Tecumseh ParkMaster Plan

for the Municipality of Chatham-Kent

Brown + Storey ArchitectsScott Torrance Landscape Architect Inc.Storey Samways Planning Ltd.

Final ReportDecember 2006

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Project Team Members:

Brown and Storey Architects: James Brown, Kim Storey, Stephen King, Brian Laye

Scott Torrance Landscape Architects Inc.: Scott Torrance

Storey Samways Planning Limited: Tom Storey

Municipality of Chatham-Kent project manager:

Tom Beaton, D.H.T., CMMIManager, Parks, Cemeteries & Horticulture

Steering / Stakeholder Committee Members:

Calvin Antaya - (Tecumseh Park Neighbourhood Association),Frances Crummer, Bob Fox (Downtown Chatham BIA),Ken McIntyre (Chatham Lawn Bowling Club), Bill Patterson(Chatham Concert Band), George Sims, Linda Treacy(Downtown Chatham BIA),Hans Van Der Doe (Chatham-KentHeritage Committee), Janice Wieringa (Downtown ChathamBIA),Marsha Coyne (C-K), Scott Lalonde (Chatham CulturalCentre), Jane McGee (C-K), Bill Pachkowski (C-K),Deborah Veccia (C-K), Darren Winger (Ministry of Culture)

Tecumseh ParkMaster Plan

for the Municipality of Chatham-Kent

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Table of Contents

1 Executive Summary ....................................................... 7

2 Background ....................................................................... 12

3 Design Directions ............................................................. 15

.1 Heritage ................................................................. 16

.2 Education and Research ....................................... 16

.3 Natural Environment .............................................. 17

.4 Programming ........................................................ 17

.5 Vandalism and ‘Eyes on the Park’ ........................ 18

.6 The Broader Context ........................................... 18

.7 Regional Park and an Open Space Master Plan ... 19

.8 Immediate Context .............................................. 19

.9 Water’s Edge ...................................................... 20

.10 The Cultural Precinct .......................................... 20

.11 The Armoury ...................................................... 21

.12 Jaycee Gardens and the Tecumseh Common .. 21

.13 The Chatham Concert Bandshell ......................... 22

.14 Lawn Bowling Club .............................................. 22

.15 The Promontory .................................................... 23

.16 Expanding the Park Territory ............................... 23

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4 Master Plan Design Concepts .......................................... 24

General Design Concepts ................................................ 25

.1 Context - Urban Connections ........................ 26

.2 Context - Park Network Connections ............ 28

.3 Landscape Regime.......................................... 30

.4 Programming ................................................... 33

.5 Parking ............................................................ 39

5 Armoury ........................................................... ................. 41

6 Separate Projects ............................................................ 53

.1 The Tecumseh Common ........................................ 54

.2 Shumard Oak Circle ............................................... 56

.3 William Street Gardens ........................................... 58

.4 Thames River Edge and Floodplain Gardens ........ 60

.5 Stanley Street Boat Docking ..................................... 62

.6 Heritage Terrace East / Armoury Plinth ................... 64

.7 Central Heritage Terrace ........................................... 66

.8 Heritage Terrace West and McGregor’s Garden ..... 68

.9 Cenotaph Square and Bridge ................................. 70

.10 McGregor’s Walk .................................................... 72

.11 New Pedestrian Bridge ........................................... 74

.12 Bandshell Improvements ........................................ 75

.13 Promontory and Pathway......................................... 76

Table of Contents

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Appendices

Appendix A Part 1 - Analysis Report

Appendix B Arborist Report

Appendix C Presentations

Appendix D Steering / Stakeholders Meeting Minutes

Appendix E Public Meetings

Appendix F Lawn Bowling Club

7 Budgets .............................................................. 78

.1 - .13 Cost Estimates for Separate Projects . 79

8 Phasing Scenarios ................................................ 92

Phases 1 - 5 .......................................................... 93

Phasing Summary ............................................... 99

Phasing Matrix ...................................................... 100

Sources and Bibliography ............................................ 102

Table of Contents

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Aerial view of Tecumseh Park

First Survey of Lots in ChathamThames River, King Street,and Tecumseh Park

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Executive Summary 1

The Tecumseh Park Facility Master Plan has been prepared todevelop strategies and ideas for the revitalization of one ofChatham-Kent’s most significant public spaces. Although thedocumentation and analysis of Tecumseh Park has revealed theneed for many improvements, it remains the heart of Chatham byvirtue of its central physical position, its historical connection to thebirth of the municipality, and its cultural role through over twohundred years of civic life.

