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By AMY CALDER
Staff Writer 10/07/2007

Designed to help rebuild Waterville and boost a withering economy following World War II, the project included the razing of more than 80 buildings, including homes and businesses, downtown. Many were located along Charles Street, which ran parallel to Main Street through what is now The Concourse.

The former Morning Sentinel building on Silver Street anchored one end of Charles Street; the other end joined Temple Street.

Over the years, Charles Street housed automobile dealerships, a skating rink, municipal parking area, a tavern, fish market, dry cleaning shop, bus terminal and various retail businesses. By 1960, downtown merchants were feeling threatened by construction of the Elm Plaza shopping center off Upper Main Street. The downtown's valuation was decreasing and it had an old mill-town look.

The controversial plan for improving downtown pitted merchants against each other, with some saying the renewal project was a must to create a better business center and others claiming the project should take place in a location other than the city's center. They suggested Head of Falls, which later would become targeted as the city's second urban renewal project (the North End was the site of a third). That effort included demolishing buildings and relocating the Wyandotte Co. Mill from the riverfront to West River Road. The Charles Street renewal project was funded by the federal Better Communities Act and led by Paul Mitchell, now a member of the city's Planning Board. The project ultimately was hailed as a great success -- and one of the most significant developments ever to be undertaken in Waterville.

Many displaced Charles Street businesses moved to other buildings or constructed new ones.

The Concourse began to take form. A Cottle's Food Center opened on The Concourse in 1966, replacing a former, smaller Cottle's store on Spring Street. The new store -- the first business to open in the urban renewal area -- was said to be the largest supermarket in Maine. A Zayre discount store opened next door.

Another adjacent building opened on The Concourse that year, providing homes for businesses that moved from Main Street. Two of those -- The Villager Family Restaurant (which at one time was called Verzoni's) and Yardgoods Center -- remain pillars in The Concourse.

The shopping plaza has been an evolving entity since the 1970s. Zayre closed and an Ames store opened in its place; Ames filed for bankruptcy in 2001 and closed in 2002.

The Cottle's eventually would become a Shop 'n Save, which ultimately closed. More recently, a Brooks pharmacy operated out of the space but closed this year when it was sold to Rite Aid. In 1997-98 a $1.2 million construction project would give a new design to the plaza. Parking was reconfigured, trees planted, new lighting erected and a sculpture called "Ticonic," was created by North Whitefield artist Roger Majorowicz, purchased by the city for $80,000, and installed at the center of The Concourse. The sculpture moves with the wind.

On the east end of the Concourse, a large store remains vacant since CVS pharmacy last year moved to its store on Kennedy Memorial Drive. The building's official entrance is located on Main Street.

Amy Calder -- 861-9247

acalder@centralmaine.com

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