Willimantic Before Redevelopment, Part 4

Brett's Drugs, Jim's Coffee Spot

Main Street, South Side, Part 4

The next building housed The Lucky Strike Bowling Alleys, Haggerty Insurance, Bus Terminal, Luncheonette Travel Agency,  Grayhound Bus Lines, New England Transportation, Arrow Line and Blue Line Bus companies.. ( We had many ways to go to Norwich, Hartford and Providence) ,.The next building had offices and a labatory on the first floor and Toney's Hair Stylist on the second floor where I went to get my haircut. Fox's Sportswear was in the Capitol Theater Building along with Caron's Beauty shop and The Bottle Shop, Horn's Clothing Store and of course the marque and entrance to the best theater in town. (My friend Patty and I use to go to the Capitol on Sunday afternoon, go to eat at the Lucky Strike lunch counter and then go bowling. That made for a nice afternoon.) Upstairs there was a insurance office where I worked for years, a doctor, a dentist, Dr Mason (where I had all my teeth taken out), a lawyer (who had me be a witness whenever he needed one), The textile Workers of america, local #460 and The Council of Eastern Connecticut.

Lizee Jewlry

Arnold (Tin Sin) and Meehen Building

The Italian Garden came next.  It has been there since the late 1880's, in the same family.  I worked there as a waitress for many years. The Capitol Dinner was next door to Italian Garden. We called the diner Sputniks because the people that owned it had a last name like that. I used to stop there for coffee in the mourning. There was a shoe repair shop next to that and then The Metropolitan Life Building.

That was Main Steeet in the 1950,s and 1960's Someone in Willimantic decided that Willimantic needed an overhauling and they went through a large portion of the city knocking down building after building and calling it revitilization. They drew up a map showing what the restoration would look like but this did not come to pass and left a blank area called "the parcel." that once had nine streets, dozens of business and hundreds of families that call Willimantic home.

And now I ask: Where did all the people go?

Saturday, September 15, 2012

Willimantic Before Redevelopment, Part 5

North Side of Main Street: Part 5

Starting on the North side of Main Street, going East we have Santa Lucia Grinder Shop and Groceries run by Remi and Lucy who were very famous for their grinders.  Roy Auto Parts and then The Willimantic Town Hall with all of its many offices including the mayor's, John Lesco who was the last mayor of Willimantic and he picked me for Cupid of Romantic Willimantic in 1983. The police station where, my father worked, at one time as a supernumery, was located in town hall.  At the the back end of the building was the town library where I spent a lot of time. It had a small room for children's books and I think I read all of them..  The adult books were in the back room.

Town Hall, Heller and Mazzola Buildings

At High Street was the post office and coming from school we  always went in the door at High Street, through the building and exited through the Main St door. Heller's building (Torn down and replaced by a parking lot,ed) was next and I worked in their office for many years.  My friend Patsy LaMort's paper store was in the building as was Moore;s Package Store. A guy named Rudy Polock lived in the building.  He was the grandfather of parachute jumpers or that is what he told me. Mazzola's building  (Now home to a popular breakfast  spot, ed) was next, at one time it was home to a grocery and an appliance store. Then Welch's Restaurant where a bowl of spaghetti was sixty cents and lobster was two dollars, if I remember correctly. I worked across the street and many days I ate a bowl of spaghetti for lunch. One day a custom said to me: "Do you know you smell of garlic?" So that ended my bowl of spaghetti days.

At Walnut St. was the Luncheonette and at lunch time when I worked across the street I use to run over there at twelve o'clock, wait tables because they were short of help. take a few minutes to eat and run back to my office for 1 pm.

Mazzola's Grocery Store

Terri's Kiddie Shop was next and then Menditto's Barber Shop, Callahan's, where we would stop after school for an ice cream sundae. Next was Jenal's Clothing for Women. Next came Pete's Tavern (later Tony's Barber Shop.) The Nathan Hale hotel came next, the Tread City Garage and Hathan Hale Drug Store and a record and radio store. Hooker hotel had Archambault Barber Shop, Hersant Development and Contos's Windham Card and News Store. Crossing over Bank St was the Willimantic Savings Institute Bank with offices upstairs.  Years ago the Teachers College was located on the upper floors.. Dr Rafferty, dentist, was the first dentist to tell me why whenever I got a tooth ache, all my teeth ached. He told me it was my "achilles heel" and whenever I got tired and rundown my teeth ached.

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