Landscape architect Kristy DeGuire — founder of DG2 Design  — collaborated with Baird Sampson Neuert Architects (BSN) of Toronto on the design and construction documentation for the Old Post Office Plaza in downtown St. Louis. Situated immediately north of the recently renovated Old Post Office, the plaza is home to a celebrated sculpture of Icarus, the mythical figure whose journey inspired the entire design concept.

A Multi-Functional Urban Park

The design intent is to create a flexible, multi-functional downtown park capable of accommodating daily lunch crowds, outdoor movies, public art installations, and casual relaxation. Working within BSN’s master plan vision, Kristy DeGuire translated the “Journey of Icarus” narrative into a landscape of low-maintenance plantings chosen for their visual and tactile qualities — each evoking a key setting in the mythological story.

A Brownfield Transformed

The plaza occupies a brownfield site created by urban demolition, framed on three sides by public streets lined with historic buildings. In combination with the adaptive reuse and restoration of the nineteenth-century Old Post Office, the plaza has served as an urban catalyst: drawing activity back to a long-underutilized corner of downtown St. Louis and reinforcing the vitality of the historic city core.

Collaboration Across Continents

One of the defining features of this project was the close, ongoing collaboration between an international design team. Kristy DeGuire served as the eyes and ears on the ground in St. Louis — maintaining a constant stream of updates, photography, and open dialogue that allowed the full team to respond to the site as structures and plantings were fine-tuned through construction. That attentiveness has continued in the years since, as the plaza and its role in the surrounding urban environment have continued to evolve.

*Completed prior to establishing DG2 Design