GRAND RAPIDS, MI - For nearly 50 years, Calder Plaza has stood as a vast open space big enough to host downtown festivals, political rallies and concerts.

That takes care of about 40 days a year. But what can you do there for the remaining 320 days of the year?

The plaza that connects the iconic La Grande Vitesse by Alexander Calder with Grand Rapids City Hall and the Kent County Administration Building begs for something to make it more user-friendly, according to its critics.

"We've heard everything from, 'It's perfect,' to 'Blow it up and start over,'" said Andy Guy, chief outcomes officer for Downtown Grand Rapids Inc. (DGRI). "We've also heard a lot of feedback that we should make it more inviting and comfortable as a public space."

DGRI leaders are hoping to explore the possibilities over the next month, starting with a public meeting on Tuesday, June 28, between citizens and urban planners who have been hired to help "re-imagine" the iconic plaza in Vandenberg Center.



The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. at the 9th floor of the City Commission Chambers in City Hall and include a walking tour of the plaza with DGRI's 17-member advisory committee and city planners.

Guy said the consultants will collect ideas for the plaza through July before submitting ideas to the DGRI staff and board in August. A new vision for the plaza will be unveiled in September, he said.

With 161,000 square feet of open space, the big pad of concrete poses a big question mark for downtown officials. "One thing about that great wide open space is that it's easily programmable," Guy said.

Then there's the legacy of Alexander Calder, who envisioned his giant red stabile as just one element of a work of art that includes the stark International Style of architecture presented by City Hall and the County Building, whose roof bears a large abstract painting by Calder.

"One of the driving goals is how do we honor the plaza's cultural and artistic heritage," Guy said. "Certainly we want to retain the plaza's role as a government center."

Guy said they also want to explore ways to connect the plaza to Monroe Avenue NW and DeVos Place Convention Center across the street. The only connection now is through a staircase that leads into an entrance to the city-county complex.

The committee also is looking at the history of the plaza, Guy said. Drawings in the 1950s had a plaza sited along the river, where DeVos Place is currently situated.

An early 1960s aerial perspective showing the planned urban renewal area downtown with the expected route of I-196 drawn-in at the top.

Other early drawings had a fountain located in the spot where the La Grande Vitesse was placed.

Leading the process is Design Workshop, a Denver-based landscape architectural firm that specializes in developing and redeveloping public spaces.

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Jim Harger covers business for Mlive Media Group. Email him at jharger@mlive.com or follow him on Twitter or Facebook or Google+.