Pedrick’s Garden to be “an extension of Falls Park”
A new garden and green space may soon replace a portion of a parking lot in Greenville’s West End, pending approval of the design by the city’s Design Review Board on Nov. 7.
At the meeting, the DRB will review designs submitted by Craig Gaulden Davis Architects to redevelop a portion of the parking lot located behind the West End Market near University Street. The City of Greenville owns the property and will redesign the parking lot to a one-way lot with angled parking spaces.
The green space will be named Pedrick’s Garden, in honor of Pedrick Lowrey, a member of the Carolina Foothills Garden Club who led that club’s involvement in preserving Falls Park, serving as co-chair of the fundraising campaign for an endowment. Lowrey died in 2010 after a seven-year battle with cancer.
The new park is really an extension of Falls Park, says Ed Zeigler, president of Craig Gaulden Davis, and will replace an overgrown ravine area and replace the existing bridge connecting the West End parking lot to Furman College Way.
The theme of the park is sunflowers, and plans call for a sunflower fountain and a lawn area with benches. A raised observation platform and bridge will overlook the Carolina Foothills Garden area and Vardry Creek. Materials used will be similar to those in Falls Park to tie them together, said Ziegler.
Funding is a combination of the Pedrick’s Garden Fund, established by her family at the Community Foundation of Greenville, fundraising from the Carolina Foothills Garden Club and money the city had already set aside for the project.
Construction is expected to begin after the holiday season, and Zeigler hopes the garden will be completed by late spring 2014. The West End parking lot will remain open with some areas closing as needed as construction progresses.
