Honorable Mention - DMJM Design

Jury Comments

Appreciated incorporation of underused part of the site and using back of city hall for amphitheatre backdrop.
Like the connection to Mill Creek across Rose Street but we are concerned about the location of the bandstand.
Would like to see architecture in keeping with downtown Walla Walla.

A Board B Board

Board Text

Walla Walla runs deep with a proud history and strong sense of the past. It can trace its roots back through the Nez Perce and Lewis and Clark, back to when "many waters" flowed through the land. The design of the Walla Walla Market Station celebrates the importance of water as an all-important resource.

The water flow and pedestrian route of Mill Creek extend across Rose Street into the site, with primary and secondary water features helping define a new civic plaza and a new gateway into downtown. Harvesting and reuse of rainwater continue the theme of sustainability for Walla Walla.

Adjacent to City Hall, the site features a variety of flexible spaces - covered, open, and shaded - replete with performance area to accommodate community activities and civic functions year-round. The market exists as an organic feature, expanding and contracting when needed. Permanent retail space and a bus shelter under a sculptural canopy, reminiscent of the foundry arts, buffer the plaza from bus lanes, creating an entry into downtown.

Much like the Walla Walla watershed, the Valley Transit Center and Farmer's Market will play their part in sustaining the community by providing a space of civic importance, a marketplace reflective of artistic and agricultural heritage, and an infrastructure for alternative transportation.

Together, these concepts give the city a new life. By working with water, connecting the community, embracing history, and supporting sustainability, this design does more than revitalize downtown…it welcomes the new Walla Walla.