Lemon Street Park

Lemon Street Park City of Lancaster, Lancaster County, PA

A Revitalization Capstone to the Block
The City of Lancaster Redevelopment Authority had the vision to transform its vacant site into an outdoor gathering space now known as Lemon Street Park. To reimagine the site and celebrate its history, it enlisted the support of the nearby Press Building, a historic printing and binding warehouse that now accommodates both residential and commercial uses.

Meaningful Design Features Give New Life to Historic City Block
RGS used the site’s history to inspire its revitalization. Our team took the stone that was once removed from the Press Building’s foundation during its renovation and repurposed it for the construction of the Lemon Street Park’s seat walls.

Going beyond basic functionality and structure, the circular movement of the Press Building’s former printing equipment and rolls of paper inspired Lemon Street Park’s customized design features; from its main circulation route to minor details such as its seat wall hand grips that serve as skateboard deterrents

Thoughtful Landscape Design Leads to Lower Maintenance Requirements
At RGS, we understand how successful public spaces are used and enjoyed. Our Lemon Street Park design provides both landscape ‘prospect’ and ‘refuge’ for those who use its new seating areas as a place of urban respite. Our thoughtful planting design responded to lower-maintenance requirements while still providing multi-seasonal interest with varied foliage textures, colorful blooms, and dried seed heads.

As a part of the Lemon Street Park design project, our team successfully reconfigured the neighboring Press Building’s existing stormwater detention area to capture run-off from the park’s hardscape features while improving the former basin’s function and aesthetics. As a result, necessary stormwater management systems now blend seamlessly with the park’s greenspace, pairing both form and function.

Customized lighting solutions created with Windward Lighting Studio address essential safety and security issues. They illuminate tree canopies, pavement edges, and a building façade that forms this park’s northern boundary.