Public Places

Creating community gathering places helps bring people together, while programming a wide variety of activities in those places cultivates memorable experiences for residents and visitors alike. By creating positive memories, we hope to have people return again and again to the Jamestown area and share their experiences with their friends and family.

Winter Garden Plaza was constructed in the place where the Winter Garden Theater stood after its demolition in 2010. The theater was built in 1913 and over the years had become structurally compromised and decayed. Once a space where people gathered for entertainment the site is presently a place where residents and visitors come together to enjoy special events such as concerts, farm to table dinners and outdoor movies.  

Betty Dixon Alley was created after the former candy store was razed due to its partial collapse. The Gebbie Foundation supported the Jamestown Renaissance Center (JRC) in its efforts to make the space on one of Jamestown main streets less threatening to those who had to walk by the empty space. 

After cleaning up the walls, leveling and grating the ground surface, the space was greatly enhanced by hanging strings of lights, erection of a musical arch art piece across the top of the expanse, installation of a decorative locking gate and finally the addition of a playful backdrop.

Comedy Center Park, located between the rear entrance of the National Comedy Center and Chadakoin River, was converted from overgrown scrub-grass to a green space where trees were planted and a handicapped-accessible walkway was constructed that leads down to the municipal Riverwalk. Plans are to add amenities such as picnic tables, a playground and possibly a bandstand.