Park Ridge City Commons

As part of a larger redevelopment of Uptown Park Ridge, Lakota devised an open space and streetscape design for City Commons. The Commons functions as a “front yard” for the landmark Pickwick Theater by framing an elliptical lawn on the opposite side of Prospect Avenue. The library’s main entrance is flanked by a “reading garden” with enhanced paving materials, site furniture, a focal point sculpture, landscape planting, lighting, and signage inspired by the Art Deco architecture of the Pickwick. The open space addresses the pedestrian-oriented, traditional character of the Uptown District by providing circulation that connects the highly-visible intersection to the mixed-use development across Touhy Avenue and the traditional main street that it borders.