Have you ever wondered why Springfield looks the way it does? Why is the highway there? Who put City Hall where it is? And just what is a campanile anyway? Opening Saturday, June 8, the Springfield Museums are excited to present Designing Downtown, an exhibit that aims to answer these questions by exploring not only the history of the downtown area but also centuries of designs for Springfield’s cityscape that were never brought to life.

The designs featured in the exhibit include maps, drawings, blueprints, and more created by local citizens as well as nationally known city planners. By putting these unused plans together, visitors can see not only Springfield as it could have been but also how the modern city came to be.

“The Wood Archives has a tremendous collection of blueprints and designs for local landmarks like Memorial Bridge or Court Square, but the archive also houses copies of designs for Springfield that were never used,” states Springfield Museums Archivist Zoë Cheek. “By putting these unused plans in the spotlight, ‘Designing Downtown’ shows Springfield as envisioned by architects, artists, and citizens.”

While viewing Designing Downtown, visitors will be able to recreate a 1908 vote on the design of City Hall and explore renowned landscape designer Frederick Law Olmsted Jr.’s plan for a “Washington Mall” design for Court Square using touchscreen technology.

“This exhibit brings you right to the center of our city’s past. Springfield has transformed many times over the years and will continue to change,” explains Curator of History Elizabeth Kapp. “Designing Downtown places you in the middle of what Springfield could have been and leaves you wondering what our future city may look like.”