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THE NEW LANCASTER RAINBOW | EL NUEVO ARCO IRIS DE LANCASTER

From "Ewell Plaza Art Explorations"

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The New Lancaster Rainbow project transforms the parking garage utilitarian structure into a celebration of Lancaster’s free spirit, rendering the Lancaster Public Library as an inviting, vibrant, and young building open to all.

The red tonality of the screen resembles the reddish warm colors of the city. Additional colors highlight the new cultural rainbow representing Lancaster today. Together, the colors of the screen add a new layer of hope and pride to the plaza commemorating the extraordinary life of Barney Ewell.

The new polychromatic garage and library façade celebrates through the language of color the extraordinary diversity and inclusive character of Lancaster and welcomes all to enjoy Ewell Plaza for generations to come. 

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El nuevo proyecto Arco iris de Lancaster transforma la estructura utilitaria del garaje de estacionamiento en una celebración del espíritu libre de Lancaster, convirtiendo a la Biblioteca pública de Lancaster en un edificio atractivo, vibrante y joven abierto a todos.

La tonalidad roja de la pantalla se asemeja a los colores cálidos rojizos de la ciudad. Colores adicionales resaltan el nuevo arco iris cultural que representa Lancaster hoy. Juntos, los colores de la pantalla añaden una nueva capa de esperanza y orgullo a la plaza que conmemora la extraordinaria vida de Barney Ewell.

El nuevo garaje policromático y la fachada de la biblioteca celebra a través del lenguaje del color la extraordinaria diversidad y el carácter inclusivo de Lancaster y da la bienvenida a todos a disfrutar de Ewell Plaza para las generaciones venideras. 

