Laconia Downtown vs Tilton Downtown

fatnoah · 03-11-2010, 02:21 PM

For anyone who thinks urban renewal was a good thing, check out this page:
http://www.weirsbeach.com/Largejpgs/...wnlaconia.html

The page features many views of Banks Square, which was the intersection of Pleasant, Main, and Mill Streets.

tis · 03-11-2010, 02:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fatnoah

For anyone who thinks urban renewal was a good thing, check out this page:
http://www.weirsbeach.com/Largejpgs/...wnlaconia.html

The page features many views of Banks Square, which was the intersection of Pleasant, Main, and Mill Streets.

Wow, thanks for posting that! I can remember when downtown Laconia was thriving! How sad it isn't still like that. We went there a lot to shop and I loved Woolworth's and O'shea's when I was little. Or was it JJ Newbury? (sp.?)

AussieDog · 03-11-2010, 07:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fatnoah

For anyone who thinks urban renewal was a good thing, check out this page:
http://www.weirsbeach.com/Largejpgs/...wnlaconia.html

The page features many views of Banks Square, which was the intersection of Pleasant, Main, and Mill Streets.

I grew up in LA during the fifties. Wonderful to see the photos of how the downtown was back then before urban renewal. It seemed like a good idea at the time to some. Who knew? . The southern end of Main St was pretty shabby as I remember. It's to bad someone with vision couldn't have rescued the old storefronts.What a draw that would be now... Oh well.

nvtngtxpyr · 03-12-2010, 08:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AussieDog

I grew up in LA during the fifties. Wonderful to see the photos of how the downtown was back then before urban renewal. ....

Then this might interest you too.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la...18.htmlstory#1

AussieDog · 03-12-2010, 09:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nvtngtxpyr

Then this might interest you too.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la...18.htmlstory#1

nvtngtxpyr;
When I said I grew up in LA I meant Laconia. LA has been a shorthand way of saying Laconia amongst my buddies and I. Sorry for the confusion.

Nice pics of the real LA though...lol

nvtngtxpyr · 03-12-2010, 11:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AussieDog

nvtngtxpyr;
When I said I grew up in LA I meant Laconia. LA has been a shorthand way of saying Laconia amongst my buddies and I. Sorry for the confusion.

Nice pics of the real LA though...lol

I am not from your country

fatlazyless · 03-12-2010, 12:21 PM

Here's something that has been mentioned before by me about the downtown Laconia area. Located just a hundred feet or so from the big intersection of Main St & Union Ave, or Routes 106 & 107; just last spring 2009, the City of Laconia completed construction on a Winnipesaukee River, hand carry, canoe & kayak launching ramp situated on the nicely landscaped City Hall - village green, and it is about 50' from available roadside parking spots, if you get lucky, otherwise more parking is available at Laconia City Hall..

So, downtown Laconia may be a good spot to cartop a kayak or canoe; maybe bring a wetsuit, and roar down the very fast-moving Winnipesaukee River. It's an urban river, with embankments built of stones, granite & mortar with apparently all internal natural rocky obstructions removed sometime since 1822 when the first Lakeport Dam was built. The water can be very cold, and very swift, but what's unusual is that all normal rock obstructions one would expect have been removed so it can be a lot more dangerous than its calmness appears to be as there's almost never any white water. The put-in carry ramp is located about 100' below the Avery Dam.

Locally, the Laconia Fire Dept has a fast rescue team nearby that trains in the Winnipesaukee River for kayak-canoe-swimmer, boater-rescue mishaps such as getting hung up on a bridge support.

Depending on the time of year and the dam outflow from the 44,000 acre Lake Winnipesaukee, the Winnipesaukee River offers up a wide range of different kayaking and conditions, from cold & ferocious to warm & mellow as well as both cold water & warm water fishing for small mouth bass or trout.

It's maybe one half mile down the river, passing under about six very low bridges, to the Lake Winnisquam motorboat launch area that includes parking, toilet, a dock, & two boat-launch ramps. About 100 yards beyond the State of NH - Winnisquam motorboat launch, the Winnipesaukee River enters huge & deep Lake Winnisquam, NH's 3rd largest lake, with a Laconia City public beach on the left, and a defunct, non-operating, NH Dept Environmental Services, waste water treatment facility on the right.

flyguy · 03-14-2010, 11:51 AM

FYI- the Citizen will shortly be publishing a story on this very subject. Recently I shot some aerials at the same angle & altitude as some older ones they have- the differences were amazing. (Sorry- can't share them yet). Watch for it.

I was surprised to see the road was once SO wide- parking on both sides, and 2-way traffic in the middle. Sure have messed that up....

fatnoah · 03-19-2010, 09:17 AM

The things that struck me the most about the pictures were the streets and the number of people out shopping.

