Plan of Watkinsville
A Vision for the Future
The Arts Community
Few organizations play such a defining role in Watkinsville and the area as the Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation (OCAF), and few are located as prominently, with the Foundation occupying the old school campus next to Rocket Field. Indeed, the arts are so important to the community that it has nicknamed itself "The Artland of Georgia."
The Plan of Watkinsville strengthens the link between OCAF and Main Street. As the Foundation grows, and potentially requires more space, this proposal allows for an addition to the front of the existing building at the end of School Street, reminiscent of the historic school house that burned. The Municipal Hall is situated so that the southeastern wing works with the old gymnasium and the restored school house to create a multi-level plaza with an artists’ market at the entrance to the OCAF campus.
The Municipal Hall features the central Hall of the People, which has murals, commissioned from the local arts community, which depict the history of Watkinsville and Oconee County on the vaulted ceiling that opens to the cupola. This will be one of the first things a visitor sees once they come into the hall and look up through the opening in the floor above, and will put both the arts community and our humble beginnings as a central focus.
The Chamber of Commerce and Fall Festival
Playing an equally vital role in community life is the Chamber of Commerce, which hosts the annual Fall Festival, located downtown in the area between the courthouse and OCAF, primarily on Rocket Field. Originally conceived as a fundraiser to build the current library building in the 1970s, the Fall Festival brings numerous merchants, vendors, and artists together for a day-long celebration of small town life.
With the festival growing to regional significance in recent years, merchants have found themselves squeezed into any available space in the three-block area, which often has the effect of creating disconnected pockets of activity rather than a cohesive festival atmosphere with a strong central focus. Unifying the area into one continuous greenspace would make a enhance the vibrancy of the festival, allowing all areas of the festival to be linked together.