Akron Life June 2022

photos provided by John Patrick Picard

“Historically, there was a mill on the site and there was a river that went to the site, so we kind of picked up on the natural flow of the river,” Picard says. The stage also mimics nature with columns that look like trees holding up the curved roof. There is improved tech for bands, including a speaker system, power sources and microphones. In addition, the whole plaza is accessible with sloped concrete that connects to surround ing areas such as First Street where event vendors can set up and 1,000 more people can be accommodated. Many aspects of the design are sustainable, including bol lard lights, which light the walkways and are 100 percent solar-powered. “Everything is natural materials. Concrete is a very green material,” Picard says. “It’s an environmen tally friendly space, as it should be. It’s a park.” Green spaces include purple hydrangeas, orange and yellow daylilies and myrtle evergreen ground cover, which stays green year-round and has purple flow

that offer shade but also allow visibility for shows. Plus, they planted two Fraser fir trees so the city doesn’t have to cut down a Christmas tree each year. The new plaza opened last sum mer, with a successful concert series, which returns this sum mer on Thursdays June 23 to Aug. 18. It’s a part of the city’s greater renaissance and comple ments other improvements like streetscapes on downtown sec tions of Lincoln Way, which got new sidewalks, streetlights, acces sible curb ramps, landscaping and more through the ongoing Imagine Massillon project. Downtown finally has a large outdoor gathering place featuring a stage that sits on large letters spelling out Massillon, creating a sense of community. “It’s a destination now,” Picard says. “It gives people of Massillon something more to be proud of.”

ers. The plaza is dotted with thornless honey locust trees, which have featherlike leaves

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