Downtown Laconia

WOOLWORTH’S

Note below the original location of Woolworth’s “Five and Dime” on the West side of Main St. In 1937, it relocated to the prominent building at the corner of Pleasant St and Main St, above. By comparing these two images, we can see that, prior to Urban Renewal, most of the historic buildings on the West side of Main St were still being used well into the 1950s.

Woolworth’s continued in its corner location through the 1970 season. It was replaced by a Benjamin’s clothing store on April 15, 1971. In 1973, the Sundial gift shop replaced Benjamin’s. The Sundial’s last year was in 2010.

The original Woolworth’s opened on July 31, 1909, according to the following articles.

In the early 1950’s photo below, one can clearly see the sign for the Gardens Theater.

In this late 1950’s photo we can note a few changes: the older Victorian style light fixtures have been replaced by modern street lights, and a traffic island has been installed.

The welcome sign on the traffic island. Note the marquee of the Colonial Theater and the movie playing, “Men of the Fighting Lady“. This dates the photo to 1954 or later.

BANK SQUARE

Below: Moulton’s Opera House is flying the flag on the left corner.
The Eagle Hotel occupies the center. In 1937, the structure was replaced by Woolworth’s.
On the right we see the imposing steeple of the Unitarian Church. The following are all images of Bank Square. The last two images, taken from a roof top, are in b&w and colorized postcard versions.

MOULTON’S OPERA HOUSE

Moulton’s Opera House. “Built in 1886, this massive brick structure, containing an opera house on its second and third floors, loomed over Bank Square at its corner with Water Street until it was demolished during Urban Renewal in 1970.” Quote from Warren D. Huse’s book, Laconia, Acadia publishing.

Moulton’s Opera House is partially shown on the far right of the postcards below. These postcards are the few postcards on this webpage looking in a southward direction, away from Bank Square.

LACONIA UNITARIAN CHURCH

The Laconia Unitarian Church opened on November 11, 1868. From circa 1890, until 1903, the Church hosted the Laconia Public Library in its basement. The Church burned down in late 1938. The cause was arson. On February 28, 1939, the ruins were carefully brought down, so as not to damage the nearby Laconia National Bank building.

Looking South on Main Street, the Unitarian Church is seen on the left; the Eagle Hotel is on the right.

The Masonic Temple

The Masonic Temple building still exists. It is located near the corner of Main Street and Church Street. The empty lot seen to the left of the building in the first two postcards was filled in by a wing of the Laconia Tavern building, built in 1913. The wing is seen in the third postcard.

Looking South from Depot Square (later known as Veterans Square). The new Masonic Temple building is seen on the left. The original building (not shown) was destroyed by explosion and fire on December 6, 1902. The new building was built in 1903.

A later postcard shows the Masonic Temple building on the left and the new Baldi Block building on the right.

The Masonic Temple is the second building on the left. The Laconia Tavern is the first building.

The Masonic Temple in 1905.

THE EAGLE HOTEL

From the Illustrated Laconian, published in 1899: “The Eagle Hotel, located at the juction of Main and Pleasant streets, on Bank square, is Laconia’s most popular hotel for commerical travelers and others who desire strictly first-class accommodations. The Eagle Hotel…accommodates 100 guests. The table is superb, the rooms and beds are clean and comfortable, the house is illuminated with electricity, supplied with a pool room and a barber shop, while the location, directly in the business centre of the city, makes the Eagle a very convenient and desirable home for the “stranger within our gates”. The hotel lasted until 1937, when it was replaced by Woolworth’s.

The sign at the front door of the Eagle Hotel. The Colonial Theatre can be seen directly across the street from the Eagle Hotel. It would be another two decades or so before its garish, 1950’s vintage neon marquee would be installed.

VIEWS OF MAIN STREET LOOKING NORTH

Here is an early 1920s view of downtown Laconia.

Here is a late 1920’s view.

Contrast and compare the early 1920s view with the late 1920s view. They are very similar, except in the later view, the trolley tracks are gone ( the last year of operations for the Laconia Street Railway was in 1925.)

The first black & white view is from a Library of Congress photo. With no cars, just horse and carriages, the black & white views date between 1900-1910.

Here is another early 1920’s view:

And here are several more rare views, from the 1910’s and earlier:

Here’s a view from the 1940’s:

Another 1940’s view:

MILL STREET

The following view is of Mill Street (center), looking towards the J.W. Busiel mill. The Unitarian Church can be seen on the left, while Main Street can be seen on the right. At the corner of Mill St and Main St, the store with the six window awnings and sidewalk canopy was the Knight & Huntress Dry Goods and Garments store. (Although the store name sounds quasi-medieval, Knight and Huntress were the last names of the store owners.)

Mill Street no longer exists. It was another victim of Urban Renewal. The photo was taken from the rooftop of Moulton’s Opera House, and was the left half of a panoramic view, which can be seen in its entirety here.

Here are several additional postcard views of Mill Street, and an old stereo view:

A contemporary view of Mill Street, taken on October 2, 2024, shows the street has become a pedestrian walkway between buildings.

THE MAIN STREET BRIDGE

The following North-facing views (from 1907 and 1917) show a bit of the Main Street bridge over the Winnipesaukee River, to the right in the photos.

Another view of the bridge over the Winnipesaukee River, this time looking South. The sign on the brick building to the right reads “Laconia Business School”.

A similar view to the previous postcard.

The bridge in a circa 1870s stereoview by W.L. Wilder, one of Laconia’s earliest photographers. Everyone is looking down at the river, but what they are looking at is unknown.

Another view of the bridge, from a stereoview by W.L. Wilder, entitled Gilford Hosiery Mills, Laconia, N.H.

The bridge is seen on both sides of Main Street in this uncredited stereoview. Rival political party signs hang from the buildings on opposite sides of the street. A sign for the “Republican Club Room” hangs from the 2nd floor of the Weeks building on the right, while the “Democratic Headquarters” sign hangs from a dormer of the building on the left. The Unitarian Church dominates the skyscape in the distance.

The view from the Main Street bridge looking downstream.

The view from the Fair Street bridge of the Winnipesaukee River as it empties into Lake Winnisquam.

The current, U-shaped Main Street Bridge was built in 1969, as part of the downtown Laconia Urban Renewal project. (Photo by Jon Decker/The Laconia Daily Sun)

Fireworks

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