Linking multiple areas of the city, North Boulevard Town Square has become the social and cultural heart of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Featuring a variety of distinct areas as well as an identifiable icon, North Boulevard Town Square showcases what it can mean to fulfill a vision related to transforming a featureless section of a city into a landmark that cultivates attention from all over.
Creating Hubs of Engagement
Located near the Old State Capital, what is now North Boulevard Town Square had always been an important part of downtown Baton Rouge. However, the disjoined streets and setup along with very little tree cover prevented it from being a place for the community to connect or gather. By reconfiguring the streets, an entire acre of open green space was created for pedestrian use that has been further cultivated with tree cover and hubs of engagement in distinct plaza areas.
Built around Beacon Plaza and the Town Lawn Stage, the entire space has been transformed on multiple levels. Beacon Plaza is the most distinctive space in North Boulevard Town Square, featuring a 35-foot multi-media tower. It resides across from Galvez Plaza and the Old State Capital. Town Lawn Stage provides space for a variety of weekly and annual events, while the Town Lawn that resides between it and Beacon Plaza holds small concerts, fitness classes, and receptions on a regular basis. Various sections are available to the general public for special event use including weddings, concerts, corporate functions and markets.
The wide-open green space and water features along with café seating, benches and game tables provide audiences with numerous ways to engage with the space. The distinctive tree icon that can be seen all over allows them to make meaningful connections with it to further attract residents and visitors for distinct but equally powerful reasons, helping to define the present and future of Baton Rouge.
A Premiere Public Space
Mentioned as one of downtown’s premier public spaces, the vision for what would become North Boulevard Town Square wasn’t fulfilled with a single change. It was realized as a result of a collective effort to see the entire space evolve in a way that would attract the attention of audiences from across the city, providing an identity that redefined the experiences both residents and visitors could have in the space.
