Parks are ubiquitous. There are all types and they can be found in every state, city and town in America.
There are water parks, underwater parks, parks with peaks, parks with canyons, Arctic parks, amusement parks, as well as just the plain-Jane-type parks with rolling lawns and an old-fashioned bandstand.
Concord has a lot of them. Let’s take White Park as an example.
White Park is a small park that does a big job. It was conceived in 1884, and at that time it reflected what was considered to be the classic role of a city park.
Its architect, Charles Elliot, incorporated verdant lawns, a pond and tree-shaded paths that lent an atmosphere of tranquility to a community of growing and well-maintained homes on the park’s perimeters. With the passage of time, this small park has morphed into something much different from its original conception.
Beginning with the addition of the swimming pool, the park began a new era of serving a different clientele. A neighborhood of stately single-family homes began to become multi-family homes and more family recreational demands were addressed.
The park’s winter attire focused on skating, and the addition of a skate house was welcomed. I remember spending many happy winter hours in the 1960s skating on the ice after I got out of work at night. During this metamorphosis, it still had managed to retain some of the bucolic concept of the original park.
Today, it is a very different park.
Gone are the sprawling lawns, replaced with lots of parking for cars. The park’s few remaining open spaces have become a popular spot for inconsiderate dog owners to teach their pets how to soil the walks and lawns, much to the disgust of responsible pet owners.
A century ago, a couple could spread a blanket and enjoy the quiet tranquility of White Park on a lazy summer afternoon. Good luck finding a spot today without slippery dog poop.
If you look at a topographical map of the park, you will see that hardly a spot is left for quiet reflection and contemplation. It’s completely filled with sport venues.
The problem with complaining about how crowded the park has become is that it’s much like saying the problem with cemeteries is that there are too many dead people there. This small park has given just about all it can give, and now it is asked to do more.
There are new demands to change the park once again. The plan calls for a new multi-use community building. Poor old White Park is asked again to deliver the goods to a new audience, including a growing hockey crowd.
The annual hockey “Black Ice” bacchanal has outgrown this park’s small old skate house and Port-a-Potties. Hockey aficionados, along with others, want a new building that will offer restrooms and other facilities and amenities.
Black Ice sponsors have been generous in their support of White Park, and this new facility will reflect the city’s commitment to include the many friends of White Park in the decision making. This building should be designed to attend to the needs of all park lovers.
The new building should be dedicated to Armenia White, the benefactor of White Park. Her generosity in donating the land was in response to the untimely death of her husband, Nathaniel White, a founder of the American Express Company. We will never know if she would be pleased with what her park has become. She gave us a wonderful gift that keeps on giving.
The new building should be unique and compatible with the park’s original concept. It should embrace the natural beauty of the park’s mature trees and the water feature into its design.
The architects have given us good examples of what a well-designed and thoughtful approach to a modern park building looks like. Its conservative design is in stark contrast to the more radical designs of some of our city’s newer public buildings.
The design for this new building should incorporate as many local building materials as possible, including granite. Locally handmade wrought iron embellishments for exterior and interior elements, including light fixtures, would add a rustic touch rather than the usual commercial trim found in architectural catalogs. This would not add appreciably to the building costs and would inject some local pride in its construction as well as a bit of the nostalgia of the rich history of the park.
Local blacksmiths should be encouraged to offer their services to do this.
The great room would benefit with the addition of large photo murals covering the walls depicting the history of this park over three centuries. A judicious use of some natural wood elements would soften the exterior of the building and lend a more rural park-like appearance. Let’s not forget to add some hardwood trees that will complement this building as they mature.
The addition of a generous amount of permanently mounted park benches for those who appreciate sitting and watching the pond with its classic stone bridge and listening to the sounds of the pond’s water feature is a must.
I would institute a permanent moratorium on any additional parking within the park. There is precious little left of the old White Park, and we don’t need to fill every square inch of it with more parking. For a generation, folks got to White Park by walking or taking the trolley. Cars were anathema.
If we don’t build it soon, then when? It is conservative in design but modern in concept, and will stand the test of time. It is long overdue and much needed. Future generations of Concord citizens will thank and applaud us for using good taste and thoughtful consideration when designing this building.
White Park needs all the help we can give it. The city has budgeted half the cost of a new community building for this park. Matching funds are needed to complete the project.
It’s time for civic-minded individuals and corporate sponsors (American Express, are you listening?) to step up to the plate and give this special park all of the financial help it needs.
There are worthwhile civic projects in Concord besides Main Street. This is one of them.
(Jim Baer lives in Concord.)