Posted: March 2nd, 2006

The search is about to begin for the team that will design Los Angeles State Historic Park (formerly known as “The Cornfield”).

The goal of the competition is to select an innovative and talented multidisciplinary team to combine landscape and urban design, art, architecture and historical/ cultural interpretation to design a concept for Los Angeles’ newest, precedent-setting urban park. State Parks will coordinate the competition in partnership with the Foundation, which will provide organizational and financial resources to conduct the competition.

The competition will take place in two phases. In the first phase, design teams will provide their qualifications in response to an open Request for Qualifications (RFQ). During the second phase, three finalists will prepare design concepts in conjunction with a program of public meetings where your input will be sought.

We encourage you to share this announcement with anyone you believe will be interested in this competition.

Some further details:

Selection - A Selection Committee comprised of technical and community representatives will review the submitted qualifications and select three finalists. Each of the three finalist teams will receive a stipend of $25,000 to enable them to create their conceptual proposals. Public meetings will be held to gather information, ideas and feedback on the proposals from the community. The Committee will then rank the three teams and make recommendations to the Director of State Parks, who will select the final team. That team will then contract with State Parks to create a fully realized conceptual plan for Los Angeles State Historic Park.

Design Challenge - The 32 acres of Los Angeles State Historic Park is the cornerstone of the City of Los Angeles’ plan to revitalize the Los Angeles River corridor and transform this area into a hub, where all social, economic and cultural strata can meet and interact while celebrating the ethnic diversity and cultural heritage of Los Angeles. Visitors to this park should experience the environment through interpretive media and landscape features that recall the historic events of the region while being given various opportunities for educational/ interpretive programming for individual visitors as well as larger groups.

Deadline for Submissions: April 17, 2006

Contact: The Request for Qualifications is posted at www.cscr.dgs.ca.gov/cscr. For further information about the competition, contact Sara Feldman, Southern California Director, California State Parks Foundation, at 213.380.9980 or sara@calparks.org. Questions regarding the RFQ must be faxed to (916) 445-9027, subject: “RFQ-Los Angeles State Historic Park Conceptual Design.”