San Gabriel Park

Crafting a connected community that transcends generational lines while inviting residents to embrace the outdoors and live well.

GOALS

The primary objective was to re-imagine and fully redevelop this historic park while enhancing its connection to the Randy Morrow/San Gabriel River Trail system, which was also designed and completed by RVi in 1998. Emphasizing harmony with the natural environment, the park improvements aimed to seamlessly integrate the built environment within the landscape. This focus was underscored by habitat restoration efforts aimed at revitalizing three highly degraded springs to encourage the recolonization of the endangered Georgetown Salamander.

OUTCOMES

RVi’s relationship with San Gabriel Park dates back to the creation of a 2015 Master Plan, site assessment and programming, facilitation of public input and surveys, trail connections, and full design services for phased improvements of the park. As the Landscape Architect behind Phases I, II, and III, RVi has continued to shape a place that reflects the shared aspirations and long-standing pride of the Georgetown community.

The design team performed schematic design through construction administration for a full re-imagining of the park. This included restoration of three highly degraded springs as habitats for an endangered salamander species. Through design of new park amenities, our team helped create a new park identity, improving park circulation and wayfinding, and working entirely within the 100-year floodplain with no net increase to the site’s overall impervious cover.

The design team studied existing site conditions to elevate the placemaking assets that truly made the park special. Thin-cut limestone was used on the new architecture, referencing the striations in the bluffs. Extended steel tube latticing on the new pavilions creates dappled light patterns that play across the ground. Paint color was meticulously chosen to ensure the closest resemblance to the bark of the live oak trees surrounding the architectural elements. Pavilions were configured around their specific site locations and designed to maximize views, minimize sun, and foster peaceful environments. The largest pavilion, situated as a natural amphitheater, functions as a multi-use space. Seat walls and running trails extend through building envelopes into the park, allowing structures to blend effortlessly with the surroundings. The park features amenities for all ages, including a plaza style splashpad, skatepark, and the festival grounds for the annual C3 Presents Two Step Inn festival.

In addition, the endangered salamanders returned 18 months after the successful restoration of the springs, ending a 30-year absence.