How do you transform a fortress into a front porch? The AT&T Tower entry plaza presented exactly this challenge. Originally designed to meet stringent security requirements, the monolithic plaza stood as a barrier rather than an invitation. Now reimagined for multi-residential use, the design team faced the valuable opportunity of adaptive reuse—layered with the complexity of strict historic review guidelines at state and national levels that required preserving original character while reusing historic materials.
The solution treats the entry plaza as an open-air foyer, where pedestrian movement flows naturally and the space comes alive with purposeful furnishings. Oversized planters, fireplaces, and water features choreograph moments of pause and connection, encouraging residents to linger in this threshold space that bridges private sanctuary and public realm, while also providing key amenities such as a dog park at the tower’s footstep.
Native plantings follow bold, blocky patterns that echo the building’s architectural rhythm, carpeting the ground plane in living texture. Large canopy trees anchor the original vegetated zones flanking the plaza, their branches providing much-needed softening and shade to the hardscape terrace below. What once felt impenetrable now welcomes—a gathering place where neighbors meet, relax, and build community in the heart of the city.
