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Special Reports
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| A shot from the 1961 holiday shopping season shows a downtown bustling with foot and car traffic. (Sun Chronicle File Photo) |
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BY GEORGE W. RHODES SUN CHRONICLE STAFF
ATTLEBORO - At the ramshackle end of its life, the Sugarman Building, which once housed jewelry and box-making companies on South Main Street in the heart of the city, was nothing more than a warehouse for coffins - a somber and potent symbol for the death of an era where the mix of numerous factories and stores downtown created a vibrant center and a vibrant city.
But the Sugarman Building, its coffins and the insidious decay it represented, are long gone, something Mayor Kevin Dumas said residents might easily forget in the rush of daily events coupled with the seemingly plodding pace of seemingly endless efforts at city renewal.
But it's something they should remember when considering the validity of Boston Magazine's designation of Attleboro as one of the best places to live in the Boston area, he said.
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| Building up the city |
Below are some of the improvements in downtown Attleboro and throughout the city in recent years.
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| Demolished buildings |
Replaced by |
| Blocks on Park, Emory and Pine Streets, early 1980's |
City Hall, retail, office, 1985 |
| Balfour, 1996 |
Balfour Riverwalk 1998 |
| Sugarman Building, 1997 |
Christopher Heights, 2000 |
| Bates and Klinke, 1997 |
| R.F. Simmons, 2000 |
CVS Pharmacy, 2000 |
| Saltzman, 2003 |
Park Place Condominiums, 2005 |
| Small Automatic Machine, 2007 |
Proposed driveway to MBTA lot |
| RENOVATION AND REUSE |
NEW CONSTRUCTION |
Apco-Mossberg site proposed DPW - 2005 Cleaned by EPA
Bliss School for housing - 2006
Swank Building for jewelry
Texas Instruments Building #2 for Bristol Community College - 2007
Old Post Office for Registry of Deeds - 2007 |
Community Visiting Nurse Association - 2005 built on vacant lot on Emory Street
Industrial Business Park on County Street - under construction
Sturdy Memorial Hospital expansion - 2005 |
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While Boston Magazine cited a $60 million revitalization plan for the city, a new industrial business park and reasonable housing costs in its determination that Attleboro is one of the best places to live in the Boston area, Mayor Kevin Dumas said those reasons only scratch the surface of attributes that make the city attractive.
Dumas, who lives on County Street, said his top personal reason for living in the city is its parks - especially Capron Park which he can see out of his front window every morning.
"Having it across the street from my home is phenomenal," he said. "Capron Park has always been a jewel to me. And it improves the quality of life for all residents."
He said the city's library is extraordinary and the city's dedication to keeping its roads in good condition has always impressed him, he said.
As mayor, he said, the city provides services that equal or in most cases are better than in other communities.
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THE GAMBLE: Attleboro
After decades of manufacturing declines, this once-thriving industrial outpost is battling back. Its young, progressive, and openly gay mayor, Kevin Dumas, has opened a bike path, streamlined business-permitting processes, and inaugurated an industrial park. A downtown facelift is under way, and $14.5 million has been committed to the first phase of a $60 million residential complex built around a new bus-and-rail hub. If it also can continue to improve its schools, Attleboro may be poised for another heyday. (Median home price, $283,000; one-year change: -7 percent; five-year change: +20 percent)
- Boston Magazine, March 2008
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TOP Right: Aerial photo shows the Attleboro train station along with South Main, Wall and County Streets.
ABOVE Right: Artist's rendition of the same area but with the downtown reconstruction plan in place.
A condo-retail complex is planned in the area thet is now parking for MBTA commuters. |
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