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Vacant Lots and Broken Dreams:
Urban Renewal in Willimantic Connecticut
Richard Baber, 1993
Part 3 of 8
With the depression some mills closed. Although American Thread survived it would eventually phase out of Willimantic and look to the South. Other industries in town did not offset the losses of the mills. Blue collar jobs began to disappear. What growth occurred in the decades from 1940 to 1960 bypassed the town. Newer housing was constructed on the outskirts and in neighboring communities Along with this housing appeared strip malls and shopping centers drawing retail traffic from downtown. Many of the downtown property owners also began living elsewhere leaving the old neighborhoods to the growing unemployed. Although its former Victorian grandeur was still evident with most of the nineteenth century buildings still intact, the luster was gone from Main St. The town looked tattered.
Seeking to reverse economic trends present in the early 1960s and restore stability to the city, the Willimantic Common Council looked to the federal government and the urban renewal renewal for answers. A local redevelopment agency was created but in the absence of concrete goals or plans and with no money, it was dissolved after a few years. It was next decided that a plan was needed and the firm of Byran & Panico was hired to do a study and put forward recommendations. The results were presented in September 1965 and were a major role in Willimantic's future
The "Comprehensive Panning Program, City of Willimantic. Town of Windham, Connecticut" which contained an evaluation of existing and potential development and neighborhood anaylis definitively reflected contemporary thinking. It studies the "serious problems of mixed land use, poor streets, inadequate parking and obsolete building types" in "significant areas of blight, deteriotation and potential decline....concentrated in and around the downtown core of the city." The area of blight comprised virtually all of downtown from Windham St. to Milk St. and Valley St. to the railroad yards.
In the companion study, a "Comprehensive Panning Program, City of Willimantic. Town of Windham, Connecticut," a series of recommendations were outlined. Some of these such as the "adoption a building code and zoning for the town and the City" were overdue.Some of the recommendation were bizarre including the demolition of the historic Willimantic town all and Windham County court house; construction on the site a new government center housing fire, police and and all city and town offices. Other recommendations that would eventually have the most impact on the city targeted the Central Business District Neighborhood.
Armed with the study, the Common Council on June 3, 1966 voted to re-establish the redevelopment agency and appointed John Wrana, Wilbur Goldberg, Rudolph Pino, Baron Bray, Earl McSweeney as its first commissioners. On August 10 of the same year approved providing The Willimantic Community Redevelopment Agency (WRA) with $1000 to hire a consultant to prepare a grant application based on the Bryan & Panico plan. A target area was established and funds to implement a comprehensive urban renewal program were requested.
Outside of monthly meetings, however, the WRA was relatively inactive while waiting for funding approval untill February 14, 1968, when an event occurred that served as a catalysis for the program..
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Main Street 1963
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Vacant Lots and Broken Dreams:
Urban Renewal in Willimantic Connecticut
Richard Baber
Part 4
In the early mourning of Valentines Day 1968 a report came into the fire department of an explosion at the Sherwin-Williams paint store on Main Street It was investigated but nothing was found but within hours, fire had erupted with 40,000 gallons of paint providing the fuel for one of the most extensive fires in the history of the city. After a day the fire was extinguished leaving four buildings gutted and several others smoke and fire damaged including the First Babtist Church. . In all nine businesses were effected: The Prep Shop, Sherwin-Williams, The Lincoln Shop, Mustard Insurance Agency, Superior Electronics, Church- Reed, The Country Shop, Gay's Florist and Archembeault's Barber Shop. Twenty families were homeless. The even served as a springboard for the urban renewal proponents to pressure HUD to approve the grant application. Mayor Stanley Kososka in response to the event stated "the ruinous fire that ripped through two downtown blocks ... could have been avoided by faster federal action on a request for urban renewal funds. We have a overcrowded situation with people living in obsolete and dangerous structures.
