The Circle That Holds A Community

Figure 1

     As one strides through the streets of Lansdale with the chilling wind blowing across their face and hearing the horn blare of the old metallic square Septa train pulling into the station, a wandering eye can spot the jewel of this town 12 steps past the train station. A simple open space with a peculiar black ball at the center that looks almost like a fountain. When approached less than five feet away, one can begin to hear the steady flow of water from the bottom of the ball and see tiny ripples coming from the bottom pushing out. Almost like the water itself pushes the massive sphere up. Due to this water the ball feels wet and sticky, akin to a slime texture, while also making the black ball extremely reflective like a circular 3D mirror. When studied for more than five seconds it becomes very apparent that this ball is indeed moving slowly in a consistent circle, similar to the earth moving on its axis from day to day. What’s just been discovered is the Kugel ball (Figure 1.), the center piece and most distinctive feature of Railroad Plaza. “There’s not many of those in the world actually,” local business owner and member of the local Lansdale borough government, owners of the Railroad Plaza, Bill Henning remarks. Mr. Henning, an older gentleman with a few aged wrinkles on his brow, has a full head of dark jet-black hair with a five o’clock shadow, and a calm welcoming aura that allows him to be connected to the people of Lansdale. “If you say Railroad Plaza most people don’t know what you’re talking about but if you say the Kugel ball they know where you’re talking about,” Mr. Henning declares. The Kugel ball has become a symbol and local landmark of the plaza where people come together for comradery, fun, and a sense of community.

    Looking past this interesting wonder a wandering eye may begin to notice the unique design and architecture of the plaza. “An architectural firm was hired to design it in 2000, and the Borough and Septa won an award for the design of this plaza,” Mr. Henning comments proudly. Originally starting off as an empty parking lot for the train yard until the late 1990's the new owners (Lansdale Borough) were given free reign to do whatever they saw fit for the space. This pushed the architects to think of new and innovative ways to gain tourism for the community, which led to the idea and implementation of the Kugel Ball. As to the design itself, starting from the ground one would observe there’s a peculiar number of circles made of brick that seem to expand from the Kugel ball. The first circle being a light gray brick color directly under and in contrast to the dark gray base of the Kugel ball (figure 1). The wider second circle is comprised of a dark gray brick lining the top, then a white/light gray middle, followed by another dark gray lining the bottom. The Third circle is incomplete mixing with the surrounding architecture to fill in for its gaps. Two three-foot-high stone steps in a curved shape facing the Kugel ball, designed to allow kids and parents to easily sit down and rest together fill these gaps. In between the second and third circles are white brick lines akin to wagon wheel spokes connecting the circles together. Past these circles and directly behind the Kugel ball, a structure resembling a stage appears.

Figure 2

The stage itself lays bare except for a single bright tall cream white pergola (Figure 1), which is typically used to provide shade and with that relief from the blistering sun. Astonishingly for this wide, roof-free, circle-like plaza there’s only two other pergolas. Both of which can be seen 10 steps away from the center of the stage. To the right and left signifying two different entrance and exit pathways for the plaza. Looking past the architecture it becomes quite apparent how green and lush the plaza truly is. Strong and sturdy foliage surrounds the edges of the plaza from the front (main) entrance to behind the stage. Filled with a mixture of bushes, trees, and flowers that bring out the color in contrast to the desolate gray concrete floor (Figure 2). Due to the openness of the Plaza, with no shrouded edges in sight, the atmosphere feels very calming and inviting. The natural light of the sun permeates and contributes a feeling of safety and security for all who enter and utilize the plaza. With the plaza’s openness, easy accessibility, and beautiful garden design one gets the feeling that this space comes from a loving and welcoming community.

Figure 3

    Residing in the main downtown/residential area on Main street, you’ll see “families, adults, and kids just walking in,” and out Mr. Henning exclaims with glee. “Not only is it accessible to the train station, but also the restaurants and the businesses, there’s no limitation to what can be done here,” Mr. Henning expresses. Anything from protests to church group meetings, pride parades, and health fairs can have their time in the spotlight raising for a cause or just for fun. The main event attraction of this plaza however, is what’s locally known as First Friday. A night event held on the first Friday of every month where local businesses create a theme and set up stands for events and food allowing the plaza to be used to its fullest (Figure 3). These themes can range from Star Wars to Marvel where some participants express their sense of community by dressing up as their favorite characters. 

Besides First Fridays, Mr. Henning’s favorite event held in Railroad Plaza is the November Zombie Walk. An event where participants dress up in self-made costumes as some sort of undead creature and slowly walk through Main street. While the atmosphere of the plaza wouldn’t seem to lend itself to the zombie theme, one year “we actually put red dye in in it [referring to the Kugel ball], it didn’t come out quite as we hoped it actually looked like water down Kool-Aid,” Mr. Henning chuckles out. That year was the most participated Zombie Walk in the decade with the kids appreciating the effort and attempt to enhance the event on their behalf. No matter what event unfolds in Railroad Plaza there's smiles, laughter, happiness, and families together enjoying the space with their neighbors.

On a day-to-day basis there “might be a group of kids hanging out, and people go to the restaurants. I see people eat lunch here like that gentleman right now.” Mr. Henning remarks pointing towards a man with a bright neon yellow landscaping shirt and cargo pants sitting on one of the plaza’s black benches. Within a minute the man left, leaving his trash on the bench next to the west entrance pergola by the stage. Almost like divine intervention and a physical demonstration of how central this plaza is to the community, four middle school aged teens biked by and stared at the bench. With a confused and inquisitive look the second tallest teen gets off his bike and wanders up to the bench chucking the stained coffee cup and wawa bag into the trash can that’s only five feet away. Expressing in a whispered tone “that’s just lazy” to his friends, he quickly mounts back on his bike and the teens start to race to the nearby train yard parking garage.  

    Whether it’s used as an event space or for daily recreation, Railroad Plaza is an integral part of the lives for those that call Lansdale and its surrounding community home. A common refrain heard and used in Lansdale by both kids and adults alike is ‘I’ll meet you at the Kugel ball.' However, the plaza is more than just bricks placed in a unique shape, and much more than a fancy Kugel ball fountain. While they may be what makes the plaza the gem attraction of Lansdale, this circle is truly the heart and soul of the community.