Concord, NH‘s New Main Street Sees A Shower Of Awards
Visiting downtown Concord can be a real surprise– just a couple years ago Main Street was a car-friendly place with not much room for pedestrians. But, after a 2-year multi-million dollar renovation, today the Capital City’s Main Street has wider sidewalks, new lighting, gathering spaces between the lines that can facilitate public art, small pocket parks and events, and just two vehicular travel lanes compared to four, as it used to be.
As a result, a plethora of new shops, galleries and eateries have opened, and the once sleepy downtown is full of diners, theater –goes and shoppers. On the heals of the big make over comes a series of awards. The idea behind redesigning the City’s historic Main Street was economic development and access – and with it came creating a friendly and safe place to be and an attractive place to work, shop, dine, and live. However, while the project designed an accessible street for pedestrians, bikers and drivers, it preserved the historic heritage of the city (Main Street in Concord was laid out in 1726). Today, while sitting on the new bench with a smoothie from a local café, city visitors may enjoy the view of historic buildings, such as the 200-year old Norris Bakery building (that is slated to become a new performing arts center), and the New Hampshire State House within walking distance.
All the effort put in redesigning the Main Street did not go unnoticed and the project won six+ awards, including:
New Hampshire Preservation Alliance 2017 Achievement Award for Outstanding Rehabilitation and Revitalization - the annual Preservation Achievement Awards recognizes outstanding work statewide, and the annual Seven to Save list calls attention to threatened or endangered historic resources. The Alliance assists individuals or community organizations interested in creating preservation easements to preserve the character-defining values of a home, farm, or local landmark. Easements that include both land conservation and historic resource protection are a current priority.
American Council of Engineering Companies – New Hampshire Gold Award - ACEC is a federation of 52 state and regional councils representing more than 600,000 engineers, architects, land surveyors and other specialists.
New Hampshire Planner’s Association 2017 Project of the Year Award - The New Hampshire Planners Association was founded in 1970 by a group of planners who recognized the need for a forum to discuss planning issues on a statewide level. The New Hampshire Planners Association helps planners to stay on top of current trends affecting planning in New Hampshire.
American Public Works Association Public Works Project of the Year Award (national award) - APWA‘s national awards program was established to recognize outstanding individuals, groups, and chapters representing the best in the public works profession.
Institute of Transportation Engineers Transportation Achievement Award (national award) - Each year, the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) sponsors an awards program to honor outstanding achievement in transportation engineering and distinguished service to ITE.
ABLE-NH Accessibility Award - ABLE NH advocates for the civil and human rights of all children and adults with disabilities and promotes full participation by improving systems of supports, connecting families, inspiring communities and influencing public policy.
Today Downtown Concord, New Hampshire’s Capital, is the welcoming place for visitors to shop, eat, dive into history, enjoy the arts and explore local craft shops.
