I grew up in New Britain, and live now in Middletown, so this comparison of the two cities in the New Britain Herald is of obvious interest, but I find the analysis somewhat facile.
Both cities have suffered the fate of many downtowns during the advent of the American automobile culture. Sprawl, suburbs, parkades and mall development, along with cheap gas, new highways and lack of downtown parking doomed the core cities.
But it wasn't just the car. It was the abandonment of center cities by major retailers, the destruction of historic buildings (most notably in New Britain), and the disappearance of major employers in the center city which doomed the downtowns.
I watched, as a college student, while entire blocks of Main Street were leveled for a new highway (which bypassed the downtown without an exit), and for ugly "modern" buildings which were as univiting to pedestrians as they were unappealing to retailers. All the while, the politicians wore "Accent NEW Britain" lapel buttons.
Middletown did it's share of destroying important historical buildings, and leaving empty lots behind (people still lament the loss of the old city hall - replaced by one of the ugliest buildings in town), but long stretches of Main Street were left untouched.
The murder on Main Street in Middletown may have had a significant impact, but the factors of sprawl and the parkade mentality would have had the same effect eventually. But the murder may have also been a catalyst for town leaders to preserve, develop and promote retail and restaurants on the main drag.
The mayor is right, Wesleyan has helped, and the fact that for many years Wesleyan owned housing stock, and allowed students to live off-campus (something that is the exception today), helped preserve that center city housing which feeds into life on Main.
For a brief history of Route 9, see:
ReplyDeletehttp://wpinch.web.wesleyan.edu/hist264/conv_student.htm?innerpage=student_docs/tatelbaum/index.htm
If that doesn't work, try:
http://tinyurl.com/y9s2zyn
This was done by a former student for a course I taught in 2005 called "Waterways". There were some excellent projects -- all on Middletown history, particularly as it pertains to the river and transport/communication links to the outside world. This was one of the best.
For those unsure of where the old city hall was, today it is the parking lot to the left of Bank of America, as you face the bank. The city hall faced a street that ran down to the river called Center St. Before all these things were erased (1960+), this was the heart of the Italian community. We have never recovered from the loss of real estate, housing units, commerce, lack of human presence, variety of buildings and activities and interest that was a result of the demolition.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the article Ed.
"the murder"? I'm not sure what you're referring to here. Please give us a name and/or year this happened, maybe a link to another story about it. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteI see the murder is cited in the original linked article. However, I read the Eye first, so didn't know what murder was being referenced here.
ReplyDeleteThe New Britain Herald is referring to the murder of Jessica Short, who was visiting Main Street during the Sidewalk Sale on July 28, 1989. She was attacked by David Peterson, a patient from CVH who was reportedly trying to get the attention of his doctors. It was utterly tragic. She was only 9 years old.
ReplyDeleteThe old town hall was built around 1874. It was a beautiful brownstone structure with an impressive clock tower.
ReplyDeleteApparently the brainiacs who made up the "Redevelopment Commission" thought it was more important that the bank patrons not get their coiffs wet when it rained so they demolished the structure and "put up a parking lot."
connecting the dots... I think that we need to be careful as we look back and move forward. To Ed's point, "It was the abandonment of center cities by major retailers ...[among other things] which doomed the downtowns." A few articles up we have: "Loffredo Calls for Movement on Riverfront Plan". So now, as the City of Middletown moves forward to develop the riverfront, we also look backwards to see what caused failures in the past, and we need to keep this in mind. However, I would be very saddened if it turns out that the "national retail" mentioned in the Riverfront article turns out to be chain restaurants and stores that are giant multinational corporations and have no vested interest whatsoever in the cultural, economic, or environmental health of Middletown. Here's my disclaimer - I am not familiar with the Riverfront plan, and I am only stating my opinion based on the two words "national retail" that I saw here in the EYE. And obviously a new riverfront development has different considerations from a Main Street / downtown. Still, the downside of "national retail" is that it erases the local character of the place, making geography and history practically irrelevant. I would say to anyone who advocates for this sort of development to visit Blueback Square in West Hartford, or Evergreen Walk in Manchester. There is a disconnect with location - you could be anywhere - there is no local flavor at all. Middletown could benefit more by following the example of redevelopment such as the Torpedo Factory in Alexandria Virginia, Kelley Park in San Jose California, or other such places. We have an opportunity here and we should use it to do what is best for the long term health of the City.
ReplyDeleteI believe the Police Station was behind the old Town Hall and you reached it from either Court or College Streets. Thought there was a court held there could be wrong.
ReplyDeleteKaren makes an excellent point. I attended the charette that the city held some years ago to address what the community wanted in riverfront development. All of that input may be irrelevant to today's economic climate. However, I think even a national chain restaurant would be preferable to the semi-locally owned Harbor Park restaurant, which is a sad commentary on "business as usual" in Middletown. Some of the ideas that I recall included a public boat launch and an ice skating pond -- but since those suggestions have no potential to improve the city's tax base, I suspect they have long since been deep-sixed.
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