Tecumseh Park, together with the Thames River and King Street,forms a triad of founding landforms of Chatham, and the re-establishment and consolidation of recreation, civic events, andmain street activity has created a central thrust for the aims of theMaster Plan.

The first phase of the Master Plan produced a wealth ofinformation documented in the project team’s research andanalysis of archival and new mapping, archival photographs,precedent illustrations, and an ongoing community consultationprocess. This initial work can be referrred to in the Appendices.The analysis has pointed to a lack of connection of the park to itssurrounding context of streets, neighbourhoods and its water’sedges, and an overall decline in the physical health of thelandscape. The second and third phases of design and refinementof the Master Plan, based upon the design directions andstrategies derived from the first phase research, form the mainbody of the Final Report.

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Master Plan, Tecumseh Park

View of Tecumseh Common

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The Master Plan Concept that is explored in this report seeks to re-establish Tecumseh Park’s prominence in Chatham-Kent bylooking at issues of interconnectivity with its immediate andbroader context, exploring ways of more effectively illustrating itsconsiderable heritage, and to restore its physical health through anumber of landscape design strategies. The overall Master PlanConcept responds to issues of urban connections to the ThamesRiver and McGregor’s Creek, the immediate neighbourhood, KingStreet, and to a larger network of open spaces making up what isreferred to as a Thames River Precinct.

Programming has also been a major focus of the Tecumseh Parkreport, to find a balance of uses and to recommend a ‘mediumintensity’ that attracts a constant and steady enjoyment, rather thanover-populated events that could potentially take place at largervenues. The attention to programming is directly related to thephysical health of the park which has suffered from the over-compaction of the soil due to over-use and vehicular traffic whichis referred to in the Arborists’ report. The health of the trees rangesfrom poor (13 trees are indicated to be removed immediatelybecause of safety concerns) to fair to average. To restore thetrees’ health where possible is an important task of this report, andto re-forest the park with new indigenous species that explore thenatural heritage of Chatham-Kent and its native SouthernCarolinian landscape.

Within the Park, the Master Plan Concept has been divided intogroups of smaller projects that respond to both the edges andentrances into Tecumseh Park - William Street, Stanley Street,Thames River, McGregor’s Creek, Sixth Street pedestrian bridge -and its internal elements like the Tecumseh Common, thePromontory, the replacement of Jaycee Gardens with new loopingsystems of pathways and gardens, improvements to theBandshell, and a new Heritage Terrace with water features and anew ice rink.

Executive Summary 1

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The Armoury is specifically addressed in this report with a strongrecommendation that it be retained in public hands following itssale by the Department of National Defence / the Canada LandsCompany. A number of potential uses has been described thatcould more strongly relate its grand interior spaces with its formalrole within the Park. In particular, the Armoury building’s immediatephysical surroundings have been re-designed to directly work withthe new Master Plan concepts and to provide an important supportboth programmatically and physically to the revitalized park.

One important part of this work is its crucial link to the issue ofHeritage Designation, for both the Armoury structure, and for thespace of the Park itself as it gradually is improved through aphasing process. Both aspects are inextricably connected to theheritage of the Municipality of Chatham-Kent and need to beprotected in the most effective means available to the community.

Some of the more controversial aspects of the Master Plan refer tothe Lawn Bowling Club and a new Pedestrian Bridge. Through themapping analysis of the first phase, the Lawn Bowling Club wasseen as a visual and physical block to arguably the most importantphysical aspect of Tecumseh Park – its promontory looking westover the forks of the Thames River and McGregor’s Creek. Thisarea is distinctly disconnected from the main body of the park, andit is recommended that a long range strategy for the relocation ofthe Lawn Bowling Club to another city site be undertaken. This hasof course met with considerable concern on the part of the LawnBowling Club members who are in the process of expanding theircourts and installing new lights. The relocation of the Lawn BowlingClub in that context has been shown in the last phase of thephasing scenario, and the Master Plan concept shows the LawnBowling Club in its present position up until Phase 4. The finaldisposition of the Club needs to be further discussed and exploredwithin the community and with Council.

