Beyond the Bridges Workshops

New London Landmarks moves into another phase of its Creative Placemaking Project over the next three months.  As part of a grant to revitalize the Hodges Square Business District and preserve and enhance the beauty and possibilities of Riverside Park, three workshops are being offered at Winthrop School to engage the public about these spaces cut off from the city’s center by Interstate 95 and the twin spans of the Gold Star Memorial Bridge.

On Wednesday, September 19, “Design Ideas for the Park Workshop” will be led by two University of Connecticut landscape architects, Associate Professor Peter Miniutti, A. S. L. A., and Madeline Schad. The workshop seeks to hear from neighbors and friends of Riverside Park about amenities they would like to see in the Park with the goal of developing a Master Plan for Riverside Park.

On Thursday, October 18, the “Hodges Square Business Community Workshop” will be led by Art Costa and Jerry Sinnamon. In this workshop, the two will discuss the information garnered from surveys centered upon the assets in the Hodges Square Business District. The open forum will explore ideas with residents, businesses and entrepreneurs who are interested in Northeastern New London. The goal is to create a sustainable, residential, commercial, educational and recreational community.  

On Wednesday, November 28, the “Riverside Park Neighborhood Design & Ideas Workshop” will follow up on ideas collected from the September workshop. The purpose is to explore more specific ideas for the Park and the Neighborhood and begin plotting new uses on large maps of the park and neighborhood. These workshops will continue through the spring of 2013 to create the Master Plan for Riverside Park and the Historic Neighborhood.

CREATIVE PLACEMAKING for the Riverside Park Neighborhood is led by New London Landmarks, with the City of New London and a coalition of Riverside Park Conservancy, the Neighborhood Alliance and all who care about reconnecting this area of New London with the City. This project is made possible by a grant from the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) and the Office of the Arts.

For more information about the Creative Placemaking Project call (860) 442-0003 or visit www.NLRiversideArt.org or www.newlondonlandmarks.org.