive space where people could live, play, shop, relax, eat and meet.
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| A sunny Summer day on Main Street. |
My
intention with Broadmoor Village is to create a place that's vitality and power are enough
to transcend its immediate surroundings and demand viewers' involvement. A major element that the old Broadmoor
Shopping Center lacks is a strong sense of place and a unifying theme. Embracing a unifying idea, or 'flavor,'
will transform the shopping center, if done correctly, into a true Village by providing a potent and inviting sense of
place and strong identity throughout. Tying into the era in which the site was originally constructed, I renovated the
salvageable existing retail exteriors and interiors, and completely designed new structures, to be consistent with the thematic
design of the traditional Main Street community in early America. This theme is strongly influenced by a variety
of Main Streets found throughout America.
One of the major things missing from this existing shopping center at any given time is a large number of people.
In my research, I discovered that these old Main Streets were built so that the commercial units were located on the ground
floor and the upper floors were almost exclusively used for residential (creating a true community). To ensure a regularity
of activity and a feeling of 'home' for all who visit, live, or work there, I've changed the site from a commercial-only to
a mixed-use development by adding second and third floors to the existing (but renovated) and/or new shops and businesses.
This would transform Broadmoor Village Shopping Center to the new Broadmoor Village.
Also
in my research, I found that the vintage car clubs in the Baton Rouge and New Orleans areas do not have any set meeting
place. There are over 60 car clubs in Louisiana alone and thousands nationwide. While researching car clubs throughout
the nation I came across a recurrent expression: These car clubs LOVE the retroactive theme and practically live to travel
and show off their vehicles at such places. One of my goals in this design was to create a nationwide meeting place
for clubs of all sorts, including the eventual hosting of a Film Festival, as well as creating a popular tourist
attraction in order to generate greater revenue for the city.
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| A weekend night on Main Street. |
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