|
Nations Bank Plaza Park
|
||
Designer:
Dan Kiley  Citizen's Group
|
update August 30, 2005Mayor's Commitment to Save Kiley GardenOn July 20th, our citizen's group met with Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio to discuss the future of the Kiley Garden. The meeting started with the Mayor stating her support for saving the Kiley Garden !!
BackgroundIn the 1980's architect Harry Wolf and landscape architect Dan Kiley worked together to transform a riverside lot in downtown Tampa into a corporate headquarters with a garden open to the public. On the site, Mr. Wolf designed a thirty-three story tower and two six-story cubic bank pavilions. He invited Mr. Kiley to collaborate with him on a garden that was based on the mathematical sequence of the buildings' fenestrations - specifically, the Fibonacci sequence. Just as this sequence had been used by Mr. Wolf to determine the tower radius, floor heights, dimension and the frequency of window openings, Mr. Kiley used these proportions to determine the dimension and patterning of the walkways and grass panels that comprised the grid pattern of the plaza. This synthesis of integrating building and garden -- of translating a mathematical sequence into the rationale for the placement of designed elements -- has created a powerful and cohesive design of historical significance.
“Standing in the midst of this tropical garden, designed with eminent Landscape Architect, Dan Kiley, and looking out to the river, one is struck by the magic of a place that is at once both modern and archaic....” - Harry Wolf, Architect
ThreatOnce the Mayor of Tampa determined that the City would not support the new Art Museum in April, the Kiley site was not under imminent threat from the Museum. However, the location of the new museum has not yet been decided and a smaller, scaled-back museum could be proposed for the same location (the forecourt of the already impacted Kiley Garden). While the Museum is currently investigating several sites at this time, no decision on its location has been made, so the Kiley forecourt is still a possibility. The current and most impending threat to the garden stems from a clause in the contract between the Owner of the NCNB (Nations Bank) Buildings and the City of Tampa. The clause states that the City must insure that the Owner's garage be useable at all times. Since the Owner's garage is leaking, the Owner has explained to the City that they will have to make a plan for the repairs (not the repairs themselves) to the garage by August or be in violation of their agreement with the Owner. This would mean that the Garden, which sits atop the garage, would need at a minimum to be excavated to identify and repair/reconstruct any problems. In addition to the very real threat from the garage issue, the scope of work for the contract to Thomas Ballsley for the park re-design (which encompasses several waterfront parcels other than the Kiley Park) has not been defined nor let. If the Kiley Garden is included in this re-design, then there is the possibility that Mr. Ballsley and/or the City will decide to demolish the park. How to HelpWhile we have started our efforts to save this important Tampa treasure, there is more to be done and little time to act! We need your support!! Please e-mail your letter requesting that the Mayor designate the park as an historic landmark and that the park be restored. The City and the Owner are currently in negotiations on the repair of the subsurface parking lot, which means that the park is in imminent danger of demolition without any commitment to its restoration. Please send your letter of support to e-mail the Mayor at: Mayor Pam Iorio or via e-mail at: pam.iorio@tampagov.net Please copy (Cc:) the city Council at: tampacitycouncil@tampagov.net and SAVEKILEYPARK@comcast.net so your letter can be included in both the state and national register nomination submittals. |
|
