Downtown Waterville Before Urban Renewal depicts downtown Waterville before urban the Charles Street and Head of Falls projects dramatically changed the area. The blue buildings represent properties that survived Urban Renewal. Pink buildings are properties that were acquired and demolished by the Urban Renewal Authority. We invite you to click on each property for more information about each.
The opinions and desires of influential people in Waterville greatly shaped the focus of the urban renewal efforts that took place in the city. A Drive with the Planners: Characterizations of Waterville Neighborhoods in 1966 characterizes the neighborhoods of Waterville as they were described in the 1966 neighborhood report, a document that focused on the potential for urban “blight” in these neighborhoods and informed the decisions of the URA.
How did urban renewal impact businesses downtown? Closed, Moved, or Stayed: Tracking Businesses in Downtown Waterville, 1957-1968 maps which businesses were closed, which were relocated, and those that remained.