In a word - no.

Where are you?

Kansas City area.

Is it too messy looking for a specimen? Too 'blah' when not in bloom? Just not a reliable grower/bloomer?

Too blah, not dense enough a grower, so it tends to look weedy.

Do you know that there are smaller ninebark/Physocarpus such as 'Tiny Wine'?

For specimen planting look for tree-like shapes. Plants that have a significant vertical presence, as though a person, sculpture or statue was standing there.

If you have a 12x12 space, why not use a Ninebark. One of the even slightly smaller ones wouldn't need pruning at all except perhaps to remove entirely some of the oldest stems ever 3 or 4 years, which is the correct way to prune all Ninebarks.

I've looked at images of Tiny Wine and Little Devil.... Most of the photos look like juvenile plants though, and I'm wondering what they're like at maturity. Would just one be attractive standing there, is the form nice enough? And would the stature set it apart from the boxwood and spirea? However, with the Magic Carpet adjacent to this space those colors would be amazing.

Summer Wine is also very pretty with the cascading appearance of the branches, especially in bloom. That growth habit would be a nice contrast to the serviceberry and other shrubs. From my reading, it looks like that one will require annual pruning to maintain a "fountain" shape - more than that 3-4 year selective pruning like you suggest Laceyvail (that's what I do with my weigela, too). I don't want something to start looking like Jabba the Hut is sitting there...... Which goes to your point, Embothrium.

Quite honestly, I will probably be the one to do the pruning because I won't want someone else to go out there and just start chopping at things.

I do love the idea of a purple leaf... and the mid-summer blooms of Summer Wine...

We'll see what the neighbors think... what they like... it's a committee effort.

But after looking at all these ninebarks... I'd like to have at least one in my yard - love the purple!

what about a paniculata hydrangea of some sort?..not evergreen but I love them..I have a few iteas and I leave them because I have space..and my yard is a rustic woodland but I wouldn't buy another..not thrilled with them..

Mike - thanks, I will take that as good advice.... Evergreens are definitely hard to find fault with.

Nicholsworth - I LOVE hydrangeas and have several in my yard, but this entryway spot will be somewhat exposed to the sun, and a hydrangea will never get enough water there. It will be cost prohibitive to water these plantings enough to keep any hydrangea looking good (or possibly even alive).

I know what you mean..breaks my heart when I see a scorched underwatered hydrangea in commercial spaces..tend to forget that lots of places don't have my tree canopy and require much more watering..

I am using a Jane magnolia in a similar location, sunny and high visibility. The new buds are pretty in the winter, the flowers in early spring, and green leaves in the summer. Fall is nothing special though. No maintenance on my part.

An unspectacular plant Also, while it is fine with me, mine is suckering and becoming a colony. Would recommend a more dwarf sort of Fothergilla. Interesting flowers, briefly, in Spring, and spectacular Autumn foliage.

I love both of those plants - the magnolia and the fothergilla. I actually have a few Blue Shadow fothergilla in my backyard. I will suggest those.... sounds now like the committee wants to keep things really low-growing in that particular spot -- they're concerned about visibility coming in-and-out of the cul-de-sac.

Thanks all.... we'll see what they (we) come up with by spring!

I grow both Iteas and I like them. They are almost evergreen in my climate zone, keeping their red leaves nearly all winter and letting the new spring leaves push them off. They have very pretty flowers in spring.. I wish they didn't sucker, but that's easy to manage. Here's one showing fall color. A 12x12 space would accommodate three of them.

Another red leafed plant to consider is Cordyline Festival or Jurred.

Another plant that comes to mind are Nandinas. Lots of cultivars to choose from. They're evergreen and many have wonderful winter colors. They are quite vertical. They sucker slowly.

Fothergilla is possibly my favorite shrub. Very pretty early spring flowers, attractive summer leaves and spectacular fall color. Deciduous.

I do love fothergilla, too.

I think everyone is leaning toward a Korean Spice Viburnum right now.... but it's not set in stone yet.

Viburnums are great shrubs too.