Update on 942 Main St & Library Construction

Published on October 30, 2024

The Town of Manchester today announced that 942 Main Street, a building located prominently on Main Street, will undergo demolition marking another milestone in the ongoing revitalization of Downtown Manchester. Starting November 1^st, the building will be completely demolished, the lot cleared, backfilled with clean soil, and the site will be graded and stabilized in preparation for future development opportunities.

In addition, earlier this month Webster Bank completed its relocation to its new branch at 1007 Main Street, paving the way for 1041 Main Street, its previous branch location, to be demolished for the construction of Manchester’s 21^st Century Library. Demolition of the old Webster building will commence early in 2025, and the new library construction will take approximately 16 months, with a grand opening in 2026.

“Downtown Manchester’s forward momentum continues with these two exciting projects,” said Mayor Jay Moran. “As these sites get redeveloped over the next few years, this area of Manchester will continue to be a premier location to work, live, and play.”

942 Main Street has long been a target for redevelopment, given its location in the heart of downtown. Demolition is scheduled to commence on November 1^st and will be completed over the first few weeks of November. The Town has coordinated with the Manchester Road Race Committee to ensure there will be no disruption to the Road Race with demolition debris removal and site restoration occurring after race day.

Maintaining the main branch of the Manchester Public Library downtown is a crucial component of the 21^st Century Library project. A 2022 study of the Economic Impact of Mary Cheney Library showed that

• More than 1/3 of visitors to Mary Cheney Library come from outside Manchester,
• More than 1/3 of visitors made another stop Downtown either before or after their library visit, and
• Visitors to the library make up +/- 4% of all Downtown visitors.

“We appreciate the understanding and support of our residents and businesses as we kick off these exciting projects, which will help ensure that Manchester has one of best downtowns in the state,” said Steve Stephanou, Town Manager. “Also, we would like to thank our community partners, notably Webster Bank, for making these projects possible. We look forward to keeping everyone informed as plans progress.”