PAWTUCKET DOWNTOWN DESIGN PLAN FINAL ... - VHB.com

DESIGN Landscape
LANDSCAPE PLAN
GOAL
PROPOSAL
Make downtown Pawtucket greener
Highlight the river and support health in its watershed
Pawtucket, like many cities in the Northeast United States, has a rich industrial
heritage based on energy and commerce derived from it’s river. In 1790,
Samuel Slater built the second American cotton mill in Pawtucket, RI and this
mill is the central reference point of the early rise of the Industrial Revolution
in America today. Post-industrial cities turned their backs to the river but with
current efforts being made to clean the rivers, we can again turn our urban
design attention back to the water as a natural and cultural resource.
River edges
The Pawtucket River is the portion of the Blackstone River which lies in the City
of Pawtucket. The Blackstone River runs from Worcester, MA to Pawtucket
Falls, just south of the Slater Mill at the Main Street bridge. At this point the
river turns tidal and is named the Seekonk River. The original native American
name for the river was the “Kittacuck”, which meant “the great tidal river”.
During the industrial revolution, and due to the proliferation of mills along its
shores, it was dubbed “America’s hardest working river.”
The edges or banks of the Pawtucket River are currently a combination
of exposed geologic strata and WPA (Works Progress Administration)-era
concrete bulkheads. Native and invasive plants have found refuge in silt
deposits along the banks of the river.
Pollution and contamination
Much of the pollution from the Industrial Revolution lies trapped in the river
sediment, especially at the dams. In recent years, pollution can be traced
to the wastewater treatment plant in Worchester, Massachusetts, which
discharges into the Blackstone. In 1990, the United States Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) called it “the most polluted river in the country with
respect to toxic sediments” and in 1998 it was made “An American Heritage
River” in an effort to protect and clean it. River cleanup is still underway. Today,
the Blackstone is considered a Class C River, suitable only for “secondary
contact” activities like boating, for much of its length.
Pawtucket’s three bridges
The Pawtucket River and it’s combination of bridges and falls is unique.
Pawtucket’s three bridges - the Main Street Bridge, designed by Luther
Kingsley in 1858 to replace earlier bridges; the Division Street Bridge, designed
by Horace Foster in 1876; and the Exchange Street Bridge, designer unknown
in 1928 - connect each side of the city and provide visual access to the deeply
incised river. Events such as the Dragon Boat and Columbian Festivals make
the river a destination for locals and tourists.
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PDDP DESIGN