Executive Summary 1

View of Promontory

View of William Street

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A somewhat radical notion of building a new pedestrian bridge isproposed that would connect the Stanley Street right of way withthe north side of Tecumseh Park. This idea arose from thepotential to connect the Park with the north neighbourhoodscentred on Victoria Avenue, and would also provide an excellentlooping connection among both the smaller and larger parks alongthe Thames River. The new pedestrian bridge is a considerableinvestment but the project team has included it in this reportbecause of its tremendous potential of bringing new communitiesin closer proximity to the Park, and to establish a cohesive networkof open spaces centering on the Thames River.

The revitalization of Tecumseh Park will have positiverepercussions to the surrounding business community, culturalinstitutions and neighbourhoods. The recommendations containedin this report, shown through the design directions, the ConceptPlan and separate projects in their budgets and phasing scenarioshave been organized through the general categories of InternalSpatial Organization, Historical Connections and Identities, Edgesand Expanded Boundaries, and Program and Site Repertoires.

Finally, a common enthusiasm and abiding affection for TecumsehPark was a constant factor is all of the Steering Group /Stakeholders’ meetings, the walking tours and public meetings thathave been held over the course of this Facility Master Planpreparation. We would like to express our deep gratitude to theSteering and Stakeholder Group members, and all the residentsand Chatham-Kent municipal staff who dedicated their time to thisprocess. For the next steps of Tecumseh Park’s revitalization, thecontinued involvement of the community in the detailed design ofall improvements is both recommended and required.

Executive Summary 1

View of Heritage Terrace

New Tree Canopy Plan

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Background 2

2 Background

The workplan for the Tecumseh Park Facilities Master Planconsisted of three phases:

Phase 1 - Site Information Collection, Analysis andDocumentation

Phase 2 - Conceptual Alternatives for the Master PlanPhase 3 - Refinement of Master Plan Concepts and Final

Report

In order to cover the work produced by the project team working incoordination with the Project Manager and Steering / StakeholderCommittee, this report has been divided into two parts. The firstpart has been adapted from the Work in Progress reportthat was submitted at the conclusion of the first phase of work anddocuments the background discussions, mapping and analysisthat was produced. This material has been included as Appendix Ain this Final Report.

The Final Report, included herein, builds upon the analysis of Part1, elaborating the Design Directions into a comprehensive MasterPlan, showing individual project scenarios, costing, and phasingstrategies.

Accumulated Historical Layers

Tree Condition Inventory

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2.a Analysis and Documentation Summary

The first phase of work which is fully documented in Part 1 of theFinal Report consisted of the final research tasks:

• Photographic documentation of Tecumseh Park;• Archival Research in photographic collections, maps and

texts;• Documentation of Tecumseh Park plan and specific detail

areas like the Armoury Building, and the Bandshell;• Contextual mapping illustrating Tecumseh Park’s

relationship to larger open space networks;• Public consultation through an initial walk-about with

stakeholders and Municipality staff to identify areas ofconcern;

• Ongoing Steering / Stakeholder meetings to show work inprogress;

• Arborist’s report to determine the health of the existing treepopulation;

• 3-D computer model of Park for future illustration of designconcepts;

• Landscape architect’s survey of planting materials;• Urban design analysis of immediate context of Park;• Mapping analysis of internal relationships with the Park

boundaries;• Collection of relevant precedent images.

Background 2

Computer model of existing park

Archival photographTecumseh Common

Map of Thames River park network

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2.b Community Consultation

In the beginning weeks of the Tecumseh Park Facilities MasterPlan project, the Steering Committee was expanded to become ajoint Stakeholders Group. This combined committee includedinterested citizens, a member of the Tecumseh ParkNeighbourhood Association, the Downtown Chatham BIA, theChatham Concert Band Chatham-Kent Heritage Committee, theChatham Lawn Bowling Club, the Chatham Cultural Centre,Ontario Ministry of Culture, and staff members of the Municipalityof Chatham-Kent - Parks, Cemeteries and Horticulture andCommunity Services Department, and the Planning Department.This broad community of interests met during all phases of theproject, beginning with the initial ‘walking tour’ on a cold Saturdaymorning in January 2006, followed by six Steering / StakeholderMeetings and two public meetings to monitor and advise on thecontent of the work.

