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Terminal, bridge show hope for city
Janruary 13, 2007
Gloucester is in the midst of a major economic struggle, with demands that far exceed the money available to pay for them and a fishing industry that is a shadow of what it once was and due to shrink some more.
But there are bright spots on the city's horizon, bringing hope that the future will be better.
One is on the waterfront, where the fishing industry once dominated. At Rowe Square, where two unused storage buildings once sat, a $6 million marine terminal and function hall is under construction and due for completion by Memorial Day. CruisePort Gloucester, the venture of developer Frank Elliott, is evidence that the city is becoming a destination for cruise ships. There have already been stops by Holland America cruise ships, with more in the works now that there is a port to service arriving tourists.
While that will not replace the city's fishing industry, Gloucester's proud history as a fishing port is one of its major draws, with the potential for thousands of visitors looking to visit and spend money in downtown shops and restaurants.
The upper level of the facility will have a 6,500-square-foot ballroom and a 2,400-square-foot kitchen and feature panoramic views of the inner harbor.
Besides the cruise business, Mayor John Bell, an enthusiastic supporter of the terminal, sees the possibility of other water transportation, including ferries to Provincetown, Nova Scotia and other destinations.
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And then, several miles from the harbor, is the A. Piatt Andrew Bridge, which has stood for 57 years and has been the major connection for most of that time between Gloucester and Rockport and anywhere else. It is a critical segment of the last couple of miles of Route 128.
The bridge, a 460-foot engineering marvel across the Annisquam River, will undergo its first major structural renovation this summer. When the work is completed, it is expected to be named to the National Register of Historic Places.
Indeed, the history of this bridge reflects not only its existence but is a tribute to one of Gloucester's most prominent citizens. A. Piatt Andrew was a World War I veteran, a director of the U.S. Mint, an assistant secretary of the Treasury and the state's Sixth District congressman from 1921 until his death in 1936.
Certainly this bridge deserves that kind of recognition. As historian Joseph Garland notes, it brought a self-contained, isolated community into the sphere of Greater Boston - a change greater than any other single event in Gloucester's existence.
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