New And Improved Patriot Plaza Opens In Towson

TOWSON, MD — There is one more green space in Towson. This week county officials and Towson leaders unveiled the new and improved Patriot Plaza between Chesapeake and Pennsylvania avenues.

"Towson is evolving into a vibrant 21st-century urban center, and this transformed Patriot Plaza brings a modern and elegant but also warm and inviting setting to downtown Towson," County Executive Don Mohler said. “We thank our community and civic leaders who gave helpful feedback that contributed to this design.”

Located between the Historic Courthouse and Circuit Courthouse, the 1.8-acre green space was designed with input from the Towson Chamber of Commerce, Greater Towson Committee, Greater Towson Council of Community Associations as well as the fire and police unions and memorial associations, officials said.

"The new park looks absolutely spectacular, and we’re thankful that County Executive Kamenetz committed to this project and County Executive Mohler brought it to completion," Executive Director of the Towson Chamber of Commerce Nancy Hafford said in a statement. "We’re hoping that next year we’ll be able to host a number of great events in and around this wonderful new public open space."

It cost about $5.5 million to update Patriot Plaza. The project began under the Kamenetz administration, and the late county executive is honored with a commemorative plaque.

"County Executive Kamenetz completely reimagined this plaza," Mohler said.

The redesign included removing an out-of-service fountain and almost 2 acres of concrete and putting green space in its place as well as new sidewalks, seating walls, lighting and pavers.

At the Patriot Plaza ribbon cutting on Thursday, Nov. 15, Mohler said that his predecessor's vision was to extend "the welcoming green feeling from the Courthouse Gardens into the plaza and make it a place where people would want to walk and relax, rather than just hurrying through."

Within the footprint of Patriot Plaza is the Baltimore County police and fire memorial, and tributes to the county's first responders are now more visible, serving as bookends to the space.

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• Patriot Plaza In Towson To Go 'Green' By 2018
• Towson's Patriot Plaza To Open Thursday

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Image via Shutterstock.