Town of Spencer Breaks Ground on New Downtown Park

TOWN OF SPENCER, NC—After years of planning, construction has officially begun on Spencer Town Park, a transformative project set to revitalize Spencer’s downtown area. On October 2, members of the project team and community gathered for a groundbreaking ceremony to celebrate the start of this highly anticipated project.

To create a welcoming green space in the heart of town, Spencer is repurposing part of the asphalt parking lot in front of the new Town Hall and Police Department. The park will feature a 12,000 square-foot civic green space surrounded by a walking loop, a multi-purpose pavilion and an interactive water feature. Native plants and pollinators will also be incorporated throughout the park’s landscape to support the local ecosystems.

The centerpiece of the new park will be the open-air pavilion that will provide approximately 2,000 feet of open floor space, with a stage that opens to the spacious events lawn. Equipped with restrooms, picnic tables, lighting and power, the covered structure will offer a permanent venue for Spencer’s numerous community events, including their highly attended Winterfest.

The concept for the park originated in the Town’s 2014 Parks and Recreation Comprehensive Master Plan, developed by Benesch. The need for more green space downtown was reiterated in a 2022 master plan update, which included a site-specific master plan for Spencer Town Park. Benesch assisted with the PARTF grant application, design, permitting and bidding, and is presently overseeing construction to bring the community’s vision to life.

A key challenge in the design involved maximizing green space on a relatively small site while minimizing disruption to the surrounding businesses.

“Since the park is located in a historic district, we were very thoughtful with the park design to ensure it will complement the adjacent downtown area,” said Benesch Landscape Architecture Group Manager Jeff Ashbaugh. “Equally important was balancing pedestrian and vehicular circulation patterns around the park to provide adequate parking for adjacent businesses and Spencer Town Hall.”

Located across from the North Carolina Transportation Museum and on the site of a former town park built in 1926, the new park will honor Spencer’s rich history. It will feature tall brick columns that replicate the original park’s masonry entrances and incorporate salvaged light fixtures from the original park. The pavilion’s design will complement the downtown architecture, creating a seamless connection between the town’s past and present.

With construction underway, Spencer Town Park is expected to open to the public by next year’s Winterfest, marking a significant milestone in Spencer’s ongoing commitment to creating vibrant, community-centered public spaces.