Coincidentally, these building were in the target area, prompting a renewed effort to get the program off the ground. Although funding did not arrive for another year, the city took action. Petitions were signed and plans evolved. A badly deteriorated building at 14 Union St.,also in the target area, was condemned and razed. The last remaining of the Holland Silk Mill building on Valley Street was acquired along with the Amvets building. These were demolished and a new state courthouse was built in there place.It did not seem to matter that the new building occupied only a fraction of the parcel cleared for it. People saw old, obsolete buildings replaced by newly constructed ones, and there was beliefs that things were changing.
On June 25, 1969 it became official. In a telephone conversation with WRA commissioner Earl McSweeney, Lawrence Cox of HUD confirmed the approval of a grant reservation for $6,155.000 which represented 75 per cent of the estimated cost along with $277,000.00 planning advance. The grant approval was contingent on the state and municipality committing to the remaining 25 per cent share of the cost Urban renewal had come to Willimantic. To the people that had made it happen, this meant the acquisition and the demolition of every building within the already defined target area and the rebuilding a new prosperous Willimantic. Blinded by the promises of a healthier community, it is likely that few people took a hard look at the proposal and the potential consequences.
The first activity was to conduct a search for a full time, community development professional to administer the program. On September 9, 1969 , Betty Lou Williams was selected by a vote of the WRA commissioners to assume the position of executive director effective October 1, 1969. If Byran & Panico were the architects of Willimantic's urban renewal project, then Betty Lou Williams with a single minded sense of purpose, administered the plan and oversaw every detail. Her credentials as executive director of Rockville urban renewal efforts seemed respectable on the surface. One wonders however if it made a difference to if they knew she earned the moniker "Bulldozer Betty for her indiscriminate clearance of Rockville's architectural past
In 1970 and 1971 the groundwork was laid for executing the project. Windham Heights was completed: it was a privately built apartment complex in anticipation of the need for low-income, subsidize housing which would result from urban renewal. This gave the WRA the compliance they needed with the HUD requirement that replacement housing be available for displaced people.. In 1971 a public referendum was held for the final approval of the urban renewal project and overwhelmingly passed as did bond issue to cover the city's contribution to the cost of the project. On February 15, 1971, the loan and grant application was formally filed for The Central Business Renewal Project, Conn R-119. An examination of the application reveals that it closely adhered tothe Byran & Panico recommendations of 1965. A study almost casually drawn up at a cost of a couple thousand dollars with very few changes, the primary design for an eleven million dollar project that forever altered the city.
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Jillson House 1963
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Vacant Lots and Broken Dreams:
Urban Renewal in Willimantic Connecticut
Richard Baber
Part 5
With everything in place, the project began to move forward. Appraisals were conducted on all properties in the target area: a relocation staff was hired and all property owners, business owners and tenants were notified that their were to be squired. As appraisals came in, offers were made and properties were bought. Overall the project was proceeding smoothly and although there had been much debate throughout the process there had been relatively little controversy That however would soon change.
At a regularly scheduled meeting of the WRA on January 24, 1973, a request was made to amend the original plans to eliminate Broad Street which had been designated for residential units. This change would create one large downtown commercial parcel which, it was argued, would be attractive to developers. The housing needs could be meet by working with The Willimantic Housing Authority at developing alternative sites..
It was proposed that the building at 696-704 Main Street (commonly known as the Hurley-Grant building) be changed from re habitation status to "be acquired status." What was revealed in the course of discussion that this building was owned by WRA Chairman Dr. Rudolph Pino. Furthermore, he had purchased it in June of 1971. only 18 months earlier. He claimed that he had intended to rehabilitate the buildings but the cost soon made it prohibitive and there was no conflict of interest or impropriety.
The federal government responded the following day. According to HUD legal council, Atty Joseph Gelletich, WRA chairman Pino violated contracts between HUD and the WRA. Citing section 508. "No member of an agency may profit from the activities of the Agency." He said Dr Pino's involvement could result in the federal government terminating its financial obligations to the city.
