 The Central Village Bench-Mark Design Competition invites designs that will establish five artful places for people to sit along Main Road in Central Village. Westport has moved into the twenty-first century with its heritage as an agricultural coastal village intact. Over the last century, Westport's Central Village has become the main business and government center of this rural community that embraces 61 square miles and 35 miles of shoreline along rivers and ocean. The 3/4 of a mile 'business district' is in transition, with its growing population and increased traffic. The Bench-Mark competition is the first phase of the Designing the Village project, a campaign to make Central Village safer and more pedestrian friendly. Designing the Village supports the visionary Westport Master Plan recommendations for Central Village that emphasize a pedestrian focus with safe areas for walking.
The competition is limited to people who live or work or have gone to school or are currently students in Massachusetts or Rhode Island. You must register online by February 15, 2006.
Please review competition details and schedule below. Check out the Questions and Answers page as well as the Updates for the latest information.
Learn more about Designing the Village and the jury for the Bench-Mark competition. Private fundraising will help underwrite the cost of the installations. The Bench-Mark Design Competition is sponsored by the Westport Arts Council, with support from the Helen E. Ellis Charitable Trust, administered by the Bank of America.
Photo caption: The little "Village Green" with a bench around the elm tree at the corner of Adamsville and Main Road was created by the Central Village Improvement Society in 1907. The photograph from the Lees Collection is used with permission. |
