In downtown Raleigh, North Carolina, Nash Square is just a stone’s throw from the North Carolina State Capitol, the new Raleigh City Hall building under construction by Henning Larsen and RATIO Design, and North Carolina Freedom Park.
Reed Hilderbrand was selected by the city of Raleigh to steer the Nash Square Public Realm Plan, aimed at upgrading the historic node between the Warehouse District and Fayetteville Street.
Renderings haven’t been released, but Reed Hilderbrand affirmed the revitalization plan will protect and cultivate Nash Square’s existing, beloved canopy of deciduous and evergreen trees.
The Nash Square Public Realm Plan is meant to “harmonize” the “new City Hall and adjacent public and private developments” underway today, city of Raleigh officials stated.
The plan likewise prioritizes conserving existing plant life while also transforming the plaza into a comfortable, “beautiful public space for the enjoyment of all,” Reed Hilderbrand said in a statement. Reed Hilderbrand principal John Grove described Nash Square as “a nucleus of public life” on the precipice of revitalization.
“Rather than thinking of this as a self-contained reiteration of the existing park,” Reed Hilderbrand senior associate Lydia Gikas Cook said in a statement, “our team is interested in looking at the broader urban context—particularly the evolution of downtown Raleigh—and positioning Nash Square as critical to the fabric of everyday life: a space that builds civic engagement and promotes community, while still honoring the city’s rich history.”
For next steps, site analysis and community outreach will take place through March. Reed Hilderbrand will develop the concept plan by June 2026, and the draft masterplan is slated for September. Final plan review will take place between October and December 2026.
Reed Hilderbrand is designing the project in tandem with Raleigh Parks Planning Supervisor TJ McCourt, local landscape architecture firm Toole Design Group, McAdams Engineering, Bartlett Tree Experts, and Site Works. A Gang of Three is helming engagement and wayfinding strategy.