Year
2013-2015

Client
Avery Copp House Museum

Awards
2017 APA CT Implementation Award

The Thames River Heritage Park Plan, published in 2015, provided a successful blueprint to establish Connecticut’s first state heritage park. First envisioned by planners more than 50 years ago to celebrate the rich historical and contemporary engagement between Groton, New London, and the Thames River, but stalled in the early 1990s, the development of this plan over 18 months provided new, original concepts that organized community support and enthusiasm, and led to the relaunch of the park in 2017 with substantial funding from the State of Connecticut.

Unlike a conventional state park, the Thames River Heritage Park ties together independent heritage institutions, existing state parks, historic districts, local businesses, and educational partners. Minimal new physical infrastructure, including signage, graphics, and a water taxi system connects sites and defines the park as a unified experience. Through its management structure, the park provides a platform for collaborative programming, events, and coordinated schedules, while information and interpretation for visitors and locals is provided online.

The Heritage Park contributes to making the Thames region greater than the sum of its individual parts. While enriching each local partner by making it part of a larger network, the park will help define the region’s cultural identity, encourage sustainable tourism, and with minimal investment, has produced sustainable regional economic impact.