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Crown Mill Park:History + Art + Ecology

by

Cameron Kennedy Yates

A Senior Design ProjectPresented to the College of Environment and Design

University of GeorgiaUnder the Direction of:

Professor Douglas M. PardueIn partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of

Bachelor of Landscape Architecture

Athens, GeorgiaSpring, 2011

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2TABLE OF CONTENTS

PROJECT INTRODUCTION. 3-7

SITE ANALYSIS. 8-11

CONCEPTS. 12-16

FINAL DESIGN. 17-21

CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTS. 22-26

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CROWN MILL PARK PROJECT INTRODUCTION

4HISTORY Dalton has gone through many phases. The Crown Mill was established in Dalton long before the town be-came the “Carpet Capital of the World”. Built in 1884, this historic mill became the cornerstone of the textile industry in Whitfield County and is responsible for the location of multiple Fortune 500 companies currently in Dalton. The original Crown Mill, located to the west of the proposed park space, just across Chattanooga Avenue, has been turned into studio apartments by a local architect. The renovation of the mill has been tastefully handled. The architect was able to keep the historic look of the build-ing and the space has become very popular among the younger residents of the town. Dalton is moving away from a strictly industrial feel. Local community leaders have expressed a want to attract younger residents. However, holding onto the cultural history of Dalton has proven to be very important to local residents. The Crown Mill Village is currently being rezoned to become a new type of neighborhood. Pres-ently, the village is not the “crown jewel” of the city. There are a few residences that are in great shape. However, for the most part, the area is in disrepair. The wooded area being looked at for the proposed park is on par with the state of the surrounding neighborhood. Entry to the space is only allowed by a beaten down path made by local residents who use the area as their personal dump. Abandoned shopping carts, aluminum cans, and many other discarded items are strewn about the woods. The space is waiting to be cleaned up. With plans being made for the surrounding village to become a live, work, and play type of neighborhood to serve as a link to down-town, the space has all of the potential one could hope for to become a great feature for Dalton. The natural space separating the village can serve as a great addi-tion to the newly developing arts and historic district Dal-ton is bringing forth. New-comers to Dalton will be much more likely to stay local rather than relocating to nearby Chattanooga (only a 20 minute drive) with the addition of such a district.

Dalton’s historic Crown Mill during the late 1800s

Dalton is located in Whitfield County, GA

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HAIG MILL RESERVOIRThere is currently a greenway proposed that will run from downtown Dalton, just over 1.5 miles to Haig Mill Reservoir. A path around the reservoir will span approximately 3.2 miles and could serve as the perfect location for 5K races. The reservoir is currently fenced off but would be open to the public with the addition of the greenway. This would allow for the inclusion of water travel as well as foot and bike travel along the greenway.

CROWN MILLThe historic Crown Mill is located along the proposed path for the greenway. Chattanooga Avenue hosts the major-ity of the greenway. There is access from this road to the vacant woods located across from Crown Mill.

DOWNTOWN DALTONWhile well equipped with restaurants, shops, and other businesses, Dalton’s downtown has struggled to flourish. The greenway is seen as a tool to promote the pedestrian-ization of Dalton. The greenway travels through residential areas and will create new pathways for travel to down-town’s businesses.

CONTEXT

6CONTEXT

PROPOSED PARK SPACEThis five arce wooded parcel sits between Crown Mill (locat-ed to the west) and a functioning industrial center (located to the east of the parcel). The site is owned by the City of Dalton and could easily be turned into park space. The site splits the aging Crown Mill Village, which is being rezoned as an Arts, Culture, and Historic district. This space could serve as a crucial link between the north and south halves of Crown Mill Village. Also, it could provide the neighborhood with a connection to the proposed greenway.

ADJACENT SPACELocated to the north of the proposed park space sits a large, un-developed area owned by the City of Dalton. This could serve as an opportunity for future expansion of the park.

INDUSTRIAL ZONEThe extensive hardscape created by the installation of an indus-trial zone to the east of the park space creates a large amount of stormwater runoff that must be dealt with.

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STAGING GROUND FOR ART AND ECOLOGYThe fact that the surrounding neighborhood has been rezoned as an arts, culture, and historic district makes this space perfect for local craftsmen to have a space to showcase their talents. This is the bones behind the park.

The Creative Arts Guild of Dalton is located only .58 miles from the proposed space. The Guild already features a heavy program that could be easily transferred to the site.

Also, due to the industrial zone to the east of the wooded lot, stormwater issues within the park space offer an oppor-tunity to teach visitors about modern management prac-tices used to treat and mitigate stormwater runoff.

ECOLOGICAL-celebrate/feature existing landforms and hydrology-conserve old-growth trees-creative education/information-non-invasive plant material-low impact development-physical structure should inform/teach ideas of ecology

SOCIAL-link neighborhood/greenway-safety during evening-serve as a community hub-equal opportunity enjoyment-use of materials/design should reflect site history-community outreach

ECONOMIC-possible acquisition of adjacent space-focal point to attract young professionals/rejuvenate

PROGRAM

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CROWN MILL PARK SITE ANALYSIS

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HYDROLOGYStormwater issues are immediately obvious when visiting the site. During rain events, runoff from the industrial zone to the east of the proposed park space rushes through the site. It is then fed directly into Mill Creek, which runs along the pro-posed greenway. The determination and installation of an appropriate stormwater management practice will be a key factor in the successful design of the park.

