Landscape Characteristics Pearl Street Mall is evaluated according to a series of landscape characteristics that describe its tangible and intangible aspects. These characteristics collectively create the historic character of Pearl Street Mall and assist in describing its historical, architectural and cultural importance. Pearl Street Mall and its individual features are documented according to seven landscape characteristics: spatial organization, circulation, structures, objects, small-scale features, vegetation, and views and viewsheds. Spatial Organization Pearl Street Mall is a linear space that encompasses four city blocks and extends from building facade to building facade. This linear arrangement, supported by a common vocabulary of materials, features, and vegetation that extends for all four blocks, creates Pearl Street Mall’s distinctive spatial character. Pearl Street Mall’s spatial character is defined by its composition of a central urban corridor, flanked by a defined space along each building edge (clear of features or plantings). While this pattern remains consistent between blocks, variations occur by block such as the open space at Boulder County Courthouse between 13th and 14th streets. The distinctive central urban space is characterized by a ground plane of brick paving set in a consistent, repetitive pattern that extends across all four blocks. Each block includes art, play or gathering set with the central urban space, providing a unique spatial character to each block. The notable ground plane of brick paving, accentuated by rows of mature shade trees and punctuated by planters and gathering nodes that vary slightly between blocks, and Pearl Street Mall’s consistent width and scale creates a unified urban space. The spatial organization contributes to the historical and architectural significance of Pearl Street Mall.
Figure 1-11. Pearl Street, pre-construction, 1954 (source: Colorado Aerial Photography Service)
Figure 1-12. Pearl Street, 1976 (prior to completion) (source: Colorado Aerial Photography Service)
Figure 1-13. Raised brick planter with groundcover and shrubs, 2020 (source: Mundus Bishop)
Figure 1-14. Mature canopy of both deciduous and evergreen trees, 2020 (source: Mundus Bishop)
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