Marlborough Achieves Cultural District Designation
Marlborough has become the second Central Massachusetts community to achieve a cultural district designation from the state, the Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC) announced.
Statewide, 14 districts have been named since the initiative was launched in early 2011. On Friday, the MCC's approval of the Downtown Marlborough Cultural District was announced, along with that of Central Square Cultural District in Cambridge, Essex River Cultural District in Essex and Glass Town Cultural District in Sandwich.
After studying the feasibility of becoming a cultural district, Marlborough applied last month. Recently, Mary Scott, chairwoman for Marlborough Downtown Village, a group spearheading the effort, said becoming a cultural district is important to the downtown's future.
"We've been affected years ago by the malls," she said. "The whole topography of our downtowns has changed." She said the city needs to look at how to make the downtown area sustainable and being a cultural district could help.
There's no funding attached to the designation, but districts receive signage and a profile on the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism and MCC websites. The designation is meant to help communities attract business and aid jobs, expand tourism and reuse historic buildings.
According to MCC, a cultural district is "a compact, walkable area of a community with a concentration of cultural facilities, activities, and assets."
Marlborough's assets noted include city hall and churches as well as groups like Marlborough Downtown Village, Olde Marlborough and Marlborough Regional Chamber of Commerce that promote the city's arts, history and economy. MCC said Marlborough's district doesn't include traditional cultural organizations "but the building blocks to a blossoming cultural district are present in a way that is authentic to the City of Marlborough."
Natick Center has the only other Central Massachusetts cultural district so far. Clinton, Fitchburg and Ashburnham are in the process of determining whether to apply for the designation.
Read more
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