A major thoroughfare in downtown South Bend will become greener and more pedestrian friendly with calmer traffic, after the Redevelopment Commission on Friday authorized a proposed $1 million project fronting Century Center along St. Joseph Street.

Coinciding with the construction of a new $38-million, 11-story downtown hotel and nearly $4 million in infrastructure improvements at Century Center, a proposed Sculpture Garden will create a ribbon of green space with art and culture along St. Joseph Street. Streetscape enhancements will stretch from Wayne Street to almost Colfax Avenue.

In that segment, the City will calm traffic speed by removing a travel lane along the east side of St. Joseph Street, reducing traffic from four to three lanes. In addition, a fifth left-turn lane on the west side would add entrance lanes for the new hotel and parking garage, at the northwest corner of St. Joseph Street and Jefferson Boulevard.

"The idea is to green and soften the front of Century Center," said Susan Visser, executive director of South Bend Museum of Art, which plans to extend its display space beyond the walls of Century Center into the emerging Sculpture Garden. "We've been working on this concept for a few years. We have met with a lot of people in the community who are excited about this happening."

The project will also:

• Move Century Center's parking entrance further south (across from the South Bend Community School Corp. building) to improve pedestrian safety and extend green space.
• Close the circle entrance drive in favor of pedestrian walkways and a smaller handicapped-accessible drop-off under the Century Center canopy.
• Create space for up to six sculpture displays, including a focal point at the terminus of Washington Street.
• Add new stairs at the north end of the facility to more directly connect to the riverwalk and Island Park.
• Create a small plaza north of Century Center overlooking Island Park and the St. Joseph River.

In creating a nearly 34,000-square-foot sculpture garden, South Bend Museum of Art will more than triple its existing display space. The area will feature indigenous plants that will require less maintenance and attract wildlife, such as butterflies, hummingbirds and other species. Exhibitions will change every one to two years, while display areas will be separated by visual barriers, such as berms or seat walls.

This represents Century Center's first exterior renovation since the downtown convention center, designed by Phillip Johnson and John Burgee, opened in 1977.

The current project is designed by Alan Ritchie, a principal in Phillip Johnson | Alan Ritchie Architects, in conjunction with Chuck Lehman of Lehman & Lehman Inc. in South Bend. It is expected to cost $996,988 in its first phase. A subsequent phase, anticipated for 2010, would add additional green space along the southern end of Century Center connecting with Jefferson Boulevard and around its parking lot.

City Plan, South Bend's comprehensive 20-year plan, identified several goals that are addressed by this streetscape enhancement, including implementing a plan for art in public spaces and integrating arts and culture into the City's economic-development strategies.

"This is a key component of the city's downtown strategy, which was adopted by the Redevelopment Commission in 2007," said Jeff Gibney, director of the City's Department of Community and Economic Development. "With this project and the new hotel, all of a sudden St. Joseph Street becomes a more green, pedestrian friendly street."                                                                                                                              

Indianapolis-based REI Investments and White Lodging Inc. of Merrillville, Ind., announced in June that they plan to build a 300-room hotel with two Marriott franchises – Courtyard and Fairfield Inn & Suites – with completion of the parking garage by fall 2010 and the hotel by spring 2011.

The greening of St. Joseph Street will be funded by the financial greening of the downtown tax base. Increasing revenues from the Central Business Area's Tax Increment Finance district will support the project, anticipated to begin next spring and be completed by August 2009. By state law, TIF dollars may only be used for infrastructure improvements or other activities to benefit the designated area. They may not fund city operating costs.

Century Center is now stabilizing skylights and doing other infrastructure improvement. It anticipates an eventual $3.9 million of infrastructure improvements will include replacing internal systems (such as heating and cooling) and repairing Island Park.

Contact:  Mikki Dobski, Director of Communications & Special Projects, 235-5855 or 876-1564 or Jeff Gibney, Director of Community and Economic Development, 235-9371