Our Friday series has flashed back once or twice to the construction of Parker Harding Plaza.
But with the much-disliked-but-also-much-used parking lot (not really a “plaza”) back in the news, it’s time to take another look back.
Parker Harding — named for Emerson Parker and Evan Harding, civic leaders who had a hand in its creation — was built on landfill, in the postwar years when Westport was growing like lanternflies.
From the beginning of Main Street in the 1700s through the 1950s, the Saugatuck River lapped up against the backs of buildings on its west side — first homes, then businesses.
It may have been picturesque. But the sewage pipes that emptied directly into the river were definitely not.
Here is what construction of the then-modern, much-needed parking area looked like:
(Photo courtesy of Christopher Maroc)
John and Mary Kowalsky, watching Kowalsky Brothers equipment create Parker Harding Plaza. (Photo courtesy of Christopher Maroc)
(Photo courtesy of Jim Ezzes)
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