Argie's Wife · 03-12-2010, 09:07 AM

There's a city in southern Maine that some of you might be familiar with - Sanford. It had many of the same businesses, same mill companies, similar architecture, etc., that Laconia had/has.

I am from Sanford but Argie is from Laconia. We've had several discussions about the similarities of the two cities. Argie had noted many times that Sanford did not do Urban Renewal, like Laconia had done, so therefore it continued to grow and retained its 'historical-look' on many streets (Main St., School St., Mill St., Charles St., etc.) but that Laconia had made a poor choice when it was decided to go with the Urban Renewal trend.

If you get a chance to drive through Sanford sometime, and especially in the mill section of town, and the streets I've named you'll see some eerie similarities but you'll also note that Sanford has a lot of new growth that you don't see in Laconia.

fatlazyless · 03-12-2010, 09:57 AM

As many are aware, the former Bloom's variety, which for years before was the J J Newbury's, is a huge street level retail space, and has been vacant and 'for rent or 'for sale' for over two years.

At the same time, both CVS and Walgreens have purchased a number of contiguous lots, over on nearby Union Ave, and gone through all the legal, planning, design, and construction phases to successfully build their recently opened, stand-alone, CVS and Walgreen stores & parking lots. Located about 1/4 mile from the downtown Main St area which includes the vacant former Bloom's store, they chose to probably spend a whole lot more rather than renting or owning the former Bloom's.

You know that either CVS or Walgreen could have purchased the old Main St building, former home to Bloom's, which has a huge street level retail space, and placed their CVS or Walgreen in there.

And, they chose not to do that.

So, what happens to the empty Bloom's?

What I would like to see is a honky-tonky, bazaar style flea market complete with a lot of different stall venders.

Laconia is now home to a number of second hand stores: Saint Vincent De Paul, Salvation Army, Morgan Memorial, Too Good to be Threw, a storefront on Main St close to the Gale Library & others. So, as a mecca for 2nd hand stores, why not go & grow with that and get a super flea market started in the former Bloom's.

It could be a bloom'n & boom'n flea market in there, I tell's ya

....the Wal-Mart of all flea markets!

jmen24 · 03-12-2010, 10:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fatlazyless

As many are aware, the former Bloom's variety, which for years before was the J J Newbury's, is a huge street level retail space, and has been vacant and 'for rent or 'for sale' for over two years.

At the same time, both CVS and Walgreens have purchased a number of contiguous lots, over on nearby Court St, and gone through all the legal, planning, design, and construction phases to successfully build their recently opened, stand-alone, CVS and Walgreen stores. Located less that 1/4 mile from the downtown Main St area which includes the vacant former Bloom's store.

You know that either CVS or Walgreen could have purchased the old Main St building, former home to Bloom's, which has a huge street level retail space, and placed their CVS or Walgreen in there.

And, they chose not to do that.

So, what happens to the empty Bloom's?

What I would like to see is a honky-tonky, bazaar style flea market complete with a lot of different stall venders.

Laconia is now home to a number of second hand stores: Saint Vincent DePaul, Salvation Army, Morgan Memorial, Too Good to be Threw, a storefront on Main St close to the Gale Library. So, as a mecca for 2nd hand stores, why not go & grow with that and get a super flea market started in the former Bloom's.

It's a bloom'n flea market in there, I tell's ya

!

Exit 7 off 89, every weekend throughout the summer, its exactly what you are looking for.

trfour · 03-11-2010, 11:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fatnoah

For anyone who thinks urban renewal was a good thing, check out this page:
http://www.weirsbeach.com/Largejpgs/...wnlaconia.html

The page features many views of Banks Square, which was the intersection of Pleasant, Main, and Mill Streets.

Antiques out here feel much better!!

Thanks for posting this fatnoah!!!! Awesome Post!!