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This looks like a doctor's office carpet from the 90's. More rainbow-y would be better.
    Profile of Janet Diaz
    Posted by:Janet Diaz
    5 years ago
    A well-known local architect expressed the same thoughts as many of those who are commenting on the City's Explorations website. I quoted him in my "Considerations" paper as saying: “I think the suggested design says nothing about Lancaster County – past, present or future. It’s like a generic CVS or Walgreen’s design – anywhere USA – with no context or nod to the history, heritage or uniqueness of Lancaster County.” This architect is a frequent contributor of articles on architecture that have been published in LNP. He is also a well-known guest lecturer at the Quest adult continuing education series at Trinity Lutheran Church and at LancasterHistory lecture series. He holds the highest degree possible (FIAA) in the American Institute of Architects' College of Fellows. It seems to me that he should have been included in the discussions on this art project from the very beginning. There are many other local architects and artists who should have been a part of this process as well. Isn't Lancaster known as being an "artists' mecca" that has a "Gallery Row" only one block from Lancaster Square? The owners of these galeries were never consulted by Jo Davis or the PAAB. Who made the decision not to include them in these discussions? This same local architect quoted above told me that he was invited to sit in on meetings of the PAAB when they were deciding on the new name for Lancaster Square. He told me that at those meetings, not once did the PAAB invite him to submit a design for the library-garage facade. (Neither had he been invited to submit one during the PAAB's selection period in early spring of that year.) He told me that, during these re-naming meetings, he was shown the three designs that R&R had submitted to the PAAB (that would be choosing one of them to send to City Council.) He told me "I didn't like any of them." In the middle of December in 2019, this architect had a meeting with Mayor Sorace and took in a proposed design that he had drawn for the library-garage facade. (I saw this design; it was an action portrait of Barney Ewell.) Mayor Sorace didn't tell him that City Council had already chosen R&R's conceptual design. I was the one who told him. The approval given by City Council on Nov. 12, 2019, for R&R's conceptual design was a conditional one, the condition being the fulfillment of the Community Engagement Plan. None of those conditions were ever fulfilled. Now the Mayor has substituted three designs on the Ewell Plaza Art Explorations website which are not at all similar to the design included in the conditional approval given by City Council. Considering the above, shouldn't this matter have a thorough review by the Community Planning and Economic Development Committee followed by a new discussion and vote by Council? The Community Engagement Plan is attached.
    • 4 likes
    @Janet Diaz , if the conditions were not met then the Certificate of Appropriateness is invalid and should be rescinded by Council. Will you propose this at the next meeting of Council?
      Profile of Janet Diaz
      Posted by:Janet Diaz
      5 years ago
      @Steven Funk Let’s talk, email me your # at jdiaz@co.Lancaster.pa.com.
        I wonder what the practical aspects of maintaining this wall of aluminum tubes will entail? The garage structure has no architectural style, so something needs to cover it. The drawings do not include enough detail to understand the scope of the project. Will there be a sub-frame behind the tubes to hold them in place? Will there be space between each row for natural light and air flow in the garage building? Will the garage need more interior lighting or use more energy because of the facade? Will there be an awning, an off-set or portico that protects the library front and people entering and exiting during inclement weather? I believe the answers to the above questions may help us better understand the design. I find the design and bright primary colors of the wall and stair tower to be distracting from the cohesiveness of the plaza, but maybe that is not the point of the design.
        • 1 like
        @Rudy DeLaurentis Answers to several of your questions can be found in the artists' video presentation at the Ware Center, e.g. yes, air flow into the parking garage is required. This parking garage facade is only one part of the total design of Ewell Plaza.
          @Stephanie Sands I watched the videos and did hear about the air circulation and saw what may be the frame for the tubes. Thanks.
            I don't believe that any of these designs reflect Lancaster in the slightest. I would have preferred to see our amazingly talented local artists come up with a design that truly reflects the city's history and culture. These designs are OK if you are going for a Jetson's cartoon look. Very '60's and '70's which looks instantly dated.
              @Jessica Sibbett so very much agree with having our Lancaster art community having been given this task to design this very impactful piece of art. I do not like any of these designs presented to the public.
              • 1 like
              Profile of Janet Diaz
              Posted by:Janet Diaz
              5 years ago
              @Jessica Sibbett The Council meeting at which it was approved was held just 4 days after the one-and-only public information meeting (at which comments were limited to one minute each). Mayor Sorace told Council about a week before this Council meeting that she wanted it to be approved. There was a story by Tim Stuhldreher with her quote as the heading: "Don't subvert the public process." So why did she say that? Did she on any other occasion tell Council how they should vote on a proposal? And did any Counc/il member ever ask questions about the propriety of Ismael's taking $5,000 out of the Community Planning and Economic Development Fund (that he had the right to do as chairman of that committee) and sending it to an out-of-state company? And why was it passed when almost all of the public comments (with the exception of Mayor Gray and a member of PAAB) spoke out against it, including a member of the Historical Commission? It was rushed through Council and yet, almost two years later, the building of it (so far as the public knows, anyway) has not even started. So why was this? And why was not the identity of the donor (or donors) who gave the additional $10,000 to add to the $5,000 ever disclosed, even though two citizens filed a right-to-know request. (I have my own theory about who they were.) Thanks for your continued interest in this issue. It will be interesting to see how it plays out.
              • 2 likes
              @Janet Diaz What are the odds that the entity that made this deal (Parking Authority/City) will breach its contract with the Florida "artists"? Otherwise, am I correct that no matter what the public thinks, what will go up is one of these three designs?
                Profile of Janet Diaz
                Posted by:Janet Diaz
                5 years ago
                @Christina Hausner jdiaz@co.Lancaster.pa.us Email me so I may forward all the information you need to review it.
                • 1 like
                I can assure you that these 3 are our only choices. There was negative feedback back on the artist 1st proposal They came back with 2 more designs similar to the first. Again this means the artist has already been paid we have absolutely no say. It will be the best of the worst outcome in this story.
                  What I don’t understand is how this got approved as being in conformity with the surrounding environment. Is there a loophole that developers can nownexploit to circumnavigate the city’s review process?
                    Can it please be made clear how all of the efforts to have input through commenting here will be taken into account? Reading the comments, the overwhelming sentiment seems to be that rethink and redesigning with more local artist/designer input is very much needed. The comments keep coming in but I don’t see any response from whoever the people are who are guiding this process. Thanks!
                      Very nice! 👍😀
                        I like the colors and patterns which remind me of traditional weaving from places like Guatemala, Southern Mexico, Peru and Bolivia. Wouldn't it be great if those cultures were a bigger part of our local cultural millieu? I truly hope this is predictive in that sense. The challenge here is that city officials have chosen to build a parking structure where they should have put an actual building. It's difficult to dress up a parking structure to be something other than what it is. Better to have more library and less parking structure. That would go a long way to making a better design, imho.
                        • 1 like
                        I do not like any of the options and would like to know which is from a local artist?
                          I'm not crazy about any of them, especially that yellow vertical column that appears in all three. Lancaster really missed an opportunity to create something memorable. How does this even relate to Barney Ewell?
                            @Cathryn Innacola , the yellow glass reminds me of fly paper
                              @Steven Funk surely we have some local artistic talent capable of adding huge flies to that fly paper? Art!
                              • 1 like

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