All about everything -- in one central place

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The new Portsmouth Public Library was well worth the wait. Famed local historian Richard Winslow was standing inside the expansive doorway of the new building on Parrot Avenue the first time I walked inside. He was beaming almost as brightly as the sunshine pouring in through the windows. "Welcome to Utopia!" he said, throwing his arms wide. And it is, with so many computer monitors, study desks, lounging chairs and so much shelving that I feared I was a student back at UNH and had a term paper due in the morning. At last Sunday’s open house, despite hundreds of people touring the new facility, bagpipers playing, a harpist and a performing clown -- there were still peaceful spaces to hide away in.

But, my fellow Portsmouthians, I have not asked you here today to praise the new library. Instead, I want you to imagine how – with equivalent wisdom and planning – the old library on Middle Street could be equally transformed. We now need to treat our visitors as kindly as we treat ourselves; they too deserve a tourist version of Utopia. They deserve a visitor’s center.

Anyway you parse it, the economic future of this city depends on tourist dollars. You may not recall the days of topless bars and empty storefronts downtown, but I do. The transformed Port City now has the best boutiques, restaurants, theaters, historic houses, festivals and scenery of any city its size anywhere in the planet. Portsmouth is among the most walkable cultural destinations spots in New England. Only one thing is missing. You guessed it – a visitor center.

You may know this town like the back of your hand, but the one-way streets, sparse parking and poor signage still confuse the heck out of first-time visitors. I see them fumbling with the ineffective free maps and stopping to question strangers. Which way is the waterfront? Is there a place to see a movie? Where are the public restrooms? Did John Paul Jones really live here? Can you recommend a family restaurant?

First impressions count. People who have a good experience come back, bring friends, stay longer, spend plenty. People who are unhappy complain to everyone they meet.

And this new facility will benefit you and I just as much. Since we are the primary consumers of our own local dining, shopping, touring, creative arts, sports, historic and kids venues – we get to most use. So if it pleases you more, call it a "cultural center". Lots of smart people in town know how to make this happen – without draining local taxpayers. Existing nonprofit agencies can make it work together.

If Portsmouth is really truly going to tap the heritage destination market, it must provide, to quote Hemingway, a clean well-lighted place for all. One indoor downtown spot must be open every day and evening year-round and staffed with knowledgeable kindly people who can guide visitors and locals. I’ve been shouting this aloud for years. I spoke about it at Portsmouth Rotary. I’ve written about it in newspapers and on web sites. Now a great building is available. It isn’t perfect. It leaks and creaks and the parking isn’t great, but the leaks can be fixed and the parking isn’t critical because Portsmouth is a walking town. Some short-sighted people think we need to sell off the old library to get the building back on the tax rolls. That’s old-fashioned thinking. Would you trade a million dollars today for $10 million a year for life? A good Visitor Center will generate cash for every business and cultural venue in the city. It’s primary purpose is to help people find what they are looking for – and keep them smiling.

The chamber of commerce currently does its best as a tourist information site during office hours. There is a tiny kiosk in Market Square with helpful volunteers. What many of us have in mind, however, is a much more comprehensive 21^st century facility embedded in this historic location. It used to be the Portsmouth Academy by the way. What a perfect place to teach visitors about our city. At the city’s first "listening session" all five of the discussion groups came back with the same idea – a multipurpose cultural center.

Step inside with me, for a moment. I want to show you how it works. Just inside the doorway you see a digital screen promoting all the plays, movies, art exhibits, concerts and events going on this week in Portsmouth. The central room is bustling and yes, there are public restrooms to lure in tourists. You can browse the brochures, take in a free art exhibit, listen to a short lecture or poke around in a little gift shop. A walking tour on Portsmouth gardens is even now assembling at the side door. There are digital maps with listening stations for those who want to hear an automated highlights tour – historic houses, restaurant menus, special events and show times are all there. I always suggest hitting the Orientation Room first where a fantastic video explains the 400-year history of Portsmouth in just 12 minutes. But some visitors prefer human contact and rush up to the Information station where two friendly guides offer suggestions. If they don’t know an answer, HAL does. HAL is the brilliant digital Intranet that is being constantly updated with facts on everything from local genealogy to geology. Tickets to everything, by the way, are available at the desk.

Did you notice that the History Room to your left contains the timbers from the old 1760 statehouse? New Hampshire’s first capitol building used to stand in Market Square when Portsmouth was the state capital, but it has been preserved here in a permanent display. You can catch a free history lecture every two hours, thanks to volunteers from Strawbery Banke and the nine historic house museums. You’ll find a small reading library and a Civil War exhibit here too with lots of computer-aided info, thanks to HAL.

I call this place The Port Authority, because it is where everyone goes to get information. You might have a better name. Everything spirals out from this spot and – for the first time in history – the whole town makes sense. Of course, we could just turn the Old Library into another office condo or lawyer’s office and let the tourists work things out for themselves. Ya, that’s smart.

Copyright © 2007 by J. Dennis Robinson. All rights reserved.

OUTSIDE LINK: City report on Old Library