The work of this final report tries to reflect the good advice,suggestions and general enthusiasm and deep affection that isheld for Tecumseh Park. For each of the accumulative projectsrecommended for Tecumseh Park, it is important that an ongoingcommunity involvement be a critical part of the next stages ofdetailed design. In addition to the associations and institutionsrepresented in the Steering / Stakeholders Group, there were alsoseveral expressions of interest that came from the primary andsecondary schools to be involved in the ongoing design andmaintenance of the park. A high degree of public ‘ownership’, thatcomes with both proximity to the park and investments in terms oftime and energy, are critical components of the overall operation ofpublic space, providing ‘eyes on the park’ and a high level ofgeneral care.

‘Communities in Bloom’Walking Tour

Public Meeting: June 26, 2006

Background 2

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The design directions were formulated from the Phase Oneresearch and forms the basis for the development of the MasterPlan design proposals. These design directions can be broadlygrouped into three classifications - Physical Context, Heritage, andEnvironmental Health. These categories indicate that the masterplan for Tecumseh Park needs to respond to a convergence ofdifferent critera - of how it connects elements within the park, itsedges and to a broader context, how it refers to its heritage of thepast history of Chatham-Kent and how this can steer a futurecourse, and how the actual physical health of the park needs to beaddressed. The following design directions have been developedas catalytic agents to focus the three broad areas of concern -Physical Context, Heritage, and Environmental Health - into acomprehensive view of each aspect of Tecumseh Park and its roleas a valuable regional asset in Chatham-Kent.

The following Design Directions are outlined and illustrated in theproceeding pages:

.1 Heritage

.2 Education and Research

.3 Natural Environment

.4 Programming

.5 Vandalism and ‘Eyes on th Park’

.6 The Broader Context

.7 Regional Park and a Park / Open Space Master Plan

.8 Immediate Context

.9 Water’s Edge

.10 Cultural Precinct

.11 The Armoury

.12 Jaycee Gardens and the Tecumseh Common

.13 The Chatham Concert Bandshell

.14 Lawn Bowling Club

.15 Promontory

.16 Expanding the Park Territory

Design Directions 3

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Design Directions 3

Tecumseh Park is a founding landform of Chatham-Kent. Thehistory of the Park not only encompasses key events in the War of1812 and its namesake, the great chief Tecumseh, but also hasplayed a central role in over two hundred years of community life.The new master plan should find better opportunities to illustratethis legacy.

.1 Heritage

Founding Landform andUrban Form

24th Batallion in Tecumseh Park

.2 Education and Research

Tecumseh Park can become an invaluable teaching tool to theeducational institutions in Chatham-Kent at every level. Thereinstatement of an indigenous arboretum of trees and plant lifecan illustrate much of our natural history. Tecumseh Park’sposition on the Thames River, designated to be of nationalimportance to our heritage, can play a key role in the illustration ofthe flood plain, and also it’s role in the War of 1812. The grounds ofTecumseh Park hold a wealth of information about the past; anongoing programme of archaeological research, carried on incollaboration with the Ontario Ministry of Culture and the ChathamCultural Centre, would be of great value at all levels - federal,provincial and municipal - and would also provide an interactivelaboratory for Chatham-Kent’s schools.

Model of Tecumseh Parkcirca 1830 - collection of theChatham-Kent Museum

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Design Directions 3

.3 Natural Environment

.4 Programming

The health of the Park’s tree population is not good, due to theearlier practice of ‘topping’ and over compaction of the soil causedin part by intensive use and vehicles. The physical health of thePark needs immediate attention and all master plan strategiesshould include natural restoration and an innovative landscapedesign looking at indigenous species and physical variety.

