Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

Why COVID Is Spreading Again This Summer

22 hours ago

Amid Threats From Trump, Sen. Adam Schiff Forms Legal Defense Fund

1 day ago

Israel to Place $500 Million, US-Funded Order for Boeing Aerial Refueling Tankers

1 day ago

Hurricane Erin Threatens North Carolina’s Outer Banks With Storm Surge

1 day ago

Israel Approves Settlement Plan to ‘Erase’ Idea of Palestinian State

1 day ago

Tech Stocks Pressure Wall Street as Caution Sets in Ahead of Fed Meet

1 day ago

Most Americans Believe Countries Should Recognize Palestinian State, Reuters/Ipsos Poll Finds

1 day ago

Gabbard Revokes Security Clearances of 37 Current, Former US Intelligence Members

2 days ago

Trump Escalates Attacks Against the Smithsonian Institution

2 days ago

California Republicans File Suit Seeking to Block Newsom Redistricting Plan

2 days ago
Merced Kicks Off $3.5 Million Bob Hart Square Renovation
the_merced_focus
By The Merced Focus
Published 5 months ago on
March 15, 2025

Merced's downtown hub gets a major facelift with $3.5 million renovation project, set to enhance community gatherings and events. (The Merced FOCUS)

Share

The ever-changing appearance of Merced’s downtown is getting another important upgrade.

Author Profile Picture

Victor A. Patton

The Merced FOCUS

Merced leaders held a noon ceremony Tuesday to officially kickoff the $3.5 million renovation of Bob Hart Square, the historic central hub of the city’s downtown at West Main and Canal streets.

City leaders planned to give the square an overhaul since 2018, but the COVID-19 pandemic paused those plans for several years.

Work on the project finally commenced last month, and the new-and-improved Bob Hart Square is expected to be ready for public enjoyment by fall.

The upgrades will include a new stage and expansion of the outdoor plaza toward the south side of the square toward 16th Street.

Crews are currently working to replace a water main that runs under the square – which explains why much of the area is fenced off, with construction equipment present.

All of the businesses in the vicinity of the construction zone remain open.

Mayor Matthew Serratto said Bob Hart Square has always been a special place for Merced residents, as a central location for businesses, nightlife and public events.

It’s also the place where speeches are given on Veterans Day and other important holidays. Plus, it’s where the annual MERCO Christmas Tree lighting happens.

“We’re extremely excited to do this, to offer a great central gathering space for our community, for our downtown,” Serratto said. “We’re also here to honor all of our local businesses that make downtown Merced so special.”

The plaza’s upgrade is just one of several big changes in recent years as part of the city’s efforts to raise downtown’s profile.

Just across the street from the square, the historic Hotel El Capitan underwent a multimillion-dollar renovation in recent years, as did the Hotel Tioga and the art deco-style Mainzer theater.

Not long ago, those buildings were all dilapidated goliaths of the past. Today, they are widely considered resurrected Valley jewels of the present.

Plus, last year an IMAX theater screen was added to Regal Hollywood cinemas on Main Street, adding to the attractions downtown has to offer.

“Without a great downtown, you don’t have a great city,” Serratto said, referring to the facelift happening at Bob Hart Square. “So you need to have a great downtown that anchors everything (as a) hub for arts, culture, nightlife, restaurants, activities, events and cultural celebrations.”

Around $2 million of the funds paying for the project are from federal American Rescue Plan Act dollars.

The square is named after late Merced Mayor Robert L. Hart, who led the city from 1979 until 1981, according to Merced Sun-Star archives.

A Navy veteran of World War II and the Korean War, Hart said he was a fourth-generation descendant of John Hart of New Jersey, one of the 51 signers of the Declaration of Independence.

He died in Merced on Aug. 10, 1983, just two days after his 59th birthday. City officials renamed Merced Main Street Square in Hart’s honor in March 1984.