In spite of this, on October 18, 1973, the WRA agreed to buy the Pino building for the appraised price of $89,500, which would result in a $40,000 windfall for Dr. Pino. At the next meeting on October 25, 1973, Betty Lou Williams refused to reveal the appraised amounts, and when asked about the pino transaction by James Aubrey she responded by saying "actually its none of your damn business." Three days later Mayor David Calchera reacted: Commissioners have no business speculating in the redevelopment area...if there is one thing we don't need its more distrust of public officials. The agency in turn attacked the mayor for not attending WRA meetings and not taking an interest in the project. The local bickering on the issued ended when, on October 30, 1973, HUD determined that the Pino transaction constituted a conflict of interest and threatened to freeze the funding. The state concurred, on January 1, 1974, the Connecticut Department of Community Affairs withdrew Part 6
On January 17, 1974 almost a year after it began the Pino controversy ended with Dr. Pino's resignation as WRA chairman and Mayor Calchera appointed long time WRA nemesis John Ashton to fill the vacancy. Although Pino's resignaation satisfied HUD officials, the purchase of the Hurley- Grant building proceeded as planned and Dr. Pino realized his profit. In the course of the investigation of this affair HUD uncovered numerous other infractions among them: Commissioner Milton Kozelka was vice president of Republic Oil which owned property in the target area; his brother John Kozelka preferred developer status for redevelopement of parcel 9; Commissioner Joseph Tubridy owned property and a business in the target area; Rudolph Pino leased offices to the WRA and WRA attorney Charles Tarpinian's son Craig and Chairman Pino'd son Rudolph were both put on the WRA payroll. These infractions were investigated and they resulted in negative publicity.
Meanwhile, while this was taken place, Betty Lou Williams launched an attack on the Willimantic Housing Authority (WHA). HUD had made$1.6 million available to the WHA for the construction of low income housing, but the housing authority rejected it. After failing to convince the WHA members to reverse their decision Williams called for the members resignations citing non-performance of duties. Her concerns were that without this housing more renewal efforts could be delayed due to the Weicker amendment; section 210 of the U.S. Housing and Urban Development Act of 1969 stated that demolition cannot take place in an urban renewal area unless the people whose homes are being torn down have replacement housing.
The WHA members responded that they were philosophically opposed to building a high rise, low income housing project. Said WHA Commissioner Earl McSweeney, "I'm for housing but I am for it in certain ways...[he said he wanted to].find ways to fit these people into the community rather then create another ghetto." WHA Commissioner Richard Jackson after defending the Housing Authority's position called for an investigation of the WRA, calling on them to answer questions:Does the redevelopment Agency rent space from its Chairman? Does its chairman own property in the redevelopment area? Are other commissioners gaining finicially from redevelopment? He called for the resignation of Betty Low Williams and Dr. Pino because "they are endangering our entire redevelopment program by allowing [the conflict of interest] situation to exist." After six weeks of debate, the Housing Authority voted to build low income housing, not the 54 units that HUD would finance for $1.6 million at one site but thirty two units at scattered sites to comply with urban renewal requirements.
In spite of all that was happening the urban renewal project kept moving ahead. After submitting the low bid of $62,700 for the demolition of forty two buildings in the target area, David Jones, president of Jones Destruction of Farmington signed a contract with WRA on September 27, 1973. And on October 9, 1973 seven years after the WRA was created the first building was demolished. with director Williams, complete with hard hat and perched on a crane, directed the razing of a vacant garage on Main Street. Afterward she said that the project was set for compleation by April, 1977. Ten days later it was discovered that Jones was illegally dumping its rubble in Lebanon and the stated issued a stop order. It took untill February before an approved dump site was secured and demolition continued.
Another problem developed. A primary goal of the downtown project was to attract a regional major retail mall. This was undermined by the announcement on October 25, 1973 that a mall would be constructed on a 23 acre site on the Willimantic town line. This mall had commitments from Sage-Allen, Caldor, A & P, two banks and several other businesses and would be open by the following Christmas. In spite of the news demolition continued.$1.4 million in funding for Willimantic because of Dr Pino's financial interest in the project.
