Plymouth Town Meeting commences Saturday, April 6, at 8 a.m., at Plymouth North High School. At the meeting, 162 representative members from our town’s 18 voting precincts will gather to discuss and vote on 21 warrant articles, ranging from the general budget to purchasing lawn mowers for the Parks Department. You could argue that Plymouth’s […]
Author Archives: Bill Fornaciari - Independent Correspondent
Posted inHistory & Architecture
Taking stock of a rare roof in Plymouth
With the current effort to draw attention to one of Plymouth’s overlooked Revolutionary heroes – Mercy Otis Warren – perhaps it’s also time to highlight the home she and her husband shared in our town. Otis Warren, a friend of Abigail Adams and author of the first full account of the American Revolution, lived at […]
Posted inHistory & Architecture
A local fish tale about a man with a vision and a rooftop boat
If you’re a long-time resident of Plymouth, you almost certainly remember Mayflower Seafoods on the Plymouth waterfront. For me the restaurant evokes both fond memories of a now deceased business and some not-so-fond childhood memories of being forced to eat fish, whether I wanted to or not. My parents were cafeteria Catholics; they picked what […]
Posted inHistory & Architecture
The lowdown on why Plymouth doesn’t have tall buildings
Plymouth is not known for tall buildings, but there are several notable exceptions. The zoning bylaw limits the height of a building to 35 feet in most areas of the town, though certain inclusion zones – Cordage Park, areas around Long Pond Road and parcels along Commerce Way – allow construction up to 45 feet […]
Posted inCulture
Plymouth is full of historical artifacts. But where to store them?
Dostadning. It’s a mashed up Swedish word combining death and cleaning. It was derived by Swedish author Margareta Magnusson who wrote the book “The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning” in 2017. The basic premise is to purge your life of possessions so it does not fall to your children to deal with them. I […]
Posted inHistory & Architecture
Hospital’s Brutalist wing is now just brutal
My editor recently suggested I do a column about ugly architecture in Plymouth. Not an easy task, as architecture can be so subjective. Buildings loved by some may be despised by others. It then occurred to me that there is a building almost universally panned in Plymouth….except by me, of course! The building in question, […]
Posted inHistory & Architecture
All aboard: There was a time when Plymouth had three train stations
There’s a piece of Plymouth history that has forever frustrated me. That’s why I’m seeking assistance from readers of the Plymouth Independent. You have reached out to me for additional details every time I write a column – it’s been incredible. Now I could use your help. Bear with me while I detail a piece […]
Posted inHistory & Architecture
Cruising back in time to visit Plymouth’s ‘Gasoline Alley’
I’m an architect, so people always ask me what my favorite building is. That’s akin to asking a parent who their favorite child is. (Confession, for me it’s my daughter Micaela. But then again, she’s an only child.) But there are a few buildings that I absolutely love, and one is here in Plymouth. It’s […]
Posted inHistory & Architecture
Thoughts for food: Savoring the old days of grocery shopping in Plymouth
With the recent snowfall of Jan. 7, no doubt many of you cried out: “We need to go to the store for bread and milk!” Really, have we become so afraid that we might starve if we go two days without bread and milk? Absurd as it may be, it got me thinking about where […]
Posted inHistory & Architecture
Famed landscape architect’s designs in Plymouth are plain to see
Given our town’s prominent role in the country’s early colonial life, perhaps it’s no surprise that the Gilded Age is a slice of history that hasn’t been explored in depth in Plymouth. But it is an era worthy of attention (even more so now with the interest generated by the HBO series), and I’ve devoted […]