Lake & College

Lake & College

Lake & College was built in 2005.  Below is the original vision and site plan for the Lake & College Project. 

Our vision continued north where we created a very strong focus on performance art (Union Station, the CornerStone, and Wing are committed to visual arts). The connection to the park allows the building forms to be the backdrop as well as the linkage across Battery Street. The project creates an edge to the park that provides warmth and comfort, access and visual experience, and a range of amenities that will serve and compliment the public urban park.

The design for this important waterfront location is based on the current zoning law that allows construction to a height of fifty feet above Lake Street north of College Street. We believe in a project that is pedestrian friendly. The property abuts the Battery Park extension to the west. The goal of this project is to create a design that connects "local" mixed-use functions with public access. To insure this, a pedestrian linkage from Battery Park Extension to the Waterfront has been developed with a central overlook, stair, and elevator system whereby the public can walk from the park through the project to the waterfront. Thirty percent of this project is common area.

We constructed a pedestrian friendly streetscape along Lake Street that invites people into the businesses, shops, performing arts facilities, and the pedestrian promenades. A mix of exterior designs gives the look of several individual buildings like seen on lower Battery Street. Our focus is on local businesses, with an independent film movie theater, a black-box performance theater, and a restaurant, with daily rental spaces for meetings, lectures, receptions, presentations, and performances.

Our Atrium creates a view corridor at the corner of College & Lake. There are 60,000 square feet of commercial space throughout the project - focusing primarily on local retail and office uses. This commercial activity is connected to the mixed-use/performing arts redevelopment offering a wide variety of interests to the retail and office visitors. Offices, shops, cultural spaces, and public areas create a very local experience with great views for all functions.

We have insured that the Battery Park Extension creates a central focus. We improved the steeply sloped embankment into a beautifully terraced usable environment for the public. Therefore, we provided access and use of land underutilized because of the steep slope. We created approximately 18,000 square feet of new city park space plaza. We offer a series of pedestrian friendly "local" businesses and shops staggered along Lake Street’s edge which provides a pleasing mix of visual beauty, local character and charm. Small spaces house locally owned businesses, shops, and retail stores. The office space on the second floor houses local businesses. Along Battery Park Extension you see the flicker of exterior and interior lighting for both the Black Box Performing Arts Theater and the Film House. The performing arts elements enliven the park and create a spectacular offering for citizens and tourists to enjoy Burlington and its remarkable arts and cultural community.

The architectural style uses brick, stone, slate, with copper roofs, and traditional local materials. It is accented with New England forms and geometry. Dormers, awnings, roof elements, and porches allow the connected structure to carry this human scale throughout the development. The punched window elements and the combination of canvas and millwork that has special detail and texture allows the viewer to feel pleased with the mixed-uses provided. At this site that which once was a black top parking lot and embankment retaining wall, the Lake & College Street Project creates a human-scale environment that promotes public access, mixed-use environs, cultural amenities, and an architectural backdrop to Lake Champlain.

This project was built with sustainable principles that strongly adhere to environmental and social guidelines. Main Street Landing received Silver LEEDS certification from the U. S. Green Building Council for the Lake & College Redevelopment Project.  Lake & College also houses the Lake Mural in the Lake Lobby, and the Endangered Species Wall by Ron Hernandez.  It is also a permanent facility housing local visual art and sculpture. 

Find out more about the Lake & College Project here [pdf]