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Jillson House 2005
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Part 6
On January 17, 1974 almost a year after it began the Pino controversy ended with Dr. Pino's resignation as WRA chairman and Mayor Calchera appointed long time WRA nemesis John Ashton to fill the vacancy. Although Pino's resignaation satisfied HUD officials, the purchase of the Hurley- Grant building proceeded as planned and Dr. Pino realized his profit. In the course of the investigation of this affair HUD uncovered numerous other infractions among them: Commissioner Milton Kozelka was vice president of Republic Oil which owned property in the target area; his brother John Kozelka preferred developer status for redevelopement of parcel 9; Commissioner Joseph Tubridy owned property and a business in the target area; Rudolph Pino leased offices to the WRA and WRA attorney Charles Tarpinian's son Craig and Chairman Pino'd son Rudolph were both put on the WRA payroll. These infractions were investigated and they resulted in negative publicity.
Meanwhile, while this was taken place, Betty Lou Williams launched an attack on the Willimantic Housing Authority (WHA). HUD had made$1.6 million available to the WHA for the construction of low income housing, but the housing authority rejected it. After failing to convince the WHA members to reverse their decision Williams called for the members resignations citing non-performance of duties. Her concerns were that without this housing more renewal efforts could be delayed due to the Weicker amendment; section 210 of the U.S. Housing and Urban Development Act of 1969 stated that demolition cannot take place in an urban renewal area unless the people whose homes are being torn down have replacement housing.
The WHA members responded that they were philosophically opposed to building a high rise, low income housing project. Said WHA Commissioner Earl McSweeney, "I'm for housing but I am for it in certain ways...[he said he wanted to].find ways to fit these people into the community rather then create another ghetto." WHA Commissioner Richard Jackson after defending the Housing Authority's position called for an investigation of the WRA, calling on them to answer questions:Does the redevelopment Agency rent space from its Chairman? Does its chairman own property in the redevelopment area? Are other commissioners gaining finicially from redevelopment? He called for the resignation of Betty Low Williams and Dr. Pino because "they are endangering our entire redevelopment program by allowing [the conflict of interest] situation to exist." After six weeks of debate, the Housing Authority voted to build low income housing, not the 54 units that HUD would finance for $1.6 million at one site but thirty two units at scattered sites to comply with urban renewal requirements.
In spite of all that was happening the urban renewal project kept moving ahead. After submitting the low bid of $62,700 for the demolition of forty two buildings in the target area, David Jones, president of Jones Destruction of Farmington signed a contract with WRA on September 27, 1973. And on October 9, 1973 seven years after the WRA was created the first building was demolished. with director Williams, complete with hard hat and perched on a crane, directed the razing of a vacant garage on Main Street. Afterward she said that the project was set for compleation by April, 1977. Ten days later it was discovered that Jones was illegally dumping its rubble in Lebanon and the stated issued a stop order. It took until February before an approved dump site was secured and demolition continued.
Another problem developed. A primary goal of the downtown project was to attract a regional major retail mall. This was undermined by the announcement on October 25, 1973 that a mall would be constructed on a 23 acre site on the Willimantic town line. This mall had commitments from Sage-Allen, Caldor, A & P, two banks and several other businesses and would be open by the following Christmas. In spite of the news demolition continued.
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Strand Theater Bulldozed, Fedor Litryn owner watches, 1976 Chronicle photo
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Part 7
The following May a debate ensued weather or not to use a portion of the central business district parcel for housing. A proposal was made for fifty state funded units along Jackson Street. in a letter to the editor in the Willimantic Chronicle, dated may 4, 1974, Rev. John K Honan, Pastor of St Joseph's Church and a long time affordable housing advocate wrote: I am not concerned with the use of this pace from a tax viewpoint because I believe there is more redevelopment land going to be available then there will be a demand for by commercial developers.No one seems to be knocking down the doors to get in line for purchase.His letter proved prophetic.
