For a week, a block of Avenue J will showcase a possible future for Downtown Lubbock.

Texas Tech and the city of Lubbock have partnered to launch the Urban Stage demonstration project Oct. 30 through Nov. 7. The project involves the renovation of a block of Avenue J between Broadway and Main Street.

The block will be closed to traffic for the duration of the project.

The purpose of Urban Stage is to illustrate for the public a downtown that is economically, socially, culturally and environmentally sustainable, said David Driskill, director of the university’s Urban Tech program.

The street project includes artistic and architectural elements. On Wednesday afternoon, Tech students were installing several visual art pieces, along with practical modifications. The sidewalk near 1104 Avenue J has been extended to support tables, chairs and umbrellas for outdoor dining. Potted plants have been brought in to create a sense of shade.

Christian Pongratz, a professor in Tech’s College of Architecture, said the aesthetic of the project, including the color scheme and materials chosen, was designed with youth in mind.

“We asked ourselves ‘What are young people interested in?’” he said.

Throughout the duration of Urban Stage, the street will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sidewalk food options will be provided by Giorgio’s Pizza, Lee’s Home Cooking, Emma’s Mexican restaurant, the Twist’d Texan Food Truck and others. Yellow House coffee will be available in the Lubbock National Bank Pocket Park each day from 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m.

Urban Tech will also host a series of special events throughout the week, such as an Oktoberfest, fun run and local music showcase.

Chris Martin, a Tech student who organized the entertainment for the festival, said he worked hard to find bands with a distinctively Lubbock sound.

“It actually surprised me how much good local music is coming out of this town right now,” Martin said.

Acts such as Dalton Dominio and The Man and the Medicine will perform. Two-time Grammy-winning polka/rock band Brave Combo will perform at the Oktoberfest event.

Driskill said Avenue J was chosen to host Urban Stage because it links the city’s arts district with the rest of the downtown area. This, he said, gives it the potential to become a major thoroughfare for entertainment, business and residential life.

Driskill called the question of whether or not to invest in renovation of Lubbock’s downtown a “serious issue” not only for the city, but for Tech as well.

In his experience, he said, one in three potential new faculty members turn down a position at Tech because of the city’s mostly-gutted downtown.

blake.ursch@lubbockonline.com

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