In case you dont know, I am very interested in bringing Harriman square to its intended glory. To this effect I have written the city council and the Mayor to make this happen.
To the Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council,
I would like to express my enthusiastic support for the Fourth Street Heritage Corridor as envisioned in the 2006 Ketchum Downtown Master Plan. I have long sympathized with calls for creating a pedestrian-oriented streetscape system. Furthermore, I whole-heartedly endorse the commitment to incorporate “[a] variety of cultural and interpretive spaces” within the entire length of Fourth Street, “showcasing the unique heritage of Ketchum.” In addition, I embrace the city’s desire to see public input into design, to use “heritage elements,” and to include “unique streetlights, benches, fountains…trees and planters, and heritage art displays” in order to “honor, share and highlight Ketchum’s various eras and its community values.” The plan is sure to foster civic pride and to help revitalize our tourism businesses. It is just such a vision that prompted a number of civic-minded citizens to create Harriman Square in 1983.
Originally conceived in accordance with the stated objectives expressed in all of the city-wide plans available at the time (those dating from 1970 through the 1982 Ketchum-Sun Valley comprehensive plan), a number of citizens led an effort to create a “commons” area where festivals could be staged, and which would act as a hub for the celebration of our heritage. It was decided that this area would be located at the intersection of Fourth and Leadville, and that it would be named in honor of the man who is the indisputable “father” of the greater Ketchum-Sun Valley area: W. Averell Harriman. These same citizens obtained an endorsement Governor Harriman and other influential residents of the Ketchum/Sun Valley area.
Just as a stated objective in the current plan is to foster broad citizen involvement in the Downtown Plan, community members working on the Harriman Square project at that time solicited input from the public. They settled on a sun dial motif, a “nod” to the valley’s famous resort, and its reputation for unparalleled winter sunshine. The materials chosen were deliberate: concrete and steel—concrete for the innovative use of that material in the creation of the Sun Valley Lodge; steel to acknowledge the area’s dependence on the railways of the 19th and early 20th centuries. The streetlamps’ shape is reminiscent of gems, as Idaho is the Gem State. In its use of elements and in its design, Harriman Square accomplishes the very goals set forth in the current plan.
In the entire area of the proposed corridor there is not another more significant site that testifies to true grassroots civic involvement. This was truly a community endeavor, designed and built by optimistic people who took the city’s plans to heart and decided to make them a reality. It is the only project on the corridor to be brought to fruition in over 35 years of talking. Despite a lack of maintenance, it is in remarkably good condition. But it needs to be finished and refurbished. I urge the city to recognize its responsibility and to allocate funds to this end.
A restored Harriman Square can serve as the keystone for the entire corridor. Modest in scope, it can be the impetus the city needs in order to follow the lead of those industrious citizens who, over 25 years ago, actually took those ideas for a vibrant community, and created a real monument out of concrete and steel. It is just this kind of spirit and muscle that we celebrate when we talk of Ketchum’s heritage. What other heritage should we be preserving?
Respectfully submitted,
Royce T. Milaskey
To give you readers a little history of Sun Valley, here are some old pictures of us building Harriman square.
It all started with a vision, but Ill get into that another time.
One of the first steps of constructing most anything on the ground is digging a hole and laying a foundation. In the back ground you can see the Sun Valley center for the arts as it was in 1982. It used to be the church that Averell Harriman visited after skiing way back in the good old days.
The hole that became Harriman Square
Today it functions as PK’s ski shop: http://www.pkski.com/
The lamps were designed by Mark Shehan. They are forged Corten steel. The rust forms a sort of a protective layer on it and keeps it from bleeding.
The guy climbing on the lamp is Mark Sheehan. He is just messing around on the lamps. Probably making sure they don’t fall over in heavy snow…
Mark Sheehan installing the lamps with helpers
That blue sky is why Sun Valley is called Sun Valley.
Notice the inlayed “E” as part of the compass that is an integral part of the sundial.
The glass shades represent gems from the Gem State
One of the elements that really make these lamps special is the glass shade. This is what makes these pieces a part of Idaho history.
And the finished concrete work
the finished sun dial
Tags: corten, cultural, forge, gem, idaho, interpretive, mark, Mayor, PK, sheehan, shop, ski, space, steel, Wayne, Willich
January 8, 2010 at 7:19 pm |
Is that Royce in the background of the 3rd and 5th pictures?