Handel's Corner

The goal of the Handel's Corner project is to create a welcoming gateway into the City of Youngstown from the suburb of Boardman. 
In Phase one of the project, a number of planters will be cleaned and refurbished, allowing new grass and trees to be planted in order to bring the street edge to life. Small fences will also be featured in these areas in order to provide screening from the road. The center planting bed will feature a new "welcome to Youngstown" sign, which will mark the edge of the city of Youngstown and provide visitors with a new gateway into downtown.

Phase 1

Phase two will attempt to take full advantage of the vacant corner lot - which is the former site of a gas station. The existing asphalt and broken, exposed building foundation will be re-imagined and re-used to create an open space that the community can use for a farmer's market and other events.
The existing asphalt will be cut into a new geometric form which will create two asphalt "islands" with a large open gravel area in the center. Keeping the space open and flat will provide ample opportunities for social events such as the establishment of a temporary farmers market.

Phase 2

Cutting horizontally through the site are three strips of meadow grasses - which will require minimal upkeep and maintenance once installed - whose form mimics DNA code. Just as our DNA gives us information about ourselves, the same symbolic form gives information about the underlying character and history of Youngstown. 
Each "strand" portrays a particular period in Youngstown's history. The top strand represents Youngstown's intudrial past and the collapse of the steel industry. The center strip represents the current situation in Youngstown - fragmentation and vacancy sitting on an unstable foundation - while the lower strip represents the future potential for Youngstown's rebirth and revitalization, as the story ends on firm footing. 

Planting Design

The open space will provide a new green gateway into the city of Youngstown that also acts as a place for community gathering, interaction and involvement.