Quincy Square on 4th

Project Announcement (October 25, 2023)

Quincy Square includes two community led art features. The City of Bremerton Art’s Commission convened two ad hoc committees to guide the development of the art features. With the committee’s recommendation, the City will commission works for the project. A call to artists is currently open, and two additional calls will be published soon. See below for more information.

Call to Artists – Sculpture 

The City of Bremerton seeks a professional artist or artistic team for a public outdoor sculpture that celebrates the great Quincy Jones. It should engage people of all ages and abilities through interaction.  This artwork will be a landmark in the City of Bremerton.

The initial call to artists is open from October 18, 2023 to November 19, 2023.  

Direct link to call: https://artist.callforentry.org/festivals_unique_info.php?ID=12525

Figure 1 - Quincy Square site plan showing sculpture location

Call to Artists – Mural 

The City of Bremerton seeks artists for mural(s) depicting the rich African American history of Bremerton with a focus on the great Quincy Jones and music. The mural(s) will serve as a capstone to Quincy Square and will be located on the City owned parking garage at 405 Washington Avenue.

The initial call to artists will be open from late October 25, 2023 to December 10, 2023.  

Direct link to the call: https://artist.callforentry.org/festivals_unique_info.php?ID=12578

Call to Artists – Site Specific Public Art

The City of Bremerton seeks an artist to create a site-specific public artwork for the 4th Street façade of the City’s parking garage at 405 Washington Avenue. The artwork should be a creative solution to bring together several murals depicting the rich African American history of Bremerton with a focus on the great Quincy Jones and music into a cohesive installation. The piece will serve as a capstone to Quincy Square.

The initial call to artists will be open from October 25, 2023 to December 10, 2023.

Direct link to call: https://artist.callforentry.org/festivals_unique_info.php?ID=12579

Project Update

Environmental permits are secured, and the project team is finalizing the bid documents.  In late 2023 the project will go to bid and a contractor will be awarded the project. Construction will take place during the 2024 construction season and will be completed in 2024. Pedestrian access to businesses on 4th Street will be maintained during construction.

In addition to the art selection and upcoming construction there are other project elements that the City is currently pursuing.  

• Activation and Operations Plan - The team is working on an operations and activation plan for Quincy Square to ensure that once construction is complete the Square endures as a destination for arts and culture. A public meeting is being planned to get feedback about potential events and programming that could take place at Quincy Square.  
• Interpretive Signage – The project includes signage that will provide an opportunity to honor Quincy Jones and his connection to Bremerton as well as other influential, inspirational, and trail blazing Bremertonians. An ad hoc committee is needed to assist with the effort and public outreach will be included with this effort. 

If you are part of the Bremerton Community and would like to participate in either of these efforts, please contact Project Manager, Katie Ketterer at katie.ketterer@ci.bremerton.wa.us.

Project Description   

The concept for improving 4th Street from Pacific Avenue to Washington Avenue was developed over the past several years by a grass roots consortium of active and interested citizens, professional groups, and developers. The vision for the block, honoring Quincy Jones, is to revitalize a long-neglected street into an active, housing-based, day-to-night urban center with focused arts, entertainment, and evening-centric retail spaces. The concept compliments and builds on the revitalization of downtown that has been happening block by block over the last two decades and will encourage increased density and housing in the downtown area.   

Mr. Quincy Jones has affirmed his support for the project!   In a letter sent to the Mayor in January of 2018, Jones wrote warmly of Bremerton and gave his full backing to the project. 

Community support for the project continues to build after a successful and well attended public meetings, and the Kitsap Sun published an article in support of the project.  

There is now a website for Quincy Square; you can find information about upcoming events, get behind the scenes looks at the evolution of Quincy Square, and explore the connection between Quincy Jones and Bremerton. Visit at https://www.quincy-square.com/.

Schedule

The City began design of Quincy Square in 2018.  Design will be completed in 2023 along with required permitting. The project will go out to bid in late 2023 for construction in spring and summer of 2024.

Project Funding

The City will receive a $2.5 million grant from the Federal Community Projects Fund for the construction of Quincy Square. The federal grant was championed by Congressman Derek Kilmer and supported by many local agencies and community groups.   

• Kilmer News Release

The City has also been awarded at $1.75 million grant from the State’s Defense Community Compatibility Account (DCCA) program. This grant, in addition to the Federal Grant, and a City contribution of $805,000 fully funds the construction of the project.  

Public Outreach

A virtual public meeting was held via Zoom on January 20, 2022. 36 members of the public attended, and the project team gave a 40-minute presentation and then accepted questions and comments. A copy of the presentation materials including a plan sheet are linked below.

• Quincy Square Public Meeting Presentation (PDF)
• Quincy Square Plans (PDF)
• Quincy Square Public Meeting Q&A Summary (PDF)

In response to feedback received regarding public outreach to the African American Community the City completed additional outreach in late 2020 and early 2021. Below is a link to a booklet that chronicles that outreach effort. Additionally, as described in the booklet, keystone artworks will be solicited and selected by processes supported by the community. This effort has begun in cooperation with the City’s Arts Commission. The Arts Commission solicited volunteers for two committees that will vision and select artists for a large scale painted mural and for a 3-dimensional art piece. Artists interested in receiving the call for artists can sign up for the City’s Artist Registry here.

• Quincy Square Outreach Booklet (PDF)

The City was approached by a group of citizens that expressed interest in changing the name of 4th Street from Washington to Pacific to “Quincy Jones Way”. A public outreach meeting was held in February of 2021 on that topic. Due to feedback from several business owners regarding the cost of the street name change, and considering the Covid 19 pandemic, the City will not proceed with the name change at this time. However, the City will revisit this request at a later date.