VEGETATIONInvasive exotics can be found growing throughout the site. Many of the plants are in bad health and seem to be strug-gling to survive. However, towards the heart of the site sits a cluster of trees that must be kept. Extremely old, massive oaks and tulip poplars look down on the site and create an opportunity to serve as features in the future park. The cano-py of the site should be thinned and exotic invasives cleared to promote new growth, however, the large, old hardwoods (left) should be worked around and preserved.

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SLOPEThe site features an intense slope. Because of this, there are erosion issues throughout the site. This steep grade creates constraints as well as opportunities for development of the space. A more sensitive development strategy will have to be considered due to this feature.

SOIL, CHENNEBY SERIES:This series is found mainly in Southern Appalachian Ridges and Valleys. It is found mainly in flood plains. The parent material is al-luvium from metamorphic, metasedimentary, and sedi-mentary rocks. This series runs very deep. It is some-what poorly drained, with a seasonal high water table that is apparent at 1.5 to 2.5 feet, and a slope range from 0% to 2%. Chenneby series soils are moderately permeable.

SOIL, HANCEVILLE SERIES:This series is found mainly in Southern Appalachian Ridges and Valleys. The parent material is sand-stone with thin strata of shale and siltstone. This se-ries runs very deep. It is well drained, with a seasonal high water table of more than six feet, and a slope range from 2% to 30%.

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CHENNEBY SERIES HANCEVILLE SERIES

5%-10%

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SENSORYThe west edge of the site connects with Chattanooga Av-enue, which is a fairly busy street. A dense wall of vegetation, mostly invasive species, serves as a screen. To allow access, this would need to be opened up. Also, towards the center of the site, trash has been strewn along the forest floor by lo-cal residents. There are good views out across the site from upon the ridge, also, this is the area that receives the most sunlight during the day.

PREVIOUS USEAn important part of Dalton’s culture is the importance of its railroads. After the city became an important manufacturer in the textile business, the installation of its freight depot soon followed. Decades ago, the railroad passed through the pro-posed park space. The graded rail-bed is still obvious on the site. Care should be taken to ensure that the design speaks to this history.

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CROWN MILL PARK CONCEPTS

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CONCEPT ONEStormwater and the successful treat-ment of runoff is the focus of this design. Three rain gardens and a larger water treatment zone are the anchors for the park. Also, a seat wall provides a stag-ing area for local art from members of the community. A pathway runs from the west side of the park to the east entrance. Visitors are able to circulate through the site easily.

The idea of an ecorevelatory design was established here. The importance of using the best possible stormwater management practice was taken away from this preliminary design and devel-oped further as a key element of the final master plan. Visitors can visit the park and learn about the natural pro-cesses and new management methods to treat stormwater. Also, the idea of a staging area for local artists is a cru-cial part of the program and is seen throughout the following concepts.

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CONCEPT TWOInstead of an ecorevelatory approach to the design of Crown Mill Park, the second concept focuses on a perfor-mance stage. The center of the site is almost completely cleared and a large, curvilinear amphitheater is installed into the hillside. Art pieces will be installed in the seating area. A large stage sits be-low the seating area to provide space for a variety of performances.

What was taken forth from this project is the use of curvilinear forms. The hillside amphitheater, which would wipe out the old-growth trees, is abandoned, but the naturalistic forms that sweep across the slope are held onto and used for the final master plan in a different ca-pacity.

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CONCEPT THREEThe historic use of the site is a key driver in this design. The old rail bed found running through the site becomes a feature. A path with bioretention and native plantings throughout is built along the graded former-railway. Along this path, there are staging areas for local art. There is also a main stage in the center of the site.

The installation of this design would re-quire the removal of old-growth trees in order to establish a retaining wall on the site’s tallest slope. Therefore, this idea was not completely used. However, the idea of using the railway as a focal point followed the design to the master plan stage.

16CONCEPT FOURElements from the previous three con-cepts are fused together to create a design that looks to solve the stormwa-ter issues on site and provide display space to local artists, while respecting the history of the place. When enter-ing from Chattanooga Avenue on the west end of the park, visitors will move through a sculpture walk that is de-signed to reference the railway that once passed through the space. When approaching the east end of the park, a network of bioretention terraces (be-low) work together to slow down runoff from the neighboring industrial zone. This assists in cleansing the water before it is led into Mill Creek. The bones of the final design are all present in this itera-tion.

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CROWN MILL PARK FINAL DESIGN

18MASTER PLAN

GreenwayConnection/Entrance Plaza

SculptureGallery

ElevatedBoardwalk

ExistingWoodland

BioretentionTerrace

19SITE DESIGNExistingForest

ADA Access

ElevatedBoardwalk

ViewingPlatform

Sculpture

BioretentionTerraceBioretention

Terrace GabionWall

BoardwalkOverGabionWall

ExistingForest

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Sculpture CantileveredViewingPlatform

ElevatedBoardwalk

ExistingForest

BioretentionPlanting

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View of Crown Mill and proposed greenway from west entrance plaza

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CROWN MILL PARK CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTS

23GRADING PLAN

Scale: 1:400

24CONSTRUCTION DETAILS

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