Bridge Street Neck: the Lesser Known (But Up and Coming) Historic District of Salem, Massachusetts

Want history? Salem’s got it! Did you know that the Bridge Street Neck Historic District of Salem, Massachusetts was home to one the first American Indian settlements. Or that the famous architect Samuel Mcintyre designed the Thomas March Woodbridge house which sits at 48 Bridge Street? Classic architecture dots Bridge Street’s landscape, so much so that in 1975 the National Historic Register added the area to its roster. But that’s all in the past. There’s a lot happening now to make Salem’s lesser known historic district a highly desirable destination.

Over the last several years this area has gone through some major change – the largest of which, the creation of a bypass road to divert traffic from congesting the streets. To this day, growth continues on the Neck – its recently acquired, shortened name – as it undergoes a $10.7MM (according to the Massachusetts Highway Department) road renovation, benefits from additional investments made by the city and adopts a neighborhood revitalization all of which aim to restore and revitalize the area’s historic roots.

A New Road to…

A construction project taking several years, a new bridge to connect Salem to its neighboring city of Beverly was finally completed in 1998. Instead of commuters passing over a drawbridge, which frequently halted traffic to allow boats to pass underneath, commuters were now able to jet over the Beverly-Salem Harbor with ease. However, all was not complete. The rite of passage into Salem abruptly stopped as one crossed the new bridge. For more than a decade, the straightaway into Salem was met with concrete barriers forcing motorists to take a hard left, onto Bridge Street and through the historic district. The bypass road sat incomplete for more than a decade.

Finally in August of 2008, the new bypass road opened to traffic and Bridge Street congestion plummeted, as planned. However the businesses relying on such traffic saw sales drop and the city and state stepped in to help.

The $11 Million Restore

In 2010, once again, construction to the area started. This time the focus was on Bridge Street: The Massachusetts Highway Department and City of Salem collaborated on a project to resurface and reconstruct Bridge Street, put in period lighting and landscaping, reconstruct the sidewalks with brick and add a recreational path to connect the new bypass to Bridge Street.

The Neighborhood Revitalization Plan

In 2009, a separate endeavor, the Salem Bridge Street Neck Neighborhood Revitalization Plan was developed. A group of committed citizens and neighboring businesses, along with the aid of the city and planning consultants, created a plan to improve the neighborhood by focusing on its strengths such as its reasonably priced historic homes, water views, its historic character, train access into Boston and its walking distance to many cultural activities. Additionally the plan focused on commercial revitalization with strategies to improve the appearance of existing businesses, attract new small businesses such as antique shops and restaurants, improve signage and even work to relocate some of the existing establishments whose industry may be more suitable to other areas – opening the area to even greater potential.

The Future of Salem

Word is getting out. The future is bright for Salem and the Bridge Street Neck Historic District. Despite a struggling economy, the area has continued to see growth. The downtown is bustling with new restaurants and shops and property remains a hot commodity. With the 2003 expansion of the Peabody Essex Museum, a restaurant boom and many other projects implemented over the past decade, the Bridge Street Neck Historic District is poised to capitalize on the renaissance of Salem and watch itself become an even more desirable community.


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