About the Author

Victor Patton is editor-in-chief of The Merced FOCUS.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Musk, X Corp to Settle $500-Million Lawsuit Over Twitter Firings

DON'T MISS

Fresno Police Warn Drivers Ahead of Saturday DUI Patrols

DON'T MISS

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Robert Paul Rios

DON'T MISS

Fresno Police Arrest Suspect After Shooting Near River Park

DON'T MISS

Israel Bombards Gaza City Ahead of Planned Offensive

DON'T MISS

Fresno Hosts Giddy Up N’ Groove Country Festival Before Dog Daze Fest

DON'T MISS

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Latest Role Is Social Media Troll

DON'T MISS

Putin’s Demand to Ukraine: Give up Donbas, No NATO and No Western Troops, Sources Say

DON'T MISS

Trump’s Civil Fraud Penalty Is Thrown out by New York Appeals Court

DON'T MISS

James Dobson, American Evangelical Activist, Dies at 89

UP NEXT

Fresno Police Warn Drivers Ahead of Saturday DUI Patrols

UP NEXT

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Robert Paul Rios

UP NEXT

Fresno Police Arrest Suspect After Shooting Near River Park

UP NEXT

Israel Bombards Gaza City Ahead of Planned Offensive

UP NEXT

Fresno Hosts Giddy Up N’ Groove Country Festival Before Dog Daze Fest

UP NEXT

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Latest Role Is Social Media Troll

UP NEXT

Putin’s Demand to Ukraine: Give up Donbas, No NATO and No Western Troops, Sources Say

UP NEXT

Trump’s Civil Fraud Penalty Is Thrown out by New York Appeals Court

UP NEXT

James Dobson, American Evangelical Activist, Dies at 89

UP NEXT

California Supreme Court Paves the Way for Democrats’ Redistricting Plan

Fresno Police Arrest Suspect After Shooting Near River Park

1 hour ago

Israel Bombards Gaza City Ahead of Planned Offensive

2 hours ago

Fresno Hosts Giddy Up N’ Groove Country Festival Before Dog Daze Fest

2 hours ago

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Latest Role Is Social Media Troll

2 hours ago

Putin’s Demand to Ukraine: Give up Donbas, No NATO and No Western Troops, Sources Say

2 hours ago

Trump’s Civil Fraud Penalty Is Thrown out by New York Appeals Court

2 hours ago

James Dobson, American Evangelical Activist, Dies at 89

2 hours ago

California Supreme Court Paves the Way for Democrats’ Redistricting Plan

3 hours ago

US Existing Home Sales Tick up Unexpectedly in July

3 hours ago

Wall Street Stocks Fall, Traders Focus on Fed

3 hours ago

Musk, X Corp to Settle $500-Million Lawsuit Over Twitter Firings

Elon Musk and his social media company X Corp have reached a tentative agreement to settle a lawsuit filed by former Twitter employees who s...

11 minutes ago

Elon Musk, Chief Executive Officer of SpaceX and Tesla and owner of Twitter, gestures as he attends the Viva Technology conference dedicated to innovation and startups at the Porte de Versailles exhibition center in Paris, France, June 16, 2023. (Reuters File)
11 minutes ago

Musk, X Corp to Settle $500-Million Lawsuit Over Twitter Firings

1 hour ago

Fresno Police Warn Drivers Ahead of Saturday DUI Patrols

Robert Paul Rios is Valley Crime Stoppers' Most Wanted Person of the Day for August 21, 2025. (Valley Crimes Stoppers)
1 hour ago

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Robert Paul Rios

River Park Ruths Chris Fresno Police
1 hour ago

Fresno Police Arrest Suspect After Shooting Near River Park

Displaced Palestinian women fleeing northern Gaza ride with their belongings as they head south, amid an Israeli military operation, in Gaza City, August 21, 2025. (Reuters/Dawoud Abu Alkas)
2 hours ago

Israel Bombards Gaza City Ahead of Planned Offensive

Fresno’s Chukchansi Park will host the all-ages country music festival Giddy Up N' Groove on Friday, Sept. 5, 2025, featuring Louie TheSinger, Reyna Roberts, CeCe, and other rising artists ahead of Dog Daze Fest. (Instagram/Dog Daze Fest)
2 hours ago

Fresno Hosts Giddy Up N’ Groove Country Festival Before Dog Daze Fest

Gavin Newsom in San Francisco's Mission District
2 hours ago

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Latest Role Is Social Media Troll

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with Moscow-installed leader of the Russian-controlled part of the Donetsk region Denis Pushilin amid Russia-Ukraine military conflict, at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, August 4, 2025. (Reuters File)
2 hours ago

Putin’s Demand to Ukraine: Give up Donbas, No NATO and No Western Troops, Sources Say

Search

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Send this to a friend