Updated: May 8, 2023

Walawála Plaza as viewed from Main Street at night, with an illuminated water feature in the foreground

Walawála Plaza viewed from the southeast, with people standing on the pavers

Project Update

The plaza and intersection opened on May 5, 2023. 

What is this project going to accomplish?
1st Avenue Plaza was created summer 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.  The City took the opportunity to close a street and covert the space to a temporary public plaza.  Throughout the changing restrictions to combat the pandemic, 1st Avenue Plaza become a location where the community could gather safely outside. The overwhelming support of making the plaza permanent led the City to move forward with this project. 

Walawála Plaza will become a permanent public gathering space and will include:

  • The design creates a flush with the existing sidewalk plaza utilizing pavers. The four existing street trees will be removed and replaced with four new large trees within landscaped areas and four ornamental trees within the water features. Two water features will anchor the two ends of the plaza. Parking will restored on the south end of the plaza including ADA accessible spaces. The signal at 1st Avenue/Main Street will be modified to improve accessibility and the modified use of 1st Avenue. Existing water and stormwater mains will be replaced with the project as well.

  • The City worked with Tamástslikt Cultural Institute on incorporating elements into the plaza representing that the plaza is a historic gathering location of the Cayuse and Walla Walla people. Curved stamped concrete reflects Mill Creek and that 1st Avenue was a trail crossing and gathering place of the Cayuse and Walla Walla people. The Balsamroot Sunflower — inlaid bronze into stamped concrete and planted in the planter areas; Pàšxa "balsamroot sunflower" was prevalent in the valley. The local Cayuse band is known as Pàšxapu, "sunflower people."

  • The plaza will be named Walawála Plaza, meaning "many small streams" in the indigenous Sahaptin language. The spelling of the plaza name is how the name is spelled in the modern written form of that language. The water features represent the "many small streams" within the city.

Project Schedule

Construction of the plaza between Main Street and Alder Street began in October 2022. Reconstruction of the Main/1st intersection and traffic signal began in April 2023. The tentative schedule to have the project fully complete is June 2023.

How will this project be funded?

This project is funded primarily through The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA). Funding from water and wastewater revenues are also being incorporated into the project for the domestic water system replacement and wastewater collection work respectively.