Stamford History Real Time

A Weekend of Urban Renewal Education I:'Change', Event at UConn, Saturday, April 12

First of two events in connection with the photo collection of the URC about the urban redevelopment in Stamford in the 1960s:

20/20 Hindsight.
Change: Urban Renewal in Stamford, Connecticut 1955- 1980

On Saturday, April 12, 2008, the Historic Neighborhood Preservation Program, Inc., invites you to attend a photo presentation, “Change: Urban Renewal in Stamford, Connecticut 1955- 1980,” followed by a panel discussion about the subject. 

Panelists include Renée Kahn, Founder and Director of the Historic Neighborhood Preservation Program, Robert N. Rich, Chairman of F.D. Rich Company, and Lester Sharlach, a founder of the Stamford Jewish Historical Society and a former downtown merchant.

2:00 – 5:00 PM
University of Connecticut Stamford Campus
Gen Re Auditorium
One University Place (corner of Washington Boulevard and Broad Street).

Free parking is available at the UConn garage on Washington Boulevard.

Photo Selection of the Month: Lady Bird Johnson dedicates Kiwanis Park

Ladybird Johnson Opens Kiwanis Park, May 16, 1968

As readers surely know, Lady Bird Johnson, widow of the late President Johnson, passed away in July of last year.

In the collection of The Stamford Urban Redevelopment Commission (URC), as recently described, we discovered photos from the dedication of the Kiwanis Park between Atlantic and Lower Summer Street, the first completed urban renewal project in downtown Stamford. The then First Lady, Lady Bird Johnson, officially opened the park, situated next to the Palace Theater, and pressed the switch that unleashed the fountain.

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Today you will find a completely different park, redesigned when the Palace Theater was renovated a few years ago.