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Bangor city officials want to get a local public park designated as a historic place. City officials believe Cascade Park along State Street in Bangor deserves to be added to the National Register of Historic Places because of its 90-year history in the city. The picturesque park also holds some unique water features that set it apart from Bangor’s many other public green spaces, said Tracy Willette, Bangor’s parks and recreation director.
“It certainly holds a significant place here in Bangor, both for residents and those from outlying communities who have come to Cascade Park for a variety of events,” Willette said. “We host a fair amount of weddings and family gatherings every year and it’s a popular destination for graduation photos.” The National Register of Historic Places, overseen by the National Park Service, is a list of more than 98,000 properties throughout the country that are deemed worthy of preservation due to their historical significance.
Properties on the list are eligible for federal grants and tax incentives to help rehabilitate and maintain the site. If accepted, Cascade Park would be the first public park in Bangor to be added to the Register of Historic Places, according to Willette. Applying to get it on the historic places register is the first step in a multi-year plan to spruce up the area.
Built in 1934, the 6.6-acre park was part of President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal and was the brainchild of then-Bangor city manager James G. Wallace, according to the city.
Its original design featured a waterfall and a stream that eventually empties into a pool with a fountain, which are still there today. An Oct. 18, 1934, Bangor Daily News article reported that between 1,000 to 3,000 vehicles visited the park each night to see the fountain’s water display.
“It’s a pretty unique place,” Willette said. “We agreed pursuing that historical place designation would be an important part of its history.” While Cascade Park has received periodic maintenance over the years, it has been 35 years since the last significant investment was made in it, according to the city’s master plan for the area.
Knowing this, the city enlisted a consultant to help draft a plan to improve the resources to keep it safe, operational and beautiful. Some of the major improvements slated to happen in the years to come include constructing a new gazebo, replacing the fountain and adding a building with restrooms and storage on site. Additional changes include having a topographic survey done to determine the park’s boundaries and launching a tree monitoring program to keep the trees in the area healthy.
The latter could be especially important when emerald ash borer, an invasive bug that wreaks havoc on ash trees, arrives in the city, putting the more than 8,000 ash trees in Bangor at risk. The city’s parks and recreation department plans to begin the historic places register application process later this fall..
