Public Open Space and the Evolution of Roosevelt Square in Gainesville, GA

Dale Jaeger, FASLA, AICP Principal Landscape Architect and Preservation Planner WLA Studio

On April 6, 1936, a tornado devastated the downtown Gainesville business district, including the square. President Franklin D. Roosevelt visited and promised federal funds through the WPA. The result was the construction of a new county courthouse and city hall.

Expansive lawns between the two buildings became known as Roosevelt Square.” By the early 1980s, through urban renewal programs, the square was transformed into an enclosed urban park. Through various iterations the Square is a repurposed public open space that retains the character-defining features of the past, while serving today’s community and the future.
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