Written in Granite: Historic buildings and our connection to them

People, places and things…

It’s not unusual for individuals to feel attached to certain historical sites and buildings and have an emotional connection to them.

Maybe that is why many of us shed a tear when a wrecking ball recently tore a huge hole into the White House, decimating the entire iconic East Wing and ruining the elegant symmetry of the building for the construction of an oversized ballroom for President Trump.

I’m not going to get into the politics of the undertaking, the legalities or the ethics of this estimated $300 million project, but historic urban places have their own unique “personalities,” and individuals can often feel very strongly about them.

Nashua City Hall Plaza is one of these special sites for me. When it was first installed in 1965, a bronze bust of the late President John F. Kennedy stood directly in the center of the plaza, Nashua City Hall’s brick facade and its cement staircase. The symmetry was perfect as one’s eyes would travel straight from the monument all the way up to the cupola and gold eagle statue perched atop City Hall.

A school field trip once took us to visit the famous monument. I recall circling the bust mounted on top of a black granite base with my fellow classmates and gazing upward at JFK’s head. Years later, this very spot became a favorite as a reassuring sign for me whenever I drove down Main Street and was stopped at the lights at the East Hollis and West Hollis streets intersection. I know it sounds corny, but I would look over to my right and see the late president’s handsome face looking eastward to traffic and keeping a watchful eye over the city.

When the plaza was redesigned in 2016, the JFK bust was curiously moved off-center a few yards to the left and repositioned, and he now forever faces northward. Yeah, I freaked out. It’s not the end of the world, but some of us took exception to the decision.

Another site many Nashuans feel a connection to is the Hunt Memorial Building atop Main Street’s Library Hill. As a little girl, I saw the Gothic Revival design with its three-story square tower as a princess’s castle. Whenever my parents drove by it, I marveled at its unique beauty, and I still feel this way today.

At the moment, this former public library, built in 1903 by Cram and Ferguson Architects, is undergoing tower window replacement. It’s a delicate process, and a crane is handling the heavy lifting. From what I understand, these elegant, stately windows are coming from Quebec and will retain the integrity of the original Gothic wooden framing design.

Cram and Ferguson Architects, based out of Concord, MA, has an impressive background, especially in traditionally inspired religious architecture. It’s fantastic that the city has retained these gifted artists under the direction of Ethan Anthony for the Hunt’s ongoing restoration and preservation projects over the years.

The Hunt Memorial Building is a treasure and has been listed on the National Registry of Historic Places since 1971. Mayor Jim Donchess calls it “one of Nashua’s iconic pieces of history.”

But what if the Hunt building was torn down in the name of progress, as so many old buildings meet this fate?

Well, that almost happened. In the 1990s, the Board of Aldermen decided to sell the Hunt building to Grace Fellowship Church for $50,000. Then-Mayor Rob Wagner said “No way” and vetoed the sale.

Here’s to the preservation of historic buildings!