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Small-Scale Features

Design Principles

• Small-scale features should add diversity and dimension to the landscape and should not be dominant nor should they become landscape "features" in and of themselves.

• The number of signs actually required and the strategic placing of them in the landscape should be thoughtfully determined. Signs should be constructed of natural materials found on site; should be of the proper scale according to their purpose; and should be legible.

• Functional aspects of drinking fountains (i.e. pipes) should be naturalistically masked by the use of materials found on or appropriate to the site.

• Guardrails and curbing are unavoidable necessities in parks and therefore deserve to be planned thoughtfully. Stone is more permanent than wood; however, each must be considered for its native suitability. Changes in coping levels reflect nature's natural rhythms. The barrier should flow along parallel with the grade of the road or walk to be harmonious in the landscape.

• Picnic tables may be built entirely of unmilled wood or stone, or they may be contrived combinations of both materials.

• An open fireplace is appropriate for outdoor cooking and a chimney is functionally unnecessary. A skillful manipulation of a few large boulders -- to suggest a natural arrangement -- is in the best park character.

SIGNS

1. With one exception, no historic signs remain at Rim Villages. Existing signs should be replaced as part of a comprehensive sign plan for Rim Villages.

2. Consideration should be given to reestablishing the historic motifs when constructing new signs. Signs throughout Rim Village should be rustic in character, constructed of unmilled wood or logs with rough log or stone bases that are consistent with existing structures. Signs can be stained to reduce maintenance and enhance visual continuity (see TYPOLOGY: Small-Scale Features, signs).

3. Directional and informational signs serve different purposes and should appear different. Directional signs for vehicular traffic should be relatively large in scale and readable from a distance. Informational signs orienting pedestrians to buildings and features should be smaller in relation to directional signs, although both should be similar in form and material.

DRINKING FOUNTAINS

1. All three drinking fountains in the promenade area, including the two incorporated into the parapet wall and the one west of the Kiser Studio, are historic and should be retained, rehabilitated, and maintained in good working order.

2. Other drinking fountains at Rim Village, including the one near the Plaza Comfort Station and the pipe/bubbler types located throughout the former campground, do not (as individual features) contribute to the historic landscapes. If these drinking fountains are retained, consideration should be given to redesigning them in a more appropriate style (i.e. encasing the water pipes in a single boulder).

3. The water feature in the former campground near Comfort Station No. 2 is a unique design element of the historic landscape and should be preserved and maintained in good working orders.

4. New drinking fountains should be sited according to functional needs and designed to reflect the historic character of Rim Village, and be fully accessible.

CURBING

1. Stone curbing along roads and parking areas throughout Rim Village is historic and should be retained whenever possible.

2. Prior to construction, an assessment of the existing curbing should be undertaken (in areas where historic curbing will be retained) to identify damaged curbing. Damaged areas should be rehabilitated to conform with the existing historic curbing whenever possible.

3. When roads and parking areas are removed, historic curbing along Rim Village Road should be salvaged for use as needed in the repair, replacement, or addition of curbing in the new design.

PICNIC TABLES

1. Picnic tables throughout the former campground at Rim Village are not historic and can be removed. If picnicking as a use is to remain in the design program for the site, new picnic tables should be designed based on appropriate historic prototypes.

2. All picnic tables should be sited in forested areas where the scale, mass, and material composition of the tables is appropriates.

FIREPLACES

1. Rustic fireplaces constructed in the historic campground no longer exist, and none of the existing fireplaces are historic. If the park wants to retain picnicking at the site and provide fireplaces for day-use visitors, consideration should be given to removing non-historic fireplaces and siting one or two larger and more rustic fireplaces in a central location to accommodate several parties.