Centennial Plaza offers a bold vision for the City of Canton, Ohio, and its residents. Inspired by the city’s rich history, the design establishes an iconic presence downtown, utilizing a variety of social spaces and architecture that will inspire residents for years to come. The project establishes a central green space for the community and a regional destination for visitors. It is an essential building block in creating a vibrant downtown with the ability to generate day-to-day activities and host major events, serve as the “city square” for the entire community, and provide a memorable landmark for all visitors.

THE WORKING PLAN

The overall goal was to establish a new “public square” for the City of Canton. A cohesive and continuous space is designed to unite community members through music, art, and food. In order to achieve this, the design called for a unifying paving strategy with accessible routes that spanned the public realm (streets) to the private domain (plaza) and from building face to building face along 3rd Street, 4th Street, and Court Avenue. The city also expressed a desire for a more modern appearance to the plaza, one that would present a forward-thinking approach that aligned with their long-term goals of reinventing the downtown core.

MIRRORING THE CITY

Architectural and landscape architectural elements were designed to reflect Canton's principles, qualities, and characteristics. To build on the already strong sense of community and identity, the design team at MKSK utilized materials commonly found in Canton, including locally sourced brick, stone, and metal. Belden Clay Pavers were selected for the hardscape design due to The Belden Brick Company's strong commitment to the city and its ability to manufacture a premium clay paver that would reinforce the plaza's design aesthetic and vision.

The use of clay pavers was critical in achieving the goals outlined above. The long-term durability, color selections, and varied shapes of Belden Clay Pavers allowed MKSK’s design team great flexibility in reaching the final plan. They chose Carbon Black, Ivory Bay, and Landmark City Line Series Pavers to modernize the design and create visual continuity of existing hardscapes.

THE DETAILS

MKSK also worked with The Belden Brick Company to develop custom details for crosswalk and bikeway markings for an integrated paving pattern that continues across the roadways, providing for an experience of one ample space. Rolled curbs provide easy pedestrian navigation during events, and custom paver details provide an elegant, robust, and sustainable paving solution.

Our Architectural Shapes Department designed custom brick shapes for designated directional and bicyclist pavement markings. Our craftsmen carefully produced, then numerically organized, and packaged the installation's unique sizes and patterns to facilitate the installation as working functional pavers.