HM Francis Art Plaque
Last April we wrote to tell you about our H. M. Francis project. Since then, a design for the H. M. Francis art plaque has been chosen and the plaques have been created. The H. M. Francis guide has been updated and printed. The neighborhood walking tour has been created, printed and included in the guide. Now it is time to celebrate!
At the upcoming First Thursday, on May 7, we will celebrate our work and invite you to participate in these exciting events!
11 AM press conference and unveiling of the H.M. Francis art plaque at the Phoenix Building Main Street with Anita Walker, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Cultural Council and Patrice Kish, board member of the Massachusetts Historic Commission
5:30 PM neighborhood walking tour with Professor Laura Baker starts at FCA’s Rollstone Studio at 633 Main Street
6:45 PM Delightful by Design: conversations with current H.M. Francis building owners, at FCA’s Rollstone Studio 633 Main Street facitilitated by Fitchburg State College professors Laura Baker, Keith Chenot and Helen Obermeyer-Simmons
These projects are the result of two grants: one from the Massachusetts Cultural Council and the other from the Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities. Fitchburg Cultural Alliance and the Office of Community Development Fitchburg as well as Fitchburg State College were the applicants.
We are focusing on H. M. Francis—the city’s pre-eminent architect who, with his sons, had a practice in Fitchburg for 70 years. The architectural imprint of H. M. Francis is threaded throughout the city. Francis was an apprentice in the Framingham firm of the noted New England architect Alexander R. Estey. He designed in the Second Empire, Stick Style, Shingle Style, Richardsonian Romanesque, Queen Anne and Colonial, Gothic and Renaissance Revival styles. Francis’ touch is found on commercial, residential, church and school buildings throughout the city. In total, there are 11 significant examples on Main Street. H. M. Francis alone dominated and shaped the architectural landscape of Fitchburg.
Thank you, in advance!
Jennifer Jones, president, Fitchburg Cultural Alliance
Ellen DiGeronimo, former Downtown Coordinator, Fitchburg Economic Development Commission
Mary Chapin Durling, vice president, Fitchburg Cultural Alliance
