Quincy Square Grand Opening Signals New Day for Innovation and Inclusion

This article originally appeared on and was written for Kitsap Economic Development Alliance by Golden Shovel Agency.

It’s a project seven years in the making. A string of impossibles made possible by a group of energized visionaries who dreamed of something better for a former business corridor that had become vacated, silent, and forgotten.

When completed on July 12, Quincy Square will be humming. A place where you can come, hang out, listen to music, celebrate community, and pay homage to a hometown hero whose ability to beat the odds inspired generations of dreamers.

“Quincy Square is truly a one-of-a-kind place in our City,” said Bremerton Mayor Greg Wheeler. “This new public plaza on historic 4th Street will engage people from all over the City to enjoy arts and cultural opportunities, support our businesses, continue our revitalization, and generate interest in our City from across the region and elsewhere. We want Quincy Square to be a place that inspires, creates connection, and sparks creativity, discovery, and exploration, just as (the late) Quincy Jones found here in Bremerton.”

Kitsap Economic Development Alliance also applauds the community-wide effort to reimagine 4th Street into a cultural hub that celebrates innovation and inclusion.

From Boom to Bust

Once the epicenter of a booming business district in downtown Bremerton from 1945 to 1985, 4th Street had become silent. Shop owners vacated. Restaurants closed. The allure of modern shopping malls proved too much to resist, and with the exodus of storefronts, 4th Street was emptied.

And so it remained, until 2014, when the city announced plans to remove all the trees from 4th Street. Steve Rice, one of the founders of the award-winning architectural firm Rice Fergus Miller, one of the few businesses remaining on 4th Street at the time, was moved to action. He asked the city to hit pause on their plans to allow for an ad-hoc community design team to come up with a better idea. The mayor agreed, Rice mobilized a team, and the 4th Street Action Group was born.  

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