Curtain up at last for new Francis Carroll Plaza outside Hanover Theatre downtown

WORCESTER — With the construction fences cleared out of the way for the first time in years, hundreds of people were able to gather to celebrate the unveiling and rededication of the newly constructed Francis R. Carroll Plaza and Bank of America Stage Wednesday afternoon.

The plaza, which is located in front of The Hanover Theatre and Conservatory for the Performing Arts at 2 Southbridge St., is open to the public and will hold outdoor performances and community events, as well as providing attendees a new space to wait before a performance.

The recently completed pedestrian-only space includes outdoor seating and new art and light installations including a set of tall cylindrical fixtures near Main Street paying homage to pipe organs similar to the Wurlitzer theater organ in the Hanover.

“It’s an absolute joy,” said Carroll, the lifelong city resident after whom the plaza was named. “It’s good to have a home like Worcester — my whole life is here.”

Starting off shining shoes to help support his family when he was a boy, Carroll said he has traveled around the country and the world, but always comes back to Worcester because he loves it here.

Speaking to the crowd, Carroll said the rededication was a “big honor,” and that it was all possible due to a group effort, giving thanks to the City Council, former City Manager Edward M. Augustus Jr. and current City Manager Eric D. Batista.

In the crowd was Paula Police, a volunteer at the theater since it opened in 2008, helping with things like ushering and concessions, who said she and other volunteers had been eagerly waiting for construction to be completed.

“I’m pleased and excited that this day has finally arrived,” Police said. “It’s a beautiful space and I’m excited to see it at night.”

Describing the theater as her “home away from home,” Police she was sad to see the old plaza, which included a fountain and gazebo, go but is excited for people to come and see the new plaza, rather than fences and construction equipment.

Caroline Belanger, a senior at Bancroft School who was with her friends and family, said it felt great to not have the fence around the plaza anymore.

She said she was happy with all of the new plants and trees planted around the plaza, creating a “lovely” environment in front of the theater.

“I’m glad I won’t have to sit near construction while waiting in line,” Belanger said.

Construction began in 2019

Construction began May 1, 2019, with contractors removing trees, an inoperable fountain and a colonnade feature from the spot.

State and local officials, which included then-Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito and Augustus, formally accepted a $250,000 "anchor" grant from Bank of America Oct. 2, 2019.

The grant helped outfit the new plaza, which is part of the city's ongoing Main Street Reimagined Project. In recognition of the grant, the bank had naming rights for the new outdoor stage planned as part of the plaza.

But while the new outdoor stage may get its namesake from the bank, the name of the plaza itself was chosen March 3, 2008, by the three-member City Council Public Works Committee.

The 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.

A local business and civic leader in the city, Carroll was recognized by city and state leaders at the event for his contributions to the city including his effort to have the Korean War Memorial erected on Foster Street and his work as the founder and president of the Small Business Service Bureau Inc., which has been in Federal Square since 1968.

He is also known for his humanitarian efforts, which have included raising money to build the St. Francis Xavier Center, a soup kitchen and food pantry for the St. John’s Food for the Poor Program.

He also spearheaded the building of the Living Memorial Hospital in Vietnam in 1967 which is still open today with some advice from former U.S. President Harry Truman. The hospital was built to honor men from Central Massachusetts who were killed or missing in action in Vietnam.

A 'true son of Worcester'

Mayor Joseph M. Petty said Carroll was a “true son of Worcester” and deserved to have the plaza named after him, and that it was “worth the wait” after seeing the end result of the construction.

“We are eternally grateful for Frank Carroll’s contributions and I cannot thank him enough for all that he has done for us,” Petty said. “This plaza will be an additional public space for workers and residents from across the city to sit and enjoy themselves.”

The crowd also heard from Batista, State Sens. Robyn Kennedy and Michael Moore, and City Councilor Candy Mero-Carlson, who all thanked Carroll and spoke of his contribution to the city.

They also thanked, among others, Troy Siebels, president and CEO of Hanover Theatre, and Ed Shea, market president of Bank of America in Central Massachusetts, both of whom spoke to the crowd.

Siebels said the new plaza will help “heighten” the perception of theater with the public and create opportunities for engagement.

“We will program the Bank of America Stage with block parties, lunch hours, happy hours and other kinds of events,” he said. “We will outfit the stage in the plaza with theatrical lighting and sound systems to support anything from a solo acoustic musician to a full band, a dance performance or children's theater.”

Shea said he was excited to see the project come to life and that he was proud to be sharing the “historic” unveiling.

The stage, which is located near the front doors of the theater, will serve as a “catalyst” for future growth in the city, he said.

When officials were finished speaking, the crowd watched as Carroll, surrounded by officials near the new Bank of America Stage, cut a red ribbon, signaling the plaza was officially open to the public.

Afterwards, attendees were given a preview of what’s to come in the future, with "Fiddler on the Roof" actors Andrew Byron and Tori Rich performing a song from the show and more live music from Dan Gabel's Stoptime Revue featuring Kimberly Hawkey.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Francis R. Carroll Plaza opens outside Hanover Theatre in Worcester