Plans are afoot to construct a small plaza off the Capitol Square, next to the new Madison Children's Museum at Pinckney, Hamilton and Mifflin streets. The plaza will eventually host performances and an annual street fair sponsored by the Rotary Club of Madison.
The city will raise part of the pavement on Pinckney Street -- similar to how the street is raised in front of the Madison Municipal Building -- and make other infrastructure improvements.
The Rotary Club is donating $30,000 to provide seating and a small concrete stage, where there will be occasional performances in connection with the museum. The Rotary is also providing funding for a public art piece, as yet to be determined. And it plans to hold an annual June festival at the site, starting in 2013.
"It's an underutilized area of the Square," says Laura Peck, chair of the Rotary's Centennial Celebration Committee. "With the Children's Museum coming and the YWCA's rehabilitation, it's going to be a lot more active. It's a corner that could use a significant piece and some pizzazz."