> Theory

Project:
Drexel Thesis
Client:
Site:
Bay Street, St. Johnsbury, VT
Year:
2006
 

11 thesis-model_04
Model
Context:
St. Johnsbury, VT is home to the St. Johnsbury Academy, an independent boarding and day school offering exceptional college-preparatory education to over 1,000 students in over 200 courses on its 150-acre campus. With a local population of a little over 9,000, the town holds a county seat and is the major town in the Northeast Kingdom. While the town's banners boast "St. J on the rise" the downtown apartment buildings primarily house low-income residents and criminals, and contribute to the high failure rate of businesses in the downtown. Youth are challenged to find meaningful activities to engage in outside of school and resort to dangerous behavior. Yet with youth coming from 15 different states and 25 countries around the world, and with the Academy's focus on integrating students within the community and supporting the local economy, there is a real need for a meaningful and revitalizing town plan. Bay Street has potential as prime riverfront property but currently lacks integration with the downtown fabric. Other problems the site currently faces are: lack of easy vehicular & pedestrian access; old warehouses and abandoned or underutilized properties; storage yards; an underutilized and partially abandoned rail yard; lack of program.
Idea:
Phase 1 - Bring people to the site via the following program elements: - Existing Welcome Center - Refurbished Grocery Store - New Bowling Alley, future Train Station & Youth Center - Civic Center (Public Safety, Municipal Offices, Art Gallery, Restaurant and Town Meeting/ Entertainment Hall) - Existing Substation - Bakery/ Cafe - Farmer's Market - Recycling Center, Architectural Salvage & Swap Shop - Municipal Composting Facility - Park Space - Community Garden - Expanded Skate Park Phase 2 - Increase downtown residential potential: - High Quality Multi & Single Family Housing Phase 3 - Branch Out: - State Government Offices - Wetlands Research Center