The Citadel, formerly home to the Uniroyal Tire and Rubber Plant, seems to surprise everyone who first experiences the 35-acre site of commercial buildings, hotel and retail center. In the site’s rebirth, Assyrian temple and bas-relief exterior walls were not only retained, but became a source of inspiration for the new design.

The exterior wall was breached at the center of the site revealing a new allee of date palms. This grand allee was the genesis of a master plan that organized the office buildings along two sides and at the terminus of a 150-foot wide by 700-foot long central plaza.

Normal streetscape vernacular has been reinterpreted here. There are no curbs or jarring traffic paint. Instead, large tubes, representing the ghosts of the tires past, direct vehicular traffic. Checkerboard paving further distances this project from the typical streetscape.

The bold allee answers several functional challenges including heavy traffic flow. But more importantly, it establishes an exceptionally rich environment for pedestrians. Citadel is a rare combination of garden, plaza and street.

Award: ASLA Honor Award, 1991