This week Citizen Wausau explores the considered updates to Wausau’s City Square on the 400 Block. For your reference, have a look at these plans. They are not final, but they give a good idea of what is to come.
I am really looking forward to the proposed changes to the 400 Block. Progress, especially progress that will enhance the beauty and branding of our fair city, can be a very good thing. After talking about and planning these changes for years, I think it’s time to get them done.
I like the 400 Block, but honestly? It’s a little bland. It’s a huge expanse of grass and a few benches and tables. For a community so full of creativity and ingenuity, the current 400 Block is a disappointment. It’s not a destination; it’s an afterthought.
The boundary walls will create a sense of intimacy for the block and offer some separation from traffic. The patio area will be ideal for lunches on the Square, with the same idea as the food court seating in the mall. The concrete concert stand will add some visual interest to that side of the block, and it will be less of an eyesore than looking at the slapdash steel structure left in place during the summertime.
Giving the downtown area a sense of identity is important in branding our city. Harvard Square in Boston is brought to mind. That place is a tourist destination because of what it has become for the community, a collaboration of the best of the city, a launching point for commerce and creativity.
We’ve been trying to turn the 400 Block into that for years with all of the community events held there. It’s time to give our downtown community the backdrop it deserves. It’s not “pork”; it’s progress, and our city is due for some progress that isn’t another parking lot.