By June 1974 eighty two of one hundred one buildings slated for demolition had been acquired. The owners of the remaining nineteen were challenging the WRA in court but by the end of the year they would also be acquired through the powers of eminent domain. Demolition was complete on forty of the structures and contracts had been signed for the remaining forty two. Preferred developer status had been awarded for two of the smaller parcels and the WRA decided it was time to lock in a for the crown jewel of the project.- the shopping mall on the ten acre downtown parcel. Developers kits and the deadline for completed proposals was set for 2p.m. on September 25, 1974. The city got the first indication that Reverend Honan may have been right about, "no one knocking down any doors to get in line to purchase" when the deadline came and went without a single proposal submitted. Yet the project went ahead without modifications as if it had a life of its own .
It took an additional two years for the first phase of urban renewal to be completed. Although during that time the focus was still on the major downtown parcel, there was much activity elsewhere. Site improvements were bid out and improvements began on the city's infrastructure. An in depth historic survey was conducted, and commercial and residential rehabilitation were planned. Restoration began on the only structure on the major parcel, the historic Jilson House. They planned to turn it into a museum. Much needed downtown parking was created and a new fire/police complex on a cleared parcel on Meadow Street. These parcels were funded by HUD as part of the overall renewal grant and overseen by the WRA. The city began spending its allocation of urban renewal funding as well as such items a storm sewers, sidewalks, recreation facilities and human services. In the private sector renovations began on the Willimantic Trust building and The Connecticut Bank and Trust. The Willimantic Savings and Loan was the first business to locate a new structure in the downtown business district. When it opened its doors at the corner of Church and Main on June 20. 1976, it went unnoticed that the parcel had previously been home to nine businesses, four offices and twenty five apartments.
As demolition proceeded on the major downtown parcel, opposition to the continued leveling began to appear. This was reflected with town meetings, demonstrations and letters to the editor, It was as if many people were realizing how total the destruction and how much they were losing. In a letter to the editor of the Willimantic Chronicle, Francelia Butler wrote: "These nineteenth century buildings may mean more to Willimantic then earlier colonial structures. Sooner or later everyone deeply will regret there disappearance." These sentiments were echoed by John Stearns.. " I pass through the slowly disappearing city almost every day and I can't believe how efficiently it has been turned into a big vacant lot....The WRA has done away with our landmarks. The next building that will come down are the Hurley and Union Blocks. These two buildings have stood longer then most can remember." And Georgia RonDeau lamented that " I think we have Willimantic to thank forWillimantic being the most inconvenient , little city around. Nothing is centrally located. One has to drive around willy-nilly looking for a place of business that were once on Main Street. (re) development-indeed." Michael Ziesing
defended businessmen: "The business people in downtown Willimantic are not responsible for the fact that Storm troopers from outside the area blitzkrieged the central business area. Many of us radically oppose it."
By the summer of 1976, the Hurley-Grant building and the Union Block were the only two buildings slated for demolition that were still standing. People began rallying together in a movement to preserve them. It was as if these two building for everything that had been lost over the previous three years. There were many private offers to fund the restoration of these structures and there were almost daily demonstrations. Support came from all quarters:
residents,, city officials, the Chamber of Commerce and downtown merchants. But in the end
Betty Lou and the WRA prevailed and on October 20, 1976 demolition began on these buildings. A photograph in the Willimantic Chronicle showed a crane chomping down a wall where some one had painted: "In the spirit of '76 don't tear me down." In the aftermath, members of the community seemed stunned at what happened to the city.
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Main Street, 1963
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Conclusion, Part 8
Over the next two years, redevelopment efforts were in full swing. Downtown utilities were buried. hundred year old water and gas lines were replaced, and sidewalks were laid and new street lights were installed. Landscaping was done citywide: parks and parking lots were planned, and the newly restored Jillson House was turned over to the Windham Historical Society. The downtown rehabilitation and restoration of the many historic buildings was begun. However in the middle of the city was a ten acre vacant lot. Bids were received and proposals were reviewed but either the plans were not appropriate or the developers were not acceptable. When Betty Lou Williams resigned as executive director February 26, 1079, there was no potential developers in site.
