15 years in the making: Plaza at Hanover Theatre to be unveiled
WORCESTER– The city and the Hanover Theatre and Conservatory for the Performing Arts will host a rededication ceremony of the newly constructed Francis R. Carroll Plaza and Bank of America stage at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday in front of the theater, at 551 Main St.
The reworking of the area includes the closing of the short section of Southbridge Street that runs next to the federal courthouse, making the area pedestrian-only. In addition to hosting outdoor performances and community events, the plaza will feature public art and lights.
On Oct. 2, 2019, state and local officials, including then Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito and then City Manager Edward M. Augustus Jr., formally accepted a $250,000 "anchor" grant from Bank of America to help outfit the new plaza, which is part of the city's ongoing Main Street Reimagined Project. In recognition of the grant, the bank has naming rights for a new outdoor stage planned as part of the plaza.
On May 1, 2019, contractors began removing trees, an inoperable fountain and colonnade feature from the spot.
On March 3, 2008, the three-member City Council Public Works Committee unanimously endorsed a proposal to rename Federal Square Plaza, and the part of Southbridge Street that leads into it, as Francis R. Carroll Plaza.
Carroll, a lifelong city resident, is a local business and civic leader who has been recognized for his commitment to Worcester and to veterans issues, including his tireless efforts to erect the Korean War Memorial on Foster Street. He is also founder and president of the Small Business Service Bureau Inc., which has been in Federal Square since 1968.
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: 15 years in the making: Plaza at Hanover Theatre to be unveiled
