This column weaves together more than 120 years of Plymouth history and personal stories. Bear with me as I tell you this tale through several unrelated chapters that in the end tell a complete story. Part one begins in 2008 when beloved Plymouth friends relocated to Provincetown. A weekend invitation would change how I came […]
Category: History & Architecture
Posted inHistory & Architecture
‘Obsession’ with mid-century style leads to a Cedarville revelation
I grew up in the heyday of mid-century modern architecture, but I never really appreciated the style. My family’s house in North Plymouth was a one-story ranch home that was built, along with several others, by my grandfather, George Fornaciari. It was stylized to look like a Cape, with symmetrical window placement on the front […]
Posted inHistory & Architecture
Addressing the historical confusion over Main Street Extension
My architectural office is at 34 Main St., on the second floor above the former Plymouth Savings/Eastern Bank building. Although the location is amazing, clients often have a hard time finding us. Google Maps often sends folks to 34 Main Street Extension (The Landmark Building, formerly the Old Colony Theater). Conversely, people in search of […]
Posted inHistory & Architecture
You may have lived in town a long time, but you haven’t seen it all
If you are on Facebook there is a good chance you are familiar with an infamous – and popular – page that discusses daily life in Plymouth. Recently, I followed a discussion that got nasty and, inevitably, someone threw down the “townie” card. Somehow, having been born and raised here – whether you are a […]
Posted inHistory & Architecture
Recalling a time when Plymouth’s school system was bursting at the seams
The new school year in Plymouth started last week, with the number of enrolled students roughly the same as it has been for the last several years. And despite the current rate of home building, the number of students, according to the Massachusetts School Building Authority, is expected to stay relatively constant. That’s a very […]
Posted inHistory & Architecture
A local architect’s most important work isn’t found in a glossy magazine
I wrote this piece for Facebook several years ago after a very frustrating week. I used it again recently when Patricia Fry, principal of Plymouth South High School, asked me to share a little about my career, at the Vision of a Graduate ceremony. It celebrates students that are mindful learners, effective communicators, inclusive individuals, […]
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Connecting the dots between Italian immigrants and Plymouth Cordage Co.
In 2018, I made my first trip to my ancestral homeland of Bologna, Italy. Part of the trip included excursions into the countryside to see the villages different branches of my family came from. The village of Palata Pepoli was home to two branches of my family – Fornaciari and Fiocchi. It was everything you […]
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The Plymouth Fragment Society has been giving back to the town for two centuries
It’s that time of the year when charity golf tournaments are sprouting like dandelions. They are an excellent way to raise money for selected causes and charities . . . and the participants have fun. But there is a charitable foundation in Plymouth that has never sponsored a golf tournament – and probably never will. […]
Posted inHistory & Architecture
Do you know where Plymouth’s Tweenit section is?
A few years after my graduation from college in 1986, the Massachusetts economy sputtered and died. I decided to follow in the steps of my grandparents and seek my future in California. In 1959, my grandparents had moved to San Diego; just over 30 years later I found myself in San Francisco. I took a […]
Posted inHistory & Architecture
Town Meeting has had an agenda for a long time
Plymouth Town Meeting commences Saturday, April 6, at 8 a.m., at Plymouth North High School. At the meeting, 162 representative members from our town’s 18 voting precincts will gather to discuss and vote on 21 warrant articles, ranging from the general budget to purchasing lawn mowers for the Parks Department. You could argue that Plymouth’s […]