Which square doesn't fit?

The architects' visions for Old Courthouse Square flow with creative ways to reinvigorate the heart of Santa Rosa.

An ice skating rink, interactive sculptures, a children's butterfly garden, wave fountains and a wine bar are just some of the elements proposed by five teams of professionals seeking the contract for the redesign work.

But those flourishes are the least controversial aspect of a decade-long process to reunite the square, which was split in two in 1966 when the prominent courthouse in its center was torn down.

It's the outer edges of the square that are attracting the most debate -- whether there should once again be streets and parking. That would entail reopening the historic Hinton and Exchange avenues that existed before the square was bisected to connect Santa Rosa and Mendocino avenues.

Other successful plazas, from Sonoma and Healdsburg to the new Town Green in Windsor and 400-year-old squares in Santa Fe and Taos, N.M., all have encircling streets and parking, something some design professionals view as a hallmark of their success.

The squares attract people by the thousands for concerts and outdoor markets, shopping and eating.

They help identify and define the communities.

"I can't imagine what Healdsburg would be like without its central plaza," said Chamber of Commerce President Lynn Woznicki. "It's too integral a part. It's the heart of the town. If we didn't have it, we would have to create it."

If a City Council member wanted to alter the dimensions of Sonoma Plaza, Mayor Stanley Cohen predicted he or she would be recalled.

"This town doesn't like a lot of changes. It likes what it has," he said.

To some architects, the design contest for Santa Rosa's Old Courthouse Square is a bit like a fashion show. The most dazzling and provocative garment may win, but it's not what everyday people will wear. If designs like the cherished Sonoma or Healdsburg plazas were in the contest, they might not come out on top.

In other words, tried-and-true layouts that include shade trees, benches, walkways and a bandstand are the basics that are needed. Just as important are the surroundings.

A square and its borders

"Successful plazas work because of their edges. It's not the stuff on the inside. It's like fashion; it changes every generation," said urban designer Laura Hall. She is a strong advocate for bringing back automobile access and parallel parking on the east and west sides of Old Courthouse Square.

Hall's office overlooks the square and from her point of view, it is paramount to allow cars on all sides of the new square. She said that would provide the necessary access to shops and restaurants without sacrificing a pedestrian-friendly ambience.

"The civic square has been with us forever. It's Main and Main -- the marketplace.

They organically evolved where the main crossroads intersected. That's where the best place for commerce is," she said.

If the square is closed off without side streets, it would create a "superblock" that would make it difficult to get around and that people would avoid, she said.

Other design professionals feel just as adamantly that the new Courthouse Square will be better off without streets and parking on its fringes.

"It's a public square, not a parking lot. We don't need parking downtown. We are abundantly parked," said architect Scott Bartley, chairman of the Santa Rosa Planning Commission. He said people are willing to park at shopping malls and walk a good distance to shop.

Santa Rosa is not a little town, so it needs a space for civic events befitting a city of 157,000 population, he said.

"We are not Healdsburg, or Sonoma," he said, adding that it is simplistic to say that if there are streets and parking all around Old Courthouse Square, business will flourish.

His fear is that streets on all sides of Old Courthouse Square would create a type of island, a "hang-out place surrounded by cars."

"If you're eating lunch at Flavor (restaurant), what incentive is there to cross two lanes (of traffic) into the center of the square?" he said.

He also worries that streets on the east and west perimeter wouldn't allow enough sidewalk room.

"It will kiss outdoor dining goodbye," Bartley said.

Of the five competing designs for Old Courthouse Square, only one model -- that of SWA Group of Sausalito -- has well-defined streets on all sides. It includes a dozen parking spaces.

Two other firms propose limited vehicular circulation, including one plan that would have lighted bollards lining one-way traffic lanes along Hinton and Exchange avenues. The applicant, Campbell and Campbell architects, said there would be "limited parking."

Two of the models show no streets or parking on the east and west fringe of the redesigned square.

George Psaledakis, a project architect for Kellogg & Associates of Santa Rosa, said there was a conscious choice in his firm's proposal to keep Hinton and Exchange avenues closed. The idea was to make it more pedestrian-oriented and "keep the cars in garages," he said.

Viewing the models

The miniature models from the competing firms are on view through Saturday at the Glaser Center, 547 Mendocino Ave. That's the same day the design teams will make presentations all day, beginning at 8:30 a.m., to a jury charged with selecting a winner. The jury will pass along its recommendation to the City Council.

Santa Rosa City Councilwoman Jane Bender, one of those on the jury that will select the final design, said the idea of the competition was to solicit fresh ideas.

She said nothing has been decided as far as streets around the square.

One thing she said will be critical, regardless of what design is chosen, is ensuring there are constant events and attractions.

"We have to make sure that square is programmed all the time with things happening in it," she said.

In that regard, Sonoma and Healdsburg thrive, along with the latest big square to be built in the county, Windsor's 3.75-acre Town Green.

Windsor's street debate

There was also a debate in Windsor over whether there should be streets around the Green. The streets won out.

"You need the streets to get people there. They won't walk from long distances," said Windsor Councilwoman Debora Fudge. "People driving the streets and parking add more activity to the square."

Developer Orrin Thiessen, who partnered with Windsor officials to build the mixed use of businesses and townhomes around the Town Green, agreed.

He said Old Courthouse Square should have diagonal parking all around it, a traditional layout. "If you stick a business away from the road, it won't do. People drive by it," he said.

"Keep it simple," is his advice to Santa Rosa, but he said a good-sized stage is also important.

Healdsburg, with a plaza that's been a vital hub of the community for 150 years, is the envy of other towns for its ability to lure tourists and give residents a place to gather.

Healdsburg officials are often asked what makes the plaza work.

"The single biggest factor is the size and the scale," said Chamber of Commerce President Woznicki.

The 1-acre plaza, she said, has a line of sight around every corner, "a sense of safety and security and comfort."

She agrees that the streets and the parking spots that ring the plaza are important to commerce and also provide "more eyes," or security that blocked-off streets do not allow.

Sonoma's example

The city of Sonoma owns the granddaddy of town squares in the county, with an 8-acre plaza that is both a National Historic Monument and a magnet for tourists and locals.

Designed by Mexican Gen. Mariano Vallejo, it was the setting for the 1846 Bear Flag Revolt that launched California's short-lived period as an independent republic, prior to statehood.

The plaza is surrounded by historic buildings, restaurants and shops. It also contains City Hall, a duck pond, meandering pathways, a small amphitheater and is the setting for a series of art, craft, wine and food events.

Mayor Cohen said the historic buildings are a critical part of the attraction, but said close-in parking is also crucial. "To be fair to business people, you want to have parking. You don't want to make it inconvenient for tourists. They may not go there," he said.

One architect said it will be tough to make a choice for Old Courthouse Square, but anything will be an improvement.

"I go with the one that's the quickest to build. I want to see it before I pass on," said architect Gwin Stumbaugh.

You can reach Staff Writer Clark Mason at 521-5214 or clark.mason@pressdemocrat.com.