Newburyport’s claim to fame is the restoration of its historic downtown buildings, but there is one piece of new construction in the 22-acre urban renewal area.
Merrimack Landing at 1 Merrimac St., opposite the Firehouse Center for the Arts, was completed in 1984, but not before three other development projects were tried and failed on what was known for many years as urban renewal Parcel 8.
Parcel 8 was created in 1968 when the Newburyport Redevelopment Authority demolished six or seven vacant buildings that had formerly housed George Gagalis’ barber shop, Ruthie’s Diner and Al’s 66 Service Center gas station on Merrimac Street, and Burke’s Furniture and the Newburyport Hotel on the corner of what was once Bartlet Street. What was left was a vacant lot, 240 feet long, between Market Square and Unicorn Street, about 17,500 square feet in area.
The first Parcel 8 development proposals were received in September 1971. Eight months later, on April 11, 1972, the NRA selected the Merrimack and Atlantic Co. of Salem to develop the land.
In stark contrast to the historic brick buildings nearby, Merrimac and Atlantic planned to construct a modern concrete and glass structure that occupied all 240 feet of the lot. The ground floor was reserved for retail use — including a bank with a drive-through window — and offices would occupy the third floor, but the developers said they were flexible about the uses on the middle floor.
The planned building cantilevered as it rose to its three-story height: the first floor was 56 feet wide, the second 70 feet and the topmost floor 79 feet — faced with concrete.
Publication of a photograph of a design model set off a wave of protest that reached all the way to Washington, D.C.
While petitions objecting to the structure and counter-petitions supporting development circulated through the city, the NRA asked the urban renewal project’s federal sponsoring agency, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Renewal, for a ruling on the parcel’s relationship to the adjacent Market Square Historic District.
The local Historical Commission and recently formed citizens’ group Friends of the Newburyport Waterfront also requested that the National Advisory Council on Historic Preservation study the applicability of the National Historic Preservation Act on the proposed development.
On Sept. 21, 1972, then-Mayor Byron Matthews and other city officials traveled to Washington to discuss the situation with Sens. Edward Brooke and Edward Kennedy, and Congressman Michael Harrington.
That same day, HUD sent a telegram to the NRA, instructing the authority not to convey the land to the developer “until further notice.”
But the very next day, in apparent defiance of the HUD directive, Matthews ordered a building permit issued to Merrimack and Atlantic Corp. Excavation of the building’s foundation began soon afterward.
A “Preliminary Determination of Adversity” report was issued by the National Advisory Council on Sept. 26 and forwarded to HUD, which asked the council to discuss the matter further. The council scheduled a hearing in Washington in mid-November.
The Friends of the Waterfront attempted without success to obtain a court order halting work on the site.
After two days of hearings, the National Advisory Council issued a final report, finding the Parcel 8 design “incompatible” with the neighboring historic district.
The report put the ball back in HUD’s court and, in January 1973, the department advised the NRA to “reduce the incompatibility.”
In April, the authority agreed to draw up an environmental impact statement on the project and ordered construction stopped until the report was completed. Officials of Merrimack and Atlantic told the authority they would have to “re-examine” their participation in the project.
The site remained a large hole in the ground for more than a year. In July 1974, it was filled in.
After repeated inquiries to Merrimack and Atlantic, asking for clarification of its status as developer, the NRA finally “de-designated” the company on Jan. 8, 1976.
Parcel 8 became an auxiliary parking area next to the 212-space Green Street Municipal Lot.
Next week: Part 2 of this story.
Local News
Parcel 8: Urban renewal’s only new building in downtown Newburyport
-
-
After 10 days on the run, dog is home
AMESBURY — After days of wandering, the Italian greyhound Merlin reappeared yesterday morning just like mystical figure he's named after.
Continued ...
Merlin was found in a trap set by his owner. The dog was cold, had lost some weight, had a few cuts and scrapes, and was dirty after his 10-day journey, but otherwise in good health. -
Petitions won't stop nuke plant relicensing
NEWBURYPORT — The chorus of local communities and elected leaders trying to temporarily halt the relicensing of the Seabrook nuclear station is growing, but their petitions alone will not stop it.
Continued ... -
Newbury man sentenced in marina crimes
NEWBURYPORT — A Newbury man has been convicted for his part in last year's wave of thefts that resulted in almost $100,000 in copper wiring being stolen from the docks at city marinas.
Continued ...
Timothy R. Noonan, 35, of 248 High Road, Newbury, was found guilty in Newburyport District Court on one count of larceny of merchandise worth more than $250 in a theft traced back to Jan. 26, 2011, with a worth estimated at between $50,000 to $60,000. Judge Peter Doyle sentenced Noonan to one year's probation. He was also sentenced to a year in jail, though that was suspended — meaning, he will not be jailed initially, but if he violates the terms of his probation, he could be jailed. -
NHS booting up 'From Home' technology program
NEWBURYPORT — Until now, they were almost considered contraband in Newburyport schools.
Continued ...
But a philosophy that had students leaving their smartphones and mobile devices in their locker or backpack for fear they would distract from learning is about to change. -
Memories of Horton Home have lingered vividly throughout years
Back in the late 1920s and early 1930s, there was a facility, the Horton Home, named after the Rev. William Horton, who was well-known for his kindness and benevolence. He was concerned with the poor and elderly because, as they got older and lost their families, many had no place to go.
Continued ... - Trooper at fault in cruiser crash
- Police logs
- District Court
- What it means to truly love in light of Valentine's Day
- Fewer birds at local feeders this winter
- Programs at Mass Audubon's Joppa Flats
- Parker River wildlife refuge offers free programs
- Elder menus
- Church notes
- Church directory
- Bird watch
- West Newbury news in brief
- Heard Around Town
- February 10, 2012
- cat of the week
- Salisbury police officer fired
-
After 10 days on the run, dog is home
LAPD: Houston Found Dead in Her Hotel Room
Paul Suffers Narrow Loss to Romney in Maine
Recording Superstar Whitney Houston Dead at 48
Maine GOP Chairman Says Romney Wins Caucuses
Palin Brings Anti-Washington Message to CPAC
Obama Scraps Birth Control Mandate
US Airmen's Killer Sentenced to Life in Germany
Navy Names Ship for Gabrielle Giffords
Raw Video: Deadly Blasts in Syria
Romney Slams President Obama at CPAC
Gingrich: Pres. Obama 'waging War on Religion'
5 Killed in Wrong-way Crash on I-10 in La.
Uzbek Man Pleads Guilty in Plot to Kill Obama
Denver's Largest-Ever Drug Bust Nets Dozens
Marines: No Punishment for Nazi-like Flag
Vets Look to Translate Military Skills Into Jobs
Raw Video: School Bus Burst Into Flames
LA School Reopens Amid Sex Abuse Scandal
$25B Settlement Reached Over Foreclosure Abuses
Pentagon: Allow Women Closer to Front Lines
