Pack Square Park, Downtown Asheville

New for 2010! Downtown Asheville's historic Pack Square has transformed into a beautiful public park with 6.5 acres of public space for visitors to relax and linger. In addition to the Roger McGuire Green in front of City Hall and the County Building, the new park has a large open green space on a slope overlooking the main stage, three water features and original, large-scale art by regional artists. There are many seating areas surrounded by native trees and shrubs. A granite Veterans’ Memorial stands near the courthouse at the northeast corner of the park.

If you enjoy festivals and concerts, Pack Square Park provides a wonderful venue for new events, as well as Shindig on the Green, Bele Chere, Art in the Park, the Greek Festival, the Fourth of July celebration and countless other events traditionally held on the site.

History of Park Square Park
The creation of Pack Square Park enlarges on a project launched in 1901, when Asheville philanthropist George W. Pack donated land to the county that allowed the old courthouse to be removed from the square and a new courthouse to be built on College Street. Pack’s offer required the county to dedicate the historic square as a public park forever. The site was renamed Pack Square in 1903.

The park project was spearheaded by Pack Square Conservancy, a non-profit organization established in 2000 to design and build the 6.5-acre park and to raise the necessary funds. The organization is led by a volunteer board of trustees that includes several founding members. Asheville attorney Guy Clerici is chairman of the board.

The Conservancy hosted 24 workshops and forums to gather citizen input and develop a community vision of the park. The park design, created by Fred Bonci of LaQuatra Bonci Associates, called for extensive redesign of all three sections of the park, particularly the old City-County Plaza, now Roger McGuire Green, and mid-park, now Reuter Terrace. The elimination of several streets allowed these areas to be more closely linked with historic Pack Square, which retained its basic layout, but gained wide brick sidewalks and a handsome new fountain.

Cool off in Splasheville!