Today the downtown parcel, the centerpiece of what was to be a model for urban revitalization is still empty, The WRA did use redevelopment funds to create a municipal parking lot on it and a small strip surrounding the Jillson House museum was landscaped and deeded to the city as a park. The only private commercial development occupying a half acre was the six screen Jilson Square Cinema built by Cates Enterprise of Cambridge Massachusetts and opened in 1978. The remaining 9.3 acres remain as open space. Although
proposals are still occasionally being submitted to the WRA non have been found acceptable. In the aftermath. there are many questions regarding the value of Willimantic's redevelopment program to the city.
On the plus side the city did benefit from the many physical improvements that were funded by HUD money. In addition to the improved infrastructure, such as wide well lit streets, new brick bordered sidewalks, parking lots, parks and attractive landscaping citywide, Willimantic added new government buildings. Also there was some private commercial development which is tax generating. Liberty Bank and Clark's Restaurant , the old Willimantic Trust and Connecticut Bank and Trust, The Broadcaster and WILI buildings and the Jilson Cinemas were all built on redevelopment parcels, The rehabilitation program did and still does provide people with grants and low interest loans to apply to the historic structures that remain. Many of the beautiful Victorians that are showcased in Willimantic were restored under this program.
On the human side there were benefits from some additional housing as a result of urban renewal. The high-rise elderly complex on Valley Street and the clustered Father Honan Village on Jackson Street were financed with federal and state money as replacement housing for those elderly displaced by urban renewal. As a result of the downtown clearance,
the privately funded Windham Heights project was built in anticipation of the need for low- income housing. There were many people that found that relocation was an improvement. "It's the best thing that ever happened to me" said Adelainda Cichon of her move from Union Street were she frequently saw or was a victim of crime, to the high rise for the elderly on Valley Street. Benjamin Morales, who was relocated from a three room apartment for $100 per month on Valley Street Extension, to a five room apartment for $120 per month at 17 Pearl Street said: I like the new surroundings much better and have basically kept the same friends since moving. " Mr and Mrs Estaban Coinception were moved from a rental apartment in the target area to a home at 13/15 Pearl St.that they were able to purchase with a replacement housing payment from WRA.
A look at some of the negative consequences of urban renewal reveals that not everyone fared as well. In total 154 families and 104 individuals representing 675 people were displaced due to phase 1 of urban renewal. Although some moved to new homes of the same quality or better then the one they left, most did not. Those that ended up at one of the city's subsidized housing complexes or at Winhan Heights found themselves living with more crime and dispair then before and without the sense of neighborhood that was present downtown. In addition 129 businesses were displaced. Many such as Sherwin-Williams, Friendly Variety Store,relocated nearby and are still in business today. Some such as Tubridey's or The Hoot, deserted downtown for the East Brook Mall while others such as Lindy's Restaurant, Railroad Street Package Store, Gay's Florist or the New England Institute of Music could simply not afford to relocate, or if they did, they found they were too far away from their old clientele to survive.
Other negative aspects of Willimantic redevelopment include the unfulfilled goals, the loss of tax revenue and the potential for profiteering and graft. But without question one of the biggest drawbacks was the permanent loss of much of Willimantic's architectural heritage. Joy P. Favretti said it the best."I'm compelled to put in writing my feelings about your city as it seems to me that there are to few who understand or appreciate charm. For goodness sakes while you still have something left down there, slow down, Take time to study Willimantic's history. Then take a whole day to walk your town... its many parks, open space, waterfalls, old factory buildings...Willi is a fantastic collection of 19th century architecture and a delightful small town atmosphere pervades its tree shaded byways...Your town is a real calender picture town of a type that many can only dream of now While you still have it , For God's sake, and for the sake of all future generations, take it to you heart, love it, don't destroy it,"
