From The Fort to the Weather!

On my last post I highlighted a very unique neighborhood in Gloucester made up of homes and businesses. Times change like the weather, what worked yesteryear may not work today.The entire harbor's potential is vastly under utilized, mired in zoning regulation and a fishing industry struggling against government restrictions. The DPA or Designated Port Areas restricts waterfront property for marine related industry only. And here's the problem. The old Birdseye plant is situated on a beach, no deep water provisions for dockage. Because of this the property sits outside DPA regulations as opponents cite DPA uses as a means to stall the hotel proposal. One aspect of the DPA uses is the federal Coastal Zone Management Act which stipulates a waterway and associated waterfront that have been developed for commercial navigation. The Birdseye plant clearly does not front a navigable waterway! The Coastal Zone Managements goal is to“preserve, protect,
develop, and where possible, to restore or enhance, the resources of the Nation's coastal zone.” This is a case where a neglected building has out lived it's intended usefulness and now presents a burden to the community. As I see it a hotel would be an asset to the downtown area(a short walk away)with tourists and business men and women providing an economic "shot in the arm" that would lead the way to a more vibrant downtown and community as a whole. With that being said a hotel development here needs to assure that the neighborhood continues to thrive. The Fort is the living heart and soul of Gloucester's fishing heritage. And that's why tourists come to Gloucester....A real working waterfront made of real hard working people!


Morning sunburst over Salt Island.

A lobster boat passes The Fort.

Taken from the Paint Factory.

Storm surge 2/26/10!

High water laps the foundation.

Bass Rocks 2/26/10.

The power of nature!

Awesome cloud formation!

Color burst appears to the left!

Color burst approaches Thacher Island.

Faint rainbow over Good Harbor Beach.

Herring fleet.

Overcast harbor.

Fitz Henry Lane

Late afternoon profile.

Harbor Sunset

Birdseye plant at night.

The Battle at "The Fort"!

The Fort is a small peninsula marking the entrance of Gloucester's inner harbor. It got it's name from a fort built to protect the harbor during the revolutionary War. The fort itself is long gone replaced with a mixture of residential and commercial properties. The Fort's strategic military importance was taken over by fishing interests over the years.Beginning in the early 1900's Italian fishing families moved in being supported by the fishing industry. In 1925 Clarence Birdseye the inventor of frozen foods built the plant that dominates The Fort's property. Sitting neglected for a number of years and changing hands several times the property is ground zero of a new battle. Jim Davis of New Balance Shoes and also the Cruiseport Gloucester facility now owns it and has plans to develop a hotel complex on the site. A group of Fort residents and a Fort business owner are fighting the development. The Fort is also home of the annual St. Peter's Fiesta and recently the Gloucester Triathlon.
Instead of taking sides with this post I decided it's best to give a photographic tour of what's involved.



The Birdseye tower is ground zero.

The Fort as seen from City Hall tower.

From Pirates Lane.

Ocean Crest Seafood wharf

Beach Court

Birdseye roof!

Beach Court from the water.

During Fiesta time.

104'Ferris Wheel!

Greasy Pole

Portable facilities!

Fiesta food stands.

Carnival ride.

Foggy Fiesta!

Crowd waits the finish of the Seine boat race.

Bikes lined up at St. Peter's Square during the Gloucester Triathlon.

Looking down Commercial Street.

Long stairs.

Tight packed homes along Fort Square.

Looking up to Fort Square.

Cape Pond Ice

Neptune Harvest

Pavilion Beach

Metal Shed

Birdseye Plant street view.

From the parking lot.

Almost empty parking lot.

Schooner Adventure Takes A Major Step!

The sight of the schooner Adventure sailing again is finally getting close to reality. On Tuesday she made her way up the railways for installation of a motor,new spars and sail rig. 122' length she was built in nearby Essex and launched in 1926.She was the last of the dory fishing schooners and worked the Grand Banks until 1953. In 1954 she was sold and refitted for the Maine windjammer trade. In doing so cabins replaced her fish hold and her engine was removed. In 1964 she was sold to Captain Jim Sharp and continued her windjammer duties until 1988 when Captain Sharp donated her to the city of Gloucester.

"Adventure" lines up.

She begins her trip up the railway.

Moving up at a snails pace.

Look close at the keel,it's crooked!

Almost out.

Blocking up the keel as clumps of mussels drip down.

Large chains haul her up.

Rudder

Stern view.

Next to the "Adventure" the Tea Party ship "Eleanor" gets her new copper bottom.

A mini trawler goes by!