Hazardous Trees

The over compaction of soil has had serious consequences to thehealth of the Park. Future programming should avoid high intensityevents that involve driving vehicles in the Park and concentrationsof people over the lawn areas. Programming should encourage asteady, medium intensity of use where there is more constant useof the park rather than isolated heavy-use events.Vehicles in the park

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Areas of Low Visibility fromWilliam Street

Expanded Context of Tecumseh Park

Areas of Vandalism

Design Directions 3

The issue of programming is central to the issue of vandalism. Bymaking the park more attractive to everyday use, by using inter-connecting and looping walking paths, gardens, and well-travellededges, vandalism could be reduced by simply adding more ‘eyes’.With better lighting through the park, and bringing attention to areasthat are currently dark and hidden (behind the Bandshell, areasshielded by the Jaycee Gardens, etc.), the park becomes a morecomfortable place to spend time for those who want to enjoy thepark, and less comfortable for those who want to damage it.

.5 Vandalism and ‘Eyes on the Park’

.6 The Broader Context

Tecumseh Park should be thought of as part of a larger precinct ofdowntown waterfront park areas, where improvements to all areas- like Fred Collins Park, King Street, etc. - are consideredcomprehensively.

Fred Collins Park

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Design Directions 3

.7 Regional Park and a Park / Open SpaceMaster Plan

.8 Immediate Context

Tecumseh Park should be considered as a regional park.Currently, there is not an open space classification system toestablish criteria for a Regional Park, but the project team believesthat characterstics such as physical form, natural andarchaeological heritage features, cultural and historical importancewould be obvious arguments for considering Tecumseh Park to beof regional importance.

Tecumseh Park’s unique position at the forks of the Thames Riverand McGregor’s Creek, and the winding of the river, means that thePark can be seen from at least ten streets in a shifting set of axialviews - from King Street, the Tecumseh Park neighbourhood, thebridges, and from the north side of river bank. The master planshould work to create strong connections to this context.

View of the Thames River

Thames River open spaces

Existing context

Axial street relationships

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Dragon Boat Event

Small craft recreation

William Street

Capitol Theatre

Design Directions 3

Programming and physical design should work to restore a livelyuse of the Thames River through the development of facilities forsmall crafts, and the enrichment of the water’s edge through newpathways and gardens. Seasonal flooding should be taken intoaccount in the design of pathways and gardens.

.9 Water’s Edge

.10 Cultural Precinct

Tecumseh Park can play a central role in the cultural precinct ofChatham defined by the Chatham-Kent Cultural Centre, theMuseum, King Street, and the Capitol Theatre. This can bereflected in relationships developed between the Cultural Centreand the Park, the Bandshell and new performance opportunitieswithin the Park.

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Design Directions 3

.11 The Armoury

.12 Jaycee Gardens and the Tecumseh Common

The position of the Armoury within Tecumseh Park is integral to itshistory and physical appearance. The Armoury should bedesignated as a significant heritage structure and remain part ofthe Park, in public hands or as part of a public/private partnership,and the master plan should identify ways to better integrate thebuilding and potential future programming into the larger design ofthe Park.

The location of the Jaycee Gardens blocks many important viewsacross the Park, creates ‘blind-spots’ that contribute to vandalism,and takes up an area that was once the central open space of thePark. By shifting the garden to the perimeter of the Park, alongWilliam Street, along the water’s edge, and along the centralpathway, a new central ‘Tecumseh Common’ can be recreated,while the gardens become part of a looping system of paths thatenhance and focus views. The ‘Common’ also restores a strongaxial relationship between the Bandshell, the Armoury and the SixthStreet pedestrian entrance.

Armoury and formerparade ground

Internal relationship of Armoury,Bandshell and Cenotaph

Bandshell view blocked by Jaycee Gardens

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Rear of Bandshell

Aerial View of Lawn Bowling Club

Design Directions 3

The Bandshell is also a significant heritage structure in the Park,having been designed by J. W. Storey, whose mid-20th centurywork has been recognized by both the heritage community inChatham-Kent and a larger audience. An addition to the Bandshellis needed to satisfy ambitious and important programmingrequirements of the Chatham Concert Band. Bringing moretransparency to the Bandshell could help deter vandalism in thearea behind the current building.

