Eliot-designed Park Needs Improvement and Money

In 1884, Armenia White, a local philanthropist, donated the 25 acres and $1,700 for the development of White Park. A master plan to redevelop Charles Eliot's 19th century design was recently unveiled.
Photo courtesy of the City of Concord, N.H.

Concord, N.H.-City leaders and consultants recently unveiled a park improvement master plan for several area parks, including White Park, a 25-acre park in the heart of the city. Designed by Olmsted associate, Charles Eliot, near the turn of last century, the park is in need of a major facelift. But the $10 million price tag of the new master plan, and no benefactor to help the cause, has left most city officials saying a revamp would have to be spread out over the next two decades. The landscape architecture and planning firm Copley Wolff of Boston developed the master plan, which includes renovations of Garrison, Merrill and Rollins parks as well. The firm spent a year and half meeting with the city's Recreation and Parks Advisory Committee, residents and city planners for input. Improvements at White Park would include a new multipurpose building, a paved surface to serve as a skate park in the summer and a hockey rink in the winter, and a rearranged parking area. The plan also calls for a restoration of Eliot's original paths and landscape layout. To view the master plan, visit www.onconcord.com.

--Source: Concord Monitor