Entrances to the Center provide critical and lasting impressions of the City of Meriden. It is a goal of the Master Plan to create a first impression that reflects a vital and thriving city. Gateways can be defined in a number of ways, from something as simple as enhanced planting to architectural, site or sculptural elements that reflect the cultural, historic or desired image of the place that they are announcing.

The main gateways into the City Center include exits from the highways. At these points, it is critical that motorists can easily understand how to get to their destination. It is the act of arriving and easily finding a destination that creates a desire to visit, or at least avoids an aversion to visiting, a place. Signage, gateway elements and the proposed traffic improvements shown on the Master Plan provide an element of comfort and create a positive impression for the City of Meriden.

In addition to the highway gateways, the City Center can be defined, and is anchored by, the gateways at either end of Main Street. These are identified as the East Main Street Gateway and the West Main/Lewis Avenue Gateway.

East Main Street Gateway
The East Main Street Gateway is centered around the intersection of East Main and Broad Street.

The Meriden Planning Department has been forward thinking in their desire to create an environment at this intersection that is consistent with the overall desired character of Main Street. This can be witnessed by the unique development of the Stop & Shop; the Planning Department encouraged the siting of the building against the main streets with parking located to the rear of the building.

The axial view traveling west on East Main Street is a critical focal point, establishing a first impression of the City Center. Currently this view terminates on a vacant lot on the northwest corner of Broad and East Main. The backdrop for this view is the Brown Jug liquor store. It is important that when this critical lot is developed, consideration is given to the important role that it plays in the gateway. Along East Main Street, additional improvements will also increase the positive image of Meriden. Streetscape improvements consistent with the West Main Street redevelopment would tie the East Main Street and West Main Street gateways together providing a unified front on Main Street. Façade improvements would improve the walls of the street space. Planting could be used to provide seasonal color and fill in the gaps to provide spatial continuity in areas where the street walls are broken with parking and paved areas.

West Main/Lewis Avenue Gateway
The intersection of West Main Street and Lewis Avenue is slated for intersection improvements that consist of new sidewalks with special pavement accents, curbing, decorative lighting, decorative traffic signal poles and the creation of a parklet on the northwest corner of West Main and Lewis. These improvements will enhance the entrance into the City Center. Incorporating sculptural elements at the edge of the Downtown Arts District would also identify the Arts District location.

It is important to note that motorists traveling east on West Main Street are directed to Cook Avenue, then to Hanover Street to enter into the Center. This creates a continuation of the gateway. For this reason, it is important to define the street space and improve the visual sequence of arrival along Hanover. Improvements could include planting to define the street edges, provide seasonal color, and fill gaps to provide spatial continuity in areas where the street wall is broken with parking and paved areas. New buildings, such as the proposed campus building on the southeast corner of Cook and Hanover, could become an integral part of the gateway through the interplay of the architecture with the travelway. In the case of the campus building, it will act not only a focal point, but also a city landmark.

The material on this page is reproduced from "Meriden City Center Initiative - A Comprehensive Plan for Revitalization" prepared by BL Companies, released 07/24/2002. All rights reserved.