.13 The Chatham Concert Bandshell

.14 Lawn Bowling Club

The Chatham Lawn Bowling Club has existed in TecumsehPark for over a century. In order to accommodate its increaseddemands for parking, vehicular access, and larger greens, theproject team recommends that the Lawn Bowling Club berelocated to a larger site. In its present location, access to thePromontory, arguably the most important point in the Park, isnarrow and restrictive. The phasing strategy of the Park shouldallow for the Lawn Bowling club to remain in the Park until fundingand a suitable new site can be obtained.

Bandshell

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Design Directions 3

.15 The Promontory

.16 Expanding the Park Territory

The most visible part of the Park from the bridges and the river,and its most prominent point, is essentially invisible from theinterior of the park and its circulation. The importance of thePromontory should be elaborated in the Master Plan. The presentelevation of the water’s edge walk is regularly overcome byseasonal flooding and requires extensive maintenance as a result.New pathways, particularly in this area, should accommodate theseasonal flooding that occurs by being raised to a new elevation.

30% of the Tecumseh Park is not usable, due to edges andboundaries that create ‘dead zones’ between current uses. TheMaster Plan should work towards a design where all areas of thePark can be enjoyed.

View of Promontory

Accumulation of Under-used Areas

Computer view of existingpromontory

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Master Plan Design Concept

1 Tecumseh Common2 Shumard Oak Circle3 William Street Gardens4 Thames River Edge and

Floodplain Gardens5 Stanley Street Boat Docking6 Heritage Terrace East

Armoury Plinth7 Central Heritage Terrace

8 Heritage Terrace Westand McGregor’s Garden

9 Cenotaph Square and Bridge10 McGregor’s Walk11 New Pedestrian Bridge12 Bandshell Improvements13 Promontory and Pathways

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2

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8 7 6

5

4 3

2

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StanleyStreet

MurrayStreet

ColborneStreet

KingStreet

ThamesStreet

ThamesRiver

/WilliamStreet

Zonta Park

McGregor’sCreek

5th StreetBridge

FredCollinsPark

ChathamCulturalCentre

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4 General Design Concepts

The design directions have been developed into a Master Plandesign concept that creates a number of discreet projects thatwork towards a larger vision of Tecumseh Park and its role in thecity and along the Thames River. The full master plan conceptaddresses the issues raised in the design directions of respondingto the larger context of the region – its urban and naturallandscapes – and creating a network of finer grain responses tothe immediate neighbourhood and main street precincts. Theoverall environmental health of the park is also directly respondedto by a new landscape regime and measures to restore damagedconditions, and by subsequent discussions of programming andparking that will complement, and not run counter to, the specialneed for bringing the natural health of the park up to an acceptableand sustainable level.

Each of the separate projects that make up a comprehensivestrategy for phasing over time have been derived from the overallmaster plan, so that each adds up accretively to create the largeroverall vision for Tecumseh Park. The following points describeoverall design strategies for the Park and are followed by specificproject sheets, budgets and phasing scenarios.

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Master Plan Design Concepts 4

.1 Context - Urban Connections

The plan for Tecumseh Park suggests new entrance points andedge conditions that provide a consolidated set of connections andlinkages to the Thames River, the neighbourhood, and the centralcore / main street of Chatham. These measures include:

• Creating new entrance points to make a strongrelationship with the Chatham Cultural Centre, and theArmoury Building: Bringing the important culturalinstitution of the art gallery, studios and performancespaces into the milieu of the Park is a critical element ofestablishing a broader cultural precinct. The Armoury isalso recommended for re-use (either in public hands or asa public/private partnership) and its immediate groundsstrongly related to the overall common ground of the Park.

• Creating new entrance points marked by speciallandscaped places along a regenerated William Streetedge at significant axial relationships - at the StanleyStreet right-of-way, Murray Street and Colborne Street.Suggestions for extending special planting and verges intothe neighbourhood along Stanley Street and Murray Streetare also indicated in the master plan.

