I’m increasingly upset by coverage of the total demolition permit for New Britain’s ‘Stanley Nine’ area east of Curtis Street and South of Myrtle Street. The mayor and one octogenarian factory worker are the primary sources, articles lean heavily toward “let’s get rid of it, it’s an eyesore.”
There is a Facebook group called “Save the Stanley Nine” with over 140 members, and none have been interviewed by the Hartford Courant for our side of the issue.
No offense, but with focus on coffers, 26 years of experience with New Britain, and the not unlikely event of receiving election support from Stanley (or the desire to keep them happy and staying in the city,) the mayor and a local retiree may not be the most objective or worldly people to sincerely consider the industrial renovation, reuse, and partial demo possibilities of the Curtis Street National Historic District. No, that’s not a thing, but neither was the Downtown New Britain Historic District until one year ago.
Previous lots of the Historic Stanley Works Complex along Myrtle, dating back to 1846, have been half-demolished then preserved and utilized. No effort has been made to partially demolish then look for a buyer with this lot, they plan tear down of every inch of it, utterly wiping the history of Stanley works from the map. There’s maybe too much on this lot to renovate ( the window replacement alone looks daunting,) but shrinking the size could make it more palatable to a buyer. The temporary economic downturn has gone on during the 10 years they’ve tried to sell and solve this space; it’s overbuilt for the lot, but the demo permit can be used to change that status.
Please have a look at the articles and groups opposing the total destruction of New Britain’s manufactory past, which fueled it’s three National Historic Districts (which by no coincidence directly border this ‘Stanley Works’ area,) and transformed New Britain from a township to a city. Demolition of back-buildings has already begun, please help honor the buildings that literally took us ‘from crayons to perfume.’
Charles Tersolo is a fine art oil painter and New Britain resident.