Terry
_______________________

03-12-2010, 12:21 PM	#7
fatlazyless Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 8,800 Blog Entries: 1 Thanks: 301 Thanked 1,026 Times in 746 Posts	Here's something that has been mentioned before by me about the downtown Laconia area. Located just a hundred feet or so from the big intersection of Main St & Union Ave, or Routes 106 & 107; just last spring 2009, the City of Laconia completed construction on a Winnipesaukee River, hand carry, canoe & kayak launching ramp situated on the nicely landscaped City Hall - village green, and it is about 50' from available roadside parking spots, if you get lucky, otherwise more parking is available at Laconia City Hall.. So, downtown Laconia may be a good spot to cartop a kayak or canoe; maybe bring a wetsuit, and roar down the very fast-moving Winnipesaukee River. It's an urban river, with embankments built of stones, granite & mortar with apparently all internal natural rocky obstructions removed sometime since 1822 when the first Lakeport Dam was built. The water can be very cold, and very swift, but what's unusual is that all normal rock obstructions one would expect have been removed so it can be a lot more dangerous than its calmness appears to be as there's almost never any white water. The put-in carry ramp is located about 100' below the Avery Dam. Locally, the Laconia Fire Dept has a fast rescue team nearby that trains in the Winnipesaukee River for kayak-canoe-swimmer, boater-rescue mishaps such as getting hung up on a bridge support. Depending on the time of year and the dam outflow from the 44,000 acre Lake Winnipesaukee, the Winnipesaukee River offers up a wide range of different kayaking and conditions, from cold & ferocious to warm & mellow as well as both cold water & warm water fishing for small mouth bass or trout. It's maybe one half mile down the river, passing under about six very low bridges, to the Lake Winnisquam motorboat launch area that includes parking, toilet, a dock, & two boat-launch ramps. About 100 yards beyond the State of NH - Winnisquam motorboat launch, the Winnipesaukee River enters huge & deep Lake Winnisquam, NH's 3rd largest lake, with a Laconia City public beach on the left, and a defunct, non-operating, NH Dept Environmental Services, waste water treatment facility on the right. __________________ ... down and out, liv'n that Walmart side of the lake!

03-14-2010, 11:51 AM	#8
flyguy Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Laconia NH Posts: 383 Thanks: 9 Thanked 101 Times in 20 Posts	Then & Now Downtown FYI- the Citizen will shortly be publishing a story on this very subject. Recently I shot some aerials at the same angle & altitude as some older ones they have- the differences were amazing. (Sorry- can't share them yet). Watch for it. I was surprised to see the road was once SO wide- parking on both sides, and 2-way traffic in the middle. Sure have messed that up.... __________________ Bill Hemmel LakesRegionAerials.com "We have a slightly different point of view"

03-12-2010, 09:57 AM	#11
fatlazyless Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 8,800 Blog Entries: 1 Thanks: 301 Thanked 1,026 Times in 746 Posts	As many are aware, the former Bloom's variety, which for years before was the J J Newbury's, is a huge street level retail space, and has been vacant and 'for rent or 'for sale' for over two years. At the same time, both CVS and Walgreens have purchased a number of contiguous lots, over on nearby Union Ave, and gone through all the legal, planning, design, and construction phases to successfully build their recently opened, stand-alone, CVS and Walgreen stores & parking lots. Located about 1/4 mile from the downtown Main St area which includes the vacant former Bloom's store, they chose to probably spend a whole lot more rather than renting or owning the former Bloom's. You know that either CVS or Walgreen could have purchased the old Main St building, former home to Bloom's, which has a huge street level retail space, and placed their CVS or Walgreen in there. And, they chose not to do that. So, what happens to the empty Bloom's? What I would like to see is a honky-tonky, bazaar style flea market complete with a lot of different stall venders. Laconia is now home to a number of second hand stores: Saint Vincent De Paul, Salvation Army, Morgan Memorial, Too Good to be Threw, a storefront on Main St close to the Gale Library & others. So, as a mecca for 2nd hand stores, why not go & grow with that and get a super flea market started in the former Bloom's. It could be a bloom'n & boom'n flea market in there, I tell's ya....the Wal-Mart of all flea markets! __________________ ... down and out, liv'n that Walmart side of the lake! Last edited by fatlazyless; 03-12-2010 at 12:05 PM.

03-11-2010, 02:21 PM	#1
fatnoah Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 37 Thanks: 0 Thanked 3 Times in 3 Posts	For anyone who thinks urban renewal was a good thing, check out this page: http://www.weirsbeach.com/Largejpgs/...wnlaconia.html The page features many views of Banks Square, which was the intersection of Pleasant, Main, and Mill Streets.

03-19-2010, 09:17 AM	#9
fatnoah Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 37 Thanks: 0 Thanked 3 Times in 3 Posts	The things that struck me the most about the pictures were the streets and the number of people out shopping.

03-12-2010, 09:07 AM	#10
Argie's Wife Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Alton Posts: 1,908 Blog Entries: 1 Thanks: 533 Thanked 579 Times in 260 Posts	There's a city in southern Maine that some of you might be familiar with - Sanford. It had many of the same businesses, same mill companies, similar architecture, etc., that Laconia had/has. I am from Sanford but Argie is from Laconia. We've had several discussions about the similarities of the two cities. Argie had noted many times that Sanford did not do Urban Renewal, like Laconia had done, so therefore it continued to grow and retained its 'historical-look' on many streets (Main St., School St., Mill St., Charles St., etc.) but that Laconia had made a poor choice when it was decided to go with the Urban Renewal trend. If you get a chance to drive through Sanford sometime, and especially in the mill section of town, and the streets I've named you'll see some eerie similarities but you'll also note that Sanford has a lot of new growth that you don't see in Laconia.