• Regenerating the William Street edge: By re-creating agenerous landscaped walk (recalling the ‘Lovers Walk’)along the William Street edge, the uses of the park arebrought to its very edges, instead of shrinking away fromthe street. The relocation / shifting of the Jaycee Gardencircle to a linear park that becomes part of the landscape ofthe city along William Street will bring it greater visibility.Extending the verge / planting of William Street in each

direction – to the Thames River system of parks to theWilliam Street edge with newentrance points

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north, and to the downtown / William Street bridge to thesouth – will establish strong linkages from the park toits immediate context. Also, by extending thelandscaping to the other side of William Street, theCultural Centre will be better connected to the park, andthe park’s ‘perceptual’ boundaries will extend to thewhole William Street right-of-way, so that whensomeone is walking on William Street (either side), theyare also walking ‘in the park’.

• Regenerating the Thames River edge: Permanentdocking, easily accessible and well lit, is recommendedto begin restoration of the activities and popularity of thewater’s edge. The Stanley Street right-of-way isdeveloped as a new boardwalk connecting WilliamStreet directly to the water with a modest facility forsmall craft launching (no vehicle access). Sets offloodplain gardens with interweaving paths encouragegeneral everyday strolls through the lower plain of thePark and loop into the larger path network system. Newpermanent pathways should accommodate seasonalflooding of the Thames River.

• Improving the Sixth Street Connection to KingStreet: The Sixth Street Cenotaph square is improvedby bringing more of the Park into the King Streetprecinct. Increased landscaping, special pavement andframing elements leading to the pedestrian bridge arerecommended to more closely connect the activities of‘main street’ to the Park. The relationship of TecumsehPark to King Street and to the Thames River is afounding core of the city, and this linkage is a criticalcomponent of programming, of heritage and of physicalconnectivity.

Master Plan Design Concepts 4

View of William Street Gardens

Section through William Street

Stanley Street boardwalk and docking

Cenotaph Square

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.2 Context - Park Network Connections

Tecumseh Park, although physically separate, nevertheless is partof an immediate network of parks along the Thames River andMcGregor’s Creek, including Fred Collins Park, Zonta Park at thecorner of William Street and King Street, the open spaces behindKing Street and on the opposite bank, the Chatham-Kent CivicCentre plaza, and the open spaces of the Chatham Health Networkinstitutions. It is recommended that this system of immediategreen spaces be considered as a integral precinct, and thatimprovements and regeneration to all these areas be coordinatedand interconnected. The Master Plan promotes thisrecommendation by:

• Creating a McGregor’s Creek walk with a correspondingpath / gardens shown on the ‘King Street side’.

• Developing a special heritage precinct incorporating theArmoury Buildings, the Registry Building, and the heritagestructures directly south to extend the area of the Park tothe McGregor’s Creek gardens.

• Extending the Tecumseh Park border to include Zonta Parkon King Street and William Street.

• To provide small craft launching points at McGregor’sCreek and at Tecumseh Park to promote more use of theThames River for affordable and sustainable recreationalong its length, and to bring a new level of connection forthe riverfront park system.

Master Plan Design Concepts 4

Promontory

McGregor’s Creek Walk

Zonta Park and South Precinct

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Within the park, more paths that meander through gardens andborder activity areas like the children’s playground and thebandshell create a more cohesive inner network within the parkboundaries. These paths are shown as looping systems wheredifferent lengths of walks through the park are available to allusers. These pathways include:

• The William Street edge and gardens• The Floodplain Garden pathways• The Bandshell looping system connecting to the Stanley

Street boardwalk and to the Floodplain Garden• The new Heritage Terrace that connects the southern

precinct of the park from William Street to the Sixth Streetentrance to the Promontory.

• The McGregor’s Creek Garden and Path connecting thePromontory to the east areas of the park.

