Bohenko Gateway Park
Bohenko Gateway Park is a beautification project created by the Department of Public Works on the Market Street Extension, the main access route from Route I-95 to the historic heart of Portsmouth. The park includes a city-funded pavilion and kiosk with NH Division of Historical Resources information about the city’s centuries-old maritime history and riverine environment.
The City of Portsmouth and the NH Department of Transportation concluded a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) pursuant to Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act in relation to the identification of the USS Albacore as a National Historic Landmark and work to replace the "middle bridge" with the new Sarah Mildred Long Bridge. The final element in the MOA was for the City of Portsmouth to develop interpretive panels, including one panel devoted to Albacore submarine history and the Piscataqua River, to be placed in Bohenko Gateway Park. The City was responsible for design, fabrication and installation of the interpretive signage, retaining the services of a 36 CFR 61-qualified architectural historian to develop the panel text. NHDOT approved the selection of Preservation Company and Bailey Donovan to complete the kiosk signage which was installed November 4, 2023 (above).
In addition to the kiosk and informational signage about the Sarah Mildred Long Bridge, Bohenko Gateway park is also the site planned for future installations of sculpture. In 2023, as a Portsmouth NH 400 Legacy project, a subcommittee worked to select the first sculpture for what may be a maritime-themed sculpture garden in the park. "Endeavor" (rendering below) the sculpture selected for the Legacy project is intended to frame that educational component and accent the opportunity afforded by the existing benches and pathways to contemplate the riverfront setting. Just a short walk from downtown the sculpture garden is designed to attract Seacoast visitors and members of the community, providing the perfect location for quiet reflection, a family picnic or educational programs on the historic port’s maritime history.
