The old Fairgrounds in the town where I live has seen brighter days. Nearly destroyed in the great tornado of '95, the facility fell into a state of extreme neglect when the former owner, perhaps angry that he was refused permission to develop year-round off-track betting on the site, allowed it to fall apart.

Sketch for a community garden

As it turns out, I was invited by the couple who just bought the Fairgrounds to help communicate their vision for a "gateway to southern Berkshire county" to potential investors. Using their back-of-the-napkin list of vignettes as a guide, we developed a series of completely fictional hybrid Photoshop renderings, fusing photos of the existing conditions with images of proposed activities borrowed from Google image searches. I hope you enjoy the results.

Sketch for a covered farmer's market

 

Sketch for a jogging and bike path connecting the site to town along the river

 

Sketch for possible winter uses, including pond hockey tournaments

 

Sketch for a summer concert with grandstand as backdrop

 

Sketch for a wedding performed on the oxbow

 

Sketch for a picnic near the grandstands and community garden

 

Sketch for a rent-able banquet hall in the grandstands

(Author James Akers is a registered architect and freelance digital and traditional architectural renderer who collaborates with some of the world's most admired architects and business entrepreneurs to create inspired architectural designs, house portraits and architectural renderings in all media, including watercolor, pen and ink, pencil, photoshop and computer. He may be reached directly at 413-250-8800)