Master Plan Design Concepts 4a - Park Network Connections

McGregor’s Garden

View of Floodplain Gardens andCentral Pathway

Floodplain Garden

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Master Plan Design Concepts 4a

.3 Landscape Regime

The natural landscape of Tecumseh Park, as noted in the Phase 1report (Appendix A), has been damaged through over-compactionof the soil, past maintenance practices (now discontinued), andlack of a directed plan for replanting. The present species in thepark (70% silver maple) does not represent the amazing array ofSouthern Carolinian species that are available and indigenous toTecumseh Park. The facing diagrams show the areas inTecumseh Park where existing trees should be removed for safetyreasons, and where new planting of indigenous species andunderstorey planting can occur. For the full Arborist’s report withcatalogue and mapping, please refer to Appendix B. The Part 1Analysis Report, which includes an elaborated landscapeobservations and strategies, can be found in Appendix A.TheMaster Plan recommendations address these conditions by:

• Immediate removal of trees designated ‘dangerous’ in thearborist’s report (Appendix B)

• Air-spading to aerate soil particularly around compactedroots at existing trees

• Develop planting strategies that reduce areas of requiredmaintenance

• Designating areas for high traffic turf design (i.e. close tothe bandshell)

• Dispersing the Jaycee Garden into a set of linear gardensthat create a special perimeter to the park that complementthe new path network

• Creating areas to explore special species available – theFloodplain Garden, understorey planting, wildflower andgrasses along McGregor’s Creek – to make a variety oftypes of landscapes and gardens part of the wholeexperience of Tecumseh Park.

• Planting a new generation of trees to represent the naturalindigenous heritage.

• Preventing cars from driving on green areas of the Park.

Low maintenance turf design

Winter colour

Understorey planting

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Master Plan Design Concepts 4a

.3 Landscape Regime Tree Removal and Planting Strategy

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.3 Landscape Regime New Tree Canopy Master Plan

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To address the issue of vandalism, soil compaction, seasonal use,and more constant use, the Master Plan recommends severalstrategies for programming. Most importantly, the use of the Parkfor large events that attract thousands of people should be re-directed to larger parks in Chatham-Kent, like the Thames Grove.Large events attract not only large crowds on the damaged lawns,but also attract vehicles driving over the park to set up facilities etc.The use of Tecumseh Park should be limited to small and mediumsized events (maximum draw 3,500 people) that would not preventthe enjoyment of the popular Chatham Concert Band, but wouldencourage more constant use on an everyday basis. Thesemeasures are addressed by:

• Creating a terrace - a special hard surface area of thepark adjacent to the Armoury for medium size events thatwould permit crowds of people to use both supportinfrastructure in a renovated Armoury, new washrooms,and special attractions like an artificial skating rink,fountains, and heritage displays. The ‘Heritage Terrace’creates a direct and very public way from an entrance pointat William Street past the Armoury to the Promontory,creating a special route where heritage displays would bedeveloped. The Terrace could also run alongside aproposed archaeological dig that creates an ‘outdoormuseum’. By setting a side a special zone in the park forthose events that could best use hard surfaces (and theinterior of the Armoury), a new zone in the park can berestored – the Tecumseh ‘Common’.

Master Plan Design Concepts 4

.4 Programming

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• Restoring the Tecumseh ‘Common’: The relocation ofthe Jaycee Gardens to a perimeter set of gardens, allowsthe restoration of the ‘Common’, a generous lawn centredbetween the Armoury and the Bandshell that was originallyused for picnics, ball-games, and general recreation. The‘Common’ reinstates the ‘space’ of Tecumseh Park andalso encourages a casual and spontaneous use of thespace by keeping it open and interpretable. It is notrecommended that a specific recreational use be given tothe Common, like a ball diamond, but that it be kept openfor public use and spontaneous kinds of recreation.

• Creating opportunities for all-season uses: TheHeritage Terrace program includes an artificial ice rinkwhich would bring intensity to the Park in the winterseason. A renovated Armoury could provide space forchanging skates and hot chocolate stands, accompaniedby a winter market.

• Bringing back the Thames River: By providing a smallcraft launching point – which does not include provisionsfor cars/trucks with trailers – at both the Stanley Street rightof way and McGregor’s Creek, a looping system of smallcraft use is encouraged. As noted above, the regenerationof water recreation will also encourage linkage of the parksalong the Thames River. Bringing new attention to thewater’s edge with the special Floodplain Garden and newpathways and docks, will also encourage a constant use ofpeople enjoying the scenery of the Thames River and thePark’s gardens.

Master Plan Design Concepts 4a - Programming

Plan of Tecumseh Common

Plan of Tecumseh Common

Heritage Terrace - Ice Rink location

Thames River edge