Amonate, VA: Calhoun Pocket Park Conceptual Design

Abstract

Amonate Always has been working with Virginia Tech’s College of Architecture, Arts, and Design (AAD), including the Community Design Assistance Center (CDAC), to improve the quality of life in the historic coal camp since 2024. After an extensive inventory of the town in 2025, the original parsonage site of the Amonate Methodist Church was identified as a suitable place for a pocket park. Amonate Always recently purchased the site and, since the house no longer remains, the community would like to create a small pocket park on the site for community use. Following an internal design charrette at CDAC in March of 2026, two preliminary design concepts were created and presented to the community on April 11, 2026. With feedback from this meeting, a final design concept was created and presented to Amonate Always and the community at the end of April 2026. This project is the first of many to be folded into a broader Community Revitalization Plan to be developed throughout 2026 for Amonate. The goal of the park, to be named Calhoun Park by local residents and those with ties to the camp, is to encourage healthy lifestyle habits like walking and play outside, protect pedestrians from